Robbie in Profile

It is with deep sadness to announce the passing of my precious baby boy Robbie.

It all happened so fast that I am still trying to digest it. This last month Robbie really slowed down. Of course we attributed that to age. Since he was a rescue we didn’t know for sure how old he was. When we got him, the vet guessed around 5-6, which would have made him about 9 ½- 10 ½ today, his last day.

On Tuesday afternoon, we went for our usual walk and then I gave him an early dinner. I left and met up with my husband, Bill to go for dinner. Robbie seemed fine then. When we arrived home, he didn’t fly down the stairs to greet us, very unusual. I had to help him down stairs and went to take him for his bedtime walk. We got outside, he went pee pee and then he turned around and wanted to go right back in the house, very unusual. Then he collapsed at the bottom of the stairs.

We took him to the vet right away. He was in shock. The vet stabilized him with IV fluids and shots. Then they proceeded to find out the problem. He was highly anemic and along with another test, the vet said he has some type of cancer, either a tumor or Leukemia. We could have done further tests to find out which for sure, but what ever it was, the vet said the prognosis was poor. If it was operable and he survived, it may have given him 6-12 months. We didn’t think it was fair to him to put him through that, especially given his age.

Meanwhile, Robbie was doing better, at least temporarily. The vet sent him home Thursday night with an armload of medications. The vet said that sometimes, with the medications, they will rebound for awhile and that he wasn’t suffering. Before we picked him up, I made him and Bill strawberry shortcake, their favorite. We enjoyed some together that evening. I stayed at home Friday to be with him and care for him.

Since there was no warning, we were so glad to have him back home, no matter how short a time. However, he really kept me busy Friday. He couldn’t keep any food down and he couldn’t control his bladder. I was constantly cleaning the carpet and reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault. He kept giving me that guilty look. (Funny, Thursday night he kept down his strawberry shortcake).

I spoke with the vet again last night and he said there was not much more to be done. Since Robbie still had a bit of energy from the fluids, we decided to bring him to his favorite off-leash park today. He couldn’t run around and play like usual, but he still had a good time. Then we took him to the vet and said goodbye.
We realize how blessed we were to have him as long as we did, but still feel robbed of time with him. I know that’s greedy. I also know that no matter how many years we would have had with him it wouldn’t have been enough.

We love you Robbie! Daddy and I will especially miss your greetings when we get home, your assistance in keeping the kitchen floor clean, your smile, and cuddles!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Our Last Day with Robbie, at His Favorite Hangout

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