About Me
Hi Spangler here, I can't remember much
when I was a pup. So I will leave this time in my life up to my good
friends, heroes, mentors and family to tell you the story, take it
away---
Me, when I was sick
With catheter still in her leg to help ease her to the other side, Dr Green and staff gave Spangler one more chance. The miracle? She finally responded to treatment and was pulled from the jaws of death one more time. But what would life be like for the fragile pup who was now blind, on seizure medication and still unable to be held or touched?
In the words of Suze Littlefox-Wright (My good friend and one of my wonderful foster Moms)
Spangler had distemper, a viral infection that kills 90% of the puppies who get it.
The seizures, it seemed, had robbed this small puppy of her very soul.
Dottie, who would be renamed Spangler, did nothing but walk in circles
with dull eyes and no reaction to others or to toys. Her seizures
continued out of control. Any touch resulted screams.
The vet recommended she be put down. In fact, everyone said to put her
down. They had valiantly tried to save her life and failed. Time to end
her suffering. Brenda Vanderver, co-founder of PC Pound Puppies, asked her foster parents at the time what they recommended: Save her, or let her go?
It was Chris who insisted she saw a dog inside and said, 'Lets try just one more time.'
With catheter still in her leg to help ease her to the other side, Dr Green and staff gave Spangler one more chance. The miracle? She finally responded to treatment and was pulled from the jaws of death one more time. But what would life be like for the fragile pup who was now blind, on seizure medication and still unable to be held or touched?
By Suze Littlefox-Wright (Foster Mom)
I'm
a Dalmatian/Labrador mix who arrived at PC Pound Puppies with two of my
siblings late last summer. We were about two months of age and dumped
by a road side near Mt Vernon, IN. My litter mates were healthier than
me and quickly adopted. But I remained in vet care for over a month
fighting for my life due to Distemper.
Just to let you know just how bad this disease is, 90% of puppies who get this horrible disease die. I'm one the lucky 10% to survive. But that doesn't mean I'm healthy and will never have problems again.
Distemper left me with neurological issues, such as seizures and what appears to be some loss of feeling at least in one leg and paw. I'll be on seizure meds for the rest of my life.
If that weren't enough for a little girl to suffer from, I also have vision loss and may have hearing loss. My foster mom's vet saw me and asked how long I'd been blind in one eye - that's because my cute little prance is also an indicator that I step high because I'm not sure where things are. That's an indication of blindness in one eye. I may also have loss of side vision. No one really knows for sure.
That doesn't mean I don't love balls and to chase. It does mean, however, I quickly lose sight of tossed balls or toys unless they're rolled very slowly away from me and that someone makes sure I'm aware of where they are going to begin with.
As for hearing loss, when I'm called, I can't quite figure out where the sound is coming from and will run around trying to figure it out. I DO come when called - I just can't tell where I'm supposed to go! Makes life interesting!
And I'm smaller than my brother and sister from my litter. They are 45-50 pounds and I fight to maintain 30 pounds. I have trouble chewing my food, so I don't eat much at any given time. My foster mom softens my kibble with a bit of broth or veggies and their juice to help me and also leaves my food down for me to eat as I"m able. It's kept in my crate because my foster sister, Abbie, would eat it before I ever saw it! She's a real food hound and HOG, I might add!
Distemper also can cause long term problems with teeth and paw pads. It erodes the protective enamel on teeth, therefore, I'll likely have a lot of dental issues as I grow older. I'm already showing signs of problems with my paw pads, as mom has noticed what appears to be deep cuts on my feet and that my pads are very rough to touch. I also do NOT like anyone messing with my paws!
But mom HAS to do just that. She's keeping them softer with petroleum jelly and bag balm and adding a bit of neosporen to my paws each night. She's also letting me get into the swimming pool, since she's hoping the treated water will be gentler feeling to my paws...not to mention I sort of LOVE water! BOL! I'm very good at taking a short cut through the water to get back and forth in that section of the yard....grin!
In spite of all these issues in my little short life, I'm about one year old now, I'm happy go lucky and thrilled to death to be on the earth. I love to play, get into trouble, dig up mom's flowers with my brother, Austin, and think it's wonderful I have a sheltered porch to wile away the summer days! Mom is always impressed with my positive attitude. Life is life. I'm just happy to be a part of it all!
Just to let you know just how bad this disease is, 90% of puppies who get this horrible disease die. I'm one the lucky 10% to survive. But that doesn't mean I'm healthy and will never have problems again.
Distemper left me with neurological issues, such as seizures and what appears to be some loss of feeling at least in one leg and paw. I'll be on seizure meds for the rest of my life.
If that weren't enough for a little girl to suffer from, I also have vision loss and may have hearing loss. My foster mom's vet saw me and asked how long I'd been blind in one eye - that's because my cute little prance is also an indicator that I step high because I'm not sure where things are. That's an indication of blindness in one eye. I may also have loss of side vision. No one really knows for sure.
That doesn't mean I don't love balls and to chase. It does mean, however, I quickly lose sight of tossed balls or toys unless they're rolled very slowly away from me and that someone makes sure I'm aware of where they are going to begin with.
As for hearing loss, when I'm called, I can't quite figure out where the sound is coming from and will run around trying to figure it out. I DO come when called - I just can't tell where I'm supposed to go! Makes life interesting!
And I'm smaller than my brother and sister from my litter. They are 45-50 pounds and I fight to maintain 30 pounds. I have trouble chewing my food, so I don't eat much at any given time. My foster mom softens my kibble with a bit of broth or veggies and their juice to help me and also leaves my food down for me to eat as I"m able. It's kept in my crate because my foster sister, Abbie, would eat it before I ever saw it! She's a real food hound and HOG, I might add!
Distemper also can cause long term problems with teeth and paw pads. It erodes the protective enamel on teeth, therefore, I'll likely have a lot of dental issues as I grow older. I'm already showing signs of problems with my paw pads, as mom has noticed what appears to be deep cuts on my feet and that my pads are very rough to touch. I also do NOT like anyone messing with my paws!
But mom HAS to do just that. She's keeping them softer with petroleum jelly and bag balm and adding a bit of neosporen to my paws each night. She's also letting me get into the swimming pool, since she's hoping the treated water will be gentler feeling to my paws...not to mention I sort of LOVE water! BOL! I'm very good at taking a short cut through the water to get back and forth in that section of the yard....grin!
In spite of all these issues in my little short life, I'm about one year old now, I'm happy go lucky and thrilled to death to be on the earth. I love to play, get into trouble, dig up mom's flowers with my brother, Austin, and think it's wonderful I have a sheltered porch to wile away the summer days! Mom is always impressed with my positive attitude. Life is life. I'm just happy to be a part of it all!
My Foot (Distemper is also called Hard Pad Disease)
The deep cuts on the bottom of my feet.
The deep cuts on the bottom of my feet.
I just love it when people tell stories, especially when they are about me!
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