“Like most people who love their pets, I’ve had to put down my beloved babies in the past. This was by far the best experience, considering the situation, I could ever have hoped for. Dr. Libby Hays helped me let go of my 18 year old Pomeranian, Orsino, nearly three years ago and the memory sticks with me still like it was yesterday.
I had hoped that my little bear could make it a few more days after we discovered that he was battling renal failure, but the next morning I realized that was self-deception and his time was right then and there. I call Libby in a panic, crying and inconsolable. She showed up within an hour fully equipped with hugs, empathy, and truly authentic tenderness.
Libby stayed with me while I snuggled with my little man and prepared to let him go. She shaved his little leg while I curled up with him in my lap on the couch. She brought me some water and tissues for my tears…then when he and I were both ready, maybe him more than me, she gave him a sedative and he fell into a blissful snooze. We waited a bit, and she delivered the euthanasia solution intravenously through the same IV…I bawled and sobbed, and she just sat with me quietly while I let my little buddy of two decades drift away. She gave me plenty of time and when I was ready, we carefully placed Orsino into a little prepared box with a blanket – THAT was the hardest part.
The next day a loving card arrived from Dr. Libby. Soon after that she arrived with a little wooden urn with Ori’s ashes along with a clay imprint of his paw.
I cried writing this but I am so thankful for the angel who is Dr. Libby Hays.
~Lora D., 2021
