Saying Goodbye - over the Rainbow Bridge

The past six weeks have been really hard for us at Royal City Animal Hospital. 

 For some reason, we have experienced more than the average number of deaths in the pets that we look after.  Several dogs and cats died at a ripe old age:  Shira (19 years), Chester (16 years), Molly (16 years), Sammy (16 years), Uey (14 years), Ozzie (14 years), and Jake (13 years).  Many of these dogs and cats had medical or surgical problems that we were able to help their families treat so their beloved pets were able to live long and happy lives.   Others died suddenly, with little warning and before their time: Autumn (10years) and Baxter (6 years).  Others had severe illnesses and were not able to recover: Jasmine (5 years), and Barley (8 years).

Of course it is the families who hurt the most when a beloved pet dies but their deaths certainly affect us too.  

One of our clients who is a family physician said it best as he was holding his sick Labrador Retriever in his arms: “This must be the hardest part of your job.  Do you ever get used to it?” No, we never get used to it and it breaks our hearts each time we have ease the passage of a beloved dog or cat into their next life over the Rainbow Bridge.

These are animals we have seen since they were puppies and kittens: we’ve watched them become part of your family and we watch you grieve now that they are gone.  We treasure each and every pet who comes here and wish we could make them all live forever.       By: Barbara Drewry