On Saturday, July 22, 2023, a miracle happened at the All Creatures Animal Hospital in White Rock/South Surrey.
She has been healthy for much of her 17 years, but her health declined over the past few years.
Readers will recall that Holly is almost deaf, has limited vision, and suffers from Cushing’s Disease, a form of cancer in dogs and humans.
However, I had taken her to three other vet clinics in Langley and White Rock before finding Dr. Andersen’s All Creatures Animal Hospital.
He was the only veterinarian who could correctly diagnose her Cushing’s Disease!
About a month ago, Holly underwent surgery to remove a growth inside her ear.
On July 7th, Dr. Phil Andersen removed some staples from the site, but a few were not ready to be extracted, so we made an appointment to bring her back in two weeks (on July 22nd).
The doctor gave me a couple of syringes of medication to sedate Holly two hours before her next appointment because she did not react well to being handled and tried to bite anyone she was not familiar with.
Coincidentally, the medication was Trazodone – the medication I take for my anxiety.
That’s another thing that Holly and I have in common.
I had not been able to have Holly groomed at Heads to Tails Grooming anymore because she kept trying to bite Gail, her longtime groomer (and a close friend).
So Holly’s hair was very long and matted, and her nails needed to be shortened, too.
Dr. Andersen and his assistant removed the staples, shaved her paws, removed the mats, and clipped the nails while Holly was sedated.
Here are a few photos:
When we got home, Holly slept for the rest of the day, and I hoped her suffering had finally ended.
But it had not.
Holly awoke and began crying in pain and barking – almost non-stop, spinning in circles and hitting her head against the furniture – until I picked her up and held her in my arms.
I quickly put cushions and pillows around the furniture and doorways to prevent Holly from banging her head when spinning.
Her spinning continued until Annette, or I picked her up and held her on our lap for a few minutes.
Holly continued pacing up and down the hallway and spinning in circles, so I put her in my bedroom in a confined area beside my bed.
I surrounded the area with cushions and pillows to protect her from bumping her head.
She continued doing that – non-stop, for almost 24 hours!
During that time, she did not drink water or eat any food.
I was amazed that she had so much energy, and I had to pick her up several times and hold her to settle her down.
I gave Holly some of the sedation medication, finally calming her, so she could sleep.
She finally lay in her bed – exhausted – and fell asleep.
That was at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 22nd.
I sat in my recliner and tearfully wrote a story about what had happened and explained why I was having Holly put to sleep forever.
I could not bear to see her suffering and wanted to end her misery.
I did this because I knew I could not write about it after Holly had passed.
The story includes:
- photos and video clips of Holly’s life,
- a poem about the Rainbow Bridge
- a sad song
- a declaration that this would be my last story – forever.
However, I would only publish it once I got home after Holly’s passing.
I was an emotional wreck – I was about to lose one of the greatest loves of my life.
After writing the story, I sent an email to the vet’s office and left a voicemail message that I wanted to bring Holly in when the hospital opened at 7:00 a.m. to have her put to sleep.
At 6:30 a.m., Annette drove to the vet’s office while I held Holly in my arms.
I tried to be strong by telling myself I was doing the best thing for Holly Golightly, but my head couldn’t convince my heart.
When we arrived at the vet, the receptionist took us to the examining room, and Dr. Andersen examined Holly.
While he did this, I explained that I could not bear to see Holly suffer any longer and wanted her to die peacefully.
However, Dr. Andersen cautioned me to reconsider because he felt that Holly still had signs that she was not in dire circumstances and still had longer to live.
I was sobbing like a baby, but his words took a few seconds to penetrate my tiny brain.
And that, dear reader, is the miracle at the All Creatures Animal Hospital.
Dr. Andersen asked me to call him the following day to tell him how she was doing.
We thanked him, and I carried Holly to Annette’s vehicle for the ride home.
At home, I placed Holly in her bed and put a plate of food beside her to eat when she awakes.
The miracle continued after Holly awoke – she seemed to be her old self again!
She ate the food and drank lots of water.
I gave her another plate of food, and she gobbled that plate down, too.
Holly did not spin that day, but we did not want to jinx things by acknowledging it, so instead, we remained silent.
Holly followed me whenever I moved from one room to another, and I often held her in my arms to cuddle.
It seemed she didn’t want me to leave her alone.
When I went to bed on Sunday night, Holly lay beside me, and we continued to cuddle as I told her how much I loved her.
She would stare into my eyes as though to say she loved me, too.
On Monday morning, instead of calling Dr. Andersen to tell him how Holly was doing, I drove to his office at 7:00 a.m.
I wanted to update him personally and give him a big hug.
Dr. Andersen was kind enough to let me do this.
I told him that he was the best veterinarian we had ever had in almost 50 years and that I would tell the world by writing about him and recommending his animal hospital to everyone in the Lower Mainland.
In closing
I have decided to stop posting stories on my website, and this story is the second and the last one I’ll ever post.
But I have archived the one I wrote about Holly’s passing and will post it when that day arrives.
I want to thank each and every one of you for reading these stories of my loves, fears, cancer, and tears.
I am honored that many of you have been reading my stories since I began to write and publish stories on my website in 2012.
My future plan is to remain home with Holly – 24/7.
I’ll continue to connect with my friends by emailing updates to those on my distribution list.
However, I will not be closing my website; I am arranging to fund the web hosting company, so it will be there long after I am gone.
In fact, I plan to continue editing and updating my website’s earlier stories.
I will also continue changing the music selection on my Drowning In A Tubful of Tunes page every few days.
And don’t be surprised if I come knocking on your door one day.
Until then, please remember that if you are or ever were my friend or former love – I will love you forever and ever – and there’s nothing you can do about it!
Dedicated to friends
I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.
All My Love Forever & Ever,
Danny
Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):
Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Reflected in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you
Think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams
Once the world was new
Our bodies felt the morning dew
That greets the brand-new day
We couldn’t tear ourselves away
I wonder if you care
I wonder if you still remember
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams
And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time
Once beneath the stars
The universe was ours
Love was all we knew
And all I knew was you
I wonder if you know
I wonder if you think about it
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams
And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays
And when the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time
Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Mirrored in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams
In your wildest dreams
In your wildest dreams
In your wildest dreams
Songwriters: Justin Hayward
Your Wildest Dreams lyrics © Universal Music Corp., Nightswood Bv, Pw Arrangements
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