Brooklyn is Our May 25, 2014 Pup of the Week

I must admit that before I crossed the River of Life I had visited Rainbow Bridge before.  My Boston Terrier friends, McKinsie, Promise, Megan, would visit me in my dreams and take me to the Bridge, which helped me greatly when I made my journey

I have very important things to do as a Judge here but when I get my playtime I enjoy spending lots of it with McKinsie, Promise and Megan, and sometimes, in their dreams, the rest of their pack joins us.  I enjoy the balance of who amongst the Boston Terrier pack is here, and who is on the other side of the Bridge.  But now the balance has been upset as Brooklyn is in very serious condition and in need of many prayers.

It started during an innocent day of play.  Much like my sister Pocket Brooklyn loves to chase balls.  Brooklyn was playing with her brother Parker when they both went for the ball and crashed mid-air.  Brooklyn was knocked unconscious for over five minutes.  When she did come around her eyes didn’t seem right.  But Brooklyn acted fine and her Mom hoped it would pass.

But Brooklyn wasn’t bouncing back.  Her Mom could see, through Brooklyn’s expressive eyes that she was in pain, and there was swelling in her neck.  Mom hurried Brooklyn to the vet who prescribed an antibiotic hoping that it would clear up whatever was wrong, but it had little effect as Brooklyn grew worse until it became apparent that she had lost her eyesight and was crying in pain.

Brooklyn’s pack, affectionately known as the Magnificent 7, were upset and hovered over her.  She is their leader, their protector, their guide.  

The following morning Mom took Brooklyn back to the vet who said that Brooklyn had swelling behind her eye, possibly an abscess from the accident, or a tumor.

The vet thought that medication was still the best treatment.  Over the following days the roller coaster effect was in full force.  One day she was leading the seven outside to their pee spot and drinking water, the next not seeing things that were right in her face.  But she did improve with medication, the real test would be when she went off the medication.

Soon, after being taken off her medication, Brooklyn’s vision problems and pain returned.  The vet checked her over and while he knew something was wrong because she was showing sensitivity in the head and neck.  He didn’t think it was a tumor, and put her on medication again, but Brooklyn did not respond.  In fact, she got worse, losing her balance and being unable to walk.

The vet believed it was inflammation in the neck from her crash.  He prescribed laser treatments to relieve the inflammation.  The roller coaster began again.  She would have a good day, then a bad day, bringing high hopes than none at all.  Friday night she took a turn to the worse and was in a semi-conscious state.

Her Mom believed she had a brain tumor, or an injury from the mid-air collision with Parker, and she asked all dogs to play with a tennis ball that day for Brooklyn, who she was convinced was headed to the Bridge.

Mom called the vet to schedule the appointment for Brooklyn’s departure.  But the vet wanted to hold out for a miracle.  There was a possibility that there was something non-life threatening wrong with Brooklyn, and she could not let Brooklyn leave without eliminating every possibility.

They went to the vet’s office to do x-rays which turned up something unexpected.  Brooklyn had a very serious infection in the inner ear and sinus cavities.  She was given fluids by bolus under the skin and injected with antibiotics then sent home with prescriptions with more antibiotics and anti-inflammation medication.  The vet said the recovery would be slow, and, if there is a seizure there would be no way to stop her trip to the Bridge.  Her Mom even asked me not to allow her to cross the Bridge and I said I would do everything I could to keep her on the mortal side of life.

The last report I received about Brooklyn was yesterday morning.  She was not improving.  She had to receive medicine and water by syringe.  She could not stand on her own. She was lying still taking very deep breaths.  

Her Mom wrote this description of her love “Brooklyn is the joy of our family of Bostons, she is the leader, the ball player, the referee, the Red head of the family...she does agility and is a natural as her Aunt Promise (who is with me at the Bridge) , and was about to make her splash into the agility ring this summer...she is a love, but no one touches her ball, and her joy is chasing it and bringing it to me...keeping it away from the others....”

For Brooklyn to survive is going to take the greatest miracle ever, but, if it’s possible, we can do it.  Just pray for one more day with Brooklyn, just one more day for Brooklyn to be with the Magnificent Seven, and if that answer is yes then pray again tomorrow, and if the answer is yes, then do it for a week of tomorrow’s, then a month, then a year, then a ten thousand tomorrows, until Brooklyn has lived a good, long life, and not the six years she has had.

Brooklyn has been knock, knock, knocking on the Bridge door for a while now, but we are ignoring it, because she deserves so many more tomorrows, so many more balls thrown, so many more days of sunshine with her Mom.

I know us little group of dogs ask for a lot of miracles.  Can’t we have this one?  Please?