Jer and Ginger

My dear sweet friends... We had to take Ginger to an Equine hospital in Ohio last night, or early this morning depending on how you look at it. I had checked on her before I wrote last evening and she seemed under the weather, but not worse. I finished up in the barn office and stopped to check on her one more time, before I went to bed. She was down on the floor drenched in sweat and panting a bit. I rushed in and was able to get her up off the floor, called Katie and the vet. I gave her some tummy medicine and drug her out to the driveway to walk. The light drizzle revived me enough to focus keep walking. Katie and Luke arrived shortly and took over the walking drill. She went down hard once and we had to yell and pound on her pushing and pulling her till we were panting, well at least I was panting. I thought we were to lose her then when she lolled far over on her side. Her sweet head resting on the damp grass, she stared at us blankly, and then away as her eyes drifted shut. No! Luke was yelling, Katie was at her head my heart was screaming silent prayers. Suddenly she rolled over and stood up. It honestly felt like a miracle. 45 more minutes of walking and prodding, whipping her damp rear with leather reins, willing her to stay up. Finally the vet arrives; she does lots of vet type stuff. I could go into it, but its too much for now. After an hour or so, she asks if we would consider talking her to an equine hospital facility. Of course I will. I drag Drew out of bed; he Katie and I are on our way. She arrives in Ohio much worse, and continues to decline. The good doc cannot keep her pain managed, a risky and expensive $6000+ surgery is ruled out by the family. Around 12:15 PM this afternoon I give the word to relieve her suffering. We are very sad. She was a special lady and we had many future adventures planned for her in our barn and in our lives. We had her buried on Ohio at her old owners farm. She lies alongside a lifelong pasture buddy. It seemed right.