Thank You To Georgetown Veterinary Hospital and Dr. Lee Morgan

This is a post of sincere thanks to Dr. Lee Morgan, his wife Kris, and their staff at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital. This is the end of a rough week for me and my son, because we had to put down our 15-year-old Bichon Frise, Leo, who was suffering from lymphoma. Dr. Morgan and Kris got us through the weeks leading up to what was Leo's very loving, calm, peaceful and humane passing on Monday, May 4. 

What I'm grateful for, beyond the kindness and attention, is that Dr. Morgan explained all the medical options available and respected my wish to do as little as possible because Leo already was fragile with age. Chemo was offered but I didn't think it would make a significant difference, and Dr. Morgan supported my view. We focused on keeping Leo comfortable and free of pain. Through this stressful journey (for the humans), whenever I needed to talk to him he was available to talk -- if not right away, soon enough. 

THE CONURE, OZZY, AND HIS FRIEND LEO

We miss Leo terribly. The grief is real. But our pain was made easier to bear thanks to the compassion of the Morgans. At the end of the week I received a note from Dr. Morgan, pointing out that Leo was one of his first patients when they took over the animal hospital from Dr. Wesley Bayles in 2002. There were many happy visits over the years, and the visits were as conversational as they were purposeful. Like Dr. Bayles, Dr. Morgan cared about my pet. Our sons both are named Spencer, too. 

Of our loss, Dr. Morgan wrote, "In the end, you did the most loving thing you could for him. You did not let him suffer."

RIP, Leo, and thank you, Dr. Morgan. 

(Take a moment to visit the site and read about Dr. Morgan's background and the volunteer work he does, including with the Iditarod. )