Thank you so much to Dr. Katie for helping us with such a difficult decision. Dr. Hilst came to our home 1 year ago today December 18, 2012 to help us let our beloved Golden Duncan cross over to the Rainbow Bridge where we are sure he is not struggling or no longer in pain.
We rescued our Duncan from a Rescue in Northern Illinois which is no longer in business. He was a stray picked up in downtown Chicago. He tested positive for heartworm and was put through the treatment by the rescue and placed into foster care during his treatment. When his treatment was complete we were able to adopt him into his fur-ever home.
Although we never knew how old he was we gave him a birthday of the day he came to live with us. The rescue and his vet thought he was between 3 and 4 when he was picked up. He was with us for 10-1/2 years. He loved people and was a frequent visitor at Heritage Monona Assisted Living Facility where the residents loved him.
Duncan stopped jumping into our vehicle after we had him approximately 7 years. We took him into have his hips x-rayed and found his spine, ears, and hind quarters were filled with buck shot that was embedded in his tissues. We assume this happened when he was a stray. We immediately took him to Dr. Dawn Mogilevsky who did acupuncture and spinal manipulation treatments on him every 4 to 5 weeks for the rest of his life. We bought him a ramp to get in and out of our vehicle as he loved his rides. Dr. Dawn gave us extended years with our much loved boy. After buying him a lift harness in November of 2012 to help him get up and down it was apparent that he was struggling (although he would never complain) to hard and it was time to let him go.
Dr. Hilst was so kind. She brought treats to our house, gave him lots of petting which he so loved and let us take our time in saying our good-byes to our boy. She put him down on his favorite bed in front of our Christmas tree which is the spot he loved most. Dr. Hilst also made us a clay paw print of his paw for a keepsake. She also remembered us today – one year later with a very touching card. We are very great full for Dr. Hilst and Dr. Mogilevsky for their compassion and love of animals. We can’t thank them enough for all they did for our Duncan. He was and will always be very loved and missed by us. We are just great full he chose us to make his fur-ever home with.
From: Sheilagh & Mike Lien