Thank you to Everyone

Fred and I want to thank everyone for their kind condolences on our loss of Lewis in September.  We’ve had many dear friends send both emails and special cards, and other rememberances.  One gentleman that we have never met sent a donation in memory of Lewis to the Oklamahoma State University Veterinary Hospital.

Many of you have met Lewis during his brief years with us, while many more of you have only read his story online.  He was a courageous llama that taught us so much about life and happiness and overcoming adversity.  His memory will be with us always, and the many thoughts and prayers from his “fan club” and our friends have indeed helped us handle his passing.

Laura

Farewell to a Dear Friend

Lewis

Lewis a True Inspiration

Yesterday was a very difficult day for Laura and I.  We had to say farewell to Lewis, our farm mascot.  Over the past ten years Lewis has taught Laura and I much about courage and overcoming adversity.    Lewis was born totally blind.  After a slow start he began to amaze us with a sixth sense that seemed to enable him to see–even though he did not have a retina in either eye.  We were amazed how he could find his way around the pasture and the way he could walk right up to us when he wanted his back scratched; even when we were zigzagging our way to the barn.

In 2000 while we were at the ALSA National show, Lewis’ left rear leg was badly fractured when vandals broke into our farm and left gates open allowing our male llamas in with the females and Lewis.   Lewis spent over 7 months at the Ohio State Veterinary hospital recovering from a very severe rear spiral leg fracture and several post operative infections.  After four surgeries, months of antibiotics and tons of love and care from many veterinarians and students, Lewis walked out of the hospital under his own power.

Over the subsequent eight years Lewis has taught Laura and I about courage and the importance of enjoying life’s simple pleasures.   Lewis’ simple pleasures included a good back scratch, nice flakes of alfalfa and talking to Laura and I with his honks which signaled his need for attention.

This past winter we realized that Lewis was having increased difficulty walking.  Favoring his once-broken rear leg had eventually resulted in the joints of his other three legs breaking down prematurely.  When the warm weather of spring finally arrived we saw some improvement.  However, over the past two weeks Lewis starting spending most of the time in his stall, only getting up to eat and drink.   During the past few days Lewis could no longer stand even though he made many courageous attempts.  Even though Lewis could not stand he still enjoyed his meals and getting his back scratched.  Unfortunately we knew that it would only be a matter of time before the lack of exercise would result either in depression or other health issues that would lead to infection or pneumonia.

One of the most difficult things we have had to do during our 15 years of raising llamas was asking our vet to end Lewis’ life.  Even during the procedure, Lewis demonstrated his courage by gently leaning against me as our vet inserted the needle that would end his life.  Lewis quietly fell asleep in my arms as Laura and I struggled with our grief.

The coming days will be especially difficult for Laura and I when go to the barn at feeding time and are not greeted by Lewis’ gentle honk and demands for his daily back rub.

I’m sure God has a special place for gentle companions like Lewis.  I’m sure Lewis now has a perfect body that allows him to run and play in a perpetually green pasture full of rich alfalfa, with perfect eyes that let him finally see all that he has missed these last ten years, and he has angels waiting to scratch that special spot.

Fred

A New Year and doing great!

January 1, 2002
A New Year and doing great!Lewis has been home now since July, and it has been over a year since his initial injury. He still favors the leg and walks with a significant limp, but it does not curtail his activity as far as we can tell. We have added a walled windbreak to his sunny porch for the winter, and he seems snug and comfortable.

We often see Lewis “challenging” the “big boys” through the fence, or sniffing noses with the “little boys” who are adjacent to his barn yard. He even gets into grain stealing at feeding time; and occasionally spit battles through the fence! While his spirits seem very good, we feel he probably misses close contact with another camelid. We have decided to try to find an alpaca buddy for Lewis; stay tuned for future developments!