Freddy

Arrival Date:   11/26/2022

Farewell Date:  4/28/2023

Freddy had arrived with Coco Puff in November, 2022 as part of the same County of San Diego Department of Animal Services case.  While he was initially thought to be the younger of the two, Dr. Blanche from ECLAP aged him to be about 32 years old.  These two were very bonded and we are grateful to County of San Diego Department of Animal Services for placing them together with us.

Freddy was the perfect gentleman and good looking too, making him very popular with our volunteers.

They are a very bonded pair.

Aging and a history of cribbing have left him without functioning teeth.  Fortunately, he is thriving on an all-pellet diet.

We wish both Freddy and Coco Puff a very happy first Christmas at the ranch in 2022.  Even in his short time at the ranch, he has turned out to be a very cooperative participant in our holiday photo shoots that resulted in him being featured in both Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2022 postings.

 

Farewell:  April 28, 2023

 

On Friday, April 28, 2023, heartbreak once again visited the ranch as we said farewell to Freddy.

Sadly, Coco Puff had arrived with a history of laminitis. Hoof issues took her from us in February, 2023.  Fortunately, before she passed, Freddy had grown comfortable with his neighbors, Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. We have no doubt that they helped ease the pain of Coco Puff’s passing for Freddy.

Two weeks ago, Freddy, who had always been a good eater, began leaving portions of his meals uneaten. Dr. Manring checked him and prescribed ulcer medication. A week later, when he was still not finishing his meals, she drew blood and found him to have significant anemia. We started Freddy on an iron supplement and an antibiotic.

Unfortunately, none of this improved his appetite. On Friday, April 28, Dr. Harlan drew blood again. During Freddy’s examination, he was concerned by his elevated respiration rate and heartbeat. Rather than waiting for the blood test results, he opted to do a belly tap (abdominocentesis). This involves passing a needle into Freddy’s abdomen to check the fluid color. It was immediately clear from the blood present in the fluid that Freddy was in crisis. Somehow, he was leaking blood into his abdomen. Both Dr. Manring and Dr. Harlan suggested cancer as a likely culprit. We are so grateful to our veterinary team that does so much for our ranch residents.

Our team showered Freddy with love as he passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Our only solace was in knowing that Coco Puff was waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for Freddy and that they ran across it together with bodies no longer in pain.