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**UPDATE May 20...
Dear All;
It is with a heavy heart that I type this email.
This morning I arrived at the Vet to visit with Butterscotch, and as usual his tail was wagging, and he was happy to see me.
Within moments of settling him down with his boiled Chicken and Rice that I made for him, he experienced a seizure from the Distemper.
It only lasted a few moments (a few to long for me), and he was content to place his head in the normal position while I visited with him. He would place his head against my chest and wait for his ear scratches and back and belly rubs.
This time however, he kept giving me the paw the whole time. It was like he was telling me he knew David,Diane, the Vet Tech, the Dr and I had done all we could do for him.
His jowls where cold, and he had not been eating the last few days, according to Diane, and he experienced a siezure on Tuesday as well.
I think Diane was hoping for a miracle as she had grown very attached to him as well. She though of him as one of her own as well.
I spoke with the Vet, and he advised that Distemper is not like Epilepsy, and that there was no treatment once the virus reached the brain as it obviously had in Butterscotchs' case.
I cried, and told the Vet and Diane, that we did not want to selfish and prolong his agony. He has not had a solid bowel movement since becoming sick on April 25, and with the lack of appetite, and now the siezure's his progress was going down hill.
I have asked that they cremate him and return the ashes us so we may place him on our mantle with our beloved, Juno, who passed to the bridge on 12/24/05.
We appreciate so much all the donations we have received to date towards his care, and wish to express our sincere gratitude for all the assistance, the emails wishing him to keep up the good fight, and for us to stay strong.
We sincerely believe that we tried to right by Butterscotch and are so glad that there are other people (All you loving Rescue, Fosters, transporters and any other volunteers in the rescue community) that are affected by the heartache of seeing a stray, and promoting responsible dog ownership of spay/neuturing and having your pets up to date on shots.
Thank you all again for your support with Butterscotch. We really had hoped for a better outcome.
Warm Regards;
Holly and David and Butterscotch (??-05/20/06 RIP)
Phoenix
Harley, Diesel, Buck, and Piglet, too!
Juno (12/14/94-12/24/05)
**UPDATE, May 14...
Well I wish I could send this email with more positive news than bad.
Poor Butterscotch has also been diagnosed with distemper. After I had a good cry this morning after being told once I arrived at the Vet that the tests came back positive.
The Vet says he has a 50/50 chance of beating the Distemper. Once the fever is gone, and he test a normal temp twice a day for a week, he will be allowed to come home.
Yes, I am saying home. Butterscotch will be coming home to live out his life with David and I, and our four dogs. We had no intentions of having (5) dogs, but chances are he will have suffered some neurological damage from the distemper WHEN he pulls through! I HAVE TO KEEP SAYING THAT!!!
I had a long talk with David this morning after I spent a few hours sitting on the floor with Butterscotch and giving him much needed loving and attention, and feeding him his chicken and rice. (Not that he does not get attention at the Vet's office, but he's need all the love he can get!) He's definately become attached to the Vet tech, he cries every time she leaves the room.
We have agreed to go ahead with the treatment to try and save him.
At this point the Vet bill is up at $1,700.00, we can not really afford to pay, and I will not let the rescue absorb any of the expense, while Lisa is trying to save so many others.
We'll will have to work out a payment plan to cover any bill that is not covered by the donation page.
Lisa at Lucky Dog Rescue (formerly Dalmatian Station) has been a godsend and allowing his treatment through her rescue, because originally WE ALL thought he was just dealing with Kennel Cough!
David and I both feel that we'd be abandoning him as well, just as his "ORIGINAL" owner did by being irresponsible and not having him up to date on shots, allowing him to run loose or dump him, and not being neutured. (DON'T YOU WISH DOGS COULD TALK? I'd really give the person a piece of my mind.)
I seriously don't know how all you rescue people do this day in and day out, it wears on your heart and soul so much!
Thank you all for taking the time to read this email and please keep Butterscotch in your prayers that he pulls through!!
Warm Regards;
Holly n David and Butterscoth
Phoenix
Harley, Diesel, Buck, and Piglet, too!
**Update, May 8...Butterscotch is off of IV therapy for fluids, no longer vomiting, but still has some diarrhea and bloody stools. While he has made some great improvements, there is still some concern about his condition at this point, because he developed green nasal discharge. The vet is thinking that he may also be battling some other type of infection, such as an upper respiraroy infection (virla) like kennel cough. Poor Butterscotch can't get a break! They will be doing another blood test shortly to be sure we know all that he is fighting. Please keep him in your prayers! The good news is that he seemed relatively happy and was wagging his tail yesterday, happy to have a visit from Holly!!
**Update, April 30th: Butterscotch is doing better today...no vomiting and he seems perkier! Soon he will finish with the IV fluid therapy we hope!
**UDPATE, April 29th: Butterscotch is still hospitalized and on IV fluids. His condition is stable, but somewhat guarded since he continues to vomit and have bloody diarrhea, but we are on top of keeping him hydrated which is the key to getting through it! At this point, his vet bill is up to $700 and we anticipate hitting the $1000 in a few more days, which he will likely need to get through this. He's such a sweet boy, and both the vet and the vet tech have fallen in love with him. The vet said he would take him home if he didn't live in an apartment with 4 cats already. Butterscotch has been a really good patient and lets them do whatever they need to do to make him better. Saturday he had visitors and got some needed love and attention...please keep him in your prayers! Soon we should have good news saying he can go off IVs and go home.
Dear Fellow Dog Lovers;
My husband and I found "Butterscotch", this sweethearted Pitbull, as well as two other dogs on Friday, April 14 during a Dust storm here in Phoenix. ( Lab/Golden Retreaver Mix and Jack Russell Terrier Mix).
We reunited the two with their family @ midnight that night, and promplty woke up the next morning to try and find "Butterscotch's" family. However, to no avail were we able to track down anybody to claim "Butterscotch" as theirs.
We posted signs in the neighborhood, and took him to Animal Care and Control on April 15th to see if an "OWNER" would claim him during the 72 hours prior to being able to be adoptable to the general public.The shelters unfortunately are over flowing with Bully Breeds and Bully Mixes, of all shapes and sizes. David and I were heartbroken to take him in, feeling like we were abandoning the poor thing, but we just couldn't keep him at our house with all the other dogs we have, and we also wanted to be sure his owners had the opportunity to find him, since people do look there for lost dogs. Poor Butterscotch's 72 hours came and went an no owner claimed him, so he was evaluated and passed with flying colors to go up for adoption to the general public.
I asked Lisa at Lucky Dog Rescue (formerly Dalmatian Station) if she would keep an eye out in the event that he went on the E-list at the shelter, so we could make sure he was adopted and got out of there. It was so upsetting and stressfull waiting to see if he would get adopted, and then getting Lisa's email that he had gone onto the Euthanasia list due to Kennel Cough to be PTS on Wednesday, April 26th.
He was pulled on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning, I dropped Butterscotch off at Lucky Dog Rescue's Vet for boarding at their isolation unit to get him through kennel cough. Later that morning he started vomiting and having diarrhea, and they called to inform me that he tested positive for PARVO.He was immediately started on IV fluids, and is responding to the treatment, and the Vet Techs love his personaility and have advised that he is active considering being sick with PARVO, and being hooked up to IVs. The vet is estimating he will need to be on IV fluids for 4-8 days, hospitalized during that time. They have to prevent dehydration during the phase when they throw up and have diarrhea, since that is what kills dogs with Parvo - the horrible dehydration. He will need to be there several more days at least.
Sweet Butterscotch deserves to get healthy and find a loving family that will give him all the attention that he deserves and all the ear scratching and belly rubs that he loves to get so much. The Parvo problem was so unexpected - we just thought we could board him for a week to get over kennel cough and then find him a new family.
We're trying to help raise funds for the unexpected high vet expenses on Butterscotch. His prognosis is excellent because it was caught very early. Please give what you can toward his vet bill - he's been through so much and we want to keep helping him and see him through all of this so he can finally find a hew home! Donations will go through Lucky Dog Rescue, a nonprofit, 501c3 organization, and applied to his hospitalization costs.
Thank you so much for helping!
Holly and David
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