I didn't really want to share this story, or at least not until there was a happy ending. But I did say that this blog was going to be about everything that goes on out here...
Last weekend we had to have a doe (female deer) put down :'(
A week last Thursday, she turned up on our doorstep looking frail and starved. Shaky legs and horrendous diarrhoea. I called our local hunter, Osborn, with whom I have spoken on numerous occasions and who has also helped out with feed for all my garden buddies, for advice. He dropped by to have look at her and determined that although very sick, she did have a chance. She was eating the food I had put out and was responding to us.
So we gave her a day or two, put out food and water and kept an eye on her.
She started to improve and by Friday evening she seemed to be improving. She stayed close to the house, resting in the flowerbeds and moving only to follow the sun. Unfortunately it was a really cold weekend (-15oC at night) and she was so skinny so she must have really been suffering. By Saturday evening she was looking really frail.
When I got up on Sunday morning it was clear that she was very very sick. She couldn't even stand up any more and she hardly flinched when I laid a blanket over her (it was extremely cold and she could no longer move into the sunshine). So I called Osborn. He lives across the field so he arrived really early Sunday morning and quickly and 'humanely' put an end to her suffering.
Anyone that knows me will know how much this affected me. I have tried to be strong and tell myself that I was helping her by ending her suffering, but I can't help but wonder if I could have done more. Should I perhaps have called a vet instead of a hunter? If it was only her tummy, perhaps medicine could have helped...
Anyway, to cheer myself up and as a memorial of sorts to our sickly deer, I drove down to the garden centre and filled the car with cut flowers and hibiscus bushes, which are now in all of the south facing windows that she sat under during her short weekend at Åslyckan.
Last weekend we had to have a doe (female deer) put down :'(
A week last Thursday, she turned up on our doorstep looking frail and starved. Shaky legs and horrendous diarrhoea. I called our local hunter, Osborn, with whom I have spoken on numerous occasions and who has also helped out with feed for all my garden buddies, for advice. He dropped by to have look at her and determined that although very sick, she did have a chance. She was eating the food I had put out and was responding to us.
 |
| Friday morning, looking frail |
So we gave her a day or two, put out food and water and kept an eye on her.
She started to improve and by Friday evening she seemed to be improving. She stayed close to the house, resting in the flowerbeds and moving only to follow the sun. Unfortunately it was a really cold weekend (-15oC at night) and she was so skinny so she must have really been suffering. By Saturday evening she was looking really frail.
When I got up on Sunday morning it was clear that she was very very sick. She couldn't even stand up any more and she hardly flinched when I laid a blanket over her (it was extremely cold and she could no longer move into the sunshine). So I called Osborn. He lives across the field so he arrived really early Sunday morning and quickly and 'humanely' put an end to her suffering.
 |
| Sunday morning and she can no longer stand |
Anyone that knows me will know how much this affected me. I have tried to be strong and tell myself that I was helping her by ending her suffering, but I can't help but wonder if I could have done more. Should I perhaps have called a vet instead of a hunter? If it was only her tummy, perhaps medicine could have helped...
Anyway, to cheer myself up and as a memorial of sorts to our sickly deer, I drove down to the garden centre and filled the car with cut flowers and hibiscus bushes, which are now in all of the south facing windows that she sat under during her short weekend at Åslyckan.
 |
| Hibiscus in honour of our sickly deer |
