Hercules Wood

Hercules was my first foster failure....I'd fostered before but just got so attached to him. He was a preemie when I got him, just born and rescued, the only one of a litter with some hope to save and we (me and my daughter, who was a teenager at the time) fought to keep him alive for several weeks. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was me feeding him with a syringe. After all that, I didn't want to give him back to the rescue service that I fostered for so they could put him up for adoption, so I just adopted him and said he had found his forever home. And he definitely had a great life. He was diagnosed with IBD lymphoma about a year and a half prior to his death, and seemed to be feeling fine, no significant symptoms then, but he had lost a lot of weight, hence, getting all of that testing. He was maintained quite well for almost a year and a half on monthly treatments, and weeklies that I learned to give him at home. During that time, he had a good to very good quality of life (except for the yukky "get in the carrier to go to the vet" moments!) until in early January when his abdomen suddenly filled with fluid. He was drained, thinking that might help him to rally back to some form of health again but soon it became clear he was leaving. The only "bad" days he had were those days, 1/21-1/24, and on the morning of Friday 1/24, I tried everything else I could to rally him back, but he'd begun to suffer late Thursday night and all through the night, so I called the vet late that morning and was able to stay with him when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge Friday afternoon 1/24. He was wrapped up in the blanket that he was brought to me in when he was a rescue that he loved for all of those 17 years. I knew that's how he'd be most comfortable; his blankie, his first toy, and me, singing to him as he crossed over. I've loved and lost many animals, dogs and cats, but this one is the most painful. I'm grateful for the time with him and that I had the time to prepare my heart for losing him, knowing for so long that we were managing a terminal illness. With love forever from Mommy Susan

Hercules Wood

January 24, 2025