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Hope this is not too long.. hahaha
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I bought my puppy, Berkley, from a pet store in Richmond on September 29, 2010. My boyfriend and I were not planning on adopting another puppy until a few years later, let alone, another, pembroke welsh corgi but when I held Berkley for the first time it was hard to say no. Despite her cuteness, I said no the first time I saw her. My boyfriend adopted her a week later after I saw her because he had a family friend who knew the owner of the store so we could get a better deal; we all know that pet stores are very over priced.
When I saw Berkley at the house, she was very timid. Physique wise, she was emaciated and reeked of urine. My boyfriend and I knew that pet stores do not care for their animals very well so we shook this off and gave her a shower and food that she was eating in the pet store. I was a little concerned because she was not eating the food from the pet store so I gave her some of my other puppy’s food which, she did not eat either.
I took Berkley to the recommended veterinarian from the pet store that found coccidia, a type of worm, from a fecal analysis and kennel cough. She was given medication to treat both. Berkley was not getting better after approximately 5 days and her appetite was close to nothing so I brought her to a veterinarian recommended by a dog trainer. At this vet they also discovered an ear infection in addition to the coccidia and kennel cough. However, this vet told me that coccidia is a self-limiting and since Berkley did not have loose stools, she did not have to take the medication for coccidia (which could have effected her appetite). The vet then prescribed a new antibiotic, mite medication to treat the ear infection and gastroenteric food to ensure her stools would be okay. I never returned to the first vet.
Berkley's next fecal analysis was negative for all of the worms they tested for but she still had that terrible cough. Once she was done with her round of antibiotics, the vet put her on a new set of antibiotics for 10 days to treat the cough and a broad spectrum de-worm medication to make sure that she was clear of any worms that could be effecting her respiratory system. After 7 days I took her back to the vet as they instructed because she was still coughing quite frequently. The vet wanted to do an x-ray to see what was going on.
At this point my vet bills had reached well over $500.00 and this x-ray would have been an extra $160.00 so I spoke with the pet storeowner and told him what has been happening with this puppy he sold me. First, he told me that he would cover the medications and testing from the previous bills and then he recommended I go to another vet in Richmond whom gets the bulk of the puppies he sells. He also said that he would cover any diagnostic tests and medications from this vet as he had a discount with them.
I brought Berkley to this new vet (her third). He recommended a cough suppressant (which the previous vet also mentioned) because it could just be her trachea that is irritated and causing her to continue to cough. In addition, he prescribed another round of antibiotics for 14 days. I put her on robitussin dry cough as per vet's orders, which did not help. I brought Berkley back in a week later because she was not getting better. At this point I was very frustrated.
The vet examined her and was able to stimulate a cough easily so he agreed with the x-ray which was done immediately on October 25, 2010. The x-ray did not show anything significant so the vet requested to draw blood which was done immediately as well. I got a call the next day from the vet. He said that she had abnormal liver and kidney function tests. The vet then requested to do a bile acids panel that showed unremarkable values. This led him to believe that Berkley had a portosystemic shunt, which is a blood vessel that bypasses the liver. The next step to diagnose this was to perform an ultra sound.
I spoke with the pet storeowner and updated him on Berkley's case. He asked me if I was willing to give her up; I wanted to cry. He offered to replace Berkley with another pembroke welsh corgi so I asked him, what would happen to Berkley? He said that he would care for her at the store and give her liver enzyme medications. I refused the offer and suggested we wait until the ultrasound to make any big decisions.
Berkley was referred to the specialists at Canada West at this point. I was happy to know she was going here because I knew that they were the best in animal medicine. Her ultrasound revealed a portosystemic shunt. The surgeon spoke to me and mentioned that the only solution was surgical intervention. After consulting with the surgeon, I knew that this was the only option and further booked her surgery for the following week. Berkley was put on a reduced protein diet as per ordered by the surgeon.
I got in contact with the pet storeowner and updated him. We had a meeting together with my boyfriend and came to a deal. The pet storeowner ended up reimbursing us for the puppy and the rest was left to us. Berkley's surgery was quoted at the bottom end of just a couple dollars less than $5000.00, which was something neither my boyfriend nor I was prepared for.
The surgeon canceled the surgery two days prior to the expected date due to Berkley's ongoing cough, which was when I met the internal medicine specialist at Canada West. She diagnosed Berkley with a reverse sneeze and collaborated with the surgeon to do an endoscopy at the same time of her surgery and prescribed a mite medication to ensure that Berkley would not have any nasal mites.
Today is November 25, 2010. Berkley was admitted to Canada West this morning for her surgery and endoscopy. I received a call from the surgeon in the later afternoon. He told me that the surgery was a success and that the endoscopy did not show anything except for slightly enlarged tonsils, which could indicate inflammation. Her reverse sneeze is something that is quite common in small breed dogs and is going to be normal for Berkley as the surgeon mentioned. Berkley is now being cared for in the ICU at Canada West until she is stable to go home. The surgeon mentioned that she is also on antibiotics as prophylactic treatment, which also treats her cough.
The last two months have been nothing but stressful in trying to figure out what was going on with Berkley. I was visiting the vets more than seeing my friends. I am a 22 year old, full time nursing student who has a strong love for animals and this being my first one, I could not bare to let her go. I enrolled Berkley with pet insurance in the first week of having her but due to the waiting period policy with the company her surgery will not be covered. Luckily, Calvin has savings and I have a line of credit that made this surgery possible.
Despite the fact that a portosystemic shunt cannot be identified upon purchasing a puppy, I strongly recommend people to never purchase from a pet store. Aside from her shunt, Berkley had many other problems when I received her from the pet store. I hope no new owner goes through what I did with Berkley, as it was a terrible rollercoaster ride. It may seem like you are saving the puppy’s life by adopting from a pet store but you are also supporting their business. Avoid adopting from pet stores and go to your local shelter or SPCA to adopt an animal, you will be truly saving them.
Update: November 27, 2010. The surgeon at Canada West just called and said that Berkley is being discharged today! Her days in the ICU went very well =)
Senna: I love corgis too!!! They're so cute! Berkley has a sister named Tori (not blood related) but they're sooo cute together!
N.V.M: Hehe.. you noticed.. it's a tank top converted into a thong.. hahaha.
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