03/01/08, 6:12pm…the response from the world to Windchill’s passing
Monday, March 1st, 2010March 1st, 6:12pm: Out of respect for the world that was unable to come pay their last respects today to Windchill, and to allow for the many who love him to see him at peace, we allowed the Duluth News-Tribune and WDIO-TV to view him as he rests. We’d like to say that both organizations were very caring, respecting those who came to mourn and respectful of him, shooting pictures only after asking. For that we are very grateful.
The morning was a very sad one. We had to re-live the event over and over as people arrived to meet the little hero only to find that he had passed away the night before. Each time was met by tears and hugs. Uncalled, his care team arrived early to be with him. For one last time they gathered together to gently lift him and carry him into the waiting trailer. Kathi had to leave. I thought I could help. I found out I was wrong. I honestly thought the next time Windchill left his stall would be under his own power, probably charging out the door into the aisle as he had tried to do so many times before. It was a day of tears and hugs. Windchill’s admirers came in a steady flow throughout the day, bringing flowers, cards, treats and a lot of love.
The woman who won the painting of Windchill and Walker (by artist Deborah Sprague) came to pay her respects – and give the winning bid amount to Windchill’s foundation. She is donating the painting to us to hang above the fireplace.
The answering machine filled with messages throughout the day. Many were folks crying so hard we couldn’t understand the actual message but truly understood the meaning and sentiments. Our veterinarian called to tell our care team we did an amazing job and that Windchill’s loss was due to secondary complications caused by his malnutrition.
Various folks emailed or stopped by, worried that what happened to Windchill happened after the webcam turned off. That was actually not related – yesterday the webcam was setup on my laptop computer which was on a chair in the middle aisle of my barn (hence the reason many of you got a close up view of Walker over and over as he examined the cam). With the vet coming over at close to the same time as Windchill’s scheduled lift time, as well as the time we bring the youngsters into their stalls, and Annie into the middle aisle where she rules the roost, the cam had to be shut down and moved or become the victim of horseplay. After a thorough examination which I noted earlier, Windchill was lifted by the team. He was more tired than usual, and after wandering about his stall for a bit he decided to lay down so we lowered him back down. Our vet re-examined him and found his pulse rate was normal and that he was not stressed from the raising or lowering.
The care team left early and we sat with Windchill until 9pm. He was his usual self, a bit restless, but tired from his day of trying to get up on his own. Many of you viewed his attempts to rise and were heartened by his spirit.
At midnight I went out for my final check of the night. My first sign that something was wrong was Walker – he came out of the garage to greet me. Walker has not left Windchill’s side at night since his first night here. I ran for the barn, threw open the door and there was the next sign – no little whinny. I called to him. No return whinny. I entered his stall and found that Windchill had passed away. I ran to get Kathi and we examined him. What we found was that he showed no signs of distress and no signs of suffering. He passed quickly and quietly in his sleep, more than likely his heart finally giving out due to the prolonged starvation. When a horse loses 50% of its bodyweight, its prognosis for survival is extremely poor – hence the 1% odds he had been given at the beginning. The fact that he survived as long as he did, as well as he did, was truly a miracle and a testament to his sheer willpower. A horse’s body, in extreme starvation mode and with no other reserves or means of survival, will turn to the only available source of protein available to it – the tissues of its own heart and vital organs. Essentially the horse’s body destroys itself trying to survive. Thus in the end, we believe Windchill’s growing body and weight hit the limit his heart could support and it stopped. It was quick, painless and Windchill passed in his sleep. While we never wanted him to go, if he had to leave us this painless passing was the probably the best we could ask for for his sake.
