When we went out this morning Lucy was down & judging from the way the wood shavings were stirred she had been down for quite sometime & had been trying to get up. I watched her try a couple of times & went in to call the vet. She couldn't come until about 5 pm, so I gave Lucy some banamine & while we were doing chores we tried propping her up with a hay bale, but she was very restless. After chores I told John that we were going to turn her over on the other side, in case that side was getting sore. Turned her over & she managed to get on her feet & pooed, which might be why she was so restless. She managed to stay on her feet all day. Once she stood up John started wondering about maybe today wasn't the day. But you could tell she wasn't comfortable trying to stand, & I wasn't going to 2nd guess what was the right decision for her.
John is getting quicker at digging this is the 5th one he has personally buried. It only took him about 3 hours to get a spot ready for her. I spent some time with her during the day, & everytime I went out I brought her some type of treat. She even got "forbidden" alfalfa thru-out the day.
The vet got here when she said she would, took one look at the way Lucy was standing & agreed with our decision. Lucy went very quickly & peacefully, which I am always grateful for. I'm really not very good at this & if it went a little bit wrong, I"m not sure what I would do.
Lucy was only about 18 years old, had been used as a roping donkey until she shut down emotionally, then was used as a breeder to breed more roping donkeys, I guess. She was going to be shot if we didn't take her. That was 7 years ago, her feet were terrible then, hadn't been trimmed in a long time, & had been foundered at least once. She had guttural pouch surgery the first year she was here, & we kept her feet trimmed. regularly. She toddled along on those feet, had Buster as her boyfriend & got to do whatever she wanted until last fall, when she foundered on mesquite beans. Although she did very well & pretty quickly was back to normal, that seemed to start the downhill slide for her. In January she foundered again, & we thought she was getting better, but about a week ago, she really went downhill quick.
If you love enough, you can still hear the bray after they're gone.
Rest in peace Lucy Girl...........!!!!
9 comments:
Trish, Oh so sad. Lucy was lucky to have you guys. Thanks for being there for her til the end. --Vanice
So very sorry to hear this news. You did right by her. Thanks for all you do for these beloved animals.
Working with these crippled souls is very rewarding although very sad at times like this. Unfortunately as long as there are people that think of animals as "things" there will be a need for rescue.
God bless and keep you both and all the sweeties you care for. Thanks for doing all you could for Lucy - she knew she was loved and safe. big hugs.
my thoughts are with you, I know how hard this can be. Thanks for letting her go when the time came.
Over the years I've told other people that when it gets time to make a decision, it's not about you & what you want, it's only about what is best for the animal. That's the last thing I could do for her, although I would have done anything to have fixed it, if I could.
It was the best thing to do for her when the time came but it is not the easiest. My thoughts are with you.
Oh Tish!
How well I know how you feel.
It's so hard to let them go even when you know it is the kindest thing to do for them.
Poor Lucy had a hard life as most roping donkeys do, but she found love, peace & security with you & John. You gave her that in her final years.
God bless you!
Hugs
Claire
I'm so very, very sorry Tish.
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