Our best, most favorite, most wonderful horse in the entire world is now in Pony Heaven. He fell down in the turn-out on Sunday afternoon, and although we spent all night trying to get him up and on his feet, we were not successful. Unfortunately for horses, they MUST be on their feet to survive. Laying down for extended periods puts too much pressure on too many vital organs, so a horse that won't get up won't survive. We had the vet come early on Monday and she took one look at him and said it's time for him to go.
He came into our lives seven years ago and was pretty much a horse that nobody wanted. My daughter E bought him for $5 of her own money. I really didn't like him much at first (he was sour and grouchy), but he turned out to be the smartest horse I've ever met, with a great personality and a great sense of humor. We loved him and he became a true member of our family. He lived the life of Riley and he knew it and appreciated it. He had a very expensive surgery about three years ago, because we felt that we had to give him every chance to live, and he came through it, but it was hard on him. He took a long time to recover completely, but has been back to his usual self in the last year or so. He was also at least 25 years old (old in the horse world), so his body was just not as good as it once was, and he had trouble getting up and down for the last year or so. We've had episodes where we spent three or four hours getting him up, but each time was very stressful, and we always worried each time if this was the day he wouldn't get up. We knew it was coming, but it still doesn't make it easier to deal with. At least we were there for him, and his last moments were filled with our touch and voice and smell.
Just when we were hoping to get back to normal, we have this to deal with. It's especially hard, as today is E's birthday. So send us some kind and healing thoughts as we deal with this loss. It will take a long time to recover and we will miss our Little Brown Pony terribly.
Oh, I'm so sorry. At least this dear pet lived with the knowledge that he was so loved and cared for. Think of the animals that don't. His life was a privilege for you both.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words. It's been just hard and painful, but we take a lot of comfort in the fact that we did everything we could possibly do, and he was quiet and peaceful and loved at the end. It is the difficult price you pay for loving but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad fact that many creatures (human and animal) just don't have that in their lives. I wish I could take care of them all.