Sometimes the best medicine is love and understanding.
Cindy Siddon is a receptionist at Clinton Pet Vet in New York. The devoted animal lover runs a dog adoption program on the side, so she knows a thing or two about how heartbreaking it can be to give your heart to a struggling pet.
A few years ago, Cindy added Rizz, a pit bull mix, to her pack. Sadly, she soon learned that Rizz had bone cancer that had already spread. The poor pup had to have an amputation and chemotherapy. Since Clinton Pet Vet specializes in both traditional and holistic medicine, Rizz also received some unique care.
“She has now developed a kind of uncommon side effect of the cancer, so we are treating her every week with some experimental holistic treatments and pain meds,” Cindy explained.
While Rizz was at the clinic receiving her treatment, a licensed vet tech named Taylor Calhoun took a liking to her.
Cindy described Taylor as “extremely kind and compassionate,” so she wasn’t entirely surprised to walk into the break room one day and find Taylor snuggled up with her dog, fast asleep.
Rizz got a transfusion every Thursday, and Taylor never missed out on the chance to grab a quick nap on her break and comfort the sick pup with her presence.
Of course, Cindy was deeply moved to see how much Taylor cared for her dog.
“You can’t teach this in college and you either have [this compassion] or you don’t, and this girl gets it,”Cindy said. “It is just heartwarming.â€
Unfortunately, Rizz didn’t survive her battle with cancer. Taylor was right there by Cindy’s side when she made the difficult decision to put Rizz down and free her from the pain.
Even though this sweet dog crossed the rainbow bridge, it’s comforting to know her last days were filled with love and tender compassion. Thank you to all the animal health care workers out there who understand that healing starts with kindness.
Share this story to send your best wishes to Cindy and Taylor.
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