Lovin' Lil Bit -
Update 6/21/10 "Successful surgery!!!!!!"  Lil' Bit underwent her long-anticipated liver shunt surgery this past Friday and as her soft tissue surgeon describes, it went just as anticipated and was an overall success---we couldn't have hoped for more. Lil Bit is at home resting comfortably in her foster moms arms as we speak and is already trying to get back into the swing of playing with her toys and foster brother. She remains on a stringent medication schedule for the next week or so, then we anticipate cutting her meds in half, then a quarter, until eventually Lil needs no medication and functions like a normal, healthy two year old puglet. Lil Bit has essentially transformed from a special needs pug to a normal, healthy, happy, and highly adoptable little gal who can digest food and receive nutrition the natural way. Its so amazing to remember the sick and emaciated little gal who arrived just two short months ago, and see her thriving the way she is today. As Lil' Bits mouthpiece, we at curly tail want to thank everyone who donated and supported Lil in whatever way you chose. We all play our parts in helping save lives like Lil's and your part is equally as important as ours.We can never thank you enough or express the depth of our appreciation. 
We have scheduled her surgery for June
18th. She is visiting the surgeon this Friday. If we can ask
one more thing of you....that you all keep her in your thoughts &
hearts. Although
the surgery is invasive and
involves risk, her response to her current medications and the look of
the ultrasound gives our top-notch surgeon great confidence that this
young gal has a hopeful prognosis. Please also keep Lil Bit's
foster mom, Julie, in your thoughts
as well. We love our fosters like our own. The tough medical cases,
like Lil' Bit, are obviously the most trying on our volunteers. We
have great news! Lil' Bit had a successful and telling ultrasound that
revealed her shunt is indeed external and with that.....OPERABLE!!
Because the blood vessel is located outside the liver, these shunts are
easier to find and treat and therefore the outcome of surgery is better -
with a promising success rate of 95%!
As you can see below, our most recent
chip-in campaign goal for Lil's ultrasound and medication were attained--truly amazing. With some of the
1st chip in's money & the new chip in amount, the balance needed to
get Lil' Bit her surgery & medical follow up post-op, will surely
be attained!
We even had two curly
kids,
Ellie and Sean, help us reach that goal by hosting a lemonade stand for
Lil' Bit that raised $44. As you can see by the note the kids sent
along with their lemonade funds, our support comes from all over, which
is what makes saving this life even more special--everyone is playing a
role. We will keep you posted as the days lead up to Lil' Bit's surgery
and the surgeon reveals his precise surgical game plan. Meanwhile,
please help us continue this momentum as we start a new fundraising goal
kicked off by the special help of two pug-loving children!
      Lovin' Lil' Bit  We setup an appointment with our curly vet, Dr Meade, for
a couple of weeks post-intake and began her new diet immediately. By
day three of her new diet, Lil Bit began spiraling. What began with
lethargy, quickly became life threatening signs---couldnt walk, couldnt
eat, couldnt lift her head drooling, etc. With an ER visit to the vet,
we were told we would probably loose her young life. Her body
temperature was dropping and she was essentially dying. Bloodwork
revealed signs that pointed to a liver shunt (
life threatening condition where the liver converts proteins in food to
a toxin and essentially poisons the body) but even with a potent
medication regimen, the vet felt she was probably too toxic to recover.
Miraculously, Lil made it through the night and has since been
back in the comfort of her foster moms arms. "Lilly" is being kept
stable by a very structured medication routine, a specific low-protein
diet, and of course love. She is scheduled to have a diagnositc
ultrasound next week to determine what level of severity we are dealing
with and whether or not surgery is an option. Without surgery, her
liver is not functioning properly and she is poisoning her own body.
She will not survive without this surgery...and yet we do not know if
she even has that option. Our hope is that we have the same success
story for Lil as we did with out last liver shunt puppy, Yoda.
. In the meantime, we have incurred high and unexpected veterinary
costs. With a rescue budget, we are particularly selective about what
cases we accomodate and specifically urge surrendering owners to be
forthcoming about the surrendering dogs potential medical needs so we
maintain a balance and every dog is given the best fighting chance
possible by second-to-none medical care. In this case, we were not
entirely informed of Lils true medical issues, and since we cannot gain
a response from her surrendering owner, we are relying on our
continuous supporters to help us save Lil and recoup our surprise
expenses. So glad Lil Bit has all of us to rely on--we will keep you
posted on her ultrasound results.
"instead of posting sad pics of what it takes to keep Lil Bit alive, we have opted so simply show you the joy she brings her foster mom Julie and the joy Julie brings Lil bit b/c at the moment, thats all that matters." |
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