[Dailydrool] Today's calendar page. A tribute to NORman

[oakrydgebh at q.com]

Today's Daily Drool calendar page is a tribute to my heart dog NORman. Some of you will remember him. NORman was the pick of the litter and I was fortunate enough to be his choice as a slave. He loved the show ring. He finished his championship easily just over a year after I started showing him at 11 months of age. He loved me unconditionally and I adored him. NORman celebrated his 7th birthday at the Rainbow Bridge yesterday June 1st. I'm sure it was quite a gala event with lots of celebrating and tons of fun. 


NORman was only 4 years old when he went to the rainbow bridge suddenly from hermangosarcoma. The picture on today's calendar page was taken less than two weeks before he left. There were no signs of a problem at that point. He was very happy boy and typically playful and full of himself. I decided to take a few pictures that morning because he was outside playing with all of his sons who were here with me. They were having a grand old time. Who knew these pictures would be the last photos I would have of him. About a week later there was something about him that seemed a little off to me but I couldn't find anything wrong with him. He never slowed down. He didn't show any outward signs of what was about to happen. One morning I noticed a few drops of blood dripping from his sheath after he had been out to pee. I took him to my vet and they thought that possibly a foxtail or some other piece of something had worked it's way up inside his sheath. He had surgery and they removed the head of a foxtail and cauterized the wound as the fox tail had been in his penis. 


Since I was going to be out of town over the weekend I arranged for him to stay at the vet so they could take care of him while I was gone . They called me everyday with updates on him and felt they had fixed the problem. He could come home when I got back. On Monday afternoon after I got home, they called me because he was bleeding again and they wanted to go back in to re-cauterize the wound or perhaps remove another piece of a foxtail they had missed. He had stopped eating that morning and he was on pain medicine and receiving IV fluids. They needed my permission to perform the surgery. I could go visit him the next morning as soon as they were open but he would need to stay there a few more days. Less than an hour later they called again. He was crashing and they were doing all they could to stabilize him. It was not to be and my beloved boy had to be euthanized. My vet didn't know what had happened so I ordered a post mortem exam and she asked to take tissue samples so we might figure out what happened. They determined that he had a very rapidly progressing form of this awful cancer which had gone through his bloodstream into all of his organs and lymph nodes. Nothing we could have done would've saved him. He was at the vet because of the foxtail getting up inside of his sheath. But I knew right away after the autopsy results that that feeling that something was wrong that I'd had was a sign that my boy was in trouble. I still miss him terribly and he still has a huge place in my heart and he always will. I know he is young and whole again, and happy at the rainbow bridge. And that he will be there to meet me when the time comes. I love you NORman with all my heart and soul. I will hug your "kids" today and tell them how much you miss them and that you are watching over them. I'm sure you have a brightly shining star at the rainbow bridge. You are still my ultimate showoff which is something you passed onto your puppies. They are my pride and joy. We all miss you very much. 


Jacqie Marvich and NORman's kids that are still here. 
CH Rocky(I'm large and in charge Dad), Miss Bobbie Sue (I've got points but I'd rather take a nap), CH Tuckerman (Rocky only thinks he's the boss.), & Juliette (I'll be a champion too Dad.) 
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