Adopted Dogs · Happy Endings · Rainbow Bridge Memorials
Luca and her brothers arrived last Saturday evening from a shelter in Missouri. They are twenty-week-old Golden Retriever and Collie mixes. They all have been fighting some kind of respiratory infection. Luca is the smallest of the litter and has been a very sick little girl. She is listless and mostly wants to sleep. The positive side is that she is eating and drinking well. Hopefully she will continue to get better every day. She would like to thank all the nice people at RAGOM for giving her a chance at the golden life.
Another good thing is the blanket that Ellie made for her. She loves it and will curl up on it every chance she gets. And sleep is good for her at this point in her recovery.
She had her visit to our veterinarian today and the x-rays show that there is still some residue in her lungs which could either be the ending of pneumonia or a case of blastomycosis, a fungal infection. Tests are being done and the results will be back in a few days. In addition she has a common intestinal parasite that contributes to her weakness.
So, just when she hoped to be getting to the end of her medicines … another round of pills are in her future.
But there was good news, too. She is gaining weight, her white blood cell count is down and her red blood cell count is up. Taken all together we are hoping that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that Luca will soon be as energetic as a puppy should be.
We have been surprised on more than one occasion about how quickly she is learning. She has been with us just over three days and we have yet to have an “accident” – she shows every indication of being house-trained.
She’s also as cute as can be.
She’s a little shy. She isn’t quite sure about going thru doors. She will eagerly take a cookie but won’t always eat it. She brightens visibly with any kind of praise. Given a chance, she loves a little cuddle … or an extended cuddle.
Our little Luca is in the hospital, she took a turn for the worse. They are running some tests and giving her some meds and hopefully she will be home and playing like a puppy soon. We will keep you updated.
| Poor little Luca. We know that she was such a sweetheart because she just didn't have the strength or energy to be naughty. We know that she had ears that stuck out like the wings of a hang glider - so much so that one was almost afraid to take her outside in these spring winds for fear that she would experience "lift-off". We know that she was tiny and petite because all she has known is sickness and coughing up phlegm from diseased lungs. She was so sick that she had to go to the University Animal Medical Center. Three different couples, waiting to be seen with their dogs, saw her and said (out loud) "Oh, how cute!". The Vet Tech said the same thing. The doctor actually kissed her! We are so glad we had some time to hold Luca in our laps and we got to cuddle with her and whisper into her (hang-glider-like) ears how much we loved her. Our Little Sweet Luca passed over the Rainbow Bridge today and is playing like the puppy she always wanted to be. |