Kenny - A Very Special Boy

Kenny was one of several dogs, including Barbara, who came into the care of Mandy Hooker at Northants Greyhound Rescue when a racing kennel in Sussex closed, following the retirement of the trainer.

Kenny had serious health problems and was fostered by Gemma until he was well enough to travel to Devon. He finally arrived on 21st February accompanied by Bluebell – another homeless old lady. Poor Kenny was an extremely frail and confused old chap. Every dog who comes to us is special and a unique person but some touch your heart in a certain way. This is often because they remind you poignantly of the plight of many of these old dogs and their tremendous courage and gentleness despite the hard times they have endured – often while suffering ill health and continuous pain or discomfort.

Kenny was so very affectionate and grateful for everything you did for him. His big bright eyes clearly showed his appreciation for being given a home after a lifetime in kennels. He came to us with acute kidney failure and the prognosis was not good. We knew that we had to take each day as a bonus for Kenny and hope that he would become well enough to enjoy his life with us as much as possible. We took Kenny to the vet on Monday 23rd February where he was given a thorough examination. Like Barbara he also had poor nerve function in his back resulting in semi-paralysis of his hind legs. His mouth was very bad as usual with these kennel dogs. He had many rotten teeth and his gums were very swollen and sore. We collected a supply of prescription kidney food for him and arranged to have his mouth sorted out at a later date.

Kenny was slightly senile but in spite of all his disabilities he loved to go out through the back gate and roam around the lane enjoying the new and exciting smells. He watched the rabbits sitting washing themselves in the early morning sunshine. It was all so fascinating for him. He could only manage very limited short walks but he still went out twice a day and in between he was often roaming around in the garden if the weather was fair. He loved his comfy doughnut bed but at night he preferred to sleep on the duvet at the bottom of our bed. He seemed to be reassured knowing that we were close by. This also made it easy for me to check on him during the night or let him out in the garden if he needed to have a wee. He quickly got used to the routines as if he had been here for years. It was always difficult to tempt him to eat and I had to offer him all sorts of tasty meals, as his prescription food just did not appeal to him much. We decided it was more important to get nourishment into him so he was offered scrambled eggs, chicken, fish, pasta and rice.

Kenny still seemed quite poorly when he was due for his dental and we thought long and hard about what was the right thing to do. Gemma and Janet had visited him when they were on holiday in the area and he was so pleased to see them again. However he still would not eat. We took him up to the vet where they did a blood test prior to the anaesthetic. The results were not good. His kidney function had seriously deteriorated. The creatin and urea levels were dangerously high. It was decided to put Kenny on a drip for 24hrs to clean out his blood. We visited him that evening to reassure him that we were there for him and had not abandoned him. We took him outside for a little walk round on the grass while holding the drip for him. Next day he was much better and 13 teeth were removed while his mouth was cleaned up and made comfortable for him.

Kenny improved considerably once his mouth was sorted out. The vet was very pleased with his progress and we started to feel optimistic about the future especially as she had said that if his kidneys started to make him ill again we could take him back to go on a drip again which hopefully might buy him a little more time. Sometimes Kenny would reach the fields on his walks and when he saw a rabbit he would jump up and down in glee. He was enjoying his meals now and looking forward to them.

May arrived in Croyde with wild flowers coming out on the burrows and great activity in the local bird colonies. The warmer weather had arrived and the dogs no longer needed to wear their coats when walking on the beach. Kenny suddenly seemed to be going downhill again. He began to cough occasionally almost as if something was stuck in his throat. We took him back to the vet on May19th anticipating that he would be staying for a few days on a drip. I packed up a bag full of his things so that he would have his familiar duvet and pillows to cushion him when sleeping. I also packed some tubs of Naturediet, a container of freshly cooked chicken and a few other items he liked and labelled them all with his name to go in the fridge at the veterinary hospital. Alison examined Kenny and told us that he had all the symptoms of severe lung cancer and that the disease was well advanced. We were devastated by this news! It was not at all what we had expected. Sadly we led him back to the car to return home for whatever time he had left. Alison did warn me that it would not be long but I do not think I really took this in or realised just how quickly the disease would progress.

The next day the diarrhoea returned and Kenny became very restless. His appetite disappeared and he started to drink obsessively. He managed a little chicken in the evening but later vomited it back. He was restless during the night and became very ill. I knew that nothing could be done to make him better. I had that dreadful responsibility to do what was necessary to end Kenny’s suffering. His eyes were asking me for help and I felt utterly impotent to do anything to give him his health back, which is really what he wanted. “ Make me better mum” is what he seemed to be asking. I rang the vet to ask if they could send a vet out immediately. Even then I still had an irrational hope that a miracle could be performed and that they could treat him somehow but it was not to be.

I cuddled my dear loyal old boy as he took his last breaths in this world which had cheated him of happiness until his final weeks. We wrapped his old diseased body in a blanket and laid him in the back of the vet’s car. Then standing at the gate we watched as the car drove out of sight taking our special boy away forever. Our hearts are full of grief at the loss of our dear Kenny after just three short months in our care. The packets of Naturediet are still there in the cupboard labelled “Kenny Hogan” but he will never need them now. I cannot bring myself to open them for another dog. I so wish we could have had just one small miracle to buy a little more time for our sweet loving old man. Sweet dreams dear Kenny. I so hope you wake in a better place with your friend Barbara beside you. Then you can play forever in the buttercups.