Jairkingsly Labradors

As we transitioned into Spring, the shooting season concluded, and the English weather gradually shifted from Winter. Like most families, we adhered to our daily routine, which was quite uneventful. We noticed Tilly was becoming slower, but she still had her appetite, which we attributed to her arthritis, as there were no other signs of anything more serious. We kept a close eye on her, as she was now 9 years old. Our next concern was her head, which she seemed to hold lower than usual. When we tried to stroke her, she would lower her head further, yet showed no signs of discomfort. A few days later, when we attempted to stroke her, she let out a piercing yelp! We immediately contacted our vet and arranged an emergency appointment. Our vet conducted a thorough examination, and I could sense his concern for her health, which worsened when he looked me in the eye and said, “she will need an MRI scan, we will then talk”. At that moment, I had a gut feeling that something was seriously wrong.

28th April 2015 is a date etched in my memory, a day I will never forget. It was a sunny Tuesday morning when I drove Tilly to our vets at Nantwich. She seemed happy and unfazed by the visit. I spoke with the vet, who explained the procedure: she would start with an MRI scan, and if nothing was found, an X-ray would follow. I won’t lie, I had tears streaming down my face, but then something truly unusual happened. Tilly gave me a lick or kiss across my face. If you’ve seen any of my previous posts, you’ll know she wasn’t typically that affectionate dog. I think at that moment, I knew she was saying goodbye. That Tuesday felt like the longest day, and then the phone call from my husband came with the haunting words, “can you come home”. I knew something was amiss, so I jumped into his van. We received another call from the vet asking if we wanted to bring Tilly round from her anaesthetic, but we decided against it, as it didn’t seem fair. 

We arrived at the vets and were immediately taken to see her. She was attached to oxygen, still breathing, with her huge tongue hanging out. She looked so peaceful. We were informed that the scan had revealed a tumour in her nose, causing her discomfort, and it was spreading. The kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. We spent time talking to her, and then she was gone. She was 9 years and 6 months old.

Despite our immense sadness, we had two beautiful Labradors at home who still needed love, care, and attention, and as you can imagine, lots of cuddles. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having dogs, it’s that their time with us is never long enough.

Oh and one other thing never shop in the internet, I bought a number plate for my car which I still use to date.