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A farewell to my beautiful Lucy

I'm so sorry Karlin. Even when you expect it, it's so hard, especially when you can't be there at their last moment. At least you are comforted by the knowledge that she died peacefully. I'm so sorry about you dad also. I can just picture your dad, Quincy and Lucy all walking together and then taking a break and the little furry ones curling up in his lap for a nap. Run like the wind Lucy!
 
Sincere condolences to you and your extended family on your father's passing. May he R.I.P

So sorry to read about Quincy and sweet Lucy.

Claire
 
I am sad to let my friends here know that my lovely little Lucy passed away peacefully Wednesday morning, in her sleep -- she was still curled in a ball in a nice soft basket, with Tansy nearby. Lucy has been the most wonderful dog, with a strong and quirky personality that has been a delight to know since she came to my family as a retired breeding girl around age 7. She was just a few weeks from her 12th birthday.

As many know, Lucy had been struggling with MVD and CHF for some time. She was an incredibly resilient and strong little dog -- she had lived without needing meds for a grade 5 murmur for over a year and was well up for active walks until last summer. Last autumn she needed finally to start on meds and did really well until around February when she started having more difficulty. I thought a couple of times since then that it might be her time, but I learned so much about the determination and bravery of this breed and about managing MVD from Lucy: given a little time and some extra frusimide, and eventually the addition of spironolactone, which stopped her occasional fainting spells from MVD completely for a couple of months, she had a very good quality of life (albeit with no further walks except a little snuffle around outside, and needing to carry her up and down stairs and lift her on and off sofas :) ).

As my vet says, most other dogs with a grade 5 murmur might last a few weeks at most, but cavaliers are often, unpredictably, able to manage with this terrible disease for months and even years.

Indeed she had been doing so well that I began to think she might well go on for several months -- she already had lived nearly 5 months since I had thought she had reached her final day. I was just about to arrange for her to return to the cardiologist to get his opinion on where she was now and what more might be done. But she had a couple of wobbly spells last week, just before I had to go to the US -- a trip I could not avoid, as my own much adored father passed away a few weeks ago and last Sunday was his remembrance/life celebration lunch in California.

Thelly had the care of my crew and knew all about Lucy and I fully trusted her to take any needed decisions. I had felt I might not see Lucy again and had given her a special hug and kiss when I handed her over. The whole week that I was away passed without incident, but when I landed I had a message from Thelly, that Lucy had passed away only hours earlier. :( I was so sad not to be there with her, but I was so happy that she had the rare blessing of passing peacefully in her sleep. She had enjoyed her bedtime treats with her usual gusto and was not in distress as she went to sleep the night before.

I am very grateful to Thelly for caring so willingly and lovingly for my Lucy at a time that was difficult for me, which was generous and kind. She also knew that Lucy was to go to the vet school hospital in Dublin to be part of Margaret Carter's Tissue Collection scheme for cavalier health research, and thus Lucy -- who was already MRI scanned for research as clear of SM at age 9, and was therefore a very helpful dog for SM research -- was able to further help the SM DNA work, and other projects on SM and MVD at a number of UK institutions.

Like Marie-Anne (Wagtails) and Nicki and others whose dogs have gone to this important project, I encourage anyone with an ill or older cavalier to contact Margaret or Tania about the possibility of having your dog help the entire breed in this way. It is deeply consoling at a hard time. There are arrangements for dogs in either the UK or Ireland to take part.

2011 has been a sad time -- saying farewell to my dad, to Quincy and to Lucy in the period of a few short months. I would like to imagine dad somewhere with couple of warm furries on his lap. When she lived with my parents, he often walked Lucy to get his exercise in each day and she always made him laugh, not least as she often brought a collection of socks and other objects she cherished to a nest in the middle of their bed.

Lucy and Quincy, perhaps reunited somewhere now, on a similarly soft sofa :):

4844485625_dfc1130a03.jpg


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And my dad:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/13/MNLILLINGT14.DTL

M
uch love to you all.

I am so sorry for your loss, your family is on my thoughts.
 
I am so sorry for your loss of your Lucy and your dad.
I am sure they are all together again.
 
We will miss Lucy so much. I always loved telling people her age as she looked like a little puppy sometimes, and that she came all the way from California to live here in Ireland with her extended family of dogs and cats!


I will always remember her love of socks (there was at least one or two in her bed when she visited) and also her love of barking when talking on the phone! A strong & quirky personality, as you said.


It has been a very hard start to 2011 for you Karlin and I hope the second half of the year will be easier.

:hug:
 
Karlin,

Im so sorry to read your post. My deepest condolenseces for the loss of both your Dad and dear little Lucy.

Mel XX
 
I am sorry for your losses and that this has been such a hard year. What an accomplished man your father was-- I am sure you are very proud of him.
 
Karlin - I am so very sorry that you have lost your dad and your dog Lucy. (((Hugs)))
 
I'm very sorry for the loss of your precious Lucy. She was a beautiful girl. I can imagine your father, sitting with two very special furry angles on his lap in paradise! Its heartbreaking that she passed before you got to see her again, but obviously she was in a place that she was very comfortable and loved. I am also sorry for the loss of your dad. Wonderful tribute in the article you linked. I pray the rest of 2011 gets better for you. :)
 
Karlin, so very sorry to hear that Lucy has gone to Rainbow Bridge. Her treasured memories will be forever in your heart. Sincere condolences on the loss of your dear father - losing a parent is the hardest to bear. :hug:
 
Thank you for letting Lucy give hope to cavaliers yet to be born.

I would also like to thank Thelly for what she did to enable Lucy to donate those so important tissue samples.

I hope that Lucy's doggie heaven does have a familiar welcoming lap, a loving cat to snuggle with, and a numerous supply of socks.

Karlin, your Father was obviously a man to be proud of and I think that you must take after him.
 
Oh, I am so sad to hear of all the heartbreak going on in your life Karlin.I came here today to post a note about my sweet Nash (non Cavalier) being put to sleep yesterday, and instead found this memorial for sweet Lucy, and your wonderful dad Glen.What a wonderful life you gave Lucy, and how obvious is was how much you adored her. I only wished she could have stayed long enough to see you once more. But I wonder if somehow, her little heart knew that you dad was gone and her's wanted to join his now.There is no good time for our sweet dogs to leave us. Having had to make a hard decision in the last 48 hours, I know full way the emptiness that even one of them leaving brings. Your dads memorial tribute was so lovely. He sounds like one of a kind, and as Margaret said, his daughter surely has taken after her wonderful father. I'm so sorry you have to have two things happening in one week which are such heartbreakers. Know that I am thinking of and praying for you and your family. Thank you for sharing a bit of your dad with us. He was a brilliant and special man, that is obvious by what was written about him and your adoring love for him.Lucy was a beautiful dog. I am so thankful she got to live out the last end of her life with people who loved her so greatly.
 
I am so sorry, this first part of the year has been so terribly sad for you. Little Lucy will be snuggled up on a very comfy lap making your Dad smile I am sure :hug:
 
Thanks for so many kind thoughts -- such support always helps.

We will miss Lucy so much. I always loved telling people her age as she looked like a little puppy sometimes, and that she came all the way from California to live here in Ireland with her extended family of dogs and cats!

The funny thing was that people would always think she was just a puppy when I was out with the others! I would get asked if any of the others were the parents of 'the puppy'. No one could ever believe she was the oldie in the group. :)

It has been a hard few months. Lucy was the the only one of the three whose passing was more or less expected within a short time frame.

I was able several weeks ago to go out to California and be with my dad at my parent's home in time for his final days, and was with him when he died. It was lovely that he could be at home with everyone there. Mom and I were reminiscing last night how dad would lift Lucy to the end of the bed and she'd slowly creep up til she was lying on my mother's pillow... :lol:

Dad was a wonderful man and an enormous influence in my life. We were always very close and very similar in interests. :)
 
I`m so very sorry Karlin to read that you have had such a sad time. What wonderful tributes to both your Dad and to Lucy.
 
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