Kevin - Tailends February 2010 - April 2010

K

evin was a small terrier cross who arrived at Tailends on Friday 12th February 2010 from a dog pound in Lancashire where he had been picked up off the streets by the local dog warden. He was a honey colour with pointed ears and a very emaciated body. Kevin was also blind, partially deaf, was very weak on his back legs and had a problem with excessive drinking and weeing. Tests showed no veterinary cause for the latter but he was diagnosed as suffering from dementia and his incontinence was as a result of this. It was difficult for Kevin to live in a multi-dog household with his many problems, so our good friend Marianne Greenwood took Kevin home to love with her family on permanent foster, with Tailends covering all his living and veterinary expenses.

Marianne and her family fell in love with Kevin and he was very happy living with them getting lots of TLC, he even started to wag his tail. Kevin really came out of his shell as he became orientated to Marianne's home. He liked to have a routine and was eating well and putting on weight. Kevin's favourite thing was to potter into the garden and he had his own place under a Catalpa tree that had lots of snowdrops and later daffodils. He liked to go and sniff the flowers individually, then come in and have more food and a snooze before another wander out to his garden. He also learned where the treat drawer was in the kitchen and would often wake the family up in the middle of the night, where they would find him standing under the treat drawer demanding one of his favourite Smackos before he would go back to bed!

Under Marianne's care Kevin put on weight and gained strength in his back legs which had been been badly effected by muscle wastage. He started on two different meds for his dementia but these seemed to have an adverse effect on him, making him less active and less interested in what was going on around him, so a decision was made to take him off the meds.

On arrival a large fatty lump on Kevin's side was deemed not to require surgery but this continued to grow to the extent that it was affecting his balance so this was removed and Kevin had a dental at the same time. He bounced back from surgery but in the coming weeks his health continued to be a bit up and down.

Marianne noticed a deterioration in Kevin's mobility over the Easter weekend to the extent that he was struggling to walk and this appeared to be getting worse. The vet thought Kevin may have had a stroke, so the difficult and painful decision to release him from his tired, old body had to be made on Easter Sunday, 4 April.

We want to thank Marianne for giving Kevin a loving home for the last two months of his life. It is a very special person who is prepared to take on an old, blind, deaf and incontinent dog with all the work that this entails. Marianne, her husband Robert and her son Jay all loved Kevin and how wonderful that this frail, old man got to spend the end of his life in the middle of this wonderful family.

This is what Marianne wrote at the time:

Kevin died in my arms at 9pm. He had chicken breast - ham - and his favourite cookies, then fell asleep on my knee in a fleece blanket - when the vet came he was already sleeping then he passed away and flew up to the sky to be with Angela and leave his frail old body behind. We are devastated - Kevin was so, so loved.

'You were with me to the very end and even after I had "gone" you held me, and as my soul left my body and I looked down and saw you crying, I wanted so much to tell you that I understood. You did this for me, my body was weak and frail.

I tried to tell you in my own way that it was time for me to leave, and I thank you for understanding. No other will take my place, but those I left behind will need your love and affection as I have had. You will think of me, and there are times you will try to hide your tear-filled eyes....but please...be happy and think not of sadness, but of how I made you happy and made you laugh at the funny things I did.

There are snow drops in heaven, and spring flowers aplenty for me to sniff, there is much to explore. There are my favorite chicken drumsticks. My body is strong, my eyes can see and my ears can hear!

Thank you for loving me, caring for me, and having the courage to let me go with dignity.'