Goliath went back to the vet yesterday and weighed in at 5.3 pounds. There is a chance that he might qualify for a grant to have his heart repaired, so we needed to make sure he was vaccinated and decided to do some preliminary blood work before we take him for the evaluation examination at the teaching hospital.
His blood work showed that there is no kidney or liver involvement which would compromise his chances for the surgery. That result allows us to go ahead with fund raising to pay for the rescue's part of the expense, which is the preliminary evaluation. We are praying that we get the grant for the actual surgery.
The miracle for the day is that Goliath can see! The right eye, which had been covered with what appeared to be a juvenile cataract, has cleared. The vet could see his retina and optic nerve. No wonder the little guy can find so much mischief to get into.
Meanwhile, he is learning to put his nose to the ground and "hunt" with Jessi, my 90 pound rott/lab. She lays down on the floor and allows him to play with her. He has met a few of the barn cats, goes for walks in the horse pasture, runs through the flowers and plays tug of war with the leaves. He is being allowed to be what he is, a playful puppy with a big curiousity.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Will He Make it? - part 2
Goliath weighed 1.4 pounds by Monday morning when we got to the vet's office. He was eating and drinking, his motor skills were improving, his plumbing was working, and his eyes no longer had pus oozing from them. The examination revealed cataracts, which could be fixed at a later date.
Then the bombshell. Goliath has a PDA - patent ductus arteriosus - a hole in his heart which should have closed shortly after birth, but did not. We were told he would not grow as big as his brothers, and when he does grow, it will further compromise his heart function and eventually he will die. Our choice was euthanasia or allow him to live out whatever life he has left.
None of the people in that exam room wanted to see Goliath euthanized - it just wasn't a good day for a little guy who was fighting so hard to live to have to die. About that time, he started playing - doing what I call the puppy prance - and acting like a contender on American Idol. I asked the rescue coordinator if I could take him home and let him live till he either became so symptomatic that he couldn't be comfortable, or passed away on his own. She agreed.
Goliath will be eight weeks old in two days. He goes outside and plays in the grass,. follows me around the yard, and attacks my pant legs and shoe laces. He gives great lickies!!
We have been told that one of the veterinary teaching hospitals in the state sometimes does a PDA repair for charity, so we are checking that out. Meanwhile, little Goliath is sharing his love of life with everyone who meets him.
Then the bombshell. Goliath has a PDA - patent ductus arteriosus - a hole in his heart which should have closed shortly after birth, but did not. We were told he would not grow as big as his brothers, and when he does grow, it will further compromise his heart function and eventually he will die. Our choice was euthanasia or allow him to live out whatever life he has left.
None of the people in that exam room wanted to see Goliath euthanized - it just wasn't a good day for a little guy who was fighting so hard to live to have to die. About that time, he started playing - doing what I call the puppy prance - and acting like a contender on American Idol. I asked the rescue coordinator if I could take him home and let him live till he either became so symptomatic that he couldn't be comfortable, or passed away on his own. She agreed.
Goliath will be eight weeks old in two days. He goes outside and plays in the grass,. follows me around the yard, and attacks my pant legs and shoe laces. He gives great lickies!!
We have been told that one of the veterinary teaching hospitals in the state sometimes does a PDA repair for charity, so we are checking that out. Meanwhile, little Goliath is sharing his love of life with everyone who meets him.
Will He Make It?
Got a call from the local kill shelter at nearly 5 PM on a Friday night. They had confiscated a litter of 8 puppies from a neglect situation and one wasn't doing well. Could we take them?
All eight were boys - 7 of them relatively healthy, just needed food and wormer and some flea prevention. Number 8 was only a third the size of his brothers. His eyes were glued shut with pus, and his ribs were prominent. Took the pups home and got the seven settled in the kennel, and then took number 8 to the house where I put some antibiotic ointment in his eyes, got him some food and water. Because he was so much smaller, the thought that he might have a congenital defect of some sort nagged at me. He ate, drank, and snuggled up with a small stuffed toy for a much deserved snooze.
The antibiotic ointment did its work, and then I could see what looked like a cataract on his right eye, and a blip in his left. Not a good thing. First thing Monday morning he would go to the vet. We have to have a name to make the appointment, so we called him Goliath.
All eight were boys - 7 of them relatively healthy, just needed food and wormer and some flea prevention. Number 8 was only a third the size of his brothers. His eyes were glued shut with pus, and his ribs were prominent. Took the pups home and got the seven settled in the kennel, and then took number 8 to the house where I put some antibiotic ointment in his eyes, got him some food and water. Because he was so much smaller, the thought that he might have a congenital defect of some sort nagged at me. He ate, drank, and snuggled up with a small stuffed toy for a much deserved snooze.
The antibiotic ointment did its work, and then I could see what looked like a cataract on his right eye, and a blip in his left. Not a good thing. First thing Monday morning he would go to the vet. We have to have a name to make the appointment, so we called him Goliath.
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