Mr. Jingles

Sadly, Mr. Jingles left us yesterday. Since March we had been treating him for a dental infection. Initially treatment went well and plans were made to further evaluate the problem tooth and hopefully extract it. Extraction became problematic based on the condition and placement of the tooth, but Mr. Jingles remained in good spirits and responsive to the treatments.

In the last couple of weeks, his infection returned with a vengeance. Further X-rays revealed additional complications with the position and condition of the tooth, but plans were moving ahead for the extraction. Unfortunately, our vets discovered that in addition to the dental problem, Mr. Jingles had developed an infection in his sinus and the wall between his two sinus cavities was no longer intact. So we began treating this area aggressively. In the meantime, our wonderful team of vets at East County Large Animal Practice were conferring with specialists around the United States to plan the best course of action for our boy.

The consensus of the specialists and our vets was not what we had hoped for. Given the multitude of complications involved, it was not going to be possible to treat Mr. Jingles without significant, prolonged pain and discomfort and in the end, these treatments were not likely to resolve the underlying, systemic issues.

So, the difficult decision was made unexpectedly, to say good-bye to our handsome red-head gentleman.

Mr. Jingles came to us in February 2010. He came with a warning that he didn’t care for “minis.” This was a bit of a challenge because Missy and Shakespeare lived next to him. But it soon became clear that while Mr. Jingles didn’t like “minis,” he loved Missy. So the dynamic duo of Shakespeare and Missy became a wonderful trio. When his medical condition caused feeding and medication challenges, we quickly identified a solution, with the trio having neighboring stalls with a gate between them. This provided Mr. Jingles with a chance to eat his meals without harassment, but then spend his days with his best buddies. It was wonderful to see the two boys playing and grooming each other. Mr. Jingles had such patience for Missy and her antics. He never lost his temper with her and was the proverbial calm in the energy storms of Missy and Shakespeare.

As short as his stay was with us, it was wonderful to see him form such a strong bond with Shakespeare and Missy. Mr. Jingles left an indelible impression on everyone who met him. He had a heart of gold and endured his treatments like a real gentleman. During his time with us, so many loving hands brushed him and bathed him. Thanks to the care of our wonderful volunteers he spent the last few months knowing he was loved.

He will be missed by all of us, including Missy and Shakespeare.