Our old Romney sheep, a sweet and beautiful rescue, took ill last week, she was wandering alone in the pasture, had stopped eating hay and seemed bewildered. We realized she had Huntington’s Disease a genetic disorder that occurs in people and sheep.
She seemed to know why I was in the Pole Barn with a rifle (for the worriers out there, the rifle in the photo is not mine, it was an old rifle in the barn, plugged and no longer usable. I’m giving it to an old gun lover.)
Izzy stayed still while I shot her in the heart five times at close range, she dropped instantly and was gone in seconds. She was getting sicker by the day.
Interesting, we just got two new sheep from our shearer Liz, and we just lost two sheep The wheel turns and turns.
Izzy seemed to be waiting for us.
We took her out by the pasture gate and covered her with a tarp, a friend is coming with his pickup to take her far out on his property and into the woods. When we can, we return our lost animals to nature.
Izzy’s death seemed to hit Maria hard, harder than Zelda. She wrote about it on her blog. She sat with Izzy and cried with her for awhile.
As I’ve written before, and as people with farms know, it is often more humane to shoot a sick animal than have a stranger, a large animal vet come with IV’s and syringes. Izzy would stay still for me, but she would have fought a stranger with a needle.
This is quicker, and I’ve done it enough to feel confident that I can do it quickly and as humanely as possible. I think it is literally true that Izzy never knew what hit her, she just topped over at the first shot and never moved again, aside from the twitching that is part of an animal’s death.
I’m happy to report – although sad a bit, too, I suppose – that this is the first post written on my spanking new computer/ I’m very happy to get it. There is enough memory on it to last a lifetime, or at least my probably lifetime.
I am very glad to have my own computer, although I have a lot of sorting out and learning and organizing to do with my photographs.
It’s good to start feeling whole again. So long, Izzy, your were a good sheep for us.
Jon, you always seem to do what is best for the animal. I admire that. My vet, who has been my friend since we started kindergarten, advised me when it was time to put down my first Golden. We could have bought her a month or two at most with chemo, but my friend explained to me that she would have to be crated during the procedure ( which she would hate) and would be sick from it. It wouldn’t buy her much time. She told me to think about the dog and not myself. You seem to do that instinctively with your animals and , again, I admire that.
I admire you, Ann,,,
A friend once said to me, many years ago, it is better to put an animal down too soon rather than too late. Thank you for your wisdom in knowing what to do and when.
Jon is IZZY one of the gang of four?
I know this part of the circle of life is difficult. Izzy was loved! I’m sorry for yours and Maria’s loss.
Not many animals are lucky enough to have a loving person cry over their body. Izzy was a lucky sheep.