Hearts in Hawai'i
A Tribute to Kimo (& Kona) (Jan. thru Mar. 2025)
4/3/2025
These entries (and the ones on following blog entries) are mostly pulled from Facebook posts I made at that time.
Thursday, January 9
Kona trying to figure out how to get Kimo to move without agitating him. She managed!
Friday, January 10
That small adenoma on the top of Kimo's head started bleeding last night after playing with Kona. The bleeding has stopped but we're going to start a round of tropical cream & antibiotics today on the advice of his vet. He's doing good today. Meanwhile, Kona is under my computer table with this "Hey! Don't blame me for his sensitive skin!" attitude.
Friday, January 17
Focused on the apple!
Saturday, January 25
Kona: “Hey, Kimo’s butt is soft!” ❤️
Friday, January 31
Snoozers!
Sunday, February 2
More snoozing! Kona likes to claim my spot on the love seat as soon as I leave.
Wednesday, February 5
Rough day yesterday and rough morning for Kimo. No interest in food or treats, difficulty walking, threw up in the bedroom last night. Patty called the Vet yesterday and they told her that if he hadn't eaten by this morning to call back to probably set up an appointment. We're worried. Even Kona is--she was hovering over him and sniffing him this morning.
Thursday, February 6
Kimo showing improvement over yesterday--he went to the back door, looked at Patty and wagged his tail in a "C'mon, lemme out!" fashion. Is eating (not from the Wobbler but eating from a bowl) and drinking. Peed and pooped this morning (not much poop since he ate very little yesterday). Followed me upstairs when he saw I had dog treats. Still not interested in playing with Kona and it seems she understands because she isn't harassing him.
Friday, February 7
Made the decision to take Kimo to the Vet this morning--they had an opening for an emergency appointment so we took it. I was more concerned about the sarcoma on his head which had started bleeding again and had no idea what I was about to be told.
He has cancer in his liver and spleen. There is no cure, just medication to help with the symptoms. The cancer caused what he went through earlier this week. At some point we'll need to make the decision no dog owner ever wants to make, but as long as he's not in obvious pain and can still perform his normal functions (he climbed up the highest snowbank near our driveway this morning looking for something, probably rabbit turds!) it's a decision we don't have to make yet.
I'm sort of in shock. I told him "You're too young (at 13, he's really not but y'know...). We want more time with you" but we understand the reality of this situation.
Saturday, February 8
Kimo update: We're grateful that he's having a great day today! Good energy, ate his food without hesitation--when I offered his liver supplement (not a small pill!) with peanut butter on it, he ignored it yesterday. Today, he swallowed it whole! "Ya know, you can chew it once if you want" Nope. Straight to the gut. Not playing with Kona and she's leaving him alone. They must know when something is wrong with their sibling.
He hasn't jumped up on the bed all week and I attribute that, more than anything, to the arthritis in his back leg
Right now, in true Kimo fashion, he's sniffing around my office chair just in case I dropped a crumb of toast on the computer mat.
I have buttered toast so of course, Kimo shows up!
Sunday, February 9
Yo, you eating something?
For the first time this week, Kimo jumped up on the bed! He did it while I was at my bro's watching the Super Bowl and then did it again tonight after I had him outside doing his business.
Monday, February 10
I was severely scolded when I arrived home an hour late to feed the doggos their supper! By Kimo, of course. First he jumped on me ("Cool, you're home! Where's dinner dammit!!") then let out a long howl of disappointment in my tardiness. He howled again because I didn't put his Kong Wobbler down quick enough for his liking! And then literally ran back into the garage after doing his business. He isn't acting anything like a dog with a terminal diagnosis and I love it.
Tuesday, February 11
Kimo update: Another very good day, another howling for his dinner! They still haven't had play other than a couple mouthings of each other's neck. He's yapping up his meds now like they're tasty treats. With peanut butter, of course!
Wednesday, February 12
A new pattern is emerging here. Kona stopped pooping with me months ago when I stopped bringing her all the way up to the mailboxes. She does her business in what we call The Highlands near our house just fine--with Patty. With me? Nothing. She won't even pee when I let her out, UNLESS it's late at night. Weird.
That's not the new pattern. This is--Kimo has stopped pooping with Patty! I don't know if it's a male/female thing or what but he's been quite comfortable doing all his business with me over the past week. And has stopped doing it with Patty. How funny is that?
He jumped up on the bed last night. Almost. I think he needs a bit of a run before he launches himself up there and didn't quite make it, falling back onto the carpet. Poor boy! He nailed it on the second attempt, however. He's not, and has never been, the Olga Korbut that Kona is. Other than not wanting to play with Kona and not tromping around the loft while growling happily to himself, he's acting quite normal and has gotten progressively better since last week. Even his normal tail wagging has come back.
I'm living for those moments these days.
Tuesday, February 18
Kimo is down just a wee bit today. He didn't demolish his dinner like he normally does but on the plus side, he eventually did eat it all. And the three pieces of kibble which Kona missed, of course!
My brother asked me if Kona knew what was going on. I believe she does, evidenced by how she's leaving him alone when he rebuffs her attempt to engage in play. Prior to a couple weeks ago, she would pester him until it was go time! (had to put a Seinfeld reference in there, of course). And now, she's giving him space.
Whether she can smell it or is picking up on his behavior, I don't know for sure.
Wednesday, February 19
Yesterday's setback was temporary as Kimo was back on track today, woofing his food, wagging his tail and enjoying a ton of scratching and fur rubbing by his humans. Not only did he need this today, we certainly did.
Friday, February 21
Kimo update: Doing about the same these past couple days. Eating pretty well although he didn't finish his meal this morning. After speaking with his vet yesterday, we're going to refill his prescription of Yunnan Baiyao today, which can help with things such as internal bleeding and pain.
Saturday, February 22
Rough night for Kimo. He threw up three times, is lethargic (mostly) but he did move pretty quickly out of my office and downstairs to greet Patty when she came home! He took his meds well this afternoon and is resting comfortably in the bedroom while Patty naps.
Sunday, February 23
Kimo update: The roller coaster continues. After a rough Friday night and Saturday morning, he's mostly back in form today! He destroyed his dinner (as much as a dog can while using the Kong Wobbler), he did the "Sit/Shake/Other paw/Speak!" perfectly while awaiting his treat this evening.
Tuesday, February 25
Kimo? He's good today, a little confused (that may be some doggy dementia going on as well), spending an inordinate time sniffing and licking the carpet, especially the patch directly in front of his chair. The sarcoma on his head is bleeding a bit again. I haven't seen anything to suggest he's aggravating it so who knows.
Bodily functions are fine and he's eating very well. I'm happy for that.
Wednesday, February 26
He ate his breakfast but refused his morning medications. Kimo turning down *anything* having to do with peanut butter is not normal behavior for him. He's not getting up in his chair, either, preferring to lay on the carpet next to his chair. He also refused supper.
Thursday, February 27
Kimo is continuing to decline. No interest in food (including his meds) since late morning yesterday. Took him outside to do his business when we got home from dinner tonight and his back legs collapsed coming back through the garage. Patty had to carry him back into the house.
And now he's walking and drinking water. But still, I think it's time. Patty doesn't. We'll see how he is in the morning.
She made the comment that he doesn't appear to be tracking anything with his eyes, not watching us when we walk by, not responding to any hand signals as he usually does.
Friday, February 28
Kimo (November 20, 2011-February 28, 2025)
In the end, it took less than ten seconds, ending with the Vet telling us "He's gone"
Kimo's sudden decline over the past two days took us by surprise. He had been pretty much holding his own; my opinion is that part of it was credit to the medications he was taking to help his liver's health and prevent the internal bleeding which would cause him much discomfort. But in the end, we're talking about cancer, an insidious, brutal disease which doesn't care how big and strong a doggo is.
We made the decision just before 3:00 this morning that it was time. A friend had told me that a dog will let us know when it was time, and he was certainly telling us from his appearance, his sudden inability to walk more than a few feet and his labored breathing. His stomach area had bloated (we were told by his Vet to watch for this) and it was doubtless affecting his breathing. Much as we hated to do this, it was the merciful thing to do for Kimo's comfort. There was nothing to indicate there would be another rebound.
Surprisingly, he was able to walk from the living room out through the garage and to the car but he did require assistance getting up into the back seat, partly due to the arthritis which was affecting him. Likewise, he was able to, albeit slowly, walk from the car and into Dougherty Vet Clinic. Once there, they led us into a "special" room in the back where the loved ones gather and the procedure occurs. Boxes of Kleenex were thoughtfully set out--they would be needed.
The doctor first gave Kimo a sedative injection. Whether he needed this or not, I'll never know as he was pretty much out of it by now, barely recognizing us or his surroundings. But it did its work and he was soon asleep. They left the room so the sedative could take effect and at this point I broke down hard. I hadn't cried like this in seemingly forever, maybe even more so than when my parents died. Why? I was later reminded that our furbabies are pure, blameless and totally dependent on us for their survival. And here we were about to rob Kimo of his, as right a decision as this was. It still hurt like hell.
After several minutes (how many? I have no idea and wasn't exactly watching the time), they came back, shaved his back leg and did one final injection. And that was it.
They told us to take as much time as we needed and left the office. I was cried out and just stayed on the floor with Kimo, petting him and scratching him, telling him how much I loved him and how much joy he'd brought us over the years. Eventually we left.
The drive home, predictably, was difficult as you might imagine. I wasn't sure if I could drive but managed to get us home.
Kona acted somewhat confused and kept looking around like "Okay, he was with you when you left, where the hell is my bro?!" Grief, for us as well as for Kona, is a long process which will suck to various degrees and gradually lessen as we go. As I said, it's not a straight line. Grief rarely is.
Special thanks to Jef. We've taken notice of how much he has appreciated following Kimo's journey over the years. We wish you guys had met--it would have been a treat for you both.
Saturday, March 1
Kona update: We're introducing her to Kimo's toys as having them both play with most of them while Kimo was here would invariably lead to a brawl.
She doesn't know what to do with his Nylabone chicken flavored Tuggy (This is a rubber toy shaped like a oblong driver's wheel, and Kimo loved it! I would grab one end, he'd grab the other end and then tug like crazy). Patty held it out for her but she just looked at it.
Now, the Kong beast, she loved! This is another rubber toy with a hole in it. At one point, it had a rope which ran through the middle and connected the two halves of the beast. At one point, I say, because Kimo's first task was to chew apart the rope! It has these little rubber nubbees for chewing. But once we realized she was trying to ingest the nubbees, we took it away.
His squeaky football, she also loves! The loud squeak when she bites it startled her a bit at first. So it's bite/squeak and then she drops the football and jumps back for a couple seconds, butt up, tail wagging, until she resumes the attack. Much fun!
I was on my PC, working on hockey stats a few minutes ago and she came up, putting her head in my lap and looking up at me with those beautiful eyes. Sweetness and sadness at the same time.
She's crashed under my computer table now, one of her favorite places to take a nap. It's warm and I'm sure she feels safe there.
Later today she'll get to check out the Squeaky Egg (Kimo's favorite toy when playing with me) and the Squeaky Owl.
Sunday, March 2
Kona update: This morning we hauled out a squeaky toy Kimo had never played with, a pig toy (squeeze his head and he goes oink oink oink!) with a looped rope coming out of each ear. Weird looking thing! She likes it. Sort of. The squeaky soccer ball and squeaky football are currently her favorites.
Patty also found a brand new bone up in the Puppers Pantry so now she doesn't have to chew Kimo's old hand-me-down bone any more!
The times when I'm alone are hardest. Having to feed just Kona in the afternoon sort of sucks. We had a ritual of prepping and setting down their Kong Wobblers, complete with Kimo's howls of protest if I wasn't working quick enough for his liking! I really miss his chatter today. Patty took the double-padded bed he had up in our bedroom and put it away. I thought this would help. The emptiness of the space it leaves behind makes it worse.
Monday, March 3
So I walk downstairs to find Patty in the living room immersed in her iPhone.
Me: Whatcha doing?
She: Checking out the Northern Lakes Rescue website
And that is how it starts! But of course, within about a minute she noticed the smirk on my face and said "But I'm not ready"
Sure
Kona was looking around for Kimo today but I think she's starting to get used to being alone and having solo access to all the toys!
Tuesday, March 4
It's been a day. First day of Patty going back to work since Kimo started his next journey. It was weird for her because she had built a routine for how the dogs are dealt with in the morning, and it had always started with Kimo following her downstairs.
I had a dream last night where Patty, Kimo and Kona all came into my home office. Kimo put his front paws on my chair and started licking my face. "I thought he was dead!" I exclaimed and Patty replied "No, he just had some stuff to do"
And then I woke up. Ugh.
Kona is laying on the carpet under my computer table after a long session of having her head up in my lap, getting ear and neck scratches. She really likes this. So do I.
Wednesday, March 5
Seeing if Kona would play with the Squeaky Egg (Kimo's favorite!). The squeak when she stepped on it interested her for a few seconds but after staring at it for a bit, she walked away. We'll leave it up in the Loft to see how she reacts to having full time access to this.
Shades of Kimo: I remember the night I had a plate of pizza burgers on my computer table and was watching TV when suddenly I noticed one of them moving! Kimo was gently pulling one off the plate. What, I wasn't supposed to see this? By the time I went "HEY!!!" it was on the carpet. So he got to munch.
Kona just did basically the same. I had Sammy's frozen pizza a bit too close to the edge of my computer table and she walked up and started licking a piece of pizza! No, she wasn't rewarded with a piece, I moved the plate over and she went back to bed.
Little doofus
Friday, March 7
I got the sweetest call from the vet this morning.
"Hi Lee, this is ______ from Dougherty Vet. Just wanted to know that Kimo is back here (he was cremated) and you can pick him up anytime"
"Okay, thank you, we'll be up there Monday"
"Okay, he'll be waiting!"
Choked back a tear after I hung up. It was how she characterized him as still being with us. And he is. In our hearts.
If Kimo could say anything, it would probably be like "I'm okay, humans. No more pain. Got any treats?" 😁
Despite all that, I miss him a lot. Time to go hug Kona.
Sunday, March 9
Those sharp little teeth of Kona's have destroyed her second squeaky toy (and her favorite!), her squeaky soccer ball. The squeaky pig had previously met its own tragic demise. She still has the football, egg and owl to mangle. Might have to go to some rummage sales in search of cheap, strong squeaky toys. She loves these much as Kimo did!
Monday, March 10
Kimo is home and is perched on top of the Entertainment Center. They made a clay paw print of him at the vets office! It needs to be baked. Where we'll put it, I'll pretty much leave it up to Patty
It probably isn't every day you see "Congratulations" on a doggo cremation urn, but there ya go. He was celebrating graduating from one of the Petco dog training courses. Thanks Kelly!
Tuesday, March 11
Kona update: She was under my computer table today, and then got up, walked over a few steps to where Kimo used to like napping next to the shredder, looked down and then looked around. "Bro, where are you hiding?" And then turned around and put her head on my thigh. As sad as I am for us, even more so for her as she has no understanding of what's going on. She just knows her big bro hasn't been around lately (lately being defined as "forever" to a dog)
Patty and I are on different pages as to rescuing another dog--it can't happen until we're on the same page.
Wednesday, March 12
Kona update: I had her in my home office this morning as I usually do and was working away on some Excel stuff. I took a break and looked down to find her gone! A quick search of the upstairs (I wanted to rule that out, assuming she'd gone downstairs to nap on my side of the couch) revealed she'd gone to bed! On my side, of course, making use of my pillow.
She also had a spirited play session with a couple of her squeaky toys around dinner time, running back and forth, shaking her head and just generally enjoying herself.
She's a sweetie.
Sunday, March 16
Overheard today: The answer to the grief of losing a doggo is to rescue another one.
Key word here being "rescue", and there are many out there awaiting our love. In return, we'll get their unconditional love.
But it's not time. Yet. Still struggling. Last night was a rough one, with Kona there to comfort me. Well, not really--she was sleeping away snuggled up next to me in bed. But I believe that, on some level, she knows.
At some point in the future, we'll see a furbaby somewhere, on some web site, needing a new home. We'll know when we see it.
Tuesday, March 18
Kimo's paw
Wednesday, March 19
Kona update: She loves having access to all those squeaky toys and loves playing fetch with Patty! Watching her tear across the floor before putting on the brakes, grabbing the toy and running back to Patty while shaking the toy is one of her simple pleasures. But she's such a klutz--I bounced a tennis ball across the kitchen floor and she took off after it, the ball then bouncing off her head. We'll have to work on that!
Monday, March 24
Kona update: Little Sleepy Head aka Miss Wiggly Butt slept in for an hour and a half this morning after I got out of bed! And now she wants to play.
Tuesday, March 25
Kona's annual visit with Dr. Lisa went great! She's lost two pounds and sits at 44#, lean as could be but not skinny. She's been exercising by playing fetch a lot more lately and will be taken on some hikes (hopefully starting tomorrow). Talked to her about Kimo today--she really liked him, calling him a "force of nature". That pretty much summed up his persona and physicality. His strength always impressed her, not to mention his personality.
What the future will bring Patty, me and Kona to is unknown. We'll experience it, love it and appreciate it as it occurs.
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