Godspeed, Sweet Penny

I’ve been putting off this post all evening – my heart is heavy. Penny was down this morning. I gave her pain meds and usually, after they kick in, she gets up with little assistance. This time, she needed more assistance and in the process of getting up, she twisted and you could see discomfort and uneasiness come over her. She wasn’t herself – she was uncomfortable and agitated. Penny is never agitated.

Before noon, Penny was down again. We were able to get her up again but she walked off and wanted to be left alone. She seemed more uncomfortable – her hips were sore and she was tense all over. She was weak in her hind end. She shifted her weight from one side to the other in her backend. We gave her some time but it didn’t help – she refused her meal, hay, and water. Penny made it clear that acceptance had set in and that she was tired.

We spoke with the vet and we both agreed that Penny’s quality of life had reached the line – we loved Penny enough to let her go.

Karen stayed with Nicky during the time that Dr. Templeton helped Penny transition to Rainbow Bridge and I never left Penny’s side. She got to hear many “I love you’s” as she left this world. It’s never, ever easy and each one takes a part of my heart with them when they go, yet a part of them always stays with me. We gave Nicky time with Penny this evening to help her understand what had happened, although I think she knew before we did that Penny needed release.

Penny was born blind 35 years ago and now she sees all of the colors in the rainbow. She was precious – a brave and gentle giant with the most loving, trusting soul. She will be in our hearts, always.

Sincerely,
Theresa