Boz says goodbye
Posted by Anne Corke on 2009-08-02. Filed under Monthly Feature
On Boz’s final day at Integris Southwest, he said goodbye. The boxer was a therapy dog who visited patients there. He died two weeks ago of a brain tumor.
I wrote about Boz a year ago. Dr. Phil Mosca, a urologist at Integris Southwest Medical Center, adopted Boz in 2007 from Tulsa Boxer Rescue. Mosca began taking Boz to work when the dog was too anxious when left home alone. Then a friend suggested the dog’s personality was ideal for therapy work.
After completing training, Boz visited patients at Integris Southwest Medical Center.
A little more than a month ago, Mosca noticed Boz’s behavior changing. He bumped into walls and seemed unsteady on his feet. His veterinarian suspected an ear infection. But antibiotics didn’t help. A brain scan revealed a large tumor in the area that controls muscle movement. Surgery removed most of the tumor, and Boz began recovering quickly.
But the tumor returned, and Boz deteriorated quickly. He wouldn’t walk, could barely stand and had trouble breathing and eating. The end was days away.
Boz was on medicine that made him need to use the bathroom often, but he wasn’t strong enough to walk outside on his own.
So Mosca’s son would carry him outside of the hospital, help him stand, carry him back inside and prop his head up on a pillow so he could breathe. After Boz’s last trip outside, Mosca’s son set the dog down on the floor while they waited for the elevator to arrive.
The dog turned his head and spotted a group of elderly patients. Even though he hadn’t really walked in days, the dog stood up, walked across the hall and let all the patients pet him one last time. He walked back to the elevator and collapsed on the floor.
"Just a working dog to the end,” Mosca said. "He was a sweet puppy dog and loved by many, many folks. … He was just a very special creature.”
After returning to the vet, Boz deteriorated further. He couldn’t move, and he wouldn’t recover. Mosca had to make the heartbreaking decision to end the suffering. Since then, he’s heard from colleagues and patients who are grateful for the difference Boz made in their lives.
"He brought a lot of joy to a lot of folks,” Mosca said, "and that’s the part that counts.”
Carrie Coppernoll
NewsOK
July 28, 2009