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.
Next Story
