GOOD NEWS!

sheila

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Nov 28, 2010
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So as most of you know, Butler has Valley Fever. He contracted it last June and was very very ill when i adopted him.

The way that they measure the infection is by doing a "titer" which is a blood test that dilutes the blood by half until there are no longer antibodies present in the sample. The sicker the dog, the higher the titer ratio. also, the longer it takes for the lab to get the results, the worse you can expect the news to be because it means they are performing more dilutions.

When i first got butler his titer was 1:132. so 132 dilutions before his blood was clear. then he came to live with me and got lots of babying and love (and medicine), and three months later his titer was 1:32. it had dropped 100 points! and then i took him to the vet wednesday to have it rechecked, and it came back today as 1:16!!! :D wooohooo! so happy for my baby boy.
 

lexterwayne

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thats great news sheila!!! sounds like youve been an awesome momma to mr butler along with all that loving thats been going on over there id say hes in his perfect home :luv:
 
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sheila

sheila

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thank you! i always say i forget who rescued who. :heart:
 

kazzy220

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That is such wonderful news .... I never knew you adopted him ... so do tell ... what is the story of Butler and Sheila .....

**fluffing up pillows and sitting back comfortably to listen to the Sheila & Butler fairy-tale** :D
 

bullmama

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That is fantastic news! Now tell me, will it ever go away to where it is 1:00 ? Or will he always have it?

You are a wonderful mommie, a match made in heaven!
 
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sheila

sheila

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Well, [MENTION=959]kazzy220[/MENTION], i used to have two eb puppies and i had to leave them when i divorced my ex husband. since then there had been a hole in my heart waiting for a bully to come fill it.

Butler was found as a stray (can you believe it?!) and had lived in a couple homes before he had been left in the streets to fend for himself. Rescue found him wandering the streets and took him in. The vet estimates him to be between 2-3 years old, he had cherry eye and needed to be neutered. No major health issues. he had been in rescue for about three months when a man tried to adopt him, had butler for one week and decided "bulldogs are too gross. they fart and burp, i just can't do it". what a fool!

I went to a pet expo here in phoenix to visit my friend who runs the bulldog rescue and i was looking at the photo album of available dogs. karen told me that butler was still available, had been in rescue for 3 months and was "wild" but she thought i would be able to tame him since i had experience training and showing my last eb.

so i told her i'd do it! i want to be his forever home, as soon as i move from our apartment to a house. I didn't want him to move around too much and be stressed out since he had already been through so much in his short life. I moved in to our house and was ready to take butler, but his foster parents told me to wait a week because he was really sick. My heart dropped! I cried for him, hoping it was nothing bad. It took well over a week for the vet to get results but when they did they told the foster home and they relayed to me that butler had a very bad valley fever infection. This is so sad because dogs, like people, lose their ability to fight off infection when they are experiencing emotional stress and turmoil. Butler got valley fever after he had been abandoned and couldn't find a home or people to love him. Lots of dogs can test positive for v.f. but never present with symptoms because their immune systems are well enough to cope, but animals that are suffering in emotional ways are hit much harder. So they asked if I still wanted to adopt him, knowing he'll be on medication for at least 9 months, possibly his whole life, and i said "well, yeah!" Even more than before. not only did some scumbag leave him for dead, now he is ill too?!?! poor guy of course i want to give him a happy home.

So i got him the next week, and the following 8 weeks were torture because i thought he was going to die half the time. he couldn't move without yelping or screaming in pain, he couldn't move his neck to eat so i had to hand feed him, the infection got in his legs so bad that when he would potty he would fall into his poo/pee and need to be bathed, he slept 90% of the day, and was totally listless. He finally started to turn around and now he is a new boy! better and better every day! We've come a long way and he loves and trusts me more each day as well, which is so nice. He use to cower or wince when i would come too close too fast, flinch when i would go to pet his head, always walk in a really scared submissive posture, but now he is more confident and doesn't act like he's going to get abused when we come around. He is very obedient, i always say he is my perfect angel. he really doesn't do anything wrong. such a well mannered boy and so gentle with everyone he meets. kids, adults, dogs, and kitties. :heart:

So now he is my best buddy and i just do what i can to make up for his past and show him all the love and affection that he deserves!
 
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sheila

sheila

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[MENTION=881]Gertie's Mom[/MENTION], i'm lucky too! :p
[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION], i'm not sure. i know once they have it, they don't get it again, like chicken pox. so i think there will always be antibodies present, like 1:1 would be ideal. i'll ask the vet next time though.
 

kazzy220

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Jul 31, 2010
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Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
[MENTION=1539]sheila[/MENTION] I don't know if you've ever posted that before, if you have I haven't seen it .... that is one of the most heart-wrenching stories that I believe I've ever read on here. I'm actually wiping away tears here ...

Bless you, and bless Butler. No wonder he looks so content and snuggly in your avatar ... it's probably the closest he's ever been to heaven on earth in his short little life.
 
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sheila

sheila

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Nov 28, 2010
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Butler
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[MENTION=1539]sheila[/MENTION] I don't know if you've ever posted that before, if you have I haven't seen it .... that is one of the most heart-wrenching stories that I believe I've ever read on here. I'm actually wiping away tears here ...

Bless you, and bless Butler. No wonder he looks so content and snuggly in your avatar ... it's probably the closest he's ever been to heaven on earth in his short little life.


thank you, now i am weeping! lol. guess who wants to lick my tears away... :)
 

Angelgirl

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That is one of the sweetest things I've heard [MENTION=1539]sheila[/MENTION] ! Bless your heart for taking him in and giving him a forever home where he's loved and safe! So glad Butler is doing better :up:
 

bulldog family

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YAy!!! I'm so glad Butlers doing better. You are definately his angel for getting him through his big ordeal.
 

Biogirl71

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What a heart-warming story, with tears in the beginning and smiles in the end! I am so glad that Butler found his forever home and forever mommy in you....and it is so wonderful to hear how well he is doing!
 

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