On Tuesday March 27th Parker died in his sleep. He was 11 years old. A faithful shadow to Todd, a protector of the house, a hunter (in his early years), a companion to Gator girl, a retriever through and through, always up for chasing a tennis ball, and LOVED water!
On Friday March 16th I took Parker to the vet. He had not been acting himself, throwing up after eating, refusing to eat and just seemed out of sorts. The vet took one look at him and guessed that he had a tumor on his spleen (distended belly, lethargic, etc.) And then an X-ray confirmed. The large tumor was pushing his stomach and intestines. He gave me the options for treatment and gave him some medicine to stop the throwing up. I immediately went to the shop to see Hottie and later that night we told the boys. The news was very hard on all of us. We decided to just wait and see, knowing when the time was right we would do what was best for Parker.
Above are a few pictures I took that evening knowing it was just a mater of time. Over the next 9 days his health deteriorated quickly. We started given him rice. He would eat it for a couple of meals and then he stopped. We mixed baby food in the rice. He ate it for a couple of meals and then he stopped. We got "wet" dog food. Again, it was ok, for a couple of meals and then he stopped. We finally resorted to feeding him corndogs but after two days he wouldn't eat anything.
That afternoon he went and laid by the pool while the boys swam and Todd later carried him inside. We carefully listened for his breathing throughout dinner and then went to check on him before bed. We are so thankful that we were home and know that he went peacefully, that the boys were already asleep, and that Chris was able to come over and get Parker.
The last few days have been a tough new normal. We miss our Parker-park!
3 comments:
Mindy, I'm teary eyed writing this comment. Kyle and I were so sad to hear this news, as Parker was one of the most handsome and well behaved dogs we've known. I know y'all will definitely miss him, hope Gator is giving y'all lots of loving these past few days.
Oh Mindy, I am so very sorry. Parker was such a good, well-trained, and sweet dog. I know his presence will be missed terribly around your house. I am praying for you!
Definitely teary eyed as I read about Parker's last weeks...saddened by how quickly things deteriorated. My heart is breaking knowing how much he meant to your family and how hard it must be to not have him around. Thankful he was at home with those he loved, and that he had 11 years of a great life.
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