By I have been blessed with some wonderful fur babies over the years. Not counting the dogs we had growing up, the first dog adopted was Speedy. My sister discovered Speedy, nee Roger, when we lived in Macon. He had been rejected by 8 or 9 homes(that should have been a red flag, instead we saw it as an opportunity). She and I fell in love with this blue eyed boy who was incredibly smart and very saucy if he didn’t get his way. The next fur baby who joined my world was Roxie who was decidedly not as smart as Speedy but sweet as can be. My favorite memory of her is when she would sit under my piano keyboard and listen to me sing. She was perhaps my favorite audience!
Finally Mavis came along in 2003. Mavis adopted me. She was wandering the streets in rural Covington Louisiana, having been abandoned (my guess). She picked me. We’ve been together ever since. Mavis has had some tough times, but has fought through them all. I swear I’ve paid for several summer vacations for various vets in Louisiana and Georgia.
This brings me to the gratitude challenge for today – veterinarians. Vets have patients that are unable to communicate their symptoms and parents of patients who are distressed at seeing their fur baby in pain.
I’m grateful for the vets who have cared for my pups. A special shout out to Dr. Raskin and Dr. Morris at CityVet of Roswell who truly care about Mavis’ well-being. They have texted me to check on her and explained things in a way that a non-veterinarian can understand.
I just got off the phone with Dr. Raskin who confirmed Mavis has Cushing’s disease. He stayed very positive which kept me positive. I am grateful for that.
I don’t know how much longer I will have Mavis around and I can’t think about that. It may be a few months. It may be a few years (which reminds me of a book that my friend Cammie told me about – The Measure, which I hope to add to my book posts). Very few people know how long they’ll be alive or how long someone (or some dog) will be part of their life. All you can do is love them while they are with you.
I’m grateful to God for bringing Mavis into my life. I’m grateful for the veterinarians who have cared for her over the years. I’m grateful (after an especially rough night last night), that we have a treatment plan for Mavis. My focus is now about staying in the present and loving her while she’s here and making sure she’s comfortable.
