Message from the other side

Hi there!

You thought you’d be rid of me??? Naaa, I’m gonna live on forever!

Let me tell you about my final weekend. Mum and dad saw me going downhill quite fast. I was constantly trembling on my feet. And the diarrhoea, my goodness!!!! It was relentless. Mum got me some medication from the vet. That didn’t help. She got me something else, that didn’t help either…. But when they went on holiday to Ireland (I wasn’t invited for some bizarre reason) I went on holiday with several friends (Melissa, Dominique and Luna, Marleen and Isidoortje). When it was Marleen’s turn to care for me, she decided to go online and find a solution for the diarrhoea.

Mum and dad cooked her recipe for me ever since: rice, chicken, boiled eggs, Weetabix, yoghourt, I loved it!!! I didn’t know where Marleen had been my whole life, but she was a godsend!

But still, after a while, it got worse again. I went on holiday to grandad for four days and he too thought that I was on the way out. I was glad to be spoilt by him for the last time though.

So, I decided to put mum and dad out of their misery. Together we picked a date for me to cross the rainbow bridge and Sophie decided to come over to say goodbye. It would be Monday 14 October. We had a fantastic weekend before that. We were determined to have lots of fun and all be brave about this.

On the Saturday we went to the dog beach in Antwerp. The weather was beautiful. Dad said that this was the closest we could get to dog heaven. I played in the water for at least an hour and a half.

On the Sunday Sophie said her goodbyes and went back home and in the afternoon, and then all my friends from the Ireland holiday knocked on the door!!!! Melissa, Dominique and Luna, Marleen and Isidoortje! Oh and Monique, the neighbour lady came too. She used to walk me very often when mum and dad decided to go into town. They never knew how much fun I had with Monique.

So we all went to the Wolvenberg pond for a swim (that would be only just me). We took chairs and drinks and I swam for at least an hour. Swimming was something I wasn’t allowed to do anymore because it made me too sick. But for this weekend, Mum said it was OK. She was gonna clean up the shit. Cleaning up someone else’s shit is what she does for a living, she said.

She had also gone to the butcher for some bones. I was also no longer allowed to have those. My tummy wouldn’t take it.

So a nice weekend with all my friends in the next best thing to dog heaven….

That night, I was terribly sick. Mum had to wake up several times to clean up. We cuddled a bit that morning, in between sickness. We had a last walk in the park, and that was it. Off to the vet. That afternoon, mum and dad went back to the Wolvenberg to find the last log I had chewed on and took it home.

I am now on the other side and I can tell you that it is great! Swimming, bones, rabbits…. And all my friends who had passed already are here too: Sandy, Cupido, Diesel, Oscar,… there were all waiting for me.

Dad is a bit lonely. He takes himself on walkies now. And mummy has to clean the kitchen floor herself. But that’s OK, I have shown them plenty of times how to do it.  

Sophie misses my cuddles terribly, but she can cuddle her friend Archie. Anyway, they know that I will live forever in the hearts and memories of many.

Take care of them for me, will you?

Charlie

Years turning into months, months turning into weeks

Hi there. It’s been a while, I know.

The truth is, I’m on the decline a bit. Mum and Dad noticed a couple of months ago that I started drinking a lot more than usual. They’ve been measuring my water intake for two years now. It shouldn’t be more than 1.5 litres a day. Also, I started peeing in the house again. That was also not a good sign.

Mum was not looking forward to mopping the floor at 4 AM every morning (she said she was gonna kill me). 

So the minute they saw things were changing, Mum took me to Dr Cindy. She drew some blood and said that the calcium in my blood was too high.  So I needed more medication for that.

Also I have not been so hungry lately. I have lost quite a bit of weight. Mum and Dad have always said, the minute I stop being hungry, me being Charlie the-always-hungry-chocolate-labrador, that’ll be the beginning of the end… Well, that’s where we are really....  So I needed more medication for that too.

Mum and Dad are trying to make my meals more interesting. At least that makes me eat. And it tastes delicious. There are good things about having cancer! Mummy said there was another good thing about having cancer: I stopped losing hair! Apparently it’s the medication. That’s a bonus!

Then all that medication gave me diarrhoea. So I needed more medication for that too. The local pharmacist told my Dad that if it weren’t for me, he’d go out of business.

On the other hand, Dr Cindy said the chemo was not gonna make a difference anymore so I’m not taking that now.

The local butcher gave Mum half a cow’s rib cage for me to chew on. Mum doesn’t really know if it is good for me or not, but she doesn’t really care anymore. I love a good chew, and I’m on the way out anyway. She is determined to pamper me until that final day. Oh, she made me a fabulous birthday cake in March. All that’s left of it is this:

Mum has also found a second bed for me, just in case I have a wee accident during the night, I can move to the other bed. We all have to adjust to this new situation.

Mum and Dad now expect me to tell them when I’ve had enough but Dr Cindy told them that that’ s not how working dogs communicate. We working dogs keep wagging our tails to please everyone else, so Mum and Dad need to look for other body language. But as long as I still enjoy swimming and cuddling, and as long as I sleep on my back, Dr Cindy said I can stay.

So there you go, all good things come to an end. I’m not gone yet, but it won’t be long anymore. Mum, Dad and Sophie are fine with it. And boy did we have some fun times over the past years!!! Anyway, Mum says there are lots of swimming pools and butchers on the other side. She said I need not worry about any of that. She knows these things, you know?

Mum, Dad and Sophie are proud of me for having been so good for such a long time. And I am grateful for everything they have done. I will hang on in there for as long as I can. That’s a promise!

Charlie