The weekend is a great time for contemplative reflection. Each veterinary work week is filled with both happy and sad events, successes and disappointments. The goal is to learn from each and every case and to keep moving forward with a positive attitude. Sometimes the disappointments are particulalry difficult to overcome. Such was the case with "Kato". As I wrote earlier, Kato was diagnosesd with a cancerous growth at the base of the heart. Following 2 good days at home, he developed an acute gastric dilitation (bloat) and had to be euthanized. Our sympathies go out to Kato's family. We will all miss this wonderful patient.Due to the relatively short life span of the average veterinary patient (12-14 years), 6-8% of our patients pass away every year. With a base of approximately 4000 patients, that means we can expect to lose the lives of about 250-300 patients each year. That translates to almost 1 patient every day. Many of these pateints we have taken care of since they were puppies and kittens. They are like family to us and their loss is quite heartbreaking.Fortunately, this negative aspect of veterinary medicine is well compensated by the outright joy we experience everyday with new puppies, kittens and older new patients coming into our hospital to become part of our veterinary family. The trust our clients place in us with their pet's medical welfare is what motivates us and helps to keep a smile on our faces. We hope that our sincere enthusiasm for our patient's care is felt each time you come into our hospital.The bottom line is: through all the sad times and all the happy times, "We love what we do".