​I may not be much of a wordsmith but I am observant and I make connections. I’m grappling to find answers in the fatal illness of my three-year-old dog that led to a gut-wrenching decision to release him from his suffering yesterday. The disease was dysautonomia, so rare that very little is known about it.  But the causes are believed to be “environmental”. I offer the following thoughts and hope you will share them with anyone who might be responsive.