Post by Honor on Jun 13, 2009 9:53:30 GMT 1
I'm still reeling from the shock .... Toby was pratting and cavorting with his friends only days ago with no signs of any illness whatsoever and within 48 hours, his lungs and abdomen had filled with fluid and the vet diagnosed heart failure. After struggling to sort out his EPSM and getting him to his former glory, he was looking magnificent and was full of life.
The vet said that he most likely had a long-term heart weakness which had remained asymptomatic and that wouldn't have been picked up unless he had needed examining for something else.
He was given vast amounts of diuretics and heart medication which had no effect and I let him go yesterday in the sunshine surrounded by his friends. It was very peaceful and he looked as if he was asleep ..... so hard not to wait for him to take a breath and wake up.
He was loved by everybody who met him ... kids, adults, the vet, the farrier. The vet said to give the drugs a couple of days to see if there was any effect but I knew that the chances were zero and told his human friends on Thursday that it was almost definate that I would be letting him go on Friday. Apparently everyone went down to say goodbye to him on Thurday evening during the brief time that I was away home to see to the dogs.
His and my friends have rallied round and taken the practical side out of my hands ..... the yard owner and the other liveries enlisted their other halves and moved his body up onto the yard from the field for collection. A good farmer friend of mine leapt into the breach and offered to bury him in his field and a friend and neighbour with access to a tractor and trailor has offered to move fim from the yard to the farm. Without these people, I would have had to let him go to the knackers .... I can never thank them enough.
He has left a ragged, raw hole in me the weight of his body and the size of his personality. He's taken my heart and my life with him
The vet said that he most likely had a long-term heart weakness which had remained asymptomatic and that wouldn't have been picked up unless he had needed examining for something else.
He was given vast amounts of diuretics and heart medication which had no effect and I let him go yesterday in the sunshine surrounded by his friends. It was very peaceful and he looked as if he was asleep ..... so hard not to wait for him to take a breath and wake up.
He was loved by everybody who met him ... kids, adults, the vet, the farrier. The vet said to give the drugs a couple of days to see if there was any effect but I knew that the chances were zero and told his human friends on Thursday that it was almost definate that I would be letting him go on Friday. Apparently everyone went down to say goodbye to him on Thurday evening during the brief time that I was away home to see to the dogs.
His and my friends have rallied round and taken the practical side out of my hands ..... the yard owner and the other liveries enlisted their other halves and moved his body up onto the yard from the field for collection. A good farmer friend of mine leapt into the breach and offered to bury him in his field and a friend and neighbour with access to a tractor and trailor has offered to move fim from the yard to the farm. Without these people, I would have had to let him go to the knackers .... I can never thank them enough.
He has left a ragged, raw hole in me the weight of his body and the size of his personality. He's taken my heart and my life with him
