REMEMBER ME THIS WAY
by
Jeffrey Morgan Foss
Teddy started to feel ill about three weeks ago. Blood began to show in his stools and hair. During the last week and a half he couldn't even bring himself to eat small or soft food, and he stopped drinking water. We scrambled to find food he would eat, and were mildly successful using a large dropper and soft food. Before changing to the dropper, we modified a baggie to use like a frosting dispenser, and it worked well for a short time, but after a couple of days he couldn't even keep a teaspoon of water down.
We brought him to the Veterinary Hospital for medical treatment and discovered he had kidney failure (renal shutdown), which was compounded by a mouth infection … the latter most likely being the culprit that caused the kidneys to shutdown. The vet gave him an IV of fluid and electrolytes and kept him for five days. Meanwhile we scrambled doing our own research, staying up all night checking symptoms, data, cause, treatment variables, as well as combing the internet for nutritional options.
We visited him to give him love and encouragement, and we even took him for evening walks. He always looked around for the van, making it plain as day that he just wanted to come home and forget all about the traditional office parley. Finally, when he appeared to be in a recovery mode we brought him home, but as I suspected, he had a relapse after being taken off the IV. Sadly he had only a short time left with us; he just couldn't keep down food, regardless of what liquid formula we gave him.
We requested a solution for his mouth infection last year, and the vet gave us oral surgery as an option, but he also discouraged it. Some pets do not wake up from the anesthesia, and adding fuel to the fire, Teddy had fluid buildup around his lungs, something that put him at even greater risk. The vet began a treatment for the fluid buildup, and we began using teeth cleansing cookies, but it turned out to be too little, too late. Teddy should’ve had another five years with us.
Teddy remained incredibly brave through all this ... I never heard him wine or bark. Right up to the end it seemed that all he cared about was his ability to continue giving us love, and he told us in so many ways: "I love you guys so very much, and I don't want to leave you." He'd rub the side of his body along the edge of the bed and we'd say: "Ohhhhh, it's-a-my Cuddle Bear," and "good cuddles." Then we'd say: "Go get the squeak squeak" … which happened to be a stuffed toy squirrel with a squeak button in its tail, and he'd chase it all around, making it squeak the whole time. He danced for our entertainment (our "Dancing Bear") right up to his final trip to the vet. To the end he'd gently squeeze our fingers with his paws to comfort us. And most endeared of all, he'd hug us by resting one side of his face on our leg as we said: "Good huggies" and "I love my little 'Ba Ba', we are so proud of you."
His passing was the most graceful and peaceful passing any pet and family could undergo, and as I write this the impact of his absence still has not fully hit me. There is relief though … he is no longer suffering. He lay patiently on the kitchen floor, resting on a comfortable pad, covered with a towel to help keep him warm. Teddy gave up his last breath at 9:30 pm, October 24, 2006. He had a peaceful and knowing look in his eyes, just as though he knew that he was getting ready to go to the Kingdom of God … to wait for us with Sapphy, our wonderful Collie who passed in 2002. I know we will meet both of them there when it is time. God bless our doggie and also you. Amen.
In closing, Teddy's tags were heard jingling early this morning … and he no longer had them on. He told us loud and clear that he's still around and everything is A-OK! We also heard his tags before he passed. Spirit, your life force, can leave the body when you are physically traumatized, immobilized, or just wanting to 'swim past the buoy' as a way to interact the past, present and future, beyond the linear space/time confines of the body. Sounds and images can also be telepathically sent as a form of universal language. Beings crutched on speech will often employ preferred language, oral and written one-liners, which equate to clues as opposed to a conglobated message. There may be some hyperphysical or fifth dimensional force at work, which causes a wave interface barrier as opposed to an open interface, thus limiting communication air time per diem or attempt. So the use of pictures and sounds is by far superior.
A picture paints a thousand words, and they can be delivered in full, at nanosecond intervals. Tell this to the lingering spirits and don't forget to use pictures too. The spirit, which is the major or most important part of our being, is not bound to the physical laws and limitations that our bodies are. It's truly a binary existence, and try to remember that when life’s pressures begin to get you down.
