Goodbye, Tiko

I don't have many words today. We took Tiko to the vet yesterday afternoon, and found out that he was much sicker than we thought. End stage kidney failure, as well as anemic and some other issue that Dr. Tucker explained but I wasn't really listening at that point. Treatment would have been a permanent IV for fluids and an intense medication regime of four different medications per day...multiple times a day. We had to consider what type of life that would be for him...given that there was no chance he'd get better. If anything, he'd stay in the exact same shape, which wasn't very good at all. So...we said goodbye. Owen was there (which I'm sure some of you will think I'm crazy for, but they were buddies and I wanted Owen to say goodbye, even though he won't remember it) and gave him a pat before C took him out of the room. I stayed with Mr. T and had a snuggle while Dr. Tucker administered the sedative. I've had to do this with our family cat (Thomas Twiliger Thompson) and our pooch (Anthony Aloysius) and from experience have found most animals to twitch, seize, lose control of their bowels etc. Tiko was so peaceful. When the vet tech, Emily, brought him back in and put him on the exam table, he just curled up and rested his head on my hand. We had a snuggle and I told him that I loved him very much and was happy that we took him home from the Humane Society four years ago. Dr. Tucker got me some Kleenex and then checked for a heartbeat. Tiko was gone. (queue tears...) We'll miss you, Tiko Tobias!

Update on Tiko

Hey everyone...

I just wanted to, first and foremost, thank you all for your well wishes, messages of encouragement and words of love as we go through this with our beloved Tiko. Everytime I look at the little guy, my eyes well up and I scoop him up for a snuggle.

C and I went to dinner last night to (morbidly) discuss the options.

Option #1

Pour hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into medication (we're talking $250/month) to possibly give Tiko a few more months with us

Option #2

Send him to kitty Heaven on our own accord

Option #3

Defer to Dr. Tucker


Neither of us wanted to make the decision, so we opted for #3.

I called the animal hospital this morning, and spoke with the vet. tech. I told her of the lack of appetite, weight loss, matted coat, and that he sleeps alot of the time. She said that possibly there is something they could do.

Then, I told her of the white gums...

She said that it is likely time to have his quality of life assessed and that we should get him in next week to see Dr. Tucker.

Wednesday at 2:00pm EST is going to suck.

Tribute to Tiko

Well...something that we've been avoiding having to decide now for months in upon us.

Tiko's health has taken a turn for the worse. He hasn't peed in the litter box in weeks, perhaps even months, and his coat has become ridiculously matted. I check his gums today when giving him some renal health medication, and they're white. Not good.

I spent the day reasoning with myself. Am I selfish to want to send him to Heaven and release him from this life of pain because I am tired of cleaning up carpets and finding ruined bags/shoes/clothes/etc. from being peed on? Or am I selfish to not want to send him way up there, holding onto hope that he might (not likely) get better?

I feel relieved and yet saddened that Owen won't remember Tiko. He's his best friend! Whenever Tiko enters the room, Owen giggles and pulls him to the floor..."pets" him, and gets excited. Tiko...foolishly or not...always comes back for more.

They're buddies.

How can I take that from my son?

How can I not look into Tiko's eyes and see that his quality of life is hell right now, and that he needs relief?

I hate this.

My Maracas

Ovarian Cancer Mini Walk of Hope

You may have noticed a Facebook fanpage box over to the right hand side.

Let me explain.

Do you remember last summer when I challenged myself to walk the 5km Winner Walk of Hope? Well...I contacted Ovarian Cancer Canada after my walk experience, and was appointed co-chair for the London event going forward!

I'm so excited to be getting my hands dirty with planning the walk. Everything is shaping up really well, and I'm really optimistic with how the walk will run this year.

I'd be very grateful if you'd click the little LIKE button on the Facebook fanpage box over to the right side, and even MORE grateful if you register to walk our 5km! If you're not in the London area, you can register as a virtual walker and raise pledges that way!

Click here to register!

A Day with Monster

What do I do all day?

Chase after a Monster!

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday: Nikki In Stitches...GIVEAWAY!

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday: Nikki In Stitches...GIVEAWAY!: "Welcome back to Sweet Stella's! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Today, I am so incredibly, very excited! Not only is this MOMpren..."