Stewie arrived into care just prior to Christmas when an ongoing leg injury wouldn’t heal. A vet visit revealed that he had a very rare condition where at some stage the growth plate in his shoulder was crushed and, as a result, was non-existent. We decided to give Stewie some time in the hope that there would be some nerve regeneration that would lead to mild weight bearing, allowing him to at least use the leg as a prop.
Strong pain relief helped Stewie who was able to spend some time each day playing with his friend Elvis. As the medication wore off each day, however, his carer could see the struggle in his eyes as the pain returned. Days past and there was no improvement. We could not let Stewie suffer so were left with only 2 options. We could have chosen to end things completely for Stewie going down the path of euthanasia but choosing this for a lamb otherwise so healthy was not one that sat comfortably with us. The only other option available to us was a leg amputation. This is not an operation that we choose lightly as lambs do not always react well to anaesthetic but there was no alternative other than to end Stewie’s days for him.
It was a tense day on Friday when Stewie was dropped off for his operation. The procedure was undertaken during the afternoon. Our anxious wait was ended by a phone call from Stewie’s vet to say the operation had gone very well and he would be ready to be taken home later in the afternoon.
We are so pleased that the decision we chose proved to be the correct one for the dear little boy. Stewie was a lamb with dull eyes who was restless and unable to sleep for long periods and who would be up and down and nervous if you got to close to his leg. He has now been transformed into a bright eyed young lamb who can sleep deeply for long periods and who loves to join in some play head butting with his best friend Elvis. He is now so much more interested in life and what is going on around him. Lambs adapt well to amputations and we know that Stewie will now have a pain free and happy life as the latest tripod lamb to pass through the care of our organisation.
Photos: Meg Milde
