#65: Goodbye, Milo

The Most Painful Part of Having A Pet

Anyone who has shared their lives with pets will tell you that the worst part is the end.

We said goodbye to Milo on Sunday. Our big lug of a black lab, 11 years old and steadily graying around his muzzle and eyes, seemed perfectly normal yesterday morning.

After his breakfast, Milo slyly shuffled from family member to family member, seeking a momentary lack of judgment that would result in yet another treat.

Milo, the day before he died. He was perfectly fine, then he was gone.

We went out to lunch at 11:30 a.m. and returned to find Milo almost immobile on the couch. He could barely lift his head, and for the first time in our 10 years since adopting him, showed no interest in food.

Two hours later, the vet said he had a tumor, possibly in his spleen, that was bleeding into his stomach. He was anemic and could go into cardiac arrest at any moment. S…