ZOE

ZOE ... a body so weak, a spirit so strong ....

ZOE was found outside the shelter on Samos at the end of June. She was sick and extremely malnourished (definitely the thinnest dog I have ever seen!), with every bone visible through the skin. That she had survived for as long as she had was a miracle and it was her will to live which prompted the shelter volunteers (but Zoe was cared for in the house), especially Carolien, to do everything they could to save her, preparing for her special foods, with supplements etc. For a while it appeared that she would pull through, but sadly her stomach and intestines had shrunk too much and while she had a good appetite, her body couldn’t process the protein, which meant that she couldn’t gain weight. Zoe became weaker as days went by and on 10 August she tragically lost her battle for life ...

Carolien’s obituary to Zoe ....

"It’s difficult for me to write about Zoe, because she touched my heart deeply. I could write down all the details of her illness, the treatment we gave her etc, but that is now not important. I want to tell you about her – Zoe – so that you too will get to know her and understand why I was so touched by this courageous soul. It all began when she came walking (which she barely could) to the shelter – the skinniest dog I have ever seen!

The pads on her paws were damaged due to walking on rough ground and there were open sores on her hip bones. She was so thirsty and hungry, it was clear it had been a long time since she had any food or water.

We took her home for a leishmania test, which was negative and we put her on a drip for a few hours, to rehydrate her body. We also gave her vitamin injections.

The first 3 days she did nothing but eat, drink and sleep. She didn’t seem to gain any weight, her weak body could no longer digest food and process food, having been starved for so long.

I know that the day of having to make a decision to put her into sleep was drawing closer, but every time I thought ‘today is the day’, she appeared to pick herself up and give the impression that she wasn’t ready to stop fighting.

I took her home and I spent many hours with her on my bed, comforting her and letting her know how much she was loved. That’s what she craved most ... love!

For a while it seemed that she was getting stronger, if only slightly and she even tried to come with me and George (my adopted dog) for a walk.

She was always happy when I came home, tapping her bony tail gently .... but gradually she became weaker and for a few days she couldn’t walk at all.

I could feel she was still happy and that she just couldn’t let go of the love and happiness she had just found. She really wanted to get well and whenever I had any doubts about her making a recovery, she would dispel them by eating her next meal with great appetite, as if to show me she was still fighting.

So I fought with her. But after a while her body temperature fell far below normal and didn’t go up again.

She had diarrhoea, this time with blood .... she almost didn’t eat anymore. I felt that if I really was a true friend to her, I would have to say good-bye to her.

My friendship with Zoe was short, but it will be forever. She taught me that sometimes you have to listen to your heart instead of your head.

When I first saw her, I knew that there was little chance she would make it, but her will to live was so strong, she wasn’t ready to die. There are times when we must try to ‘tune in’ to how an animal may feel before making decision about their future.

I can only hope that she was ready to let go in the end.

Thank you, Zoe, for coming into my life and for teaching me to love you unconditionally.

You so wanted to live, we had to name you Zoe (life), but we were too blind to see, that you knew it wasn’t to be. Your gentle face was concealing pain, but you didn’t want us to know, our efforts to help you were all in vain. Rest in peace, gentle soul, you remain in our hearts forever.