I have been avoiding this post for weeks now, but I figured it was time to get it over with. In early January, actually, the week after I got a positive report from our WA vet regarding Ranger's progress with the chronic laminitis, I got a dreaded phone call. The owner of the barn where Ranger has been staying called late on that Saturday night to advise me that Ranger was in the throws of colic and had cast himself inside his run-in shelter. He had gotten Ranger up and out of the shelter, walked him and tried keeping him up on his feet but things were getting worse, so the on-call vet was on her way out. Ranger had been on a strict diet of coastal hay only and nothing in his diet or feeding schedule had changed. He also had unrestricted access to temperate, fresh water, as always. Also, this was the first incidence of colic for Ranger. This was just one of those colics that randomly happens and we don't fully know why. I will spare you all the details, but after 2 days of doing all that we could for him, things continued to get worse. Surgery was then our only option. That would have meant a 6 hour trailer ride and not knowing if we had that much time, combined with the concerns of his chronic founder, we elected to end his suffering. Even though the decision was extremely hard, especially given other circumstances in our life and with not being there with him through all of this, we feel it was the right decision. The vet agreed with us as did the barn owner, after we made our decision. I am eternally grateful to our wonderful vets who were so brutally honest with us and were so willing to help with all the details of this ordeal every step of the way. Everyone was so amazing. And we owe an immense amount of gratitude to the barn owner, our friend, who loved and cared for Ranger in those last days as if Ranger was his own. Thank you Gerry. You are an exceptional human being. So, Ranger has gone on to the pastures next to the Rainbow Bridge, where we will meet again one day. I will miss him more than words can describe. I will miss his humorous antics and his fearless, dog-like nature. He was truly a gem among horses and will be irreplaceable. Rest peacefully my faithful friend.
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1 comment:
I am so sorry to hear about Ranger. Those bad colics can be deadly, particularly in a horse with a history of laminitis. You did the best you could for him - and one of the most important things you can do is to help him when it's time to go.
I lost my old horse Noble this summer, but I have good memories to cherish forever.
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