Hillary Schneider and her horse Nazir
Image Credit: Contributed
March 16, 2016 - 1:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - Dealing with the death of a beloved horse can be difficult, but one local veterinarian office tries to ease that pain by making donations in the horse's memory.
Hillary Schneider was grateful towards the team who worked tirelessly to try and save her horse Nazir last month and while they couldn’t prevent his death, she says her admiration only grew after she found out staff at the Kamloops Large Animal Vet Clinic made a donation in her horse’s memory.
"I’ve never had an experience like that before. It was just quite moving to see that. They so genuinely care,” Schneider says.
The event unfolded after the Heffley Creek resident noticed the elderly horse bleeding from the mouth and called for help. Acting quickly, Schneider and her neighbours trailered Nazir to the clinic where staff noticed a rotting molar. He was kept for observation and returned a few days later, but Schneider noticed he wasn’t recovering.
“He seemed very uncomfortable. He was tossing his head and didn’t seem like he was doing too well,” she says. After returning to the clinic, it was assumed Nazir might have some neurological damage and while he appeared to be on the mend Schneider says it wasn’t long before he took a turn for the worse and ‘crashed’.
Despite losing her pet, Schneider says she won’t forget the kindness and professionalism of the staff. The vet caring for the horse stayed with him all day she says. When it came to delivering the news her horse wouldn’t return home, she says staff members were as emotional as she was.
It’s been a month since Nazir was euthanized, but Schneider, who recently moved to town and uses her horses to run therapy programs, says the kindness of strangers helped her feel more welcome.
“My horses are not just my pets and they treated them like that,” she says through tears.
She recently received a letter indicating a donation was made in Nazir's memory to the Equine Health Research Fund at the University of Saskatchewan's veterinary school and says it touched her heart.
“I had no idea they did that. They just kept going above and beyond,” Schneider says.
Veterinarian and clinic owner Dr. Jennifer Jackson remembers Nazir and Schneider and says it's never an easy day at work when you have to tell someone they're about to lose their animal.
"For me, absolutely never is it routine. Every time it’s an emotional kind of experience and needs to be," Jackson says.
The process makes her and other staff members feel helpless, she says, but a memorial donation can help contribute to improving animal care.
"We used to send cards or things to people and honestly this has had the most positive impact of anything we’ve ever done. People are very appreciative and thankful. It helps us feel like we are kind of paying it forward and making the world a better place," Jackson says.
The letter Hillary Schneider received after a donation was made in memory of her horse, Nazir.
Image Credit: Contributed
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016