Let's talk French... bull dogs that is

Cali

Bull dogs are a special and unique BREED! They have their fair share of "ISSUES" and could be considered special needs. 

Cali came into our lives at 3 weeks old. She was brought in a shoe box- breeder dropped her off for euthanasia. I screamed... I'll FOSTER her! I can't see this sweet baby not get a chance at life. I took her to my moms house and left her with my sister and brother in law for less than an hour to get her supplies for bottle feeding. ( she was too little to be taken away from her furry mom) when I arrived back, my family said we NEED her!  SO... a baby Cali the frenchie was OURS! She was so little and sick- we had a few scares early on those first couple weeks- but she always rallied with extra support from Dr. Garrett and Dr. Zimmerman. 

Before Cali was even 4 months old she choked on a treat and turned blue and basically stopped breathing. My sister had her at the time- she rushed her to the ER and I met her there. They took Cali right back and got her on Oxygen and took x-rays when she was able to breathe again. We were all in SHOCK... she was just eating a treat! The Doctor came in and told us Cali likely wouldn't make it- we told them to try and work their magic and save our silly Cali... PULMONARY EDEMA..... is all I heard from the Dr. before I was on the floor in tears... she looked and felt awful and they thought she would die over night. We didn't even get to say good bye. We prayed and checked in with the Dr. hourly. 8 AM the next morning we got a call she survived the night but looked worse. We elected as a family to keep faith and were thankful for the excellent care she was receiving. The Dr. Called again later that day and said she was improving and responding to the oxygen therapy and medication- we actually visited her that night but weren't even allowed to open the oxygen cage she was in such bad shape. She ended up 3 days total on oxygen and made a full recovery. This was ALL caused by her ELONGATED SOFT PALATE.

It is one of the most common airway problems in ALL bulldogs. It is a narrowing of the upper airways that makes it very difficult to breathe when excited, over heated etc. IF this negative intra air way pressure exceeds the resistance of the surrounding tissue- collapse and inflammation will occur. The palate is located in the roof of the mouth and has two parts- THE PRICE OF THE SMOOCHED FACE BREEDS! 

Cali under went surgery a few months later with the WONDERFUL Dr. Walesby who fixed Beloved Bella MANY times! 

It made a HUGE difference in Cali's quality of life! Although we STILL have to be careful with heat and the way Cali eats- it is TOTALLY worth it- if you have a SMOOCHED face dog! 

Cali has to eat in a special slow feeder bowl and can not have anything hard to eat or chew on- THANK GOODNESS FOR FROSTY PAWS! 


Cali had another SCARE in the Spring- she suffers from IVDD -- INTERVERTEBRAL DISK DISEASE - a common cause of back pain, rear limb paralysis, and inability to walk or feel back legs. 
WE rushed her to the PET ER with the NEUROLOGIST She was walking like a drunk leaving the bar- she was panting and in SO much pain! They wanted to do an MRI- but we elected not to because... well she is a bull dog... and sedation is SCARY! WE followed orders PERFECTLY and told the Dr. We'd come back in ONE week for re- check and possible MRI with Surgery to follow if she didn't recover. 
IT WAS A TRUE MIRACLE Cali responded well to medication, rest, tough love etc. 
She recovered but as with any injury- it is something chronic we have to deal- she has had a flare up since- but we did the same thing the Dr. Said to do and she recovered faster! 
WE keep up with Laser therapy, good healthy supplements, Loop therapy and PUPPY- PUNTURE! 

Cali is a tough cookie and the will to survive and live a good life. She is the high and mighty one, magisterial. A REAL DIVA! WE love her dearly! 

Bull dogs are a breed you NEED to know what you could be dealing with BEFORE you commit to one. ( I knew what I signed up for.. I work in the Veterinary World. ) Bull Dogs are fun, silly and wonderful dogs- but know they may take you broke and be a handful medically. 

Live Life Like a Dog

May 18th 2018- The day that broke me. 

Bella lost a short battle with aggressive tumor on her spinal cord In May. She didn't suffer long- which is always a blessing. She went down on a Wednesday by next day we had in her for an MRI to reveal inoperable tumor that left her paralyzed. We said a peaceful good bye the following night. 

My heart may never recover.....

I've struggled on a deeper level then most would understand. My everyday life is forever changed. Bella was part of everything I did, every single day. 

All my personal pets and patients have all taught me many life lessons- and my heart continues to grow working with animals everyday....but my Bella girl- she was strong and had a will to be here and make every day count. She endured countless surgery's- Mast Cell Tumors, ACL repair's, broken bones... you name it. She always accepted the challenge with her big PITTIE smile, a full heart and determination to get back to hiking and adventures with mom and dad. So often we let life challenges affect us so deeply- we are unable to rise to the challenge. Bella taught me to rise above. Together we made every single day of her 10 years count. 

We never really know when our time is up. It's scary... and the more you think about it- the thought can become overwhelming. Dogs never think this way... they just are happy to be in the moment- and never waste time doing things they don't love- I know Bella didn't... stubborn that one was!

Bella continues to teach me the lesson daily to make every day count. To live like a dog... to live and love like Bella. 

Eat the slice of cake, take chances, open up your heart and do things that make you and others happy- DO not dwell on things you can't control- and rise up to be the bigger person :-) 

Search for what it truly means to make your soul happy. To be a leader of making this world happier and kinder. LIVE LIKE A DOG! 

Dog's can teach us so much about life- if we learn to listen. 

Mom is a slacker

My mom is a major slacker - she forgot how much fun we have with this blog...
A few years has passed but I haven't aged a bit- mom on the other hand.... But dogs don't judge.... Right?

We now have two new dogs in MY pack... A Winnie and a Cali
If you follow moms Facebook you may see several hundred pictures weekly..... ( daily?)

Winnie is a pony. ( she's really a weimariner) She came during the recovery of my two back to back knee surgery's and everyone felt bad for poor little Winnie the puppy who couldn't walk... And had some rare vaccine reaction... Can you blame my mom for saving her? She was pathetic.... I wasn't too happy the first month. But that big goof is my best bud now.... I don't admit this to many.... But she's the only thing that keeps me from a full blown panic attack during thunder storms or fire works.

And then came Cali the frenchie who looked like a baby squirrel when she arrived. Cali was pathetic too, she was a 3 week old creature...... It took weeks for the rest of to believe she was really a dog. Well.... Cali is still annoying.... Have you ever heard a frenchie breathe? I mean I have mad love for her cause she's part of my pack....

Lily just turned 13! She is beautiful and perfect. Mom says she is the best dog ever! ( not cool...)

Stay tuned as mom has lots of good blogs to write- and sometimes she even let's ME!

- Bella the Pittie 

What IF ?

What if everyone thought of themselves the way your dog thinks of you? 

What if everyone thought like a dog?

Dogs see their humans as their ultimate care givers,  their play mates- they trust us with their lives and love us unconditionally.

Dogs do not even noticed what color skin we have, if we are slim or over weight. They can't tell if we have gained 5 pounds, or haven't put any make up on. They don't care if we are popular, rich or poor. Dogs don't care if you make bad jokes, sing off key- they don't even care what you do for a living. 

Dogs care about all the important stuff- like when you go outside to play, when you eat dinner, and are always happy when you come home- no matter the duration of your departure. Dogs pick up where you left off last, they just love you for exactly who you are. Always happy to see you no matter what.... 

I have seen most dogs on their finally days still live to see you happy. They adore everything about you. They think you are the greatest human alive. 

Dogs take things as they come- live in the moment. As humans we tend to dwell on the past, let it hurt us or effect our future. We think too much about things to come.

Bella has recently undergone her second ACL repair to her other knee-which she has had some complications over recovery. She is happy to get up and try everyday- and i'm the one who is upset- and worried. Bella just takes it all as it comes and doesn't worry about tomorrow.. 

Just when I think Bella has taught me so much about life and myself- she amazes me more. Doing what I do for a living has taught me SO much about life. Animals are never scared of the future and just live everyday like it is the best day of their lives. They very rarely give up. The fight and want to make the best of everyday. 

Lately, I have been having a difficult time accepting things in my life for what they are. With Bella's recent set backs post surgery, I am recognizing I am handling it worse than her- and she is the one who is dealing with the pain and frustrations. 

Why is it we tend to focus on the negative? Perhaps humans lives are just too complicated and busy. We rarely take a second to go outside and just "be." We get mixed up in other peoples thoughts and comments. Could you imagine your biggest struggle of the day to be...what bed to lay in?or what toy to play with? 

Dogs don't care what their collar looks like.... what color their fur is.... what their house looks like and dogs don't care what they have... they are happy to just be. 

Often times we let other affect the way we think of ourselves. We let others judge us and we accept it and often times it makes us feel bad. Bella doesn't care that her best friend, Lily is a mutt - or her friend Huxley walks funny, and she doesn't care she has a crimped tail- she is just happy she is Bella. 

The things we can learn from animals....... 

Melody

Ready for a heart warming story?

So Melody an ADORABLE, sweet and loving pit mix was found outside in the middle of the night, abandoned. She was found the next morning by a staff member at the vet hospital, tied up to a parking meter. Melody greeted the girl with a tail wag and kiss to the face. (and pit bulls are mean?)

Melody was found with a serious wound on one of her front paws. She was treated at the vet hospital and brought in under their care. The fabulous Dr. Zimmerman took her into foster care and was on the hunt for the perfect home for her. 

A kind person doing some work at the hospital adopted her. Within a few months the owners decided she was not a good fit for their home, with a new born and busy work schedules. Dr. Zimmerman took her to her home to be "foster mom" again. Melody ended up at Celebrie Animal hospital since Dr. Zimmerman works long hours. I decided I was going to be aggressive in trying to find the PERFECT home. 

After phone calls to clients, rescue groups, face book posts, word of mouth, having people meet her at the clinic it just seemed like I wasn't working hard enough. On Thursday one of our AMAZING clients called about her dog and something in my mind said- ask her for help with Melody. She was so excited when I asked because she might know of the perfect home. As a side note Donna is one of the BEST people I know. She is a k9 cop, and it just so happened the friend looking, works for her. We exchanged cell phone numbers and I sent pictures and Melody's info. We set a date to meet for Saturday. Paws and fingers were kept crossed while awaiting the meeting. 

Today I woke up early, got to work and ran Mel around and gave her a bath. Dressed her up in a snazzy bandanna to add some extra cuteness. The family showed up at 9 and so did Donna. Donna had her retired police dog, Arco to see how she did with him. 

We all met outside and from that point on everything was just PERFECT! Melody loved their little kids, she loved Arco and loved what is now her new mom and dad. The family was very excited and just lost their retired police dog and wanted a friend for their other dog at home and for their kids. The family was so sweet and caring. The little girl was very special. She reminded me of myself when I was younger. Her mom and dad didn't tell her why they were coming to look at Melody, so if it didn't work out she wouldn't be upset. Today was that little girls birthday and when her family told her Melody was for her she ran to her dad with a big hug and said "You are the best dad ever, this is the BEST birthday gift ever." 

The family lives in PA and has a decent amount of land for Melody to play and live out her life happy- the way every dog deserves. 

I sat back thinking I  was in hall mark movie. Tears of joys ran down my face. This is what truly makes my job the BEST. This is what makes me NEVER give up. I am so happy for Melody!  

Bella-- Post operation

I am so relieved to say Bella's surgery is OVER!

Thursday was such an emotional day for me. I have never had to leave Bella with anyone before. I have done all of her surgical procedures and been there when she wakes up from anesthesia. We had to wake up around Five in the morning on Thursday to take Bella to the hospital. The doctor was so nice to let us take Bella home the night before. Dave and I got Bella to the hospital around seven. We had completed all paper work previous day so all there was to do was leave my little Bella with the staff. As attached as Bella is to Dave and I, she went with the tech very easily. I asked if they could please give her a pre- medication to help her stay relaxed. Bella was the first patient on the surgery table that morning. The  staff said they would call me when Bella was waking up.

I must admit I cried a little when we got back to the truck with out Bella. I was a little over whelmed. Dave decided it would be relaxing to take the morning to drive down to Annapolis, since we weren't that far. I have never been down and heard it is a fun place to visit. Dave and I drove all through the old towns, parked and walked around all the old shops. I had my phone close in reach if the doctor called.

When we got home a little after lunch, the house was extremely quiet and lonely. Dave and I did everything to try and keep our minds off Bella. Finally the tech called and said that Bella's surgery went well and she was waking up fine. That was a relief....

I had the phone practically glued to my hand the entire afternoon if hopes the doctor would call. I walked in the other room and left my phone on the charger. Naturally the phone rang while I was away and Dave answered it. I walked in towards the end of the conversation and all he keep saying was "OK... OK... OK... OK...." He didn't think to ask all the questions I would have or ask how Bella was doing. I was of course worried until we went to pick her up on Friday.

I did not get much sleep on Thursday night and was up at 5 a.m. eager to pick Bella up. Considering Bella's discharge wasn't until 10:30, I still had a bit of time to wait. I used  this time to prepare the house for her arrival. I made sure I had area rugs on all the hard wood floors, fresh water, beds and all her favorite toys sitting out. Dave and had bought some cute toys at the Pet Barn in Annapolis, so everything was waiting for her. We made a stop at Panera to pick up the doctor and staff some bagels. They had been so nice to us and did an incredible job with Bella we wouldn't to do a little something to say thanks! We paid our bill and got very detailed discharge paper work. Dave took Bella's favorite toy in to greet her with... her pumpkin! The tech brought Bella in the room, she looked up at us cried and grabbed her pumpkin. Everyone was laughing at her in the waiting area, as we walked through with her toy in her mouth. I could tell everyone really loved her at the hospital. All the staff members came up and said goodbye to her and said she was a really good patient. They did say they could tell she was really spoiled at home, she would cry a little in her cage and a staff member would come up and talk to her and she would be fine. I am clearly the one to blame for this.

The whole ride home Bella slept in my lap. I sat in the back seat with her while Dave drove us home. She didn't let go of her pumpkin until we stopped the truck in the drive way. She was very thankful to be home with her family. She had my mom, dad and grandmother visit her the day she got home from the hospital. She was still on a lot of drugs and was really out of it. Dave and I sat with her the entire afternoon... giving her lots of T.L.C.

It turns out Bella had a complete tear, a torn meniscus, and a lot of arthritis forming from the injury. The doctor fixed everything. When Bella is recovered her knee will be 100 percent. The T.P.L.O. surgery was the best fit for Bella. Dave and I are very happy with her progress this far. She is currently getting all medications, and supplements. She is getting ice and R.O.M. exercises daily. Whatever the best care we can give Bella, she will receive.

Bella has been keeping in good spirits, although it has been hard to keep her down and explain she can't run and play right now. The past 2 days Dave and I have taken her on some wagon rides. All the people who pass her think it is so cute and always stop to give her attention.

We have all gotten much support. I couldn't keep in such good spirits myself if it wasn't for all the supportive words from friends and family. It has been quite exhausting on Dave and I to try and keep up with all the proper care and dedication to making sure Bella is healthy and on the right road to recovery.

Bella will start swim therapy with an underwater treadmill in 3 weeks. We are all very excited to get started.

Bella's first trip to Dr. Walesby

This morning Bella had her consult with Dr. Walesby at Maryland Veterinary Surgical Center. Bella's visit today was her first visit being on the other side of things. She is used to her mom holding her for everything and is used to Celebrie and all her friends there. She had to wait in the waiting area with a very cute pug named Oscar. Bella made new friends today because everyone LOVED her at the office. She was a very good patient and rolled over for the doctor. Dr. Walesby did some maneuvers on her knee and it hurt Bella. After she was done Bella jumped up and tried to kiss her. She is very quick to forgive anyone. 


We had a great experience at the surgical center today. Dr. Walesby and her staff were all wonderful. They took the time to get to know Bella. She also gave me the choice to leave Bella for the night or bring her back in the morning for surgery. Due to Bella's separation anxiety we chose to take her home and drive back down in the morning to drop her off. Bella is getting a T.P.L.O surgery on her knee. This procedure is much more detailed and expensive. Dave and I want the very best for Bella, so we told the doctor to tell us what she thought was best with money not being an issue. She is very confident in the surgery and her previous cases. The American Pit- Bull Terrier is her number one patient for this surgery. Do to their high energy level and conformation it is very common. Bella will most likely have both knee's replaced with the T.P.L.O. surgery. The doctor said she See's a lot of changes in Bella's right knee. On the plus side her hips look great! The doctor was also very happy and impressed with the care we have given Bella leading up to surgery. She stated we will see great improvement with the surgery and care we can provide to her. Her swim therapy can begin 3 weeks post surgery. We are very excited to get Bella back to her happy, healthy self. Dr. Walesby was very knowledgeable regarding all questions asked by a nervous mom and dad. Dave and I will be calling later to set up her swim therapy treatments and whatever else the doctor recommends. I feel confident to know that Bella is in the best of care. Please keep your paws crossed for her. She has a long road to recovery and her surgery in at 7 a.m. Thursday morning.


http://www.tploguide.com/tplo-surgery.php

Above is a link with some information regarding the procedure if anyone wants to learn more about it. 

The above pictures are from today at the Surgical Center. Bella is a super star patient!