by

How things change. Usually this day is a joyous one for me to blog about but this year it sure isn’t.



First, Happy Veterinary Appreciation Day to our Vet, Dr.Lewis (also known as “Dr.Smiley”) and the entire staff at DePorre Veterinary Hospital. The love, caring and professionalism they have shown to my boys for 13+ years has been unsurpassed. My husband and I ARE and will ALWAYS be grateful.

This is an old collage but I love it,so I’m using it again.



Veterinary Appreciation Day™ was created by Trupanion in 2015 (Trupanion happens to be the company we have pet insurance with but this is NOT a sponsored post, nor was I required to blog about it). This special day was founded to recognize veterinary professionals and the wonderful work they do. From the front desk to the exam room, veterinary teams offer compassion, advice and care for our furry family members. Veterinary Appreciation Day offers the animal-loving community the opportunity to come together on a single day to show their appreciation to the compassionate veterinary professionals dedicated to helping their pets live the happiest, healthiest lives possible.”



The challenges of caring for our pets during the COVID-19 nightmare has been extra trying for all Veterinary practices. Every day these caring Angels have risked their lives for their love and concern for our pets and we are grateful!



To DePorre Veterinary Hospital, Trupanion Pet Insurance, and ALL OF YOU….THANK YOU. (We sent a fruit tray to DePorre today to show our appreciation and bought the staff lunch approximately a month ago)there are tons of ways to show gratitude for your Vets!



Now, on to the bad part. A quick update:

thank you Ann for this gorgeous graphic



Our beloved Dakota has cancer. It’s on his heart. It all happened suddenly. He was diagnosed on June 8th. He is happy, eating super well and rest assured neither my husband, myself, or our Vet will have him suffer. We will all know when it is time. We are cherishing each and every day we have left.

once again thank you ann so much for this graphic

For Cody, he is having a biopsy of his intestines done on June 25th. Dr.Lewis feels there is a strong chance it is NOT Lymphoma, but we will know for sure after the biopsy.



I want to give a HUGE thank you to Trupanion as well. We have had pet insurance with them for years and I have never called them as much during those years as I have in the past two weeks! They are super efficient, professional and compassionate.(They have even put up with my crying on the phone).



A few of you have reached out to me via email and phone and I THANK YOU! I didn’t (and still don’t)_ want to post about what is going on because while some find blogging about things like this to be cathartic, I am not one of those people. Maybe down the road I will be, but definitely not now. I felt that all of you deserved an update for showing so much concern and love for my boys, THANK YOU!



I am grateful for both of my boys, whatever will be is in the hands of a power much greater than any of us. Life just completely sucks sometimes. Our beloved Dakota has the biggest heart I have ever seen on a dog and he doesn’t deserve something as ugly as cancer sitting on it, and our crazy Cody, we hope with all of our might that he has a number of years left with us. I can’t bear the thought of losing them both.



Enough sadness, we are enjoying taking slow, short walks with Dakota, Dakota is enjoying that he can eat whatever he wants and he is eating hamburger whenever he wants it and he is gobbling it up. I kiss that handsome face every day and tell him how much he is loved, and every night Cody sits with me on the couch and I pet him, kiss his crabby face (lol) and tell him how much I love him as well.



Do me a favor ok? Kiss all of your babies from us!



Much love from Caren, Dakota and Cody