For those who aren't familiar with my background,
just a short review of the last years. After my husband's brain
surgery in 2010 which left him completely paralyzed on one side, I
had to end my career and also put on hold my activity within my
animal rescue organisation Three Spotted Brothers Shelter (Trei
Frati Patati), taken over by Amicii Dog Rescue in 2014. A year
later I went back as a volunteer-administrator of the shelter till
the point my mother got terminally sick and had to quit my endeavor
for good. Somehow life assigned me with the mission of family
personal nurse, a role that is still active at the time being.
Aside from that, I have my 5 dogs, complemented by undesired
"living gifts" brought by people in my neighborhood once in a
while.
Opening
This a story of two puppies; one of them is a special
case.
The two black mongrels appeared on my alley last
February. On a cold rainy evening.
Whoever abandoned them was certainly missing humanity
within his or her heart.
A neighbor of mine informed me by text message that
someone threw some pups in my yard. I rushed outside but the pups
were rather further. Even when I still had 6 more dogs inside and
there were these two ladies walking one Bichon each but waiting for
me to pick the puppies, either one wouldn't assume the
responsibility of taking them home, just praised me by "bless
you".
Those coffee beans eyes looking around helplessly, those
tiny little figures all wet and trembling, clinging tightly to each
other as if they were one body; it's a scene to which I am not
immune. Unfortunately for me most of the people in my neighborhood
are, and that's how I end up having an overcrowded home many times.
Although at that moment I wasn't thinking of that, I just knew I
had to take the muddy wet puppies to a warm place, bathe and feed
them. It's just that I had no puppy food as most of my dogs are
older. No milk either, no open store close by, nothing to feed them
with ..., that was what I was reviewing rapidly in my mind.
Fortunately one of the ladies offered her kid's milk portion from
school. Well that saved me for the night! And the
puppies!
I knew my nights will turn into days with two small
pups, but heck, I already lost my sleep to panic attacks I had ever
since my husband's granny had a stroke and collapsed last summer.
Back then, I could feel the axe teetering over my head for two long
weeks whilst the neurologist kept "threatening" us with the
discharging from the hospital. I was terrified by the idea of
having yet again another family member motionless ill in bed, not
being able to eat or talk, and no one else to help me with the care
at home. Two weeks after, right on my birthday, she passed away
peacefully in the hospital but my anxiety developed into these
horrid panic attacks under the pressure of being a family
caretaker.
Sandy
Shortly before the pups landed with me, I saw a post
about a small size very friendly female wandering alone on the
streets. And it was cold and snow outside but yet again, no one
offer her more than a notice on the local Facebook page. I took a
risk by taking her inside as my previous foster-pups had all
distemper; but there were also menacing dangers outside and in
these cases you have to go for it. However never thought that this
sporadic episode would attract another one and I'll end up by
having a full house in a very dog unfriendly
neighborhood.
I've named the newcomer Sandy and the pups Sissy and
Bobo. The friendly female rapidly took on the role of baby-sitter.
Seeing how nicely was guarding and playing with the pups, I
realized she must have had her own babies sometime somewhere. But
heck, we have our own female that normally takes on this role every
time a new puppy appears in our family, and this time poor Piky was
not able to be close to the puppies as much as she would have loved
to. Although I could see the hurt in her eyes, she did not
interfere, respecting Sandy's role. And I couldn’t help but respect
the the way animals know/understand what/how to (re)act in a
specific moment. What a beautiful lesson for us
humans!
6 weeks later, Sandy went to Uk. Lucky for her as the
pups grew too big and she might have ended up harmed.
Sissi and Bobo
The morning after Sissi and Bobo’s arrival, I've noticed
the differences between the male and female. While everything
seemed to be just fine with Sissi, several facts caught my
attention on her brother. Firstly the strange shape of his head
immediately got me thinking of hydrocephalus. In addition to this,
his left eye was bigger than the other (exophthalmia), and the
right one was colored in blue (heterochromia). And before long I
figured out he was almost blind. He had also difficulties of
keeping his rear legs straight while he ate, and instead of
stepping on paws he was using the lower bones (metatarsus) that
were pretty much curved. Comparative to his sister, he was much
smaller and pretty wobbly.
All these clear facts led to the conclusion that poor
Bobo was to be a special case.
Of course I went out for help on FaceBook!
Of course I went out for help on FaceBook!
I received some puppy food for the beginning but I knew
I had to take Bobo to the Cluj's specialists to be visually
examined as soon as possible. I did ask for a ride to Cluj as I had
no money, but I got no response. So I had to wait to raise funds.
Ever since I no longer administrate the shelter, people think of me
as managing my own shelter from my home. However the only income in
our family is my husband's disability allowance and no matter how
hard I try to stretch it, the money doesn’t reach from one month to
another. So the unexpected arrival of these new pups has turned
into a financial burden to us. The luck came, as in other times,
from my old Swedish friends from Dogs Looking for Home Organisation
to which I can't be more grateful; and from few other friends in US
and UK! Thank you ladies!
And that's how the long series of trips to different
veterinarians began.
Firstly Bobo has been suspected of having
hydrocephalus. Just as I feared! So he had to have his
brain X-rayed. But nothing conclusive was to be seen. Then I
took him to a neurologist. A beautiful young lady concluded
there is nothing neurologically in his wobbliness but most likely
it's a lack of vision matter. So I went for an eye
specialist; this one said that the swelling of his left eye is
most probably caused by glaucoma, but being a small pup
can't be explored with the medical equipment yet. The good news was
that Bobo wasn't completely blind but the vet couldn't establish
exactly how much he does see. He recommended that we return when
he’s older.
Somehow none of these explanations satisfied me.
That’s because Bobo remained unwell. Especially during the
nights he was agitated and kept whining as something was troubling
him. I didn't know where to look for answers, but I felt there is
more to be explored.
In time, as his sister grew up beautifully and svelte as
a gazelle; Bobo rather looked like a sumo wrestler with heavy foot
due to his out of space elbows and stiff rear legs. His walk was
loud and slouched. A weird rasping noise made by his bones could be
also heard. Also the middle of his spine was curved, which made him
looked crooked.
At this point I felt we have to visit an
orthopedist. I did some research to look for the best
specialist and again asked for funds. My Swedish friends once again
assisted me in this project. When we finally got an appointment,
the vet took several X-rays of different parts
of Bobo's body. In the end, his bitter remark got me pretty
rattled: "never have I seen such a defective dog, so
far!" And explained to me in each picture the many
problems of the poor pup. Practically there
were no normal joint; each of them (hips and
elbows) was out of its normal place and plated instead
of being rounded, rubbing the bone on bone and creating the
squeaking sound. The cause of the severe dysplasia
couldn't be known, however it is mainly
congenital and less as a result of poor
nutrition.
But nevertheless, Bobo acts like a normal puppy, full of
life and has an excellent appetite.
The vet recommended good food and a proper diet not to
get overweight, as any extra stress on his bones could be harmful.
In the same vein, his muscles seems to be atrophied as he
can't walk properly and doesn't get much exercise either. While his
sister is doing laps to the yard and upward back to house, Bobo is
very much afraid of stairs. He managed though to climb up, but
descending seems to be pretty scary to him. Sometimes I give him a
lift but as he grew pretty large (15 kg+) my injured back warns me
with a severe pain along my right leg each time.
Being still a pup (approx 7 ½ months old) any medical
intervention can be done only after the bones stop growing. What
will be needed? Most likely prosthesis. There is a huge risk of
developing arthritis or arthrosis, very painful for the poor boy;
and that is why surgeries are a must. Unfortunately none of this
intervention can be done in Romania!
Bobo will need treatment and long term support,
consisting of joint and anti-inflammatory supplements.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to procure anything so far. I saw this
natural US product which I think would be perfect for him, but I
need help to get it to Romania:
advanced-hip-joint-chews-with-glucosamine-msm-chondroitin-turmeric.
Few weeks ago we went back to the clinic, this time for
an eye check. We managed to get an appointment with a visiting
optometrist from Hungary. We have been told that this vet usually
comes to Cluj's clinic (Biovet) only once or twice a year. There is
a great need of eye specialists in Romania as there are only two in
the country; one at the Veterinary University in Cluj, where we've
already been and the other in Bucharest. But both of them use old
mechanical devices that are not very accurate. We had taken the
opportunity for a digital scan (again with my Swedish friend's
participation). The very friendly vet was the one who finally
helped us to put together all the information we had regarding
Bobo's "defects". His diagnosis: "inoperable congenital
cataract", most likely as a result of toxoplasmosis of
Bobo's mom during pregnancy.
This was the last piece of the puzzle, and we finally understood that most of our pup's health issues were congenital malformations due to a nasty parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that affects the fetuses both in humans and animals.
This was the last piece of the puzzle, and we finally understood that most of our pup's health issues were congenital malformations due to a nasty parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that affects the fetuses both in humans and animals.
My torment and my dilemma
I have to admit I’ve fallen for this pup!
Occasionally, compassion/sympathy towards a defenseless
being can easily turn into something more complex.
Looking deep into my soul I found reasons why I became so
profoundly connected to Bobo; some almost beyond the threshold of
imagination.
In December 2016 I've lost my iconic dog, Freddy - the
full-hearted mirthful dachshund. The distress
following this episode left a heartbreaking wound. And I had the
feeling that this hurt will never go away.
I constantly dreamed about him until the two pups arrived in my life. Then I had this peculiar dream of holding Freddy to my bosom and embracing him tightly. It was the first time I felt him happy. And he non-verbally communicated me: "I came back as I've missed you so much!”
I constantly dreamed about him until the two pups arrived in my life. Then I had this peculiar dream of holding Freddy to my bosom and embracing him tightly. It was the first time I felt him happy. And he non-verbally communicated me: "I came back as I've missed you so much!”
It was impossible to forget such a powerful
dream!
It was the last time I dreamed about him!
Meantime, few odd things caught my attention on Bobo's
behavior; a comportment that was... kind of duplicating Freddy's
habits. Looking for Lucy (Freddy's mom) first think in the morning
was one of it. The ardor with which he is dashing from one room to
another, seeking for her to clean her eyes, her teeth or the skin
marks of her old age
(warts/papillomas)
from head or neck, the wagging of his long tail when finding
her, reminds me so much of Freddy. The next on his favorite's list
is our big Rocky, same as Freddy's. Should I add that he also took
over the role of my "personal shadow" following me everywhere, even
the loo? And oh, how he cries when I go away..., simply
heartbreaking! Freddy did the same. And besides these, he loves to
lick my feet; long time haven't been that pampered!
Eventually I've opened up to my husband and he admitted
that the peculiar idea of Bobo being Freddy's reincarnation might
be true after all. As fanciful as it sounds!
But this is the happiest part of the story; what peace
Bobo has brought to me after Freddy’s loss. The less happy is
Bobo’s special needs that require professional help. In addition to
this, being partially blind and having slow reflexes due to his
wobbliness, his constantly attempts to play along with the other
dogs of our family ends with injury; mostly for the older dogs, but
that puts stress both on them and on me, trying to guard them all
the time. For this reason, poor Bobo is sometimes ostracized by the
pack, being avoided or warned by growls. The only one who plays
with him is his sister, Sissi, but weird thing she started to
attacks him. I realize she doesn't feel her brother has special
needs. Much like the kids within a family, and they all compete for
mommy's affection; and once there are differences, jealousy
appears.
In this video Sissi wears the fluorescent collar
Leaving aside my ideal situation, Bobo’s need make
living with us not the best option for him. Regardless the feelings
we share for each other, knowing that I can't meet his needs
increases my own frustration. No matter how much I would like, I
can't make him the top priority of our family as there are so many
external facts beyond of any reasonable control, and I can’t
neglect the needs of the other dogs in our family.
I've been seeking for help/solutions for months now, but
everyone turned me down.
People are not willing to take on such a special case
while it presents a financial burden.
Nor are rescue organisations willing to accept such
responsibility, as the costs involving the prosthesis interventions
can get pretty high. Other's policy is not to promote special needs
dogs for adoption due to past bad experiences.
The vet has said that Bobo doesn't have to be destroyed.
He is a young lovable pup, full of life! I couldn't do that,
especially after having had a previous agonizing episode with
Freddy.
So what should I do?
I am struggling with this financially and
emotionally.
Where else should I seek for help?
My idealistic side doesn't want to give up counting on
people's kindness.
Sissi will hopefully adopted to Sweden. I can imagine
her running freely on an open field or in a forest, enjoying her
new life to the fullest. I trust someone will fall for her, as she
is beautiful and healthy!
As for Bobo, no matter how strong our connection
has become in these months, I am aware that our home is not the
best place for him. He has shown a lot of improvement, and is a
beautiful male dog. Even though his growth and development has
caught up to his sister he still needs special care. We are now
dealing with a nasty ear infection because of the heat and the
humidity that affects long-eared dogs. Even with all his troubles,
he hasn't lost his appetite nor his joy.
What is the perfect home for him?
Without stairs for sure, so he can easily go
outside whenever he wants to,
for personal business or fun.
And with open space so he doesn't keep bumping on
furniture.
Preferably not within the city since walking in a
noisy environment distracts and upsets him.
A home with one dog only, or less active
family, who can spend time with him as he is totally depended
upon human's presence. Healthy people that could lift 15 kg+
whenever necessary. Someone committed to fall in love with a
disabled pup, no matter of his special needs.
And ultimately, someone for whom this special needs dog
is not a financial burden, but a loving challenge. Is there someone
like that in this Universe?
If anyone would like to support Bobo's case, donations are more than welcomed!
If anyone would like to support Bobo's case, donations are more than welcomed!
Update 1, March 2019:
My dream came true! Sissi has been adopted by a very nice
family in Sweden!
Update 2, May 2019:
After searching for professional orthopedists in Europe,
finally I found one near by, in Hungary. In one day trip, I took
Bobo to Nyiregyhaza Pets Clinic.
Same as the Romanian orthopedist told us last year, the
dysplasia is most likely a congenital malformation. What we've
found in addition to that is that the front legs issue is called
short ulna syndrome - meaning the ulna bone is shorter than the
radius.
"If diagnosed in a young puppy, where there is still
substantial growth potential, cutting the ulna bone relieves the
constraining effect on the radius allowing continued limb growth
and releasing pressure upon the joint surfaces.
In more mature dogs, a corrective osteotomy and
stabilisation (bone cut and fixation with plates and screws or an
external frame) can be used to realign and stabilise the joint and
limb for more normal configuration. If the condition is diagnosed
later, joint instability and degenerative joint changes may be too
far progressed and reconstructive surgery can be less
effective.
The post-operative care for these procedures can be
difficult and lengthy for both owner and puppy, so prompt
recognition and management of these cases is vital".
(https://www.mvsvets.co.uk/pet-owners/short-ulna-syndrome/)
Unfortunately for Bobo is too late! The very nice Hungarian vet told us that there is no use in doing the surgery now, exactly for the reasons mentioned above! The post-op care would be extremely difficult and no one can assure us that his life's quality would indeed improve. It might be on the contrary! He explained that Bobo's body adjusted to the "defects" so it can go on like this.
My concern was the pains, but he explained that it can appear in 5 years or even only in his older age. Meantime he definitely needs an ongoing support treatment consisting of bones supplements. He gave us NeoK9 Clinical formula, currently recommended as being the best on the market (but also quite expansive)!
Bobo's biggest issue at this point seems to be his vision. He has been diagnosed with: cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment and degeneration.
Being congenital malformations that destroyed the eyes
even before being borne (most likely due to the fact that his
mother suffered from Toxoplasmosis, as the previous oculist has
said), none of these can be fixed through surgery!
As I have also observed (sensed), Bobo only sees some
shadows with one eye, “the sensitive one”. Being still sensitive,
it is also painful. Therefore eye-drops treatment for the time
being is a must, and later on eye removal surgery!
Unfortunately we haven't found here Pilocarpin - one of the two eye drops medicine prescribed, and we are hoping someone can help us get it to Romania! The other one is Xalatan - we found it here! Both eye drops are for human usage!
Unfortunately we haven't found here Pilocarpin - one of the two eye drops medicine prescribed, and we are hoping someone can help us get it to Romania! The other one is Xalatan - we found it here! Both eye drops are for human usage!
What's next? Well, we'll take one step of the time,
assuring Bobo the best life conditions in the given
circumstances.
But we'll definitely have to look for a better place! An
adoptive family that can provide him a better environment to
develop. A quiet place with regularly walk and no other dogs
around, as he gets very scared and attacks. And no, that is not
only because he isn't socialized, it's something common to blind
dogs! (Especially that he experienced the attacks of his sister
while being just a pup). A home with no stairs, as he cannot use it
and keeps him “captive” inside the house. He is 20 kg now, he could
even weigh more in time, which makes it very difficult to handle on
the stairs.
Here, with us, he has already learned everything I could
teach him. He is a very smart dog that needs further training to
develop his abilities. He required lots of attention, which he gets
from me, but at the expense of my other 4 dogs and my other family
duties. Which also stops me from taking in new foster
dogs.
This is why for his own best, but also for the others,
he needs another home! And here we cannot find it!
.jpg)
