Durango Update

Thanks everyone for the well wishes for Durango. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted and I still don't have anything concrete to post. On Tuesday he started to vomit and had pretty much watery explosive poop (TMI, sorry) so we headed to the small emergency clinic down the street that night. He tested positive for Parvo and they started treatment immediately. He managed not to vomit all night so when I picked him up Wednesday morning to go to Dr. Bill's I was feeling hopeful.

Unfortunately he started vomiting excessively and having bloody diarrhea once he was there for a short while and we decided he needed 24 hour intensive care so I picked him back up and took him to the big emergency hospital in Carrollton where he's been since. He's on antibiotics, fluids, medication to control the diarrhea and vomiting, etc. His White Blood Cell and Protein counts are next to nothing which is a huge problem. He had a Plasma Transfusion last night and is in the midst of another one now to try to boost his proteins. He hasn't vomited since this morning but is drooling excessively indicating nausea and continues to have bloody diarrhea as well. If he can keep from throwing up through this transfusion they are going to see if he will eat anything later tonight. At this point he hasn't eaten in four days and his weight is down to 16 pounds, 4 since Sunday. It's imperitive that he eats and keeps it down to have any chance at all of living.

I'm scared and at a loss of what to do. The cost is exorbitant and while I would never regret a penny at some point I will run out of resources to help him. If he can make the turn towards recovery in the next day or so I will do everything I can think of to make sure he has the care he needs. However, if he continues another 48 hours without any kind of positive sign at some point I can't keep putting him through this - but I want to make sure he has every chance to fight if he can. I'm just heartbroken that he's so sick and I feel helpless.

I had a few emails asking what the shelter (SPCA of Dallas) said....when he left there he had a "discharge" temp of 102.75 which is .25 degrees above what they consider normal range. The reason given by the shelter staff was that he was probably excited/stressed, etc and that would cause the small spike which was normal. Well.....in the small print it voids the 30 day Shelter Care insurance policy that came with him. I asked if there was anything they could do to help me, they said to return him and they'd refund the $185 adoption fee or I could pick another dog. I then asked if he would be treated up there and they said no which I interpret to mean that he would be euthanized for having Parvo. This isn't the time or place to go into my personal feelings on this situation but I will say that if they feel a dog is sick enough to void the insurance then IMO he's TOO SICK TO BE ADOPTING OUT!!!! The average joe going in there doesn't know that a small temp increase could be more than just excitement or stress (as suggested by their staff) and that it could be a horrible disease. Either way, it doesn't change the situation right now but I will be addressing it later. I cringe to think of what's happened to his litter mates and the other puppies that were with them.

The Brat's are still ok at this point. I'm watching them like hawks and Dr. Bill said if we make it through Sunday with no symptoms we should be in the clear. The girls got boosters just in case (the boys recently had theirs). The house has been sanitized, all the toys and beds are gone and now it's just sit and wait and worry. I know he's only been with me a couple days and he's "just a puppy" but when I made the decision to adopt him he became as much part of the family as anyone else and he's my responsibility. I don't know what the next couple days will hold but I hope to hell he fights his way back out of it. :( Thanks for everyone's support, I really appreciate it.

A few pics when he was home...





Thanks again - Maryann & The Brats