An owner has shared the story of losing her beloved horse and how she was helped through this challenging time by the Blue Cross Pet Loss Support service.
Gemma Taylor owned her 21-year-old Perdy (Perdita) for nearly half of her life and she holds cherished memories of the bay mare.
Unfortunately Perdy had to be put to sleep due to a serious bout of colic and Gemma shared how she navigated the situation in a Blue Cross video.
“I saw her covered from head to toe, she was wet,” said Gemma. “That was the first time I realised that anything was wrong and I knew just by looking at her it was something quite serious.
“I called the vet out and Perdy was suffering colic. Unfortunately the only prognosis at her age was to put her to sleep. My mum was there at the time and she offered to hold her for me, which is always quite a relief that you’ve got someone there that you trust. It was a very quick process and actually very peaceful, but the shock kicked in as it was so fast, so you’re not expecting it.
“While the body was there it was there for between one and two hours it gave me a bit of time to remove a section of hair from her tail to make into a bracelet and I thought it was such a lovely idea to keep those memories alive forever.”
‘Helping me come to terms with the loss’
Gemma explained how she was helped through the Blue Cross bereavement service.
“I think I was quite confident that it was the right thing to do because I could see she was in so much pain, but you go through different stages of grief, from guilt to angry, to thinking, ‘Was it the right time and the right decision?'” she said.
“Blue Cross Pet Loss Support was a helpful listening ear, at a time when I needed to process my thoughts and come to terms with the loss of such a special horse. So it was very much appreciated.”
The Blue Cross Pet Loss Support service is for anyone grieving the loss of a horse, pony, dog, cat or small pet.
If you need support, you can reach out to the team at bluecross.org.uk/PLS
