Just another update on November 1, 2008...

We took Luna's sister, Natasha, to the University of Florida in Gainesville this past Wednesday for an appointment to have them examine her since she had been limping for about a month now. 

Needless to say, going there again for the first time since Luna was put to sleep there on Sept. 16th, was an emotional visit for me, not to mention the worry I was having concerning my other dog.  Thank God, the results of the hip and leg x rays done under general anesthesia, were all normal and good.  Our vet, Dr. Bacon, the same one who did the amputation and the same one who put her to sleep, did the exam.  He has been so kind to us throughout Luna's medical treatments and he was the same way with Natasha. 

The x rays reconfirmed what the local vet's x rays had said, that it is arthritis and some dysplasia, but nothing more serious.  We can certainly deal with those issues.  Dr. Bacon was very confident that Natasha would be fine and that with some medication, supplements, and cold laser (which my local vet, Dr. Dee, has), she can improve dramatically.  We were very, very relieved.

It has now been almost 7 weeks since we lost Luna.  Each day it seems that there is something new that I find of hers.  Perhaps it is a toy, or a medication tucked away in the refrigerator, or something like that.  Some of her special toys I've put in a drawer to keep, others have gone back into the general toy box for all of the dogs to enjoy.  The photo of her taken at Halloween last year dressed in her orange t shirt that said, "Happy Howl-o-ween" and standing next to a big purple spider was given to the staff at UF since the appointment was just days before Halloween.  I wanted everyone there to know that I wanted to talk about Luna, and that she was not a "taboo" topic.  I brought her name up often and talked about her. 

During the appointment, we got her necropsy (autopsy) report back.  We learned that Luna's cancer had spread to her lungs, abdomen, spleen, C7 spine, brain, and heart.  It was so sad to read this, yet, as Dr. Bacon pointed out, it helped me know that I did the right thing at the right time, when I put her to sleep on Sept. 16th.  The disease was widespread and my local vet agreed when I spoke with him today on the telephone, that bringing her back to consciousness and bringing her back home to Orlando (a two hour drive) on the 16th could have been very traumatic for her and for us, and that doing what we did was the "right thing to do".  I really appreciate that reassurance from those veterinary professionals; it helps so much.

I watched some videos of Luna this evening, as she hopped around our back yard so effortlessly, attacking sticks and enjoying herself.  It seems so strange not to see her out there anymore.  We still miss her so much...and always will.

 Sandra Thomas

Last night I just read part 2 of Jerry's transition to the Rainbow Bridge.  It brought back a lot of memories for me with my own Luna on September 16th, 2008.  Jerry went to the Rainbow Bridge just 17 days after Luna did.  It just made Jerry's passing even more difficult to realize for me, because, after all, Jerry wasn't supposed to die, he was supposed to go on forever, leading the way for all of the other tripawds out there.   No one knew what was going to happen to this site, or where their guidance was going to come from in the future, but now, over a month after Jerry passed, and nearly two months (8 weeks) on November 11th since Luna passed, everyone realizes that this site isn't going away, but is here to stay!!  Yeah!!  And, that Jerry is truly still with us in spirit, continuing to help others through his excellent advice. 

I was going through some old email this morning and reread a message from a friend of mine whose own dog is going through canine cancer (lymphoma).  She is a neighbor, and we happened to see each other at the Univ. of Florida Veterinary Medical Center the first day I went there with Luna.  Fortunately, her dog is still doing well nearly a year later.  She has been a steadfast friend in Luna's journey, and the following message is one I wrote back to her after she wrote expressing her condolences to me about losing Luna:

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Reading Jerry's story yesterday and rereading this old email message I wrote is reliving what I went through with Luna.  It's a sad place to revisit, yet, I am strangely drawn to it and it brings me a form of comfort.  Perhaps it is knowing that I am not alone, that others have walked this same trail, and felt these same agonizing emotions and cried the same tender tears. 

Sandra Thomas

Sandra,

We, too, appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us.  This truly is the place to come to if you want to express yourself fully.  That's why tripawds.com will always be such a blessing for many people who come through here.  I never even considered that this site would cease to exist once Jerry left our earthly plane.  Jim & Rene are two of the most compassionate people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and they are here for everyone.  Yes, this site may have started because of Jerry, but they realized that there was such a desperate need for people in the same situations to have a place to turn to.  This site will be here to offer resources, hope and solace for those lucky enough to pass this way in their time of need.  We sincerely hope you will always feel free to share anything that's on your mind; we are listening.

Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)

It is a full moon tonight, and it has been nearly four months since we lost our beautiful “Luna” to hemangiosarcoma on September 16th, 2008.  Whenever I see a full moon, I think of her and how I would sing, “Shine on Harvest Moon” and “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” to her.  It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by already.  I am thrilled to see Luna's photo on the month of July on the tripawds.com calendar.  It is a real comfort to know that her ordeal is now an inspiration to others out there and that she “lives” on in so many ways. 

A while back, I posted that I had commissioned a portrait in pastels of Luna.  Well, right before Christmas, the portrait was finished and shipped to me.  It is just beautiful and it is done from the photo of Luna with the moon behind her head.  I emailed a color photo to the artist, Chris Billis, and she did the rest.  Her web site address is: http://www.bill.....traits.com   I'll post a copy of the finished product soon.  Having the portrait really is wonderful. 

One of the people who work at my kennel (Burghard Shepherds) gave me these fantastic decals for Christmas to put on my van (the one that we got for Luna when we learned she would have to have her right hind leg amputated).  There are 12 German Shepherd decals, six facing toward the center of the windshield and on the other side, another six facing inwards towards the center, representing my 12 German Shepherds.  One of the shepherds has a halo over its head, representing our tripawd, “Luna”.  The other two decals were identical, and go on each side window of the mini van.  It is the head of a German Shepherd, with the word, “Burghard” over the head and the word, “Shepherds” under the head.  Burghard was the middle name of my late father who passed away on August 27th, 2007 and I named my kennel and my dogs after this family name.  For instance, Luna's pedigree name is “Luna vom Burghard”.  Today, I went to the man who creates these custom decals and had him put them on the van.  They look fantastic and its very exciting to have them on the car.  I know I'll have a lot of comments in the future about them.  This would be a great way to honor or remember your tripawd by having a decal on your car.  I'll try to get a photo of the decals to better illlustrate how they look!

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year!!

Sincerely,

Sandra & “Angel” Luna