Our dog Barnie was taken very ill.

Barney Blarney

For those who follow Barnie Paw Print Designs (see the Story Behind Barnie Paw Print Designs) you will know that it is his paw prints that he kindly left in wet concrete that were the basis behind them. 26 January 2016, was his fifth birthday. ‘An Angel in the Making’ was his official portrait for his fourth birthday. We have told him that he will have an official birthday, like the Queen, when he is better.

The problem is that one day, completely out of the blue, he wouldn’t get out of bed. A trip to the vet proved that he had a problem with his spine but we do not have a clue how it happened. He went to bed absolutely fine and woke up with a major health problem.  We are not aware of any accidents or injuries. The vet said there was a danger of a herniated disc and he had to have complete cage rest.

Unfortunately two weeks into his cage rest he deteriorated and was in a lot of pain so he had to go to the vet for a range of scans under anesthetic.

Coincidence of Birth

Strangely enough, Barnie was born one year to the day after the death of my little dog Holly. That seemed an incredible coincidence. Holly was a pretty, petite little girl who liked to spend all her time with me. She was quite a delicate little flower, whereas Barnie is a boisterous, running around type of dog.

This is a silly poem I wrote about Barnie when he wasn’t very old called ‘Barnie Blarney’. This seemed to sum him up as a puppy:

Barnie Blarney

Brown eyes, caramel, hints of chocolate (we hope it’s chocolate).

Attempts at leg cocking resulting in wet paws

as are the legs of anyone daft enough to be in the firing range.

Ungainly, cow hocked, curly tail

unbounding energy, pawing for attention, lolling tongue.

Destroyer of toys, smothering cats with love

eater of things despicable.

Still a baby but so grown up.

Fearsome bark, piercing howl, growl and whine.

Obedience building trust, covert naughtiness.

Smelly! Curious! Investigative.

Floppy ears, big brown eyes, shining intelligence

ever present. Barnie Blarney

The hardest part of when an animal is sick is the feeling of helplessness as you sit waiting for results.

Update:

Bad news. It was a grass seed that he had swallowed that had migrated to his spine! Before they could operate Barnie developed meningitis. We all struggled for two weeks to try and get him through it. Barnet Boy and I went twice a day to do physical therapy and to try and get Barnie to eat. The vets did their medical thing. Unfortunately just when it looked like he might be recovering he started having seizures. These became continuous and uncontrollable and we had to have him put to sleep. He is buried in the garden, near Holly.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

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Thank you for reading!