Willow
Sex: Female
Age: 5 yrs. old
Weight: 23 lbs.
9/15/2016 Update:
It is with a very heavy heart and tear filled eyes that we report to you Willow has lost her battle with liver disease. After making what looked like amazing progress, it was clear that her little body could not fight any longer. Willow developed DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation) as a complication from her damaged liver. We are all devastated that Willow is no longer with us, but very thankful for the time we did have with her.
9/11/2016 Update: Willow had a great week. She has learned to use the stairs to get on the bed. She’s a great snuggler and give lots of kisses. Willow has chewed up about a dozen tennis balls in the last week. She is just crazy about playing fetch.
We have been working on basic manners like sit and taking treats in a gentle manner. I’m going to see if she will let me clip her nails tonight. Wish me luck.
Willow is can be selective about hearing you call her. This morning we were getting ready to go. Willow spends time unattended in our puppy room. I guess she didn’t want to go or come to us. After a panicked 10 minute search we found her asleep under our bed along with a slew of toys.
Now that Willow is feeling better she has decided that cats are fun to chase but not to catch.
Three more weeks to our next vet follow up.
9/1/2016 Update: Gone is the scared, growling and in pain little girl. Who knew that just a few weeks and excellent medical treatment could make such a drastic difference. Willow is now a playing machine. She has destroyed every tennis ball in the house and has now moved on to the other toys that squeak. When not playing she will come cuddle next to you on the couch or bed. Willow loves to eat and will run to her bowl when you say it’s time to eat. All in all she is showing vast signs of improvement. We are hoping her follow up vet visit tomorrow will confirm that she is making progress with her liver disease.
8/29/2016 Update: Willow is showing great improvement in her health and attitude. She had 650ml drained off her abdomen on Tuesday and she is looking great with no noticeable fluid returning.
8/26/2016 Update: More positive news for Miss Willow this week. She and her foster Dad went to visit Dr. A at the clinic this week. Dr. A did have to remove almost 650 cc’s of fluid again this week. The good news is that the fluid is still clear and has not changed appearance. A change in the appearance of the fluid could indicate a decline is Willow’s health. It has been two days since the fluid was removed, and Willow’s foster parents state that it does not look like any has returned.
Liver function tests where sent to the lab to compare to her initial results. We received some very good news. The two critical values that Willow previously had (low Albumin and globulins) are both much improved. On another positive note, where Willow initially had a low blood count and was anemic, that has also improved and her values are now in the normal range. While Willow’s red bloods cells are improving, her white blood cells are high (not a good thing), this is most likely due to her body still fighting all that is going on inside of her. Because of the elevated white blood cell count, Dr. A has put her on another round of antibiotics to ensure any lingering infection will be eliminated.
While at home, Willow is feeling MUCH better. She is now playing more with her foster family and her fur siblings. Willow LOVES to play with her tennis balls. Willow’s true personality is starting to shine. Although it might be too soon to tell, Miss Willow may need a refresher course in her manners as sometimes she can get a little sassy and want things done HER way. (Even though Dr. A is doing a FANTASTIC job of taking care of Willow, the clinic is NOT Willow’s favorite place to be and some of the sassiness has made an appearance while visiting Dr. A)
Willow is looking forward to another great weekend of rest, relaxation and treats as she prepares for her next visit with Dr. A late next week. If everything progresses like we hope it will, Willow will then need time to see how her liver ultimately responds to the treatment. Please keep the prayers and good vibes for Miss Willow coming. This little dog has been through A LOT and she is a true fighter. So with your help and prayers… Willow’s got this.
8/21/2016 Update: What a difference two weeks has made in Willow. She started feeling enough on Thursday to spend time with her foster family and her furry foster siblings. Willow gets along well with her feline and 3 English Bulldog siblings. Her grouchy attitude has almost disappeared. She will now let her foster family shower her with the affection and attention she deserves. Now that Willow is feeling better, it has been discovered that she LOVES tennis balls and plays fetch like a pro. While Willow’s overall health and attitude is improving, she still ahs a long way to go to be healthy.
8/18/2016 Update: More positive news for Willow. Willow visited Dr. A again today for a check-up. The news is very positive, Willow’s liver values are going down (good thing) and her protein values are going up (another good thing). Willow did have some fluid removed from her abdomen today, about 150 cc, this is about 3 times less than was removed Monday. Dr. A put Willow on a special diet designed to help her liver recover even more. Willow also received a couple of new medications to help in her treatment.
In addition to the positive news on the laboratory reports, Willow’s foster parents state that she is starting to play with her toys and is becoming more social around the house. Thank you all for the prayers, good thoughts and positive mojo you have sent Willow’s way, things appear to be heading in the right direction.
Willow will be resting this weekend and will visit Dr. A next Tuesday to see if things are progressing in the right direction. Please continue sending the positive thoughts Willow’s way, we know she truly appreciates it.
8/17/2016 Update: We received some positive news from Dr. A today concerning Willow and her treatment. On Monday some of the fluid from Willow’s abdomen was sent to the lab to determine if there were cancerous cells, infection or any other abnormal findings. The good news is nothing abnormal was found. Dr. A thinks the fluid build up is most likely due to the lower protein values. If you are following Willow closely, the protein values were what was dangerously low when she came in BUT rose significantly at her last visit.
Additionally, since some of the symptoms Willow has can also be seen in Heartworm disease, a specialized test to rule out Heartworm was ordered. We also received the good news that the Heartworm test was NEGATIVE.
According to Willow’s foster family she seems to be moving more and to be in less pain. They also report it appears that less fluid has returned. Dr. A has mentioned that the fluid may continue to return until Willow’s protein levels are higher and her liver is stronger.
Willow will return to the clinic to visit Dr. A tomorrow to get a quick check-up. Dr. A wants to keep a close eye on Willow so that IF anything changes she will catch it sooner rather than later. As mentioned earlier, we believe Willow’s path to recovery will be a slow one, but we are committed to do everything we can to get this little girl healthy and ready for a loving family. Please continue to send positive thoughts, good energy and prayers to Willow.
8/16/2016 Update: Willow visited the clinic yesterday as part of her surgery follow-up from Friday. Willow did have some excess fluid return to her abdomen. So Dr. A removed another large amount of the fluid.
In addition to the fluid removal Willow had her labs rechecked and an ultrasound of her liver. The ultrasound of Willow’s liver showed necrosis and damage. This was to be expected based on the elevated liver enzymes on her lab report. Willow’s liver enzymes were about the same as they were Friday, however, her anemia has improved and protein levels have improved significantly. Willow’s liver is damaged, but it is still functioning as expected and looks to be on the mend. Dr. A says that it will be a slow road to improvement but she feels that there has been progress.
Willow’s treatment will continue with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication , liver supplements and a special diet specifically targeting her nutritional needs related to her liver damage. In addition, we are going to send some of the fluid to the lab for cytology and will be doing a specialized Heartworm test to reconfirm Willow is negative. This is being done because some of Willow’s symptoms can be present with Heartworm disease. Willow was tested at the shelter and found to be negative, however in rare cases a negative result can be produced when there are other issues present. This specialized test will confirm for sure if Heartworm is something we are dealing with.
Willow will be returning to the clinic to evaluate her progress on Thursday of this week. In the meantime, she is resting comfortably in her foster home. Willow is being a great patient for her foster parents, she is eating well and taking all of her medications like a trooper. Please keep Willow in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to heal.
8/13/2016 Update: We received some good news and some worrisome news about Willow today.
The good news- After surgery last night Willow returned home with her foster family where she ate well, rested comfortably and was able to use the restroom normally. After receiving her lab results today we also learned that Willow is Heartworm negative.
The worrisome news- Willow’s Liver enzymes on her lab report were VERY elevated. There could be several different reasons for the elevations. Willow could have a bacterial infection of the liver, she could have a tumor or metabolic issue or even be in the beginning stages of liver failure. Because Willow did well last night we are monitoring closely to see how she does this weekend. While at her foster home she will be given a special diet to help boost her protein levels.
Willow is scheduled for an ultrasound of her liver first thing Monday morning to help Dr. A determine what is the underlying cause of the elevated liver enzymes. In addition to this, Dr. A stated that Willow may need a Plasma transfusion to give her liver a boost towards recovery.
Willow is also anemic. Due to all theses issues, Willow has a very long list of medications/supplements in her future. Willow will be on several medications to help fight the infections, anemia and other conditions. In addition to her special diet she will be given several supplements to try to help strengthen her immune system and her liver in particular. If this wasn’t enough, she will also be on an antifungal and antiparasitic medication for her intestinal issues. And she is taking anti-inflammatory medication for pain management.
Willow is a very sick little girl that can use all the prayers, well wishes and healing thoughts that can be sent her way.
In addition, Willow’s medical treatment looks to be very costly. If you could find it in your heart to make a donation to help offset this cost, it would be much appreciated.
8/12/2016 Update:
Willow made it through surgery and is doing well in recovery. Willow is a very interesting case for the clinic. By all outward signs and preliminary ultrasound/X-rays it appeared that Willow was pregnant with non-viable babies (no heartbeat). Once in surgery it was found that Willow was no longer pregnant but was full of fluid. There was nearly 7 lbs. of fluid inside Willow’s abdominal cavity. The good news is that the fluid is in the abdominal cavity and not around her vital organs. However, now begins the search for what caused the fluid build up.
After hearing that Willow was safely out of surgery, our Director contacted the shelter to gather more details about Willow from the shelter staff. It was found in Willow’s file that when she was abandoned, the owner said that she had already had babies and was no longer pregnant. The shelter dismissed this due to her size and that she had milk production.
During surgery, Dr. A found that Willow’s uterus and fallopian tubes (horns) were normal size. One theory is that Willow did have a litter of puppies (approximately 3 weeks ago) by natural birth since there was no C-section scar. This would explain the milk production and there would be enough time lapsed for her uterus/fallopian horns to return to normal. Since Willow is unable to tell us what abuse/neglect she suffered, we will never know the true story.
Currently Willow is resting comfortably in recovery. Lab work was ordered and sent out to help determine her overall health and hopefully the underlying condition causing the fluid build up. As expected, Willow is now VERY thin and emaciated. If all goes well today, she will be sent home to rest at her new foster home. Willow will be on several medications to help ensure that infection does not occur, help her gain weight in a healthy fashion and to make sure she is not in pain.
As you can imagine, this has been a very stressful ordeal for little Willow. Her journey hasn’t really even started. Willow’s road to recovery will be a long and expensive one. Please consider donating a small amount to help with her continued medical care. No donation is too small, all money donated will go directly to Willow and her road to recovery.
8/11/2016 Update: Please welcome Willow to the No Borders Bulldog Rescue family. Willow is a 5 yr. old French Bulldog who was surrendered to a local shelter by her owner. The owner provided very little information about Willow, except they no longer wanted her. Shelter staff contacted No Borders Bulldog Rescue and asked if we could help get her into a foster home ASAP.
Since it appeared at first that Willow was VERY pregnant, our volunteers took Willow directly to the clinic after picking her up from the shelter. According to the clinic Willow IS pregnant, however, it does not appear that any of the babies are viable. The vet believes Willow’s owner allowed her to go way beyond her due date. Because of this, Willow has fluid build up and what might be the start of an infection. The clinic advised us that it will be best to put Willow on antibiotics tonight and to schedule surgery for first thing in the morning.
The first 5 years of Willow’s life have been filled with abuse and neglect. Willow’s nails are so long they curl under. She only weighs 25 lbs. and all of her ribs show. Once the fluid build up is gone, we will likely see that she was also severely malnourished.
Thankfully, Willow is now safe in rescue, and will receive all the love and care she has always deserved as she starts her long road to recovery and to finding her forever home. Do you have extra love to give to Willow? If so, please complete an adoption application.
