One sick puppy . . . and she needs your help

Tags

dog lovers, English Cream Golden Retriever, Go Fund Me, Help for a sick puppy's surgery, liver shunt in a dog, sick puppy, writers, writing

Hello blogging friends! I jump-started my blogging routine a couple of months ago and then, what do you know, it fizzled. The reason? Who knows!? I’m sure you have all experienced the same thing.

However, I am moved to do a blog post today because this precious 4-month-old puppy needs your help. Help from all of us. Let me explain . . .

Our daughter Paige is a crazy dog lover. Not a lover of crazy dogs, but is nutty over dogs. Actually, we all are. But, back to Paige being a dog nut . . . ever since she met an English Cream Golden Retriever several years ago, she has longed to have one of these gorgeous dogs in her life.

That dream came true in September when this little nugget came into her life.

Look at all that puppy-goodness!

Needless to say, I was head-over-heels in love as well.

Echo was enjoying all the shoe-chewing, rough housing, and public adoration that such an adorable puppy should be bestowed.

But something wasn’t quite right. People commented on how mellow she was. She had days where she was mopey and whiney. Echo appeared to sleepwalk and then bump into walls. The strange behavior wasn’t an everyday thing, so Paige wasn’t terribly concerned. Until one horrible day . . .

Echo started to foam at the mouth, have seizures, and was completely out of it. Paige rushed her to the vet in a panic, thinking Echo was about to die.

I got a heartbreaking phone call from Paige while she was in the examination room at the vet’s office as they ran tests on Echo. Paige and the puppy were a mess.

All of you parents out there know how awful it is to have your child in such emotional pain and you can’t do anything to ease that excruciating sadness. I wanted to carry the burden for her or magically make it go away, but here wasn’t a damn thing I could do and it about killed me.

To make a long story short, Echo didn’t die that night. The vet was able to stabilize her and sent her home with medicine and a strict diet. A week later they did a CT scan and confirmed their suspicions . . . Echo has a congenital condition where her liver can’t filter her blood properly. In essence, her system was poisoning her.

On a side note, Echo’s breeder has an excellent reputation and uses impeccable breeding procedures. She was stunned about Echo’s condition and in all the years she has been breeding Goldens, none of her puppies have had this birth defect.

But there is hope for little Echo. Surgery can correct the liver defect. But it is costly . . . to the tune of $10,000.

Shocking, right? But what do you do when you are faced with a sick dog, but fortunately something can be done about it? Echo is not a lost cause. However, without the surgery, the toxins in her system will irreversibly damage her organs and greatly cut her life short.

You can read the full story about Echo’s condition and what needs to happen in order for her to have a full, normal and pawsome life here at:  Go Fund Me.

I write today to ask if you can help sweet Echo’s cause and make a donation at Go Fund Me. Any donation, large or small, will make it possible for Echo to undergo this crucial surgery. It is uncomfortable asking for money, but some causes are worthy of being in an uncomfortable place. For me, this precious girl is one of those causes.

It is hard to believe her liver is silently killing her.

If you can’t donate, keep Echo in your thoughts, re-blog this post, and/or share the Echo’s Go Fund Me  link on your social media outlets.

I thank you. Paige thanks you. Echo says “arf,” which is dog-speak for “thank you.”

Isn’t it appropriate that a dog’s paw pad is in the shape of a heart?