My parents had to say goodbye to their dog today.
Of Jojo, what I have to say is this: He was the perfect dog. He was endlessly sweet, very affectionate, playful, curious, so quiet I don’t think I ever heard him make a sound, and the perfect companion for both my mother and father. He was, in a word, family. I’ll miss him so much.
He was only 3, and this all happened so fast. Monday afternoon, he was injured trying to jump into the car. He banged his shoulder and his back. It wasn’t a major or scary fall at the time, but it was clear pretty quickly that he was injured from it. It got worse and worse, and he was taken to the Vet to get meds and an x-ray. X-rays were clean, but he continued to get worse, so this morning my mom took him down to the nearest neurologist and imaging center (there are no pet MRI or CT options in Humboldt! None!).
The news there this morning was that Jojo was suffering from a spinal condition that could not be treated, even with surgery. His spinal cord was breaking down, and euthanasia was the only option. It could have been just the fall, but the doctor expressed some skepticism to me that it was just that one injury to blame, and that a pre-existing condition may have contributed to such an acute and devastating reaction. I did some reading, and personally think it’s possible he may have had a disease called IVD, which is where the discs degenerate in the spinal column and harden, which means any trauma to the spine, even minor, can be catastrophic.
But…that’s really just me trying to understand how this could have happened. The fact of the matter is that this morning, my mom was told there were no treatment options, and that it was best for poor Jojo to stop his pain and let him go. So, my mom did. I think my mom buried him with my dad tonight next to Laser, their last dog.
It really isn’t fair that dogs don’t live as long as we do. But, then again, maybe that’s part of what makes them so wonderful. I don’t know. It just hurts to lose them so soon. Especially Jojo. He was only 3.
So…a thought tonight for my parents and for Jojo. A member of the family is missing.