R.I.P. Buster

Sweet little Buster..... when he arrived in rescue he was so thin... His name WAS buster, so we know that he was an owner surrender. they reported that he'd had a seizure although I never saw one.

Buster fit right into the household. He was quiet, gentle and very loving. He didnt always like the other dogs walking on him and would voice his disapproval. Dr. Gordon thought we should give him a chance to put on some weight.... He did not appear ill.

But as time went on it became more difficult for buster to eat. The painful part for me was knowing that he WANTED to eat. Several weeks ago I was cooking chicken, chicken livers and he was munching them down... but as recently as a week ago he had no interest. Even a small piece of hot dog would be spit out... For some reason he could not swallow. Last week I also started giving him soft food only... baby food, canned dog food w/chicken broth... his favorite was cream cheese and he also loved tapioca pudding. Sometimes he ate it off of my finger, other times I used a syringe... I had to feed him around the clock because he wasnt getting enough at feedings. On Thursday we saw the doctor again. This time we did blood work, which came out okay. But the Friday x-ray showed trouble in his lungs, most probably cancer. I returned to the hospital, took Buster for a final walk, gave him some cream cheese and then prepared to say goodbye. I held him and talked to him as the needle was inserted... first a sedative and then a drug to stop his heart.

I cried so much over losing him. I know he wanted to stick around.... This part of rescue never gets easier with time.