6/25/12 Grace was feeling so much better
today. It was quite apparent when Gerri, her husband Marty and
their 16 month old grandson went to visit her at the Vet Clinic, and
were met by Grace's wagging tail.
Dr. Kim explained to Gerri that x-rays revelaed Grace has a dislocated
hip that cannot be put back in it's socket. It's been dislocated
for far too long.
Grace will require one of 2 surgeries, either a full hip replacement or
an FHO. Neither of which can be done until her infections are
cleared up and she has put on weight.
But even a dislocated hip couldn't stop Grace from jumping up on her
hind legs and putting her front paws in Marty's lap to lavish him and
their grandson with kisses.
The good news in all this is that her cleft pallate does not appear to
be severe. No one thinks surgery is necessary to correct it.
The next protocol in Grace's treatment plan consists of a fecal and
full blood panel to check all organ functions.
There's concern about either her kidneys or her liver, as neither
Doctor believes her fungal skin infection is the cause of her extremely
high white blood cell count.
Grace will remain hospitalized for a few more days as she continues
being treated with antiobiotics, immune boosters and pain medication.
Before Gerri left, she got on the floor and Grace didn't simply kiss
her, she literally BATHED Gerri in kisses, covering her face and neck.
Dr. Kim says Grace has already become her best friend, and knowing how
many people have stepped up to help this girl has helped restore her
faith in humanity. She hugged Gerri's neck as she said this.
UPDATE FROM GERRI SCHMDIT ON "SCRAPPY"
aka "GRACE"
6/25/12
Now to Scrappy, who was in the clinic when I
arrived. They discovered
today that she has an upper respiratory infection. They put her on
Doxycycline 100mg bid. and also sent ear drops. As she was just dx with
the upper respiratory infection, I could not bring her home with me ,
because of my two dogs. It was almost impossible to find a vet in the
area with an free isolation space. Fortunately, between Kathy Cochran,
myself and another friend all calling vets we found one. In fact, I was
put on hold, and later found out I was holding for Kathy's call to the
same facility. She is now at the Crenshaw Vet Clinic at 24260 Crenshaw
Blvd in Torrance CA. Their number is 310-326-0000 for those of you who
want to make donations. We have a sick girl in there right now. The
first thing the vet told me is that she is barely a year old. She felt
that the skin condition is a fungal infection. Grace's temp was 102.7,
on the high side but not remarkable . Her heart is strong and lungs are
clear. It looks like she may have a fractured or dislocated hip joint
on her left. In addition, she has a cleft pallette ( I did not know
dogs had this condition). The vet said it wasn't a severe one, but she
will watch what goes on.So the plan was to run a CBC, take x-rays of
her hip and keep her for the night for observation. The vet called me
about an hour after I left to tell me her WBC is over 20,000. She said
this is not a new infection, and in fact has been going on for
sometime. She also discovered pain in that left leg leg which neither
the vet nor I observed during the initial examination. she does not
limp, puts full weight on it, and her neurological response seems
normal. They put Grace on pain meds tonight and first thing in the
morning, so they can x-ray her without inflicting pain. The vet doubled
the dose of the Doxycycline and is also starting her on Baytril. She is
not happy about the Baytril as it can cause some cartiilige problems,
but feels the risk is worth it at this time. She said that the dog has
been in a number of fights as she has scars under all the mess of the
skin condition. I can assure you that this girl did not start them, but
was on the receiving end of it.To keep all of you wonderful people up
to date:the following has been spent: $60.00 to get her out of the
shelter ( Senior Citizen discount!!) They indicated that $50 of it was
for spaying her.I confirmed with the tech that they did not spay her,
so they re-worked the paperwork to indicate that it was a trust fee -
total of $60.00. Next for what the vet planned to do...X-ray, CBC,
specialized bath treatment for her skin, antifungal drug for her skin,
and an immune booster for several weeks and a one night stay came to
$395.00. Kathy Cochran called with her and her husband's credit card to
take care of the initial vet cost, which I will reimburse her for , out
of the pay pal donations. Thus far Kathy checked for me and said
$400.00 has come in as of this afternoon. I have a strong feeling that
Grace (Scrappy) will be in the Vets for a couple of days minimum. In
addition, doubling up on the Doxy, and then adding the Baytril was not
listed on the initial bill. To date we have spent $455.00 on this poor
baby. So if any of you can find it in your hearts to help financially,
our girl needs it. For those of you who preferred to donate through a
vet's office, I listed the address and telephone number at the
beginning of this long post. As an aside Grace (AKA Scrappy ) vomited
in the car ( I am fairly certain from motion sickness). It was
undigested dog food. Also, I took pictures, but have to download a
program to get them out of my camera. I just received this new camera
for mother's day from one of my sons, so you will have to be patient
with me. Also, I have had my 15 mo old grandson her all day today (
thank you grandpa for staying home with our little guy while I took
care of the furry girl).
