Blade's Story
Blade
“Blade was a German Sheperd by breed, but a teddy bear by nature. He was so laid back he was practically horizontal, but if the door-bell rang you knew you had a guard dog in the house. With family and people he knew he was 100% daft and soppy and was quite happy if my husband picked him up and carried him like a baby.
You could easily tell Blade because he had a floppy right ear - he never did learn to prick both ears up. One of his favourite pastimes was to slowly destroy the inside of my car whenever he got his chance.Another was to take your shoes down the garden or creep upstairs and eat the cat food. He was also a great listener and would happily curl up with you while you discussed issues with him. Only problem was that you never got an answer, but he always tried.
Blade always enjoyed his daily walks, especially over the Downs. He had become an expert at dropping his ball down the nearest rabbit hole and then looking at you as if to say, "it wasn't my fault - that just happened".
Sadly Blade had his life cut prematurely short at just 3 years of age. One Saturday he started vomiting and we just thought he'd eaten something he shouldn't. By Monday he was poorly and saw the vet. On Tuesday he was admitted to hospital and 9 days later he lost his fight with a wicked and cruel condition which only a handful of other dogs have had diagnosed. During his time with the vets, he had x-rays, scans, blood tests, IV fluids, major surgery and biopsies, not to mention almost the entire contents of the hospital drugs cupboard, but unfortunately it was not enough. Blade was incredibly ill, but he never gave up fighting, nor did the staff at Grove Lodge.
We were encouraged to visit him and the day he died he was still trying desperately hard to give us a welcome. He kept on trying to fight the illness right up to the last minute. He endured all the treatment bravely and let the vets and nurses do whatever they had to do in order to try and make him better, without ever once complaining.
He has left a huge hole in our lives and I really feel like I have lost a friend. BLADE to us was a very special dog, our BRAVEHEART."
Profile
When Blade was initially admitted into the hospital, we thought he had a severe stomach upset as he was vomiting. However he just did not seem to get any better with the usual medication. He then had a whole load of tests, scans and xrays, remaining a brave and model patient throughout. Eventually Blade was diagnosed with an incredibly rare condition known as 'canine Dysautonomia'. This meant that part of his nervous system had stopped working and sadly, nothing more could be done for him. He is fondly remembered by us all.