Koa, RIP...

Koa, RIP...  It's been a tough week for the animals at our house.  First we lost Mo'i this past Friday.  Then today when we took Koa in for a recheck after his surgery last month, we discovered that his tumor was growing very quickly, and worse, had spread to his internal organs.  Our vet (Dr. Russell) thought it was likely he was in pain and unlikely that he'd survive long no matter what we did – so we made the decision to say goodbye to him today.  Once again, this was not a surprise – after his original diagnosis and surgery, we knew his chances weren't good even for the near term.  It was still hard.

There is one thing that has made this awful decision a bit easier for us since we moved up here.  Unlike any other veterinarian we've ever had (including several we called friends), Dr. Andrea Russell here has been willing to give us direct answers to tough questions around these end-of-life decisions.  If you ask her for advice, you'll get it.  If you ask her what she'd do, she'll tell you.  Such a simple thing, it sounds like – and yet it's something no other vet has ever been willing to provide.  I can imagine some people might find that blunt, and perhaps a bit unfeeling – but we think it's the most helpful thing she could do in such a difficult and emotional situation...