Cannon Hall Farm star Rob Nicholson has paid tribute after one of the farm's beloved animals sadly died. The Springtime on the Farm star, who also appears on Channel 5 show The Yorkshire Vet, took to social media on Wednesday (August 19) to confirm that shire foal Iris had passed away in hospital despite being rushed for surgery.
Farmer reveals heartbreaking news
In a video posted to Instagram and Facebook, the farmer told viewers: "Now I've got some really awful news. Iris has been in hospital, as you know. We took her in on Sunday morning, and she was looked at thoroughly on Monday. What they found was a cyst/mass in her throat. The surgeon rang me yesterday and they were going to operate to take it out – it was originally booked in to be yesterday."
"But the surgeon rang to say she really wanted to do it with a piece of equipment called a snare. It's like an electrical loop and it takes off the cyst and seals the wound. It was her preferred route of treating the cyst. They normally have one locally that they can access, but it wasn't available, so we sent one of our lads, Paul, to Liverpool to borrow one from them."
Foal dies before surgery
"He fetched it yesterday and I got up at 5am to take it this morning. I was there for 7am in the yard. I just knew something wasn't right. None of the yard staff quite knew what to say to me, and it was so awkward."
Rob confirmed: "They told us that Iris had passed away in the night. She had presumably choked on this mass. It's just rotten luck, because she was having the operation literally this morning. A few more hours and she would have had that cyst taken off and been able to breathe freely."
Fans send tributes
"I feel so sorry for all our supporters, and for Hannah, who first alerted us to the issue. Hannah has looked after that foal for most of its life and really wasn't happy with its direction of travel. We took her on Sunday morning to the hospital because we really weren't happy with how she was."
"She was on the verge of being cured. She had such a difficult upbringing, and everyone worked so hard and tried so much to get her to a point where she could have a good life. We were literally on the cusp of that moment."
Well wishes flooded in from heartbroken fans, with one writing: "Really sad to hear about Iris. May she trot over the rainbow bridge. Sending hugs to you and all the team." Another said: "Aw Rob, I'm so sorry for the loss of Iris. Thinking of you all at Cannon Hall Farm." While a third echoed: "So so sad. You did your best all of you. Sending love."
