Trudie's Story

A Marine and His Dog...and why we do what we do

Princess Trudie

                 
May 11, 2010 started like any other day.  But one phone call changed our lives for the next 3 months.  

A pet mom had just been told that her beautiful German Shepherd, Trudie, had Lymphoma and would most likely die in a few weeks.  Searching for answers on the Internet, she found Beyond the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial Center and made the call that changed all of us.

I will never forget Karla's frail and shaky voice on the telephone.  Through sobs and tears, I learned the Trudie was the love of Jon and Karla...and that Jon would be home from his third tour of Afghanistan in 30 days.  Karla pleaded to me to “please, please find a way to keep our baby alive until her Daddy gets home.”



We met Trudie and Karla, later that day at their home in Frisco, along with one of our Veterinarians, who came to evaluate Trudie and plan a course of treatment and palliative care. Prednisone was started to reduce the swelling of the lymph nodes in her neck and hips, along with a pain medicine to assure she was in no pain.  In 4 days, the swelling was so dramatically reduced, that Trudie was running and chasing a ball in the back yard.  Before that day, she could hardly get up and walk outside. Karla's words to me were “I've got my dog back !!!”.  

As is with Prednisone in humans, the usual side effects kicked in and we dealt with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and the associated side effects of those problems.  But Beyond the Rainbow was in touch with Karla daily and when a new problem arose, we quickly called the doctor and delivered the necessary medications or treatment to the house.  Karla left a key for us so we could go in and check on Trudie while she was away at work.  We truly loved walking in the house and having this beautiful girl come walking up the hall to meet us.  

Karla was the best mom in the world !!! There were many mornings that I called to check in and learned that Karla had spent the night on the couch or the floor with Trudie.  The Prednisone made her thirsty, and one thing leads to another.  Some nights, Karla just propped the back door open and slept on the couch so Princess Trudie could come and go as she pleased.  We changed her diet to a specialized formula for sensitive tummies, and Trudie loved following Karla into the kitchen every morning and night, to get, what she thought was a special treat. Karla left the spoon in the can, so  she could sneak Trudie special bites any time she was in the kitchen. Spoiled...NEVER !!!!!! Just loved beyond measure.

Trudie had had a hard beginning to life, but the third time really was the charm for her.  Her first family had surrendered her to the animal shelter because they couldn't keep her, a second family adopted her from German Shepherd Rescue, but returned her a few months later due to a family illness.  Jon and Karla had decided that it was time to add a fur-baby to their home, so they went to German Shepherd Rescue in search of a baby.  It truly was fate, for Trudie had been returned just 1 hour before that arrived.  They had a connection immediately.  Even though they were warned that Trudie didn't like “big men”, she walked right up and licked the hand of her 6'5” new Daddy. She was theirs from that day forward.

For 3 years Trudie went everywhere with Jon and Karla.  She loved being in the back seat for trips to the park, the lake, the coffee shop, and especially to get a pooch cone at their favorite ice cream shop.

When Jon deployed, Trudie became even more protective of her Mom.  They were constant companions, and Trudie's favorite time was spent in the field chasing the ball with Mom.  Each time Jon returned from Iraq or Afghanistan Trudie fell back in love with her Daddy all over again.  There were kisses, and hugs, and six o'clock wake up nudges so Jon and Trudie could go out and play early and let Mommy sleep in.

Trudie must have known that her Daddy would be home soon, because she started sleeping on his side of the bed, three nights before he got home from this deployment.  Jon had prepared to never see Trudie again when Karla had told him about the cancer on May 11th.  What a joyous reunion they had when he returned on June 9th.  That first night was bittersweet; Trudie was thinner than when he had left, and moving a bit slower.  But she was here, and her Daddy was with her.  That first night home was filled with hugs, kisses, and pizza !!!  For seven wonderful weeks there were rides in the car for trips to the park, walks around the neighborhood, and LOTS of pooch cones !!!  

A large part of what we do in hospice is support the family.  We talked to Jon and Karla daily and saw Trudie often.  We literally walked with them on this journey.  Karla and Jon knew that they could call us anytime, day or night, and we would be there to calm their fears, answer their questions, or just hold their hand.  

In Karla's words: “I contacted Beyond the Rainbow after finding out about the lymphoma.  In a state of shock and heart break I was scared that something would happen at night and be unable to talk to a Vet or be unable to get her in the car.  I knew I needed someone around who could help me through the process while Jon was away.   Kate and Terry helped every step of the journey.  Their first home visit gave me comfort.  When Dr. Buffington came to the house to examine Trudie and gave me hope that she could live comfortably long enough to see Jon I was so very relieved.  Kate and Terry were with me through everything and became part of our family.  They did things from pick up medicine, to spending time with her when she didn't feel good, along with phone calls for support.   For someone who doesn't handle stress well at all it was a blessing to have someone to call when something wasn't right with Trudie, late at night or early in the morning it didn't matter they were always there to help me.”

The week of July 21-26th we were able to go and house-sit with Princess Trudie.  Jon had deployed just a month after their wedding, so Karla was taking him to spend time with her family in Minnesota.  The trip was planned months ahead, not knowing that Trudie would still be with them.  Karla was worried about going on the trip, and planning to cancel when we were talking one day. I assured her that everything would be okay...we would simply move in and stay with Trudie while they were gone.  It was a wonderful week for us and we truly fell in love with this beautiful girl.  Terry played ball with her in the yard and took Trudie for morning walks on the days she felt like it. We even took her to her favorite place for ice cream.

On July 29th, Trudie began having difficulty breathing.  We had been told by Dr. B. that the lymph nodes would probably swell and begin to restrict her airway.  We knew that this was happening now.  Jon called us and made the hardest decision that a pet parent has to make.  He told us to schedule the final visit by the Veterinarian for that evening.    With tears running down our faces, we helped Trudie transition to the Rainbow Bridge.  Jon sat on the floor with Trudie's head in his lap, Karla crying in my arms as we let her go.  

Three days later we brought Trudie back home for eternal safekeeping.  Karla tells me that they carry the urn around from room to room.  Wherever they go, Trudie goes.  She is always with them, and will always be with us.  Run and play precious girl.  We love you and will never forget Princess Trudie.

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