July 6, 2015

White Dog softly leaned against Storm, who lay with her back against my chest. Puff and Zsofia flanked her on the floor. It was medicine time and our tiniest girl accepted the routine with resignation.

Steve mixes up a slurry of ground kibble and Ensure, then stirs in her probiotics, B vitamin, her colitis meds, and the two antibiotics for her clostridium difficile. Under the watchful eyes of her sisters, Storm is syringe-fed the concoction to make sure she gets the full doses (she is a rather finicky eater so mixing it in her food is not reliable). Storm is safely cradled in my arms as Steve gently inserts the filled pipette and squeezes the mix back into her mouth. My tiniest girl is a trooper and swallows it down without a fight. The others make sure she is not stressed or uncomfortable.

After tonight, her routine will change slightly as Dr. Julia, worried that the bacteria is a strain resistant to antibiotics, has switched up the "bug killers" we are using; the two milder ones will give way to one stronger pharmaceutical.

It is all of our fondest hopes that THIS  change will provide some relief for our littlest one's digestive tract and bowels. We are beginning to be concerned about weight loss because so little is actually absorbed before it pours out of the other end. Our girl weighs only 8 pounds so it doesn't take much loss to have a big impact. Thankfully, Storm loves boiled chicken and duck jerky, so we can lavishly reward her and mix some "specials" into her meals.

The rest of the White Dog Army seems to understand Storm's system is compromised and are protective of her. It is, as always, amazing from my perspective to watch my family's loving interaction and see their level of awareness in action.

It shocks me to live first hand the commonalities between what Storm experiences and what a human relative went through when she developed c. dif. in the hospital. There are so many illnesses we share...many we don't even think about. Whether from human medicine or the vet world, it is my hope that there is a Bridge that exists that will give insight enough to bring Storm's disease under control.

My girl deserves a chance to be free of the crippling effects of what ails her...and to be able to enjoy an occasional moment of indulgence.