Yesterday was a heartbreaking day... when I went out to take care of the flock in the morning, I noticed that Oh Henry! had a bad limp. I made sure it wasn't broken and got him settled with his sprain in his little hay barn and put a bowl of water in there for him next to his food, so he wouldn't have to go far and could rest his leg.

I went in the house for some Rimadyl to help with any pain and inflammation--it's what we always do for sprains... just a small dose (6.25 mg), the normal to help keep him comfortable.

When I went back to check on him later... he was gone... He passed away in the hay. The only thing we can figure is that he had a kidney or liver issue that wasn't bad enough to noticeably affect his general health yet. Rimadyl/Metacam can be fatal if a renal issue is present.

It's just too much too soon... and I can't bear it...

 

Photos from February 21, 2012:

Oh Henry! (L) and Jocamo (R)

Photos from March 12, 2012:

"These are MY ducks," --Jabberwocky

Jocamo (L) and Oh Henry! (R)

Oh Henry! plays in his bucket of water

...

I'm taking Bee to the vet this morning to make sure she's okay. She has terrible feather quality and I've noticed  her breathing is a little heavy, so I want to be sure she doesn't have pneumonia. I'll be taking Oh Henry with me for cremation, so he can come back to us again.

Poor Jocamo is lonely without Oh Henry! and following Jabberwocky around instead, so after I get back from the vet, I'm going to take Ranger out of the Goose Run and bring him back out to Louisville to see if they buddy-up. Maybe if they only have each other, they'll find a way to make it work. I hope so or I don't know what I'm going to do to cheer up Jocamo...

Moon (Front) and River (back) Syncrho Swimming!

Moon's oral infection is still present, so he's on meds for another few weeks. He gets a pill every 12 hours, which is a pretty simple fix. He just needs more time on it. He has check-ups every two weeks.

His energy levels are right back up where they belong though and his eye looks great. He has spring fever and is so in LOVE with River! It's good to see him so happy again. He's even a bit ornery with testosterone, which he hasn't been since losing Rio. It's like my old friend is back again.

...

Bee's vet appointment went very well. She still needs to gain more weight (but we're already working on that!), but no pneumonia although our vet wants us to keep a close eye on her and if we don't see a change in her breathing, we'll start her up on Baytril for 7-10 days just to be sure.

She does have boo-boos on her feet, but they all looked scabbed over, not infected and on the mend.

And... he agreed that the Rimadyl was the cause with Oh Henry. He said it is a very rare reaction, but it does happen. He said the only way to avoid it is to do blood chemistries on every animal that ever gets a boo-boo before prescribing any medication, which is both unrealistic and expensive. He assured us we did the right thing and it would have been the same thing he would have had us do. He said something else was going on with his health, likely involving his kidney or liver, but he just hadn't become symptomatic yet.

Even so... I sure miss that little guy...