This message is from: Deb Logan <dogmalo...@msn.com> Brigid - I have read many posts from you over the years - so sorry for your loss. What a great human companion you were for Knute!! What a great life you two shared. What a hard, selfless decision you made for him.
Really enjoyed the video - thanks - Deb in NW Washington > Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:23:18 -0800 > From: epona1...@verizon.net > Subject: Fair Acres Knute > To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com > > This message is from: BRIGID WASSON <epona1...@verizon.net> > > Hi Everyone- > > I am broadcasting from Colorado Springs, Colorado where I am > visiting my good friend Holly. We just got back from a chilly walk with her > Scotty "Duffy" and are thawing out with hot tea. > > Some of you will remember > Knute, the fiery young Fjord gelding I purchased from Denise Delgado 10 years > ago. We had a special connection from the time we met, and each month and year > the bond grew stronger and we did more and more amazing things. I hoped to > have him with me for another 10 years, but it was not to be. All the time I > had him, he had minor digestive problems: loose stool, some weight loss, that > always resolved itself. The last two years, he lost significant weight and > always had diarrhea, and none of the prescribed treatments did any good. In > February he colicked, and an endoscope revealed a huge hair ball in his > stomach. The vet removed it and he perked up, but still wouldn't gain weight > -- and we all know if a Fjord doesn't gain weight on alfalfa and Equine Senior > twice a day, something is terribly wrong. Last month he colicked again, and it > was a bad one, down and rolling. The vet pulled him through, but I started to > wonder if I was > doing what was best for him. He was thin, lethargic, and slowly and > mysteriously dying. The most heartbreaking part is that he was always my > willing companion, even when he must have felt very unwell; I was riding him > up until the last colic, going way out into the mountains with my mule colt in > tow. > > I decided I didn't want to wait until the next colic and have to call > the vet out in the middle of the night when Knute is in agony, so I scheduled > an appointment to have him humanely euthanized. My vet was awesome, calling me > on my cell as soon as she got the message from the office staff and discussing > it with me. She agreed with my decision and said it was a "dignified" way to > go. Working at the animal shelter, I help people with this sort of thing all > the time, assuring them that they are doing the best thing for their animal > and they shouldn't second-guess themselves, but how hard it is to be on the > other side! The week before, I came home and cried every night. On the > appointed day, I groomed Knute, loaded him up, and dropped him off at the > vet's office. He was actually cheerful, recognizing the staff and the place > where he'd been pampered during his February hospitalization. I'd swear he was > smiling when I left, and that's what I'll always > remember. > > Necropsy results showed an abnormal stomach with a stricture > preventing food from exiting, which explains everything. I imagine as he got > older the walls thickened further/became less elastic so that he was no longer > able to self-resolve the frequent blockages. My vet assured me that I did the > right thing, as this is not fixable and another mass was building up in the > stomach, so the next colic was just around the corner. > > I've lost a good > friend. Horses enrich our lives so much, causing us to go places we wouldn't > have gone, do things we wouldn't have done. Love and appreciate your Fjords... > I made a memorial slide show which is here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP3FFrwUe_4 > > Brigid Wasson > SF Bay Area, CA > Rafael and Johanna (more on her in another post) the Fjords, and Druid the > mule > > Important FjordHorse List Links: > Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e > FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw > Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f > > _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
