The symptoms
I am an energetic and athletic dog, maybe because Mum and her brothers (whom I lived with for a few years before my furparents got married) are also energetic and athletic. We would race to the top and bottom of the stairs, and play ‘hide and seek’ and ‘Let’s fool Midnight’ (where they would change their voices to trick me into thinking they’re strangers and trigger my ‘angry and protective guard dog’ mode).
But all these activeness waned on the second week of March 2022. Mum noticed that I lost my appetite, and eventually, my weight; and that I can barely open my eyes. Worried that I’m not my usual happy self, Mum rushed me to the Laguna Veterinary Clinic and Wellness Center in the morning of March 18, 2022.
The diagnoses
The high-tech blood tests revealed results no furparent wants to hear: their furbaby testing positive for ehrlichia, leptospirosis and early onset of kidney failure.
If left untreated, ehrlichia will lead to anemia, leptospirosis to kidney and liver damage, and in severe cases, death.
Doc even exclaimed, “Ay mamamatay na ‘to! (He will die soon!)”, when he saw my blood test results, because my platelet count was in single digit. But before recommending treatment, Doc asked Mum if she’s willing to fight for my life, because the severity of my condition means expensive medicine and food, and daily trips to the vet (including weekends).
Without thinking twice, Mum agreed and plead to the vet that he do anything to save my life.
The treatment plan
Doc wasn’t kidding. My treatment did entail expensive medicine and food, buckets of patience and a whole heart of faith. Back in 2022, Mum was working from home full-time, and she would use her 1.5-hour lunch break to drive me to the vet for my daily injection of liquid antibiotics (which was scheduled for 10 consecutive days). At home, she had to force-administer yucky medicine to me (why do medicine taste awful, man?) in the morning, noon and evening. We stuck to Doc’s treatment plan (which included Haemo maxx to treat my anemia) and strict diet (I only ate Royal Canin – Renal for a month). And after months of diligent home and clinic care, I survived.
Tips for furparents
- Make sure to complete your furbabies’ vaccination schedule, especially during puppy stage. Doc said this was one of my saviors. He was impressed with my vaccination booklet, saying, had I missed one, I might have had little to zero chance of surviving.
- Invest in proven and effective anti-tick products, which include, but are not limited to bath soap, spray and medication. Our recommendations? VetCore for bath soap and spray, and Bravecto for flea and tick medication.
- Keep your home free of pests, may they be rodents or roaches. Don’t be complacent when you see rats in your home. If you have budget, have your house chemically treated against pests. Additionally, wash and disinfect your furbabies’ food and water bowls daily.
- Save for maintenance and emergencies. Adopting/Owning pets (AKA furparenthood) is no easy nor cheap task. It’s a responsibility that requires you to be physically, emotionally and financially ready to face (and survive) untoward incidents like mine. If you want your furbabies to live long and healthy, have maintenance and emergency fund ready.
- Entrust us with a competent and compassionate veterinarian. When I had this near-death experience, I was lucky to be living with Mum in Carmona, Cavite, as it was just a few kilometers away from the renowned and trusted clinic, Laguna Veterinary Clinic and Wellness Center and veterinarian, Doctor Jose Cepeda (Hi, Doc!). The clinic’s high-tech equipment combined with Doc’s competence and compassion were key to my accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plan. Special thanks to you, Doc Cepeda! ❤
- Be strong. Us furbabies sense it if our furparents are genuinely fighting for us or not. And if we feel that you do, we’ll fight alongside you, too. In my case, I saw with my own eyes how diligent Mum was in ensuring I take my medicine on schedule, how patient she was in driving me to and from the vet, and how generous she was in paying for everything on her own. She didn’t ask anyone for any help, as if making it her life goal to save me.
And it is in seeing all her hardships, albeit conquered with tears in her eyes, that motivated me to live. So that, for the rest of my life, I can give her back the love and care she selflessly gave me. (She’s crying now as she reads this. What a crybaby.)
I hope what happened to me doesn’t happen to you. But if it does, feel free to connect with us so that we can share best practices. Alternatively, if you’ve had a similar experience, we’d love to hear about it!
Let’s create a community that promotes the health and wellbeing of both furparents and furbabies. Looking forward to hearing from you! 🐾
