Proverbs 12:10 says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
Kindness to animals is godly. In fact, caring for them is part of our purpose.
Today was probably one of the hardest days of the Layne's married life. We said goodbye to our constant companion and faithful friend Lucy.
Lucy would be 8 years old in February. She was a rescue puppy that was the first big decision we made together as a married couple. Of course, Danny said "yes", and I picked out Lucy. The white spot-on top of her did it for us.
We fell in love and brought this sweet baby girl home in March of 2015. 6 weeks old and full of energy.
Lucy was our 10%. 90% of the time she worked great, but 10% of the time she really needed help.
She was one of the friendliest dogs, she loved everyone and everyone that met her loved her. If you didn't it was your loss because she loved unconditionally.
Lucy was always timid and afraid of other dogs, but she loved Tac. Tac and Lucy didn't know one was a dog and the other a cat. They were constantly together until Tac's death on October 28th, 2022. That was the first incident that changed Lucy's life.
We were depressed and in mourning for Tac when we noticed that Lucy was not adjusting well to his absence. We provided support and lots of TLC. (the top picture is October 28, 2022 Tac's Heaven date)
Lucy loved to chase squirrels, bark at the deer at the feeder, drink water and eat ice. She loved her morning and evening treats, and she loved us. She loved her walks to Elmdale Lake, running free off her leash and smelling everything, she could.
She was afraid of water and hated car rides until she got sick.
In December, Lucy went in for a routine dental cleaning. Dr. Robertson noticed Lucy having some tenderness in her spine, so a chest x-ray was performed. Shock and surprise our normally healthy dog had a mass growing in her chest. A thymoma.
Off to Tulsa for surgery and back home for recovery. This was the second incident that changed Lucy's life. Recovery was long and at times painful for this sweet girl. She could no longer go up and down stairs, chase squirrels or run free.
Not long after we thought the recovery was over, Lucy was diagnosed with mega esophagus (ME). This is the third incident that changed Lucy for forever. She might have also had myasthenia gravis (MG) as well. We chose not to have her tested, but to try to give her a good quality of life as long as possible.
That would not last long at all. Lucy's quality of life took a turn for the worse. Back and forth to the doctor, phone calls to and from the doctor in Tulsa and her condition continued to deteriorate.
A dog with ME has to eat sitting up, has to have specific food, slurries, thickened water, medications and a host of other nutritional and medical support. We tried everything and then some more. We prayed and we prayed. We studied and read everything we could get our hands on about ME and MG. Nothing we did made a positive difference. In some cases, the things we did made her worse.
As we continued this journey, Lucy changed from the happy, loveable girl, to a sad, sick loveable girl. She would walk two steps and regurgitate. She stopped being able to pee and poop and she turned her nose up at food. Yesterday, she vomited after every meal. She regurgitated over 25 times, sometimes chocking on her own salvia.
We decided to let Lucy go, to set her free and let her be healed in the only way we knew how. Today, we held her paws, talked to her and loved her as she took her last breath. (The second picture is Lucy this morning 01/19/2023)
Today, the silence is deafening for Danny and I, but for Lucy, she has joined Tac and Ollie in Heaven. I praise GOD that Danny and I had almost 8 great years with this sweet girl.
Lucy was a true gift and one that made a huge impact on many lives. She will be missed forever, but her suffering is over, and she is healed.
Today, is the final incident that changed Lucy's life forever, today she got to go to Heaven where she will live her best life ever!
Praise God !!
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