Detroit Dog Rescue; The story of Piglet
This story begins back in January when we took in a little white and black terrier mix. He came to us from a caring nurse who received him from a family that found it to be a challenge to take care of this little guy. She found out that he had been passed around a couple times already until she was able to take him in. It wasn't that he was a puppy who chewed or had bad manners. This little guy wa...s a special case; he was different.
Although at first glance it seemed that he had some vision issues, he seemed to move around fairly well. But it did not take long to know that it was not just a vision issue affecting him. It seemed physically he was having some serious problems with his balance and motor skills. Imagine a newly born pig getting to its feet and running for the first time, kicking and bucking to move itself forward. Sans the name "Piglet" & it fit him perfectly.
After his first medical exam it was very clear that Piglet was suffering from conditions that stemmed from a serious neurological condition or damage. Care for Piglet would be a 24/7 job. Medical boarding was not an option and we didn’t have a foster that could devote the time needed so, Melanie, without hesitation took this little guy in.
We knew after a little over a month, from appointments with specialist and doctors this was a condition that Piglet would have to deal with the rest of his life. Not too long after diagnosis, Piglet began developing seizures, small, mild ones at first, but over the next several months they would grow closer together and stronger in intensity. He was prescribed Phenobarbital to control the duration and the strength of the seizures and Valium to reduce his anxiety. With his condition, doctors gave Piglet a lifespan of maybe three years but taking into consideration with the further damage to his brain and central nervous system, this time may be reduced. With each prolonged seizure he also ran the risk of blood clots forming that could cause a brain aneurism or stroke resulting in death.
So with the "Piggles" living with and being cared for by Melanie he became a regular with the crew here at DDR. Coming to and from work almost daily. Hopping and kicking from room to room, leaving little surprises in hallways & under desks knowing of the discoveries only when someone would yell out "AHH PIGLET!" Potty training him was close to impossible. Of all the chips of life stacked against him, there was one thing that Piglet excelled in, and that was stealing the hearts of every person who had the honor of meeting this little guy. But with as much care and love DDR & Melanie gave Piglet, the overwhelming and undeniable truth of what was to come for him was a hard pill to swallow.
On Thursday June 13, 2013, a decision about Piglet’s future had to be made. This was a decision that we knew would come sooner than later. Four days leading up to this day, Piglet’s condition was worsening and just the day before, Melanie had to bring him into the doctors after he had a violent seizure lasting 15 minutes. At this point it was clear to see that the damage to his brain from 30+ seizures the past five months had reached a critical point. The question was, "Is it time?" Do we let Piglet continue his battle to survive because our hearts do not want to let him go? Or do we truly search our hearts to let Piglet go peacefully. This single question for those in rescue is the hardest one of all. DDR & Melanie gave this little guy a life that he may have never have had up to this point but it was time to let Piglet go home.
The doctor said over the five months of caring for Piglet she knew that he did not like injections at all and would fight when he had to get shots. She also wanted to prepare us for what might happen. Her experience with neurologically damaged dogs is that they can get extremely violent when being humanly euthanized and to be prepared for that. But this was not the case with Piglet. There was no fighting or kicking and within seconds of the injection we felt Piglet’s heartbeat slowly fade away and peace fall over him.
Run free Piglet and grow strong in Heaven. Show the love, care and peace given to you here on earth. We will all miss you and you will never be forgotten
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= new reply since forum marked as read
they are wonderful people, and if they could save every baby they rescue the world would be better off, but Piglet's story touched me deeply and I wanted to share it.
Sorry.
