Tribute to our friend Eli

(Photo: Eli from Summer 2007)
This past week, Dolly and Franklin's friend and playmate, Eli passed on to a pain-free afterlife. At the young age of 5, Pat and Brooke's Cavalier Spaniel, Eli was suffering from Syringomyelia. It gave him bouts of uncontrollable scratching at his right shoulder, as well as a host of other issues he has had since he was a pup, like yelping upon being picked up. It's a neurological issue that causes a lot of pain. Last week, Eli wouldn't go up and down stairs, or jump on furniture as he used to. It just got to be too much pain for him, and Brooke and Pat had to make that difficult decision that was best for Eli. Our hearts are breaking for Eli, and for Brooke and Pat. We know that Eli is now playing with Buzz in Heaven and can run and chase rabbits side-by-side with Buzz.
Just so you know, Brooke and Pat learned this condition is very common in Cavalier Spaniels. For more information: http://sm.cavaliertalk.com/