Our Boy, Ozwald

Today our world is smaller, and much less happy! Our dear boy Ozzie had been fighting off an auto-immune disease for a few months and was not responding to the meds as well as we'd hoped he would. It came upon him suddenly a few weeks ago- he was in pain when he opened his mouth, didn't want to eat, yawn. The vet diagnosed it as Masticatory Myositis, after elimanating other things. Ozzie was such a trooper, one of his medicines made him have to urinate frequently. That resulted in him needing to wear a diaper when he was inside. Poor guy- he never lost his wonderful happy spirit, not matter how bad he felt! To know him was to love him. His feet were always sliding around the floor so I once knick-named him "Agador Sparticus" after Hank Azaria's character in The Birdcage.

The other med he was taking caused his immune system to weaken- he had a high fever, lost muscle, stopped eating again. The options were limited, and we knew he was in pain again and not enjoying life. It is the hardest decision in the world- to let a pet go, even when you know it's better for them. We humans are the weaker in that sense. Our emotions won't let go, we feel guilt, and are selfish because they bring us so much joy! But what is best for our faithful friends? They would probably ask to be let go, even knowing we will miss them so terribly. Ozzie had a great life when my sister rescued him and saved him from heartworm, but this was just his body turning against itself.

I'm so glad that at least we were with him and it was peaceful and quick. We will never forget his sweet spirit and how he brought such joy to our lives. He was a blessing during some dark days in the past, and helped ease our heartache immensely.
We loved our Ozzie! He's gone over the Rainbow Bridge now, send him some good thoughts!

Give your pets a hug, take them for a walk, and enjoy the time you have left with them!!

Here's a big "woof" to you my sweet boy Ozzie!
Love, your aunt Betsy