Author: laclear16
Happy birthday in heaven, Koa!
Today would have been Koa’s 12th birthday. Koa was diagnosed in Feb 2018 with osteosarcoma. We had planned to just treat his pain, and when the time came, we had planned to put him down. After having a hospice vet come out to evaluate him for home euthanasia, she convinced us to reconsider amputation because she felt that “he still has a lot of life in him. If you get rid of the leg, you get rid of the pain.” So after getting a chest X-ray done to see if it had spread to his lungs, we amputated on May 9, 2018. Koa lived another 14 months post amputation. He loved swimming at the neighbors’ pool and at the beach, going on car rides, visiting with his dog friends and even doing dog walks in his stroller. He developed metastasis to his lungs in May of 2019 which resulted in hypertrophic osteopathy in June which made it difficult for him to get up and walk. On July 1, 2019 we made the hard decision to send Koa to the Rainbow Bridge. He was at home on his bed outside on the lanai looking at the ocean, surrounded by family and close friends. These are pictures taken on his birthday over the years. Happy birthday in heaven to our strong and brave warrior, Koa. You will always be in our hearts. 🎂😭💔🐶
Happy 11th birthday and 5 months as a Tripawd!
Happy happy 11th birthday to our Koa!!! We weren’t sure if you’d see your 11th birthday…8 months ago you were diagnosed with osteosarcoma. 5 months ago today you had your leg amputated. We are beyond blessed to have you still with us. You amaze us every day. We love you to the moon and back!!! BEST.DOG.EVER. Can’t wait to take you to the beach, and serve you steak for dinner and give you a big juicy bone for dessert! ❤️🐶❤️🎂🎈🎁🎉🎊#teamkoastrong
Late Post: 4 months as a Tripawd!
As of Sept 9th, Koa has been a tripawd for 4 months. We celebrated by taking him to the beach. See the links below to see video of Koa swimming and rolling around in the sand! ❤️🐶❤️ #teamkoastrong
8 weeks post amputation
Koa continues to amaze us. He is mastering going down the stairs and he flies going up. We purchased a stroller for Koa so that he can save his energy for the beach. He’s been tolerating riding in it around our block. Two weeks ago, we got Koa in our neighbor’s pool to swim in preparation for getting him to the beach. On June 24th, Koa returned to the beach for the first time since April. He was a happy boy! #teamkoastrong
