I’m glad that Buckley’s Story helped you!

There are plans for another book, but probably not in the near future. I have some ideas, but I’m not working on anything at the time. For now, I’m focusing on writing for The Conscious Cat, News for You and Your Pet, and various other publications, both online and print.

Your book was very beneficial to me in that I re-affirmed that I made the right decision for my Domino when I learned he had cardiomyopathy. He was perfectly happy and enjoyed every day of his life up to the last moment.

Is there any plan for another book in the near future?

one of the biggest lessons Buckley taught me as she was going through the final months and weeks of her illness was to stay in the moment, and not get caught up in worry and fear. Animals are masters at living in the moment – they don’t care about medical test results or a poor prognosis. They just enjoy each moment they have without worrying about what comes next. I definitely took my cues from Buckley when it came to deaing with fear and worry.

I also think it’s important that pet parents get informed. Ask questions. If something that your pet’s vet tells you doesn’t make sense, ask for an explanation. Get a second opinion, if necessary. And trust your intuition. Nobody knows your pet like you do. Even though something may be standard treatment for a particular disease, it may not be the right treatment for your pet. I was fortunate that I had a vet who honored not only my wishes, but also Buckley’s, in that respect.

I love the list of Buckley’s Lessons at the end of Buckley’s Story. What else can you share that might help people who have pets with chronic, possibly life-ending illnesses?

But the one that is bothering me is Max, the seven-year-old cocker spaniel. He’s had an on and off ear infection for a year. Kept taking him to the vet about 3 minutes away (changed from the good doctor an hour away because of convenience) and he just kept shoving pills at me. Over Thanksgiving, he ran out of pills and this vet only comes 2 times a week and of course that was Thanksgiving and the day after. So we suffered through it but Sunday night he got really bad. The smell would gag you. Took him to the good vet yesterday and he’s on a lot of medicine. Might have to be operated on. Here…I’ve got it all up at Boomer Chick. You can read all the gory details, but we’re not out of hot water yet, just trying to get this infection down.

I thought long and hard about how much of Buckley’s final days to share in the book, but ultimately, I felt that by sharing in detail how difficult and gut-wrenching it is to let a beloved animal companion go, I would hopefully be able to help others who are either going through a similar situation or who just lost a pet.

I love that you felt connected with Buckley – it’s been an incredible experience to share my little cat with the world like this.

As for the vet’s housecall, I’m fortunate that my vet is also a close personal friend (it’s Fern, the vet in the book). Although you can’t fool Amber – even when Fern comes over just for a visit, Amber plays it safe and goes into hiding!

Are your dogs okay? I hope it’s nothing serious?