Today we made a really difficult decision. Leona came to us back in the summer of 2013. She was a stray with such badly matted fur that she had to be shaved. A spunky girl, full of attitude and not afraid to tell you what’s what, Leona was diagnosed with kidney failure that fall. At the time she was given only a few weeks or months to live. We opted for IV fluid treatment for several days, which helped a lot. We thought maybe she would have a few good months. True to her spirited personality, Leona defied us all and did really well for more than a year.

Recently, Leona seemed to be struggling. A check-up last Saturday revealed that her kidneys were failing – her blood work was quite a bit worse than it had been only a few months before. We knew the end was near but we wanted to try to buy Leona some more time. Once again, we placed her on IV fluids. Very sadly, today Leona’s blood work was worse than before her treatment. So, after trying everything that we could for her, we made the very difficult, but compassionate, decision to let Leona go. Her foster mom had some time with her at the clinic to say goodbye. While this is never the outcome we want, in Leona’s case we know it was the kindest thing we could do.

We are utterly grateful for Leona’s amazing foster mom. With her from the start, she never faltered when faced with providing hospice care. She gave Leona an incredible, loving home – the type of home Leona likely never knew. They say that saving one animal will not change the world, but for that one animal the world will change forever. Leona knew an amazing world in the last year of her life. For this we are thankful.

Rest in peace, sweet Leona.