Lucky Kona
A donation was made in memory of Lucky Kona on Jan 05, 2009.
Dearest Friends and Family,
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I write to tell you that our beloved, fun loving and sweet Lucky Kona lost his battle to a very aggressive form of Lymphoma this Monday, Dec. 22 at 1:30 P.M.
He first took ill late Sunday, Dec. 14 and was initially diagnosed as having severe muscle pain. When he failed to recover, we followed up with the vet and more tests only to discover he was battling cancer. Despite every effort to treat him and make him comfortable nothing helped and he kept slipping away. When it was clear there was no relief in sight and only pain remained we were forced to say goodbye.
Lucky Kona was special in so many ways. At the very beginning, he barely made it into this world and was revived by his Breeder Mom, Lee Salmon, and thus called Lucky. He was a love to all he met as he was so keen to make a new friend – even with his vet. He loved people and dogs alike. Kona never asked much. He only wanted to be near you - all the time if possible. Kona also loved to play fetch ‘til he was ready to drop. Like all Labs he loved a good swim and played endlessly with his other canine friends, especially his best friend, Honza. Some of his best memories were staying with Terri and the crew at Dogs A Jammin' for the work day and when we were away. As Terri would fondly say, "He's the wild man of the group - he just plays and plays and plays."
We had no sign that Kona was even remotely sick. He had an annual exam one month ago prior to us bringing home another pup, Prinz. In fact we got Prinz so that Kona would have someone else to play with as we could barely keep up with his energy. He and Prinz were immediately great buddies and played so well together - Kona the 66 lb. gentle giant and Prinz the upstart and ninja-attacking 5 lb. pup. The Thursday before Kona fell ill he had been at Terri's and was a ball of endless energy too. He played all weekend with our kids, especially on Sunday with the first snowfall - and boy did Kona love snow!
So Sunday night when he showed some discomfort and was lethargic we thought he just over did it. Monday he didn't fare any better so that night we took him to a vet who initially thought he must have slipped on the ice and badly bruised or sprained his hips. After a few days of bed rest and pain meds he was supposed to be on the mend. Instead he seemed to get worse unable to keep food down and then having problems with water. We rushed back to the vet and they began to run a series of different tests. By Saturday it was confirmed, Kona had Lymphoma in his chest. It's difficult to say for how long and how extensive it was - especially given his energy only days prior… That said, it turned out to be such an aggressive form of cancer that none of the typical drugs had any positive effect.
This fatal illness came too fast and much too early in the life of a precious family member to us…we miss Kona terribly and are making plans to have our own memorial and farewell honoring him.
We do want to take this time to thank the many dedicated and understanding staff at Seattle Vet Specialists and the Redmond VCA Animal Hospital. You helped us and Kona when we needed you most and appreciate the support and understanding you gave us.
Knowing that you are dear friends to our family and thus Kona, we are certain you would want to know. There is never a good time for a tragedy and we are sorry to share this sad news on Christmas eve. If nothing else, it is a reminder to us all to make the very most of the precious moments we have with our loved ones and to be grateful for the great times we have - no matter how short-lived.
Kona will live on in our sweetest memories and warm hearts.
Love,
Leah & Thomas
Bailey & Bennett & Prinz
Beloved Kona - Everyone's Best Friend
March 23, 2006 - Dec. 22, 2008
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I write to tell you that our beloved, fun loving and sweet Lucky Kona lost his battle to a very aggressive form of Lymphoma this Monday, Dec. 22 at 1:30 P.M.
He first took ill late Sunday, Dec. 14 and was initially diagnosed as having severe muscle pain. When he failed to recover, we followed up with the vet and more tests only to discover he was battling cancer. Despite every effort to treat him and make him comfortable nothing helped and he kept slipping away. When it was clear there was no relief in sight and only pain remained we were forced to say goodbye.
Lucky Kona was special in so many ways. At the very beginning, he barely made it into this world and was revived by his Breeder Mom, Lee Salmon, and thus called Lucky. He was a love to all he met as he was so keen to make a new friend – even with his vet. He loved people and dogs alike. Kona never asked much. He only wanted to be near you - all the time if possible. Kona also loved to play fetch ‘til he was ready to drop. Like all Labs he loved a good swim and played endlessly with his other canine friends, especially his best friend, Honza. Some of his best memories were staying with Terri and the crew at Dogs A Jammin' for the work day and when we were away. As Terri would fondly say, "He's the wild man of the group - he just plays and plays and plays."
We had no sign that Kona was even remotely sick. He had an annual exam one month ago prior to us bringing home another pup, Prinz. In fact we got Prinz so that Kona would have someone else to play with as we could barely keep up with his energy. He and Prinz were immediately great buddies and played so well together - Kona the 66 lb. gentle giant and Prinz the upstart and ninja-attacking 5 lb. pup. The Thursday before Kona fell ill he had been at Terri's and was a ball of endless energy too. He played all weekend with our kids, especially on Sunday with the first snowfall - and boy did Kona love snow!
So Sunday night when he showed some discomfort and was lethargic we thought he just over did it. Monday he didn't fare any better so that night we took him to a vet who initially thought he must have slipped on the ice and badly bruised or sprained his hips. After a few days of bed rest and pain meds he was supposed to be on the mend. Instead he seemed to get worse unable to keep food down and then having problems with water. We rushed back to the vet and they began to run a series of different tests. By Saturday it was confirmed, Kona had Lymphoma in his chest. It's difficult to say for how long and how extensive it was - especially given his energy only days prior… That said, it turned out to be such an aggressive form of cancer that none of the typical drugs had any positive effect.
This fatal illness came too fast and much too early in the life of a precious family member to us…we miss Kona terribly and are making plans to have our own memorial and farewell honoring him.
We do want to take this time to thank the many dedicated and understanding staff at Seattle Vet Specialists and the Redmond VCA Animal Hospital. You helped us and Kona when we needed you most and appreciate the support and understanding you gave us.
Knowing that you are dear friends to our family and thus Kona, we are certain you would want to know. There is never a good time for a tragedy and we are sorry to share this sad news on Christmas eve. If nothing else, it is a reminder to us all to make the very most of the precious moments we have with our loved ones and to be grateful for the great times we have - no matter how short-lived.
Kona will live on in our sweetest memories and warm hearts.
Love,
Leah & Thomas
Bailey & Bennett & Prinz
Beloved Kona - Everyone's Best Friend
March 23, 2006 - Dec. 22, 2008
