I have added a scrapblog for my dog Mikey. It is in memory of him. The scrapblog can be found in page 3 of About the Girl. Just click on the link About the Girl under Links on the left and then go to Page 3. It is the last scrapblog on the page. The scrapblog has pictures of him when we lived in New York, California, and Illinois. It also has pictures of him playing and napping. There are two favorites list. One is for food and the other is for toys.
This past April I’ve faced the worst thing that I could ever face. The first week of April my dog, Mikey, was eating but not finishing his food like he always did. He always loved to eat and always ate everything we gave him. He was also having a hard time going up and down the stairs and getting up on the couch. During a walk that week he was lifting his back left leg a lot and we noticed that he his private area was really red. We took him immediately to his regular vet and they gave him pills to take because they were bruised and was hurting him. On April 8 he was taken to another vet where the doctor checked him out and was 100% certain that he has lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes). They did some tests and x-rays. Mikey was 98 lbs but he was weighed at 76 lbs. He had lost over 20 lbs. The doctor said he had a toxic infection. I brought him back the next day to get an antibiotic shot that would help get rid of the toxic infection. Mikey had an allergic reaction from the shot. His face swelled up around both cheeks. We were told to give him 75 mg of Benadryl everday, twice a day for 2 weeks to help the swelling go down because he was given 2 weeks worth of antibiotics. The next day the doctor called with the results and the results of the test proved that he had lymphoma. There were 9 lymph nodes (2 in his throat, 2 underneath him, 2 around his chest area, 2 in his back legs, and 1 in his private area). We opted on not giving him chemo and just giving him pills. He was given a weeks worth of Prednisone pills that was to be given 3 pills once a day every other day. After giving him the pills he was back to old self again. He was eating, drinking, and walking around. 2 days before his pills were gone he went back to his regular vet and was given another 10 days worth of pills. On April 25 he wasn’t eating at all and was being feed by syringe. He was still walking around though and getting up on the couch. The next day was the same thing. Then that night he threw up 3 times and just laid in one area and didn’t want to get up. On Monday, April 27 he was lying on his bed and wouldn’t get up or move. He didn’t want to drink water and eat. He had a fever of 104.1 and was shaking. He was howling and crying like a wolf. It was so loud it scared me and my mom. We gave him his 3 pills and thought that would help because the pills were supposed to give him energy and make him eat and drink a lot. We called the vet, that diagnosed him with cancer, and told him about how he was doing and he suggested that we could either bring him in to be checked out or to pick up some pills that can help with the fever. My mom and I decided to bring him in. We had to carry him into the car with his bed because he wouldn’t get up and we could lift him. When we arrived at the vet the doctor came out the car with a stretcher to lift up into the vet. The back seat of the car was put down and Mikey was laying in the back of the car. The doctor took a look at him and said that the lymph nodes in his throat had gotten swollen but the cancer had spread to his liver. He suggested we put him to sleep because he was in so much pain and wasn’t moving. They carried him on the stretcher into a room. It wasn’t an examining room. We went into the room with him and we were given time to be with him alone. A nurse came to do his paw print for us. After we spent time alone with him the doctor came in to give him an injection. We were allowed to be with him during the injection. After the injection we were given time to be with him. They then came and took him away so that he could be sent to be cremated. We had opted for cremation instead of a burial.
On May 1st the ashes arrived at the vet and we picked it up. The ashes were in a white plastic, cube-shaped container. My mom and I went online and looked at different sites that sold cremation urns for dogs. We were looking for a dog house urn for him. We wanted to put his ashes in a dog house so that he would always have a home to live in. We saw many but they were all quite expensive. We found one we liked and on May 10 my mom ordered one with a plaque that says:
“Mikey”
You brought so much love &
laughter into our lives.
1/19/01—4/27/09
On the front door of the dog house you can put a picture of him. The urn arrived today.
Everyday since the day he died I’ve cried thinking about him. I know it is hard on me to let him go but I know that it was the best for him. It was better this way then to see him suffering like he was. He has been a wonderful dog for 8 years and I am just so happy to have had him in my life all these 8 years. I can’t help but think of him. Every time I see a picture of him I cry. I carry around this little stuffed golden retriever all the time. I have it in my backpack when I go to school. At night I hug a bigger stuffed golden retriever when I sleep. He died April 27 and that night my mom was asleep before me so all the lights were turned off except the one in my bedroom. When I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth I got up from my bed and walked to my bedroom door. When I was standing by the door I was thinking where Mikey was. I was checking so that I would not step on him. I walked to the bathroom was going to brush my teeth when I just remembered that we put him to sleep this morning. I was so used to having him that I forgot he wasn’t around anymore. It’s hard coming home everyday and not have him here greeting me at the door. It will take some time but I know I’ll get over this. I will never forget him and will always love him. Losing him is like losing a big part of myself. Everyone who knows me knows that Mikey was the most important thing to me. There wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for him. I just know that he is in a better place now. He will always be loved.
Currently at computer lab in school working on a team project for Database class. The project requires using Oracle. Please check my school website at a later time for project files and information.
I’m so excited that New Kids on the Block are coming out with a new album this summer and will be having a tour this fall. I remember when I was 6 back in 1988 I bought my first music. It was their second album and I had bought it in cassette. I still have that cassette until now and still listen to it. I wasn’t able to go to one of their concerts because I was very little back then. But now I’m so excited to be able to go to one of their concerts. I’ll be going to the one in October in Chicago, IL.
I was taking C++ class this semester but had to drop it due to the fact that I wasn’t doing too well in the class. I will be taking again next Spring. I will be taking another class in the Winter first. Hopefully this class will help me do a better job in this class. No matter how hard I worked in the class I couldn’t do a good job. I understand what is being taught in class but when it came time to doing the homeworks I had no idea how to do them.
Gotta go now. Wish me luck in all my other classes.
