R.I.P. My Wild n Wonderful Lucee

Lucee 8 months

It was about a year ago when I updated the health status of my beautiful shepherd/Lab mix Lucee. She was in amazing health which was a miracle considering she was born with chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately our journey with Lucee came to an end on October 31, 2014.

Life with Lucee was never a piece of cake. She was a handful from the day we brought her home from the Fredericksburg Regional SPCA. Two weeks after adopting her I was crying because I didn't think I could tame the wild beast I nicknamed Lucifur. We adopted Lucee on February 2, 2012 found out she had kidney disease April 2012 and by June of 2012 we were told she wouldn’t live out the year. I was determined to make whatever life she had left as healthy as possible. I created a diet that would take the stress off her partially functioning kidney’s. The end of 2012 came and went and Lucee was still thriving and becoming a wonderful companion.

Spring 2014

By the end of 2012 we started to think Lucee would be okay, she was playing ball and eating well and progressing in our training. She turned one that July and we were going to hit the anniversary of her adoption. Who would have ever predicted, not our vet. 2013 brought us a few highs and lows. The high was we celebrated a year with Lucee. The low was cicadas and the havoc they caused on Lucee's digestive system. As if chronic kidney disease wasn't enough she developed pancreatitis. This can be fatal in dogs and almost was for Lucee. It took us from the end of May to late November 2013 to get her healthy. Lots of love and a very bland home cooked diet got Lucee through.

Lucee watching TV

2014 arrived and we celebrated two years with Lucee a year more than our vet predicted. It was after February that we noticed Lucee slowing down, not wanting to play or jump at the fence. We started preparing for the worst, but then it was July and we celebrated her 3rd birthday on July 2. It's hard not to start thinking she'll live a normal life. The summer ended and so did Lucee's good health. The urinary tract infections started again and something new the possibility of lymphoma. All the blood work pointed to her having it. October arrived and it was not if, it became when?

Lucee would have soldiered on for us, but it became clear that she was in an immense amount of

pain, so on October 31, 2014 I sat with Lucee until she ran over the Rainbow Bridge.  I cried in frustration after I brought her home and in the end I cried again only this time I was heart broken for a life that was far too short. Rest in peace, Lucee (aka Lucifur).