Another Hard Goodbye

Yesterday was hard. Well the last few days were hard.

My hubby's family lost their family dog, Kodi.

His parents called us earlier in the week to tell us that they were taking him in to get his leg looked at by the vet. It seems that it was swelling up and poor Kodi was in a lot of pain. There was even blood coming through his skin somehow!

The vet did an ultrasound of the muscle since they already knew it wasn't a bone issue. We all thought it was something with his joints since it was known that Kodi had troubles with arthritis. But things weren't adding up. It was found that our Kodi dog had a huge tumor in his hip. It had a large blood supply and was wreaking havoc on his body. They couldn't operate and it would surely make his life miserable, not being able to walk and causing severe pressure.

We were told on Wednesday that Kodi wold have to be put down. So with heavy hearts, Mike's parents made an appointment for Friday and let us know we should come see him Thursday evening to say goodbye.

Well Wednesday night the doggie was having a very, very hard night. Mike's mom told us that he was crying and the pain meds weren't helping him enough. She made the decision to move the appointment up to Thursday afternoon. She couldn't take another night of his suffering.

This would mean that Mike and I wouldn't be able to say goodbye. It was hard for us, and especially Mike to not have this chance, but it was more important that Kodi be put out of his pain. I was the smallest bit relieved because I don't think I could have stood seeing him, knowing he would be gone in a matter of hours. This way Mike and I can remember him healthy and happy.

We went over to visit with his parents that evening to try to distract them a bit. His mom was very sad and his dad had been the one to take Kodi to the vet so they both were in a tough place. We were able to chat about a few other things and remember him fondly, even cry a little. He really was a big part of the family.

We brought Charlie over so he could console Mike's parents and as predicted, he stayed by my mother-in-law's side all night. He cuddled and made sure he layed by her whenever we were sitting on the couch. Dogs have such an amazing ability to know who needs them. It's like a sixth sense.

Sometime after dinner, I started getting picture text messages from my mom and sister. They had both seen rainbows that evening. They sent us the photo proof that M & A were welcoming Kodi and letting us know he was okay. I think this made Mike's mom happy. Me? I wasn't surprised a bit.

Rest in peace sweet Kodi. Your family loves you and we hope you are happy and playing with the twins.