Involved in end-oflife issues for pets

Several weeks ago, as I do each evening before going to bed, I let my three dogs out into the yard in East Goshen to do, how should I put this delicately, their business.

The first back in for her postahem! treat was Vanna Banana, my 7-ish pure white Havanese.

Next into the house after hunkering down was Abby Cadabby, my 8-ish combination poodle and bichon frise.

Taking up the rear, I expected, was going to be Mikey Nike. He’s a 14-ish black-andwhite Portuguese water dog and bichon mix.

All three came from Main Line Animal Rescue (MLAR) in Chester Springs.

Five minutes after Abby’s return, Mikey had failed to re-enter through the sliding glass doors. Where was he? Peering into the yard, I was relieved to see my oldest dog standing in the grass right off the back deck.

But, seemingly frozen in place, Mikey failed to respond to my calls.

Thinking his behavior was odd, though not super serious, I grabbed his leash to guided him back inside.

He walked willingly into the den, but then stopped in his tracks. He remained erect, but never budged for 10 more minutes.

At that point, I got worried. I suggested to two friends who happened to be in the house that we take him to VRC Emergency Veterinary Hospital on Route 30 in Malvern.

And that’s exactly what we did, carrying Mikey on a faded pink quilt folded into a makeshift stretcher. By the time we walked into the VRC lobby, he was bordering on comatose.

The next morning, after Mikey had undergone a multitude of laboratory and other tests, I got one of the biggest jolts of my dog-loving life.

Mikey was suffering from septic shock and, without surgery, would be dead within 24 hours. What? And that brings me to the topic of end-of-life issues for