Grieving Kirkby dog owner thanks vets for caring card

Katie Walton, aged 39, said her heart melted when she received the card of condolence from Kirkby’s Vets4Pets - specially as she could not afford to get Princess’s ashes back after she was cremated.

Katie’s ten-year-old chihuahua was put to sleep after she suffered a seizure which she could not be brought out of.

She said: “The card made me cry, it proves there are some lovely people out there.

“It was a nice thought - it lets you know it is more than just a job for them - they actually care.

“It melted my heart specially because I couldn’t afford to get her ashes back.

“Princess was the perfect dog - she just wanted to sit on your knee - I really miss her.”

Katie discovered Princess collapsed on the floor at her home and quickly rushed her to the vets on Kingsway.

The carer at King’s Mill Hospitals’s Accident and Emergency department said: “I didn’t know what was wrong at the time, I have been with people at work who have had a seizure but not a dog, I knew something wasn’t right.

“Her temperature was really high so they started her on some drugs and kept her in a dark room with a fan on and she had some blood work done.

“When she didn’t better I had the option to put her into a coma but I didn’t want to put her under that stress and I made the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep.

“They were really great at the vets.”

After Princess died on October 2, Katie received the card from the vets with said: “We are so sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you.”

The card also contained Forget-me-not seeds to remember Princess by.

Julie Ling, 31, veterinary surgeon and partner at the vets said they had been sending out sympathy cards out to grieving customers since opening in 2017.

She said: “Everyone grieves differently and we want to do best for everyone.

“What we found is that people appreciate it when we send a card. A loss of a pet really does affect us aswell.

“Grieving a pet does have a taboo about it but we know how much the pets mean to out customers - They have lost a member of their family.

“We want them to know we are still there for them."