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| Name: |
Roscoe
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Age: |
One and a half years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Basset Hound |
| Home: |
Athens, Alabama, USA |
This
is my superstar dog Roscoe, nicknamed this by his wonderful vet Dr.
Becky Hanback! Roscoe lives in Athens, AL with his seven dog brothers and
sister, a cat named Major, six parrots and lots of fish!
What makes Roscoe special is that he started out as my across the street
neighbor's dog who came to visit constantly and every time I would
deliver him back home, he would pop right back over. One Sunday
morning, after he had been with us for about one month solid, I went out
to give him his breakfast and I found him behind a bush, too weak to
stand, refusing all food and water. He had been in perfect health the
night before. I immediately rushed to the neighbor's home to let them
know and make sure they were okay with my bringing him to the emergency vet
(Sunday, my vet was closed) for legal reasons. After getting the okay, we
raced to the neighboring town where the ER vet is located. He was so
very weak, I was in panic mode because by this point, I was head over
heels crazy for Roscoe! The vet diagnosed him with parvo! They said it
was unusual in a dog his age (he was a year old at the time). I had to leave him
at the ER overnight, then pick him up the following morning and take him
to my regular vet where he was hospitalized the entire week, showing no
improvement.
If you know anything about parvo, you know it is a horrible virus, causing
vomiting, diarrhea, and often death. He had to receive iv fluids,
antibiotics, and lots and lots of prayers! That Saturday morning, he had
to be moved back to the ER vet once again for weekend care as he was still
showing little, if any, improvement. My vet urged us not to give up, but
I've never cried and worried so much in my life as I did during those
days. He had lost so much weight and was so lethargic, hard to watch as he
is normally such a little stick of dynamite. The ER vet contacted us
shortly after we brought Roscoe in and wanted to do emergency exploratory
surgery or put him down. They told me he was in pain and suffering and
that parvo doesn't last that long. We were devastated, we knew we couldn't
put him through that kind of surgery, he was entirely too sick for that.
To make a long and complicated story short, Roscoe's wonderful vet, Dr.
Hanback, had the ER vet give him painkillers for Saturday night, and she
opened the clinic especially for him on Sunday, where she determined that
he did not need surgery and did not appear to be in severe pain. Feeling
rough, yes, ready to euthanize, absolutely not! Immediately after she said
this, she offered Roscoe a tiny piece of dog biscuit, which he ate! We
were over the moon! It was his first attempt at food in over 1 week. She
let us bring him home that night, and back to the clinic the next morning,
a routine we kept up for most of that week. It worked!
Roscoe, our miracle dog, is now back to his 55 pound, howling, bull in a
china shop old self. We owe his life to Dr. Hanback, I've never seen a
vet go to the lengths she did to make sure Roscoe survived. When others
gave up, she urged us not to. Roscoe's parvo lasted about nine days before
he really reached a turning point. It required constant vet care, iv
fluids, antibiotics, and expense. It was worth every penny, every red
cent. I love Roscoe, plain and simple. He is a fighter and a survivor
and a constant source of joy. I want to spread Roscoe's story because
although the worst of parvo symptoms traditionally end after three or four
days, parvo can last much longer and still be beaten. Roscoe is living
proof. And this story has a happy ending in more way than
one. Roscoe is officially ours now, the neighbors decided that he
was happier here and we should keep him! So there are two morals here,
vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate... and never, ever give up!
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