re: Thanks to Mike's caregivers

THanks to OLOL Cancer Center, too.
Does anybody have the names of those who cared for Mike, other than Dr. Baker?

Like the other threads on a special game day recognition for Mike, I believe they also should include these incredible professionals. Thanks guys. I also wondered, like others have stated here, about the caregivers safety around an animal that could without notice tear them to pieces. Thank you again.

AMEN!

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THanks to OLOL Cancer Center, too.
Does anybody have the names of those who cared for Mike, other than Dr. Baker?

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Assuming nothing has changed in the last ten years they usually have two veterinary students who serve for a couple of years, until they are replaced by younger students. The veterinary students generally remain fairly anonymous but if you want some general information? They are overseen by Dr. Baker and assisted by the School of Veterinary Medicine as a whole whenever specific needs arise for a consult etc.

I know the veterinary students who have cared for Mikes in the past have become enormously attached to their welfare, happiness, and their personalities. I am sure they are absolutely heartbroken right now (even with the knowledge that this was coming). Dr. Baker often fails to show his more human face to the general public but the man does have a gentle heart and intensely cares about the present and prior Mikes for whom he cared. He downright obsesses over their welfare and medical care.

If you would like to support the students in particular they do have a scholarship for the veterinary students who care for him. Supporting that is a concrete way to support the infrastructure that cares for Mike. You can also just send cards to the School of Veterinary Medicine or you can donate (in Mike's name) to a charity of your choice - or perhaps the LSU Foundation in his memory.

Hope this helps.

Message from Dr. Baker about Mike iV
To all of Mike's friends, thank you for your love and concern for him, and for your prayers and support for his medical team. We all felt undergirded by you. Many have asked what happened to accelerate our timetable for Mike's euthanasia. Over the weekend, he took a turn for the worse. He became very lethargic, largely lost his appetite, and showed little interest in interacting with us. However, my greater concerns were: 1) as cats are prone to do, there could come a point where he just felt so badly that he might never reenter his night house, but instead go somewhere in his yard and just languish and die. In fact, this seemed quite likely. We could not allow that to happen. 2) he began bleeding quite a bit from his nose, indicating that the tumor was causing a lot of damage to his sinus cavity. We could not allow that to go on because it would eventually lead to his suffering. I am sorry for those of you who were not able to see Mike VI before he transitioned into hospice care Saturday night but I simply could not risk letting him back out into his yard and then not being able to bring him back inside for care. While we probably could have nursed him along for perhaps another few weeks or even a month, that would not have been in Mike's best interest. As you know, Mike's well-being was always our sole and complete concern. You might be comforted to know that even after receiving his anesthetic this morning, Mike VI was "chuffing" at all of us. This tells me that while he felt poorly, he was not yet suffering. As I promised, we would not allow that to happen. It also showed me that he trusted us to the end to care for him so that's what we did.
Thanks again.