Not again....
 

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was hoping your good thoughts and prayers could help save Bentley, but unfortunately Bentley passed away on October 26th. I vowed never to get another baby, but by December I was yearning for another companion.

Bentley died of Intestinal Lymphangiestacia (a form of PLE) and probably had it all his life. It was unfortunately diagnosed too late and he passed at only 2.5 years old.

I did so much research this time around and was very thorough with my breeder. I couldn't bear to get another sick puppy and I explained to all my concerns.

I eventually found a lovely breeder and in January flew out to pick him up What a prize and a bundle of joy....I wish I could get his picture up and show you what a terrific looking boy he is. Cooper was different than Bentley - from the get go he was a fireball and so full of energy. I realized this is what puppies are like - poor Bentley was so sick, for so long that I had no idea what to expect. Cooper is a terror - he runs around the table in circles trying to get you to catch him...he tears the toilet paper from the roll and runs with it....he goes up and down his little steps with 2 toys in his mouth begging you to grab one and throw the other.....

You can therefore imagine how shocked I was this morning to find out that he is suffering from Juvenile Renal Dysplacia.

He was scheduled for neutering earlier today and just before leaving, he started to heave. I mentioned this to the vet and we began talking about his other peculiarities.....how difficult its been to potty train him and what ridiculous amounts of water he drinks. In the midst of our discussion Cooper peed - and the vet noticed how transparent it was. We agreed to do a blood test and talk later.

The results couldn't have been more shocking - I think I'm still in denial as I'm quite lucid writing this and Cooper is just bouncing around the room. The blood tests including his kidney tests were quite high and so they did an ultrasound. That is when they discovered irregularly shaped and underdeveloped kidneys.

Well, the prognosis is not good - who knows how much time we have or how quickly the disease will progress. For now we can only treat it with love and food therapy.

what luck....I just can't believe it......I am in absolute shock.

While he's up and about at the moment, the vet did mention that he will eventually slow down and since the disease is not curable we will eventually have to re-evaluate his quality of life...it. Now everytime he slows down and takes a nap, I'm going to wonder....is he tired or is he getting worse.

Sorry for rambling....I just can't believe I am having to go through this again. Yes, the bills are and will continue to be outrageous, but how is it possible that I ended up with another sick baby.......its just emotionally devastating.

I know I need to let the breeder know, but i just don't have the strength to go there right now...and besides...he's mine....I love him and I will continue to shower him every minute of the day with love and affection. We are together 24/7 and he's my little bundle of joy.

Im so sorry you have to go through this again. I truely believe that he came to you for a reason though. it must be because you such a caring and loving mommy and you have the strength and experience to care for him. :) your baby will be in my prayers.

Oh I am so very sorry to hear this!! :( I just sent you a PM.

You must be devastated. I can't imagine going through this twice. I agree that there must be a reason you were chosen to be Bentley and Cooper's mom - though I cannot begin to know what it is. I hope that you love every minute with Cooper and that he brings you much happiness for as long as he is with you.

:hands: & :aimeeyork hugs for you and Cooper.

Oh my gosh reading your post just brought tears to my eyes. I have never really been through exactly what your going through (although I did lose a baby at the beginning of last year) but just by reading your post I can totally feel your pain :( I am so very sorry sweetie. I just don't know what to say :( It is just terrible that you have to go through this again....you've already been through it once....and some may call it "bad luck" - but I personally don't think your luck is "bad" .....after all, you did have over 2 wonderful years with Bentley and now you have your baby Cooper - and hopefully you will enjoy LOTS more time with him.

Please keep us posted on little Cooper and I am sending lots of prayers and good thoughts your way. Big hugs to you and Cooper :hug:

Oh, I'm so sorry you have had to go through this, not once, but twice. Keep us updated on Cooper.

Oh no...How devasting! Both of you will get through this. Although the disease is incurable, maybe his is a very slow progression to where he can a good life for many years... I'm so sorry that this happened again. Keep your chin up, this baby needs you now, just like Bentley did. Sometimes we don't understand why things happen to us, but I believe that Cooper was meant to be with you. Maybe if he would have gone to another home, they wouldn't take care of him like you will. My heart goes out to both of you. This is so sad...Prayers for both of you.

Im so sorry you went thru the sadness of losing Bentley and now Cooper is ill too. Im glad he has you! Others might give up on him but not you! Enjoy everyday with him as i know he will enjoy everyday with you!

Oh honey, I'm sooo sorry. I can't believe this is happening to you. Prayer and hugs to you and baby Cooper.:hearts-en

You have to tell the breeder, she has to look into her dogs and see where the problem is.

oh no !! I'm soooooo sorry....I can't even imagine how devestated you must be hearing that :( :( :( sending you some positive thoughts and prayers for little Cooper and I hope he can have a normal life for whatever time he has with you....and I'm so so sorry to read this.

I am so sorry that you have to deal with losing a second baby. One is bad enough.

I know it's not about the money, but I would hope that the breeder will refund your money.

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this again. Cooper is so lucky to have a mom that already knows how to care for him since you have dealt with this previously.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Cooper!!

Poor little Cooper and poor you! :( What a tramatic thing having to let go so soon again of a best friend!!!:( I am sooooo sorry! I would definitely let the breeder know and see what they are willing to do for you. Surely if they are a good breeder, they will help with either vet bills or refund your money.

I am so... very sorry that you are going thru this again. :( :( Sending hugs and prayers to both you and Cooper. :hug60: :hands:

I am so very sorry to hear this. I was crying as a read your post as I know how very much I love my babies and I cannot imagine having to go through what you went through then and what you are having to go through now.
Words cannot express the pain and sorrow that I feel for you. If there was anything I could do to take this pain away from you I would...

It is so hard to understand why this would happen to you, why it happens to anyone but I believe God knew about little Cooper from the beginning and knew how much he would need your love. Perhaps that was why he found his way into your life...For you would love him like no other person possibly could and that is exactly what he would need.

Even though the situation looks dim, do not give up hope, in all things it is better to have hope then despair. One of my favorite writers, Emily Dickinson has a saying I've called upon many times in my life, she says "Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.? I will be praying for you to be strong and for your darling little Cooper!

Hugs,
Joy

Oh no:cry: I am so sorry that your baby is sick:( That's just not fair that you have to go through this.

Big hugs to you and Cooper:love:

Thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. I still continue to be a bit in denial, but maybe that's a good thing for now...:)

I actually did email the breeder - a nice long email sharing the news about Cooper's diagnosis, how much I loved him and how we were going to tackle the treatment. I'm not interested in the money or the guarantee, most guarantees are silly anyway and protect only the breeder.

I have to tell you though, I was surprised. Her first email back to me was a link to the Menu Foods recall (ahh, yes....I don't live in Antartica...we have news in California too....and yes, that was of course the first thing I checked). Second, was her email with just a paragraph saying how sorry she was and that none of her other litters were having any problems.

You know, when Bentley died (same thing - genetic disorder), I called the breeder and she was great. She felt so bad, and since Bentley had already passed, she offered me a new puppy from her litter. Mind, you this was nearly 3 years after I'd purchased Bentley. The guarantee was over - she didn't have to do anything.....I thought that was soooo sweet of her to offer and thanked her profusely, but being overly cautious about health concerns I declined.

Anyway, enough - too stressful...besides, I have made a commitment to Cooper and he will have a very pampered life, as short as it may be. On a good note, some additional tests came back - no blood in the urine, but his calcium and phosphorus levels are a bit high. He's bouncing around and having fun...so that's all good. Our goal is to have his blood work done every two weeks and monitor the levels.....will keep you posted.

Anyone know how I can upload thumbnail photo of him.....he's such a little pumpkin!

You sound like the BEST MOMMA EVER ;)

I do believe that Cooper will have a GREAT life - as did Bentley.

Two Special Little Angels picked YOU to be there Mommy - What an Honor!

:littleang :littleang

I will pray for Cooper

:hands: :hands:

aww i am so sorry to hear that you have to go thru this again...

Prayers are with you
 

I know what it's like to loose a precious baby. A year ago this past March we had a black lab that was the picture of health. Then he began laying around and I noticed his gums were bleeding a little. So we took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with something called Thrombocytopenia. Something was attacking the platelets in his system and over the course of 3 months and several thousand dollars, his organs began shutting down and we had to do the only humane thing there was to do, and that was let him go. My husband and I often talk about him and ask ourselves if we had known the end result at the beginning, would we have invested that much money into trying to make him better, and we both agree wholeheartedly that we would have just to have those 3 months with him. Because the three months were not ALL bad, he had some good days and there were days we thought he was healed. So I'm telling you all this because.....like everyone has said...treasure the days, love the pejeebies out of him, make memories that will last forever, spoil him rotten and don't let anybody tell you miracles don't happen. All the time you have with him and the way he bounces around.......go bounce and have fun with him, grab hold of your little miracle. Hold on and treasure your little miracle!

:love: :hug: :hearts-xx

Hi guys....i just saw the vet Wednesday and feel the need to ramble.....it's been a while since I posted about Cooper and because of his recent visit I'm feeling a bit sad. Only you guys know what its like....

After Cooper's diagnosis we were at the vet every two weeks. With his illness stabilized and the right medication (Epatikin) we were told we could downgrade to once a month for a blood workup and fluids. Cooper seemed to be handling the visits very well and never seemed to slow down. In fact, we were so ecstatic that last month we celebrated his first birthday.

Two weeks ago was his monthly appointment and we noticed a significant increase in his BUN/Creatnine levels. We decided to get a little more aggressive and change his medication (Renagel as a Phosphorous binder and we added Calcitriol which reduces the function of the parathroid gland and increases calsium absorption). We also decided to increase his fluids to once a week.

This last Wednesday was a follow up visit to the changes we made in his meds. I don't know how accurate the visit was because it was really hard to find the Renagel and so he was 2 days without a phosphate binder. Also, I was getting him to take the pill with peanut butter but PROTEIN is off limits.....ughhhhh! Anyway, his tests still came back high so next week we'll retest and the vet suggested that I seriously consider fluids once a day vs. weekly. This means going to the vet everyday at 8am...

I have to tell you....october will be a year since Bentley died and I just can't believe I've been dealing with all of this. Financially its exhausting (none of this is covered by VPI) but more important....its just emotionally draining. i can't bear the thought that this little yorkie with so much spunk in his eyes is going to die. Clinically he's in Stage 3 Renal Failure, yet you'd never know it. He sleeps a little bit more during the day - maybe an hour or so...No signs of lethargy, VERY minor vomiting and no diarrhea. Like most puppies he bounces around, chases his toys and he even has a new girlfriend, a King Charles names Lucy. They are terrific....and it brings me such joy to see them play together.

I guess we'll see how these fluids help and what his next weeks blood work says.....oh, how I hate to have to have poked and probed endlessly....he's such a sport and everyone there loves him.

I am so sorry to hear your news.
I truely feel sad for you.
I understand it is so much harder on you emotionaly than financialy. (but i'm sure it is hard to pay all the expense!!)
Only thing I can do it to pray for you and Cooper for the longest pleasant time together.
Momiji and I will be praying for you.

Saying prayers for you and your baby.

I'm so sorry you have to go through this again. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Poor baby Cooper I"m sending prayers to his way:hands:

Fight it Cooper! Did the vet give you a best and worst case scenario? I've been reading about this horrible disease and some dogs live a long time with it.

Just now seeing your thread. I am so terribly sorry ... little Cooper is just gorgeous. He doesn't look like he's had a sick day in his life ... good job Mom! I will be praying that you and Cooper have a very, very long time together .... there are miracles out there! Please keep us updated.

I am so sorry for what you are going through, how absolutely devastating it is. I wish there was something that could be done or said to make the pain go away.

I will keep you both in my prayers.