Minnie is our November 15, 2015 Pup of the Week

Being an angel can be an exercise in frustration.  Most of the time all we can do is watch over our loved ones, carry prayers up the mountain to the Big Guy for them, and fret.  But occasionally we are able to directly help.

Which brings me to Minnie and her angels Max and Tupper.  Minnie has had a terrible month.  She developed a very itchy rash that would not respond to any treatment.   Antibiotic pills, salves, nothing her regular vet gave her worked.  Her Mom decided, after more than two weeks of Minnie suffering, to try a holistic approach.  

Minnie’s Mom changed her diet to home made which she hoped would help cure Minnie of her terrible rash (and Minnie’s brother Boris was the happy co-recipient of the home cooked meals.)  Making the food took their Mom a long time and cost more than then kibble but she is a Mom who would do anything for her sweet babies  

But, like all other attempts, the new diet did not work either.  The disease spread into her ears and all down her undercarriage.  He prescribed a new antibiotic a new ear medicine, a new pill, and most scary of all the “B” word that scares all parents and pups very much.  .There was also the possibility Minnie had an autoimmune disease called Canine Pemphigus.  It is a group of autoimmune skin diseases involving ulceration, crusting of the skin and fluid filled sacs.  The treatment for this would be very expensive and would take years of follow up appointments.      

During all of this Max and Tupper could only watch from above.  They carried thousands of prayers to the Big Guy for their sister but they were in as much in the dark as we were.  Us angels like to think we can control things but mostly all we can do it try to provide comfort .

But on Friday something very bad and scary happened and the only reason it had a good outcome was because Max and Tupper were able to intervene.  Even after her biopsy, with stitches in three places, one quite delicate, Minnie, a beagle, insisted on going for a good stroll and sniff on the walking trails behind her house.  Having been cooped up Minnie was rearing to go and since she is a good girl who always comes when called she was not leashed.  But on this day she did not come.  

Minnie’s Mom repeatedly gave her “come” call but there was no sign of Minnie.  It soon turned pitch black and her Mom was begging God for mercy and help while crying and continuing with her “come call.”   She called her sister and her nephews to help in the search.  The boys began calling Minnie’s name and they heard a bark in the woods.  They followed it and found Minnie’s horrible fate.  Her leg was caught in a hunting trap.

Minnie’s Mom, because of physical issues, could not get to Minne.  She tried 911, and the DNR, but it was Minnie’s Dad and her uncle who got there first.  Minnie’s Dad saw her back leg was caught in the trap.  There were pins on either side of her leg and he pushed them in and pulled her foot out of the trap.  From there Minnie was taken to the emergency vet and miraculously there were no broken or crushed bones.  There was just some swelling and Minnie was given medication.   She needs prayers for her recovery from being trapped and for her rash.

But that’s just the part of the story her Mom knows.

Max and Tupper were watching over Minnie when she got her leg trapped.  They flew down to Minnie and told her to lie very still.  They cuddled up with her and told her that everything would be all right.  Minnie wanted to struggle and get free but Tupper said she would hurt herself more.  The two angels made rustling noises so the nephews could find Minnie and they told her not to struggle when she saw friendly faces.  The made sure she did not move when her leg was removed from the trap, and kept her calm through all the xrays and tests that came afterwards.  They stayed with her right up until the time she got drugged up and no longer needed to be kept calm.

So, when you are giving thanks to the heavens for Millie being safe don’t forget to thank Tupper and Max.  It isn’t often us angels get to help out directly.  I know Tupper and Max are very proud of their work.

And they hope they never have to do it again.

Boris, Minnie, Angels Max and Tupper are our December 14, 2014 Pups of the Week

Thank the Big Guy it was a quiet week here at Rainbow Bridge.  I did have to do a lot of flying up to the mountaintop to deliver prayers for friends including Smoochy, Sandy, Aran, Ju Ju and many more.  But we don’t mind delivering prayers.  Prayers are a sliver of hope and when you build enough slivers you can move a mountain.

Two dogs who flew prayers up the mountain with me were my two good friends Tupper and Max.  They were members of the same pack who came to the Bridge very close together this fall.  Their dual parting left their Mom crushed and no one would have blamed her if she decided to spend this Christmas hiding under the covers.

But that is not the way that Tupper and Max’s Mom operates, and if she had given in to the, intense pain that came with losing two heart dogs in the same year their siblings on the mortal side, Minnie and Boris, would not let their Mom stop spreading her usual Christmas cheer.

As Benjamin and I discussed last week humans are the most resilient species on the planet and they have solved the mystery of how you live broken hearted.  They are much better than us dogs who fall apart if Mom and Dad come home late or dinner is not served on time.

And the Boyz Mom showed that resiliency this year by keeping with a long held tradition of going to the Michiana Humane Society with donations of dog and cat food and supplies for the homeless pups at Christmas, plus blankets.  I am so proud of her for doing this because making Christmas special for homeless dog is a cause that is very important to me.

She posted that she could feel Max and Tupper with her and I can verify that she was correct.  The two flew down to be with her and see the happy expressions on the shelter dog’s faces when they realized they were loved this Christmas too.  And their Mom decided to forgo spending money on humans this year and spend it on dogs stuck in shelters waiting for their forever home.

You see Max, Tupper, Boris and Minnie’s Mom is really Mrs. Santa Claus.

I stole the picture on the top of this blog from her Facebook page.  She is standing outside of the shelter with Boris and Minnie, and, if you catch it just right during the sunset you can see Max and Tupper beside them.  

I wanted to personally thank The Boys’ Mom for providing a wonderful Christmas for those dogs who need it the most.  We are wishing her the Merriest Christmas ever

We know it won’t be without Max and Tupper, but you are resilient Aunt Pam so anything is possible.

Boris is our May 15, 2011 pup of the week

Wow, this Boris character, he's less than a year old and he's been named Pup of the Week twice in the last month.  If Boris lives an expected life scan of 15 years, and wins Pup of the Week at the rate he is currently winning it at, he will win it 360 times.  Which, given the poor week the little fellow has had will be fine with us.  Because at this point last week it seemed like it would take a miracle for Boris to be here to win the award this week.

When little Boris came to live with his new family, his Mom and siblings Max and Tupper, it was a very happy day for everyone.  But the little pup tested positive for heartworm which sent his new family into despair but did earn him his first pup of the week.

Then he came back home and the roller coaster our friends were on began rising up.  But a few days later it began crashing down again.  On Monday, after a good weekend, Boris was lethargic and not eating.  His Mom rushed him to the dogtor.  There was weight loss and a fever.  There is nothing worse then when you think you are out of the woods and you only end up in deeper woods.

The dogtor gave his Mom pills for Boris to take.  This made her question why Boris didn't get these pills when he left her care, and. if he had, would he be suffering so?  Once a Mom loses faith in a dogtor it's all over. She asked her Tanner Brigade family if she could get a second opinion and we all told her to tell the vet  "forget you."

The next day Boris was sick and trembling.  His mother called the original dogtor but neither the dogtor or the dogtor tech cared enough to talk to her.  She severed their relationship at once and thanks to her daughter was able to find a compassionate dogtor willing to see Boris immdeiately  Unfortunately our friend had to have all those alphabet tests that I don't understand, but they only run if things are very serious.

Also Boris had lost another pound and he was running out of pounds.This was Boris' sad diagnosis:  He had a fever, he had an elevated white count, and his liver enzymes were high.  Beats me too but it sounds bad.  What was good is that Boris' Mommy believes in this dogtor and the prayer brigade and bridge angels were praying for and watching over Boris constantly.

The next day, Wednesday, little Boris was not improving.  He was not eating, vomiting, and using all the strength in his little body to fight the embolism.  At least the dogters let his Mom and brothers bring a squirrel toy so he would have a touch of home.  It was obvious that, if his Mom had not made the change of dogtors, little Boris would not still be with us.  The new dogtor even left his Mom visit him and hold him which meant so much to little Boris.  It may have given him the burst of energy to push him back towards health.  When a Mom trusts a dogtor a pup can feel it when they are held.  And that makes a pup know they are going to be all right.

The first sign that a miracle might be upon us was when Boris had stopped vomiting.  But on Thursday the roller coaster began to go down again.  Boris had developed a cough.
And the dogster did not want to try feeding him with a cough.

Despite the bleak news there was hope.  His white blood count had returned to normal.  There was a drug protocol that the doctor believed in.  But it still felt like we were counting on a miracle.

Friday morning the dogtor reported on a miraculous site:  Boris was eating for the first time in days.  There would be nothing unlucky on this Friday the 13th.  Then Friday afternoon around the doggy world pups and parents began to do the Happy Dance.  Boris had cleaned his plate twice and held it down, the miracle we had counted on had come through, Boris was on the road to recovery.

If you don't know how to do the Happy Dance it goes like this.  Put your left paw in, put your left paw out.  Put your right paw in, put your right paw out, then shake your tail about
That's how you do the Happy Dance (no doubt)

And then, yesterday, the miracle occurred.  Boris came strutting back in his front door to be reunited with his brothers.  The happy family was together again.  It gives you a reason to believe when everything is at it's lowest.

Boris still has a ways to go before he is fully recovered.  He will got back to the dogtor for more treatment on Monday.  But for one soggy weekend in May he made us believe in miracles.  And any dog who can made us believe in miracles, even for a day, deserves to be pup of the week every week.






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Boris is our April 17, 2011 pup of the week

I can't say I know this week's pup of the week Boris well.

We have never barked at one another.   We haven't even done a introductory butt sniff.  I only know him from our friends Max and Tupper.

A short time ago Max and Tupper excitedly barked that they had talked their Mom into getting a brudder.  Puppies are like babies, only cuter.  Once a human takes one home they are in love with it like they have been best  friends their entire lives.

But poor Boris took sick right away.  They rushed him to the vet and he tested positive for heartworm, one of the worst words in doggy vocabulary.  Then his Mom learned that poor Boris would have to be separated from them.

Oh this poor baby.

You get to your forever home, you don't feel good, you get poked and prodded, and then ripped away from them.  And poor Mac and Tupper, who waited so patiently for a brudder, can barely find a sniff of their little friend.

We must tip our tail for Boris' dogtor who diagnosed the heartworm.  This is a difficult disease to recognize in young dogs and sometimes are only discovered after a pup has passed to the bridge.  According to Dr. Pocket the dogtor needs to administer a drug to little Boris that will kill the heartworm and any larvae which means eggs.  Once the drugs has been given to the pup it must be kept in a confined area.  Then there are several other tests after to make sure all the worms.  It is a long and costly process for poor Boris.  He's going to need lots of good help and prayers to make it to the other side.

Nothing is sadder then a puppy dog who gets sick.  But we believe in you Boris, you have our prayers, and we know you will be home soon.  Stay safe and healthy our Pup of the Week.

We also ask for prayers for Irie, the bird belonging to 12, Chappy, Whiskey and Fuzzy Bacon.  She has the dreaded blood in her stools.  She also isn't eating.  We usually don't ask for prayers for birds but this is something I have learned in the last two years.  It doesn't matter if you are dog, or a cat, or a bird, or ferret:  As long as you are loved by a dog, we will pray for you and send positive vibes.

There are a lot of prayers that need to be sent:  Hurley, Shadow's Dad, Irie, Boris, and others who I do not mean to slight by forgetting but I'm a tired dog who has done a lot of packing and got blackmailed into wearing a dress.  But let's keep the prayers going and the positive thoughts.

Keep those little ears open Boris, that's lots of dogs and humans praying for you.

And you hang in there too Irie.We need you jumping and flying in front of your Mom's and your families.

And we need to read the wonderful stories about you.