Dudley the friendly steer, whose quest to get a prosthesis so he could walk captured the hearts of East Tennesseans, died Tuesday.
The Gentle Barn, which cared for the Tennessee steer more than two years, announced Dudley's death Tuesday in a Facebook posting.
"We lost Dudley today," the Gentle Barn's statement reads. "He had a ruptured ulcer that tore apart his stomach. There was nothing the surgeons could do to repair it. I don't know why these things happen, I don't know why extreme loss is a part of our earth experience, but I'm so deeply grateful to have been graced by Dudley over the last 2 years, and if we could do it all over again, we would."
The Gentle Barn is holding a memorial service for Dudley at the West Knoxville location on Sunday, July 9, at 7 p.m. The memorial is open to the public.
Gentle Barn co-founder Ellie Laks said Dudley was perhaps the organization's "most beloved animal."
Dudley suffered an injury as a calf to his left rear leg while living in Middle Tennessee that left him lame. Gentle Barn then took over care for him, and he received a prosthesis in early 2015 in an operation at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
After the successful operation, Dudley came to live at the Gentle Barn site in Knox County.
Last week, the Knox County animal organization announced that Dudley needed another prosthesis. He'd outgrown the original one. Surgery was set for last week to add a skin graft to what was left of his leg, and he was then to be cast for a new prosthesis.
On Tuesday morning, however, the Barn posted a video on Facebook noting that Dudley, while in good spirits, hadn't been eating or moving his bowels properly for about a week. Intestinal ulcers were cited as a possible reason.
His health appeared to be declining, the video noted.
He was taken to UT's Vet College for medical help Tuesday.
Laks on the video asked friends and supporters to send prayers for Dudley.
Later Tuesday, it was clear Dudley's health was in peril. It turns out he had suffered an intestinal rupture that couldn't be repaired.
"(Co-founder Jay Weiner) and I, our staff and volunteers are in deep, deep, deep mourning. I know you loved him too and grieve with us," Laks said in Tuesday's statement about his death.