Oh, I do not like crying. I do not like that my eyes are raw from the constant salt in them. I also don’t like bearing sad news, but I must share that this week brought some new grief. We lost our beloved Henry to acute renal failure.
Henry had been on a special diet for kidney disease, first spotted last August. But he was doing really well for his age.
About two weeks ago, he stopped eating anything but the little bits of protein that were allowed in his food. It got to the point, this past week, where I let him eat a little more protein, because he was an old dog and — what else can you do?
Also, this past week, we had a couple of nor’easters here in MA. We never lose power because our house is on the police and fire grid here in town. But 12 hours into no heat or electricity on Thursday, we decided to spend the night in Caitlin’s apartment in Boston.
Once there, Henry started to deteriorate by the hour. I told a friend that the process felt like a gathering snowball. At 2am, I was up for good with him, cleaning him, wrapping him in a soft fleece blanket. I was able to hold him in the crook of my arm, sitting in Caitlin’s “spot” on her sofa, all through the night. And that felt very fitting, and peaceful.
Nick and I both got to hold and comfort him at the end. He knew he was beloved.
He brought so much joy to our life and to Caitlin’s. I’ve spent the last hour going through thousands of photographs and I’m reminded of all the incredibly happy years we’ve had, and that is a good thing.
Here is a photo of the last time Caitlin and Henry were together. She was not yet in the ICU. I had just helped her take a shower, and we’d brought Henry in for a visit.
- November, 2016
It was a happy day.
He adored her.
Her last post on Instagram, her 333rd, was on Election Day, 2016 — a funny photo of Henry.
And for a bit of her great sense of humor, here is a link to the separate Instagram account she set up for Henry. She knew she was late to the game, regarding funny animal accounts, but she had a lot of fun with it. Click: That Pup Henry
Henry O’Hara. February 2, 2004 – March 9, 2018
9 Lives Notes 