My 11 year old cat Domino had been suffering from a long term undiagnosed skin disease for over a year. We took him to many different doctors and specialists to try to find out what was wrong with him. Finally, after a year and a half, he was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disorder, by a dermatologist at Angell Memorial. It’s a tough disease, but treatable with steroids. Because Domino also had a heart murmur, we wanted to do a cardiac workup before starting the steroids. I am a vet tech at Lexington Veterinary Associates, so the day after his diagnosis I brought him into work with me to take x-rays of his chest. He was panting and struggling to breathe, and the x-rays showed fluid around his heart and a possible mass. Just when we finally thought he had a real shot at improvement, an entirely different organ system failed him. We euthanized him that day. I called Forget-Me-Not to pick up his remains, and I spoke with an incredibly kind woman who talked me through the process with patience and compassion. I asked for him to be privately cremated, with the complimentary urn and an added brass plate with his name and birth/death dates engraved. I gave this woman my credit card information, and when I gave my billing address as Marlborough, she offered to have me pick up his ashes at their facility, since I live so close by. I told her I was actually an employee of Lexington Vet Associates, so it would actually be easier to have his ashes delivered back to the office. I cannot thank Forget-Me-Not enough for their compassion and their respect for my Domino’s memory.
