It was lunch time and I was tossing my supper dish around trying to get attention.  Finally, someone noticed and poured some Fromm's kibble into it.  Gosh, that was good but I was still hungry.   All we had at the office was some freeze dried stuff that you have to mix with warm water.   I picked the fish flavor because it sounded interesting.   

Mom put 1/3 cup of water into my bowl and heated it up.  Then she poured the freeze dried powdery chunky stuff into it.  It sort of looks like split pea soup but it smelled divine, to me anyway.   Mom and Sonia both held their noses.  

After letting it sit the prescribed 3 minutes Mom put it down for me.  I schlurped it up as best I could without sticking my nose in it, and then I asked Mom to spoon feed me the rest.  We do forks and spoons on the weekends when I share her eggs with her so why not green fish stew, I ask?

Mom stirred it some more and then put some on the end of the spoon.  "Open wide, Mary-Margaret!"  I opened up like a baby bird and she put the spoon in my mouth.  I took the stuff very daintily in my mouth without spilling a drop.  I am very polite and know my manners.

Meanwhile, Sonia was cracking up, saying she'd never seen anything like that.   You'd think she never saw a pup using silverware before.

Shadow was a little ball of fur when we brought him home almost 11 years ago.   He never stopped playing.   I did noticed he never gained any weight and threw up a lot.   Then he began to urinate to the point he had to be hydrated 2 times.  I kept telling our local vet Shadow was not growing, but he said Shadow was just a picky eater and not to worry.   At 6 months I took him to be neutered.   I asked that blood work up be done before putting him to sleep.   I told them not to do it if things were not right.   I got the call and was told he had a large liver shunt.   I had never heard of it before and did not know what to do for him.  My vet told me without surgery Shadow would be dead within a year.   I immediately went on line and found the Yorkie liver shunt site, then I found Mary Elizabeth.  She guided me thru the process to Dr. Tobias and her team in TN.   We took Shadow there at 8 months, they fixed the shunt and neutered him.   He had a healthy life after that until a year ago when we were told he was in kidney failure.   Then we were told a month later he was diabetic.   Our little fellow would just turn and sit when I would tell him it was time for his medicine, ( a shot 3 times per day).   He was such a good boy. He would have been 11 on January 22 this year.  We loved him so very much.  I see his toys, dishes and little bed and just can't put them up.   Our hearts are aching, but we had to do what was best for our boy.   We were told if he lived thru his dental procedure, he would probably be in even more pain with the renal failure in a month or 2, we just couldn't put him thru it.  I held him and told him I was taking him home to his, "Daddy."   He cuddled and went to sleep.   I miss him so much.

I want to thank Mary Elizabeth, Dr. Tobias and the team at the University of Tennessee for giving us the 10 years with our wonderful Shadow.  I know you all know the heart break we are going thru right now, but it is worth it to have had our little , "Buddy".

Sherry minus her Shadow