Doe is a funny, curious, little oddball with a life-threatening condition. She's a tough little fighter who should probably be dead by now, but there is no quit in this dog. Doe has an unusual liver abnormality called an Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt. You can Google it if you want, but the simple explanation is that Doe's food poisons her. The toxins aren't filtered, and they just keep building
up--poisoning her. At six months old she wasn't growing properly. She could barely run, and when she tried to she would stumble. Sometimes she would go blind. Other times she couldn't hear. One time her mouth got "stuck" open and she couldn't stop drooling. Then there was the pacing. She'd pace around the room, hugging the wall to hold herself up. She couldn't stop. I'd watch her try to lie down late at night, and within seconds her body would jerk itself back into motion. I could see how exhausted she was and I'd try to crate her or hold her, but she would squirm and cry until I let her get up and move. Hepatic Encephalopathy. You can Google that, too, but it's just the name for the seriously crazy symptoms and neurological problems that occur when your liver doesn't do its job. Lucky for Doe her veterinarian was able to figure out what was wrong. How lucky? First of all, liver problems don't usually reveal themselves with normal blood work. A vet has to run some pretty specific tests to diagnose a possible liver shunt. Secondly, Doe is homeless. Someone turned her over to the Galveston Island Humane Society. It didn't take them long to see that Doe was seriously ill. It's at this point that a lot of shelters would classify a dog in this condition as "unadoptable" and euthanize it. Instead, they gave Doe a chance and put her in a foster home while her vet worked to confirm the diagnosis. Doe is feeling a lot better now that she's on medication that helps with the symptoms. She's putting on weight. Her coordination and muscle tone have improved, and she continues to get stronger. Unfortunately, this is not likely to last. Dogs with the type of liver shunt that Doe has are usually dead before their first birthday. Even if she lives longer she's probably looking at a future of painful bladder stones and seizures. Furthermore, taking care of Doe in her current state of health is tricky. Her meds are designed to push everything through her system fast enough that the toxins don’t build up, but not so fast that she doesn’t get any nutrients. It’s a delicate balance requiring frequent adjustments to the dosage based on her behavior and a forensic-like examination of her poo. Really. It isn’t even worth speculating on her chances of getting adopted in her present condition. Though the outlook seems grim, there is hope for Doe. She needs a procedure called Pericutaneous Transjugular Coil Embolization (thank goodness for Google) that, in the simplest terms, will gradually force Doe's blood back into her liver and give her a very good chance at a normal life. The problem? It's expensive. Far beyond the scope of what the shelter can afford. Doe requires too much attention to live at a shelter in her current condition. In her foster home she is loved and cared for, but it’s only temporary. She needs to get well so that she can be adopted. The cost of getting this procedure will end up being over $7,000 dollars. We don’t need to raise all of it. We just need to get close. There is always risk and never guarantees that even the simplest medical procedures will be successful, but your generous donation to DOE'S FUND will give her the best possible chance at a healthy life in a loving home. The Galveston Island Humane Society is committed to making sure that each and every homeless pet is given a chance at a forever home. The proceeds from DOE'S FUND will continue to help other pets who, like Doe, have medical issues that are preventing them from being adopted.
