My sweet boy when he first came home at 4 months old!
Gibson was a warrior! He was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy in 2009, shortly after his third birthday. He torn a CCL, which healed via Conservative Care Management, he had a almost deadly reaction from bromide toxicity when the compounding pharmacy suddenly changed the capsule formulation (and did not notify the vets nor the public) which brought on a severe case of ataxia, which thankfully, I caught right away and my vet was able to successfully detox him, thus saving his life.
Gibbie went on to have GI issues and a weak hind end (from the Epi meds), and later in years had a non-cancerous tumor removal (done at home). Even in the end, when he collapsed (from what we later learned was hemangiosarcoma and the spleen tumor had burst and he was internally bleeding), and my vet once again saved him (from the wicked ER vet who was only concerned with the "enigma" that was seen on the microscope slide)...he received at-home IV treatments to prep him for what we hoped would be a successful splenctomy, he always fought. He loved life so much. His zest was contagious!
If there was a dog I thought would live forever, it was my Gibson. Simply because of how much he loved life, his sweetheart Harley, his packmates and younger siblings Wolfie, Bandit, and Chloe; and how much he loved me. We had one of those once-in-a-lifetime bonds. And as the saying goes, if love was enough to save him, he'd still be here. We accomplished so much together from his journey with Canine Epilepsy, something I continue to do in his name to help others on the same journey...because dogs with epilepsy can—and DO—live full, happy lives and #LiveGibStrong...just like my Gibson did!
Gibson patiently waiting for his homemade bone-shaped ice cream cake!
"Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you can hardly catch it going."~Tennessee Williams
Life and love are surreal. It's wonderful when alive and experiencing it all...but it never truly leaves us. Even when our beloved pets do, their love always remains.
Scenes from Gibson's 9th Birthday...his last here on earth:
Party
Time! Oh, how my FiveSibes always loved to celebrate birthdays! See
the table all set with a birthday placemat and pawprint napkins? This
pic is from Gibson's 9th birthday, and is exactly how I imagine they
still are celebrating, north of the Rainbow Bridge!
Dearest Gibbie:
Happy
Birthday my gorgeous G-man. You're 20! I hope you and all of my beloved
FiveSibes are celebrating with you and having fun snow zoomies north of
the Rainbow Bridge...and I do hope the angels serve up my famous
bone-shaped vanilla ice cream cake with crumbled Gibbie treats for a
topper! Oh, how you all loved Birthday celebrations! Your short almost 10 years with me have touched my heart and soul so deeply. I miss you so much, your Gibbie kisses, and those big ol' polar bear paw hugs. Be happy my sweet boy.
Love you forever and always,
Your Forever FiveSibesMom
For more info & to see the stops on my Wolfie, What Is The Rainbow Bridge? virtual book tour, check HERE!
FiveSibes #Flashback Photo ~ Gibson & His Purple Pumpkin ~ 2014 W oo! Or, should I say Booooo! It's that time of the year when pumpkin hunting and carving is fun thing to do! And, while we are all busy carving and displaying our artworks on the gourds, did you remember to make a purple pumpkin? "Woo! What's in my purple pumpkin? Treats?!" ~Gibson/FiveSibes A Purple pumpkin? What?! If you've been a FiveSibes follower, you know how important the color of purple is to us, and why Purple Pumpkins are a staple here.If you are new to us here at FiveSibes, I initially joined in the Purple Pumpkin Project because we made our pumpkin purple for my Epi-dog Gibson. So, you might be asking yourself, Why was Gibson's pumpkin purple? For Canine Epilepsy Awareness! You can read more about it in our video further down in this post, or by visiting a previous explanatory post HERE. Follow the Purple Pumpkin Project on Facebook! In a pumpkin shell—as m...
*Updated March 2022 Our Vet-Approved FiveSibes #LiveGibStrong "Cooling Down an Epi-Dog: Where Do I Put Cold Packs?" Informational Poster Poster Is A Great Resource for: ✔︎ Veterinarian Offices ✔︎ Vet ER Hospitals ✔︎ Rescues & Shelters ✔︎ Dog Wardens & Animal Control Officers ✔︎ Trainers ✔︎ Groomers ✔︎ Dog Walkers ✔︎ Dog Parks ✔︎ Pet Supply Stores & Boutiques ✔︎ Dog Friendly Businesses ✔︎ Police Departments ✔︎ Fire Departments To request FREE* printed copies, simply send an Email with #Paws4Purple Materials in Subject line and what you'd like copies of and how many, to: Debra@AKFUS.org of the Purple Day® Every Day as Presented by The Anita Kaufmann Foundation For More Info on Canine Epilepsy, Please Visit Our #LiveGibStrong Online Library & Resource Page HERE. Here's a great tip, diagram and explanation from Tallgrass Acupuncture Institute as to why ice on certain acupressure poin...
Dewclaws. Such an unnecessary evil for a dog. In August, I noticed Harley limping. At 11-and-a-half, she is a bit stiff-legged at times from arthritis, but this was a more pronounced limp and she was having an extra tough time sitting down. She seemed very uncomfortable. She was also becoming a bit snarley, especially when I was touching her paw, which is something that never typically bothers her. Upon further checking, I noticed an odd lump around her dewclaw on her right leg, thinking it was possibly a pulled dewclaw, maybe a splinter, thistle, or even a bee sting , she became extremely agitated when I touched it. (Warning: some photos may be somewhat graphic, but I am sharing for educational purposes). Oddity beneath the dew claw. Off to the vet we went. At the vet, Harley is protective of her paw by hiding it . Harley's paw was shaved and it uncovered a very large inflamed area surrounding the dewclaw and beyond, as you can see in ...
Original photo by and courtesy of Lisa Byrd; modified by FiveSibes The Rainbow Bridge must be some (p)awesome place to be for it has so many amazing, beautiful angel animals there. My beloved Gibson is there. As is my Chelsey, Sandy, kitty Smokie, bunny Sunny, my fox Ah, many horses, and so many others pets. We have many furfriends who have also crossed The Rainbow Bridge. All of these beloved animals are there...so healthy and happy, with all the dogs enjoying their zoomies and playing Fetch all day in a land that is eternally beautiful. Sounds perfect. Only catch is when our devoted companions are there, we can no longer physically be with them. So while they are in a place where the spirit soars, our hearts are broken as we are missing them here with us. It is a hurt we all as pet parents now way too well. And today, as unbelievable as it seems as I write this, we have to bid a final farewell to another dear furpal, Buddy, the Christmas Husky , who has now earned h...
Born on March 10, 2005, our beautiful alpha queen, pupster surrogate momma, and my daughter's and our first Siberian Husky, turns 14½ today! You may be wondering why are we celebrating her half birthday? Because, as heartbreaking as it is, we now know she will not be here in March to celebrate her 15th Birthday as I once had hoped. Heartfelt thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for this beautiful badge. Thank you all who are sharing it and joining paws for our girl. As amazing and strong as our queen has been, and how proud I have been of how she still could outrun Pupsters Wolf and Bandit, still splash in her pool like a puppy, tear up a dog bed like there's no tomorrow, and chase her tail until the sun sets, our beloved Husky leader has also been dealing with health issues that we have been treating, but are now slowing her down and, heartbreakingly we are preparing ourselves for her journey, that we as pet parents all dread, to the Rainbow Bridge. “Dogs' lives a...
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♪♫Happy Birthday to you,♪♫
ReplyDelete♪♫Happy Birthday to you,♪♫
♪♫Happy Birthday Dear Angel Gibson,♪♫
♪♫Happy Birthday to you.♪♫
Happy Heavenly Birthday Gibson! You were quite the warrior of your Hu-mom's heart. ♥
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Angel Gibson!
ReplyDeleteWhat a grand dog! He still lives in your heart.
ReplyDelete