Bud, a good toad!

Today we mourn the loss of our toad, Bud.  Our kids and the Thacker kids found Bud at Palisades in the summer of 2007 (Dastrup Reunion).  At that time he was just a tiny little guy, about the size of Curtis' thumb!  Over the last year he gobbled his food and grew and grew.  It has been so fun to feed him, watch him grow, and even interact with him.  He used to sit and watch us eat, waiting for his turn for dinner.  Last week, we got really concerned about Bud.  He had been acting sluggish for awhile, and we thought perhaps he was getting ready to hibernate again.  But then we saw that his front legs were swollen, and his skin was tight and glossy--not normal.  We were concerned about him, and decided that we should do what we could to help him get better.  So, we took him to the vet.  We have a vet in Richmond that specializes in amphibians.  He gave Bud a shot and sent us home with some antibiotic medicine and some topical drops for the sores on his feet.  A couple of days later we were celebrating how good Bud looked and that he was getting better.

Last night, Raquel came in complaining about an earache.  I put some drops in her ear and then gave her a Tylenol to swallow.  We were in the kitchen getting some water, and I wandered over to check on the toads.  Bud look pale and his eyes looked funny.  He was in the same spot as earlier that evening.  I took him out and checked him for life signs, but he was gone.  I certainly hope that he didn't die in pain.

Since Curtis was at work, I text him about what to do.  We decided to wait until we were all together in the morning to tell the kids.  So, just before church as we knelt down for prayers, we told the kids how Bud had died.  We were all sad, and even shed a few tears for our little friend.  Beany (our other toad) looks kind of sad and lonely in the habitat.

After church, Curtis dug a hole in the backyard and we went out (in the snow) and buried Bud.  Glenn wrote a journal entry about the event:

We are sad that Bud died, but we are grateful that we got to have him for awhile, and that he doesn't hurt anymore.  Bud was a good toad!