We met Dr. Walker in November of 2007. Our darling thirteen year old cat, Cleofus Jane, had just been flown across country from Miami to Portland due to a move our family had made. She lost some weight on the trip and was eating less.
We took her to Dr. Walker expecting to hear something simple. Unfortunately, Cleofus had cancer. Dr. Walker talked to us in depth about treatment options. She spoke openly and honestly to us about the progress of Cleofus’s cancer and was realistic concerning the results of all possible treatments. She offered biopsies, possible radiation, anything we thought would be appropriate, while also providing us with enough information to make the right decision. My husband and I prayed about what to do. Cleofus was our child, our baby. While we wanted to see her life extended, we wanted her to maintain her quality of life. We chose the option of hospice.
Dr. Walker provided Cleofus with pain medications the last months of her life. She saw Cleofus as often as we requested, often one or two times a week. When Cleofus was dehydrated she offered fluids, when she was constipated she offered relief. Cleofus was able to live her last months on earth was peace and dignity. When her quality of life declined to the point she had to be put to sleep, Dr. Walker let us know she was available at any time for us. She offered to meet us in our home or at her office whenever my husband and I thought Cleofus was suffering.
When that time came Dr. Walker met us on a Saturday afternoon and gave Cleofus dignified ending. Cleofus’s death was a devastating loss for our family. Dr. Walker sent us a sympathy card and a book on healing after losing a cat. She was with our family every step of the way.
While we did not see Dr. Walker for a few months we were happy to reunite with her this spring to introduce our new family members, Lucy and Bella. Lucy and Bella are wonderful, energetic kittens whom we adopted at a local animal shelter. They came home to us with colds and ear mites. While the shelter offered free visits for the next month we declined. We wanted the girls to meet their doctor! Dr. Walker greeted us with a smile and a hug.
Now she is providing us with the tools to raise kittens. She offered us advice on immunizations, weight control and behavioral issues. I am glad to know our girls will have us an amazing veterinarian to take care of them all the days of their life. Thank you Dr. Walker for all you have done, and continue to do for us!
Don & Kerry , Lucy & Bella