My poor Melody

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by gemy

Agreed this is about Melody. But from reading the posts (earlier ones) there have been several people willing to contribute. Some I'm not sure how many have been pm'ing Kathleen - it is my understanding that one is not allowed to speak about this in open forum. I myself have done some pm'ing in this regard.

My thought / understanding was that once the forward plan was put into place - then that would be communicated to those that have offered financial help - all of us want this puppy to get well. All of us want those $$$ to go to vet/rescue - legitimate place.

You are talking about THOUSANDS. and no it cannot be in an open forum...it is against YT rules...and probably with good reason.

This is just not a plan that makes sense to anyone who has been through this kind of thing; but the people making the decisions don't want to face the reality that perhaps they are playing with Melody's life all to make Krystal feel better. Temporary bandage imo.

This is just unbelievable. How could anyone think that it is ok to put this off? I just do not get it. Kathleen said the meds would buy time...she has never seen this puppy and the puppy has never been seen by a specialist. Oh..I am sure the vet would not argue with them, but hopefully he told them the truth..that the puppy is sick and should be seen by a specialist sooner rather than later.

And again I ask...are all of you going to sign on to pay for Melody forever? What if she has other issues? And what if the other puppy gets sick?

I am sorry...but this is about personal responsibility! Apparently some people don't think that is worth teaching.

[cj125]

Originally Posted by gemy

My understanding as well is that Kathleen is only one with phone number. Kathleen's surgery has Not yet been scheduled but is to be scheduled I believe today she was seeing doc about that.

Thanks for letting us know.

Now... what about poor Melody? Krystal are you still online?

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by gemy

Agreed this is about Melody. But from reading the posts (earlier ones) there have been several people willing to contribute.
All of us want those $$$ to go to vet/rescue - legitimate place.

I am not sure if my other post communicated what I wanted to say. So...I am going to give it one more shot.

No place is going to take Melody in for surgery without someone backing the bill. So....this plan of people donating to a place makes not a lot of sense to me unless Kathleen is using her credit card to back the thousands needed if enough donations are not called in to the hospital/vet.

Our rescue often takes pups in that need surgery and often it is in the thousands. We pay for the surgery and THEN we work to raise the money. We do not sit and let a pup suffer while we try to raise the funds. And...there is no way any place we deal with would sit and hope they got the money from our donors. There has to be someone who backs this up front.

I hope this makes sense. Everyone is caught up in the moment in my opinion and just not really thinking. Or, if you have thought it out...great. But, it sure as heck would be nice to tell everyone! And..it really should happen SOON imo...this puppy has already suffered long enough.

[jeanm1963]

I understand this part and yes that does make sense..

What I dont understand is what happens after the surgery.. Melody is returned to Krystal. But Melody may still need follow up care, Krystal cant afford 30.00, and I think we all know that 30.00 is not alot of money , some of us spend that on a dress!!
Now Krystal has TWO dogs under a year old, it is obvious she is not working as she his home with the puppies... If you have 2 dogs and cant afford 30.00 and have not yet paid for the dog , she stated the dog is 9 months old and she is still paying for it..what is going to happen..How is this in the best intrest of Melody
She has a new puppy 4 months old, this puppy still needs puppy shots, to be spayed , and other medical needs.. if she cant afford 30.00 for medication how in Gods name isnt it better to let Melody go to a rescue and let Krystal keep her new puppy and try to afford her!!
Its not about " feelings here" its about Melodys well being NOW and then Forever...JMHO

Everyone on this board tells people over and over again.. its not about affording the dog its about everything that goes with it..
I read every single day.. take the pup to the vet.. when people say they cant afford it , people on here attack them and critisize them for not being responsable dog owners... if you cant afford 30.00 for meds how can she afford 2 ?

[Ladymom]

Jean and Ladyjane, you are so right. This thread has 14 pages, but nothing has changed. Krystal still can't afford the surgery or to care for Melody afterwards. Poor Melody continues to suffer as her little body fills with toxins and her liver shuts down.

Has anyone heard from Krystal since this morning when she updated this thread? I pray it's not too late to get her into a rescue and save her life.

[cCat]

I just read this entire thread and this is my first post here. Needless to say my heart goes out to Melody and Krystal and everyone else is super-wonderful for offering help and advice. Please count me in for contributions whenever collections are started.

Here comes the hard part... I beg you all in advance not to be offended by my words. Although many of you know exactly how to move forward in Melody's best interests, Kathleen is the only one who has been able to personally contact and influence Krystal. At this point I'm concerned that Kathleen may feel alienated as a result of recent posts. IMHO it would be good to recognize her efforts and bring her back into the fold. The world's best advice (which has probably been posted here) may need to be communicated to Krystal by the person that she already trusts, namely Kathleen. We also want Kathleen to post updates and she will be more likely to do so in a friendly atmosphere.

[AbbysMom08]

Originally Posted by cCat

I just read this entire thread and this is my first post here. Needless to say my heart goes out to Melody and Krystal and everyone else is super-wonderful for offering help and advice. Please count me in for contributions whenever collections are started.

Here comes the hard part... I beg you all in advance not to be offended by my words. Although many of you know exactly how to move forward in Melody's best interests, Kathleen is the only one who has been able to personally contact and influence Krystal. At this point I'm concerned that Kathleen may feel alienated as a result of recent posts. IMHO it would be good to recognize her efforts and bring her back into the fold. The world's best advice (which has probably been posted here) may need to be communicated to Krystal by the person that she already trusts, namely Kathleen. We also want Kathleen to post updates and she will be more likely to do so in a friendly atmosphere.

[mscat]

I just read this whole thread too. Makes me very sadand upset for this poor little puppy . I see that a generous YT member is helping the OP with the costs of meds for the pup, however, the las post from the op was Melody had a bloated stomach , meaning she is getting worse.
I have two small dogs myself, one a yorkie almost 2yrs old and a 9month old shih tzu. I am on a fixed income, however have already sacrificed a couple of times financially for both my 2 girls, because that is what they ar eto me, my babies.
If I were The OP in this situation where I absolutely had NO money to care for my ill pup than YES, I would give her to a rescue group because I LOVED her so much , and want the best for her. In no way would I ever let one of my precious babies suffer like this and be in pain. I could not watch it happen right in front of my eyes without wanting to just cry my eyes out all the time.
Sometimes doing the best thing is always the hardest . With no money to care for this very ill little puppy, I advise allowoing a rescue to take her and care for her expenses than when she is well, and pulls through, finding her a home that people can afford her care.
It is never right to allow a sick animal to suffer and watch it happen. I know Melody is on meds, however, she needs more then that .
I am praying for Melody and her owner to please give her a chance of life before it is too late .

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by cCat

I just read this entire thread and this is my first post here. Needless to say my heart goes out to Melody and Krystal and everyone else is super-wonderful for offering help and advice. Please count me in for contributions whenever collections are started.

Here comes the hard part... I beg you all in advance not to be offended by my words. Although many of you know exactly how to move forward in Melody's best interests, Kathleen is the only one who has been able to personally contact and influence Krystal. At this point I'm concerned that Kathleen may feel alienated as a result of recent posts. IMHO it would be good to recognize her efforts and bring her back into the fold. The world's best advice (which has probably been posted here) may need to be communicated to Krystal by the person that she already trusts, namely Kathleen. We also want Kathleen to post updates and she will be more likely to do so in a friendly atmosphere.

Oh...I am not at all offended. Let me just say this: Kathleen is the one who chose to shut certain people out and PM others. She is the one who took full control and doled out updates as she saw fit. She is the one who said she would pick up the puppy...got herself into something she had apparently not thought out well....and got herself back out the next day by deciding on her own to leave that puppy with a girl who simply cannot afford to care for her puppy. I don't understand her logic at all. There are those of us who have experience with these things...I am going to go out on a limb and say I don't think Kathleen does. I am sure she has good intentions, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. She needs to, imo, get past the poor Krystal theme and get into the poor Melody theme before it is too late for Melody. There are those of us who are trying like heck to make someone see the light...sadly people take that as negative. They simply don't want the truth because they want to "feel good". If that puppy dies, is that going to "feel good"??

I am not going to be quiet when I see a poor little puppy dying and the people who can stop the madness worry more about themselves and other people than they do the puppy.

Same old theme on YT. If you speak the truth, then people want to say it is wrong. Sorry...but Melody will die if someone does not wake up and wake up SOON. Some of us need to be advocates for the pups...I am sick of seeing how this person needs this and this person needs to be stroked. This puppy needs a GOOD VET and an owner who can afford it. Just my opinion.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by cCat

We also want Kathleen to post updates and she will be more likely to do so in a friendly atmosphere.

And..one more thing. I am not going to be intimidated like that by anyone nor am I going to take the blame if she refuses to update. From the very beginning both of them were slow, slow, slow to post updates. It was very strange and still is. People begging for updates...just unbelievable.

She needs a friendly atmosphere to post updates?

There is nothing unfriendly here...we are stating cold hard facts...a puppy is going to die if someone does not get the right help for her. Someone needs to say it! Pretty sad that someone would think that in order to get the woman to post we must lie and tell her we think she is doing the right thing. Every one of us has said that she has good intentions, but good intentions are not going to save Melody.

[kjc]

I have been in contact with Krystal. I don't know yet what the plan is with Kathleen or what she planned to do to help Melody. I am assuming that after speaking with the vet, it was decided to leave Melody with Krystal and begin medications, as Kathleen has health issues of her own to deal with, and was unable to go pick up Melody as was planned due to bad weather.

Update on Melody: Melody was/is very close to dying from the toxins not being removed by her liver. She weighs 2.6# and at that weight accompanied with her level of toxicity, prognosis is poor that she would survive a surgery to repair her liver shunt at this time, or even the trip to the hospital. It appeared to me that it may take a day or two to arrange for a rescue to pick her up, that's when Kathleen volunteered to get her. That fell through due to the weather. I PMed Krystal to get Melody on antibiotics, lactulose and Denamarin immediately to at least help Melody's liver to recover, if at all possible and to at least begin getting the toxins out of her body making her healthier for the day she does have her surgery, and while arrangements could be made for whatever they decided to do.

Melody started her meds and a new diet. Krystal mixed the new with the old, but Melody picked out the new and ate it. This made her stomach bloat this morning. It has gone down some, and Melody is still exhibiting neurological symptoms but has shown some improvement.

I still have questions that I'm waiting for answers on. Rescue is not totally out of the running, I'm looking into air travel to U of T through Pilots N Paws, Maybe a YT member there to get her off the plane and take her to the U of T, and now waiting to hear from Kathleen and Krystal for their decisions. I know Kathleen was looking into having the surgery done in California, so waiting for an update there. And is there a rescue that could pick her up immediately? I know some of this is redundant, but I'm not familiar with rescues in her area and anything will still take time to put into action.

And just to throw this out there: This is the 3rd LS/MVD case I'm aware of where the Vets and/or clients got a diagnosis and nothing further was done. In Melody's case, a low protein diet was advised but no meds prescribed. I don't know if the Vets are dropping the ball coupled by the clients not understanding the severity of LS/MVD or not understanding the options available or what. I'll be reading threads in a different light from now on.

[violet voon]

I read the whole thread and this is my 1st reply, maybe the only reply...

I have a bad feeling, it has been so many hours since the last update, I hope Melody is still alive...
Some people might think ladyjane and jeanm1963 are not being considerate from asking Krystal to send her beloved puppy to a rescue, because Krystal might not get to see her again in her life. But I think they are very straight forward and everything they said are right, I couldn't agree more.

Krystal should have send Melody to a rescue months ago, and shouldn't take the 2nd puppy in if she can't afford to give them what they need.

Taking care of a living creature isn't easy, it's not only the cost you pay for them, but their living expenses too. I only have a small yorkie, and I will never take 2nd puppy until I think I can afford to have another one.
The main concern now should be Melody, Krystal if you are reading, please accept help from the rescue, please...

Edited: thank you for the update, kjc

[chachi]

Originally Posted by kjc

I have been in contact with Krystal. I don't know yet what the plan is with Kathleen or what she planned to do to help Melody. I am assuming that after speaking with the vet, it was decided to leave Melody with Krystal and begin medications, as Kathleen has health issues of her own to deal with, and was unable to go pick up Melody as was planned due to bad weather.

Update on Melody: Melody was/is very close to dying from the toxins not being removed by her liver. She weighs 2.6# and at that weight accompanied with her level of toxicity, prognosis is poor that she would survive a surgery to repair her liver shunt at this time, or even the trip to the hospital. It appeared to me that it may take a day or two to arrange for a rescue to pick her up, that's when Kathleen volunteered to get her. That fell through due to the weather. I PMed Krystal to get Melody on antibiotics, lactulose and Denamarin immediately to at least help Melody's liver to recover, if at all possible and to at least begin getting the toxins out of her body making her healthier for the day she does have her surgery, and while arrangements could be made for whatever they decided to do.

Melody started her meds and a new diet. Krystal mixed the new with the old, but Melody picked out the new and ate it. This made her stomach bloat this morning. It has gone down some, and Melody is still exhibiting neurological symptoms but has shown some improvement.

I still have questions that I'm waiting for answers on. Rescue is not totally out of the running, I'm looking into air travel to U of T through Pilots N Paws, Maybe a YT member there to get her off the plane and take her to the U of T, and now waiting to hear from Kathleen and Krystal for their decisions. I know Kathleen was looking into having the surgery done in California, so waiting for an update there. And is there a rescue that could pick her up immediately? I know some of this is redundant, but I'm not familiar with rescues in her area and anything will still take time to put into action.

And just to throw this out there: This is the 3rd LS/MVD case I'm aware of where the Vets and/or clients got a diagnosis and nothing further was done. In Melody's case, a low protein diet was advised but no meds prescribed. I don't know if the Vets are dropping the ball coupled by the clients not understanding the severity of LS/MVD or not understanding the options available or what. I'll be reading threads in a different light from now on.

Thank you for the update

[jeanm1963]

Originally Posted by kjc

I have been in contact with Krystal. I don't know yet what the plan is with Kathleen or what she planned to do to help Melody. I am assuming that after speaking with the vet, it was decided to leave Melody with Krystal and begin medications, as Kathleen has health issues of her own to deal with, and was unable to go pick up Melody as was planned due to bad weather.
I am not trying to be rude here but there we many people including rescues that offered to help. Kathleen is the one that made her self available, yet she knew she had a medical condtion and an upcoming operation , this is what caused the OP To not pursue other avenues.. It was 4 days ago, I am very sure a rescue could have made travel arraingments by then NOW we are 4 days in the negitive? It wasnt decided by DR Tobias or a vet at UCLA what to do with Melody or if foods and meds were enough, Kathleen decided this and from what I am reading had no follow up plan if it didnt as she now has a medical condition and is getting an operation.


Update on Melody: Melody was/is very close to dying from the toxins not being removed by her liver. She weighs 2.6# and at that weight accompanied with her level of toxicity, prognosis is poor that she would survive a surgery to repair her liver shunt at this time, or even the trip to the hospital.
Again I am not trying to be rude here but who determined this? Im going to assume that you did not speak to the vet? Im also going to come right out and say that NONE Of us are vets here so we dont know for sure that this is the case!! I am also going to assume that the current vet is not qualified to determine if the dog can be stablized and prepare for surgury?
It appeared to me that it may take a day or two to arrange for a rescue to pick her up, that's when Kathleen volunteered to get her. That fell through due to the weather. I PMed Krystal to get Melody on antibiotics, lactulose and Denamarin immediately to at least help Melody's liver to recover, if at all possible and to at least begin getting the toxins out of her body making her healthier for the day she does have her surgery, and while arrangements could be made for whatever they decided to do.

Please clarify who is " they" , if Krystal has no finacial ability to get the liver shunt operation and as YOU state Kathleen has medical issues WHO , WHERE and when is this puppy going to get to those hospitals.

Melody started her meds and a new diet. Krystal mixed the new with the old, but Melody picked out the new and ate it. This made her stomach bloat this morning. It has gone down some, and Melody is still exhibiting neurological symptoms but has shown some improvement.

I read Krystals post about the food, she stated she came home and gave her a bowl of food and she ate it all up!! Did anyone remember to tell her that the food should be distributed only in small protions SEVERAL TIMES a day because from the sounds of the way she fed her NO ONE DID. All of us have good intentions here, but none of us are VETS NOR is ANYONE Qualified the fate of this puppy by speculation.. as many assumed this new diet and food were going to help , now leaving us 4 days behind that could have been life saving days for MELODY>


I still have questions that I'm waiting for answers on. Rescue is not totally out of the running, I'm looking into air travel to U of T through Pilots N Paws, Maybe a YT member there to get her off the plane and take her to the U of T, and now waiting to hear from Kathleen and Krystal for their decisions.
I know Kathleen was looking into having the surgery done in California, so waiting for an update there. And is there a rescue that could pick her up immediately? I know some of this is redundant, but I'm not familiar with rescues in her area and anything will still take time to put into action.

Its frustrating because 4 days have passed that would have allowed a rescue to get her!

And just to throw this out there: This is the 3rd LS/MVD case I'm aware of where the Vets and/or clients got a diagnosis and nothing further was done. In Melody's case, a low protein diet was advised but no meds prescribed. I don't know if the Vets are dropping the ball coupled by the clients not understanding the severity of LS/MVD or not understanding the options available or what. I'll be reading threads in a different light from now on.

I do NOT blame Krystal at all , Im sure no one will , however leaving Melody with a VET that doesnt even know enough to perscribe meds certainly isnt going to help MELODY. IT is also not going to help MELODY if we are assuming things. YOU stated Melody is not stable enough for the operation , HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?? This should not be determined by 1 phone call to Krystal, expecially now since we know that by the phone call between Krystal and Kathleen we assumed Diet and Meds would help , they HAVE NOT.

[jeanm1963]

I am going to to out on a limb here and state the very obvious.

NONE of us here including Kathleen and Krystal or many YT memebers are as qualified as Dr. Tobias OR a VET at UCLA to determine if Melody is stable enough for Surgery , IT CAN NOT BE SPECULATED BY A SIMPLE PHONE CALL TO KRYSTAL...