Bluenose Brody The Mystery Boy
Donation protected
Brody is a 4 years old (birthday is Nov. 20) bluenose pitbull. We took him home after a woman who lived in the northern part of New Hampshire had a litter that she could not take care of. We don't have any children, so Brody is our pride and joy. Brody has been nothing but a fun loving, energetic, CRAZY, cuddly little fella. He enjoys swimming, paddle boarding, hiking, eating snow flakes and lounging in the sun!
The day after Thanksgiving 2017, we noticed that Brody's right eye was a bit puffy and he was squinting it. Of course we are now into the weekend and continued monitoring it. Eventually, he stopped squinting it by Sunday however it was now quite blood shot and his pupil was enlarged. We could see that at different angles in the light, a cloudy film was over his eye. We noticed a minor loss in vision and brought him to our beloved veterinarian that Monday. Our vet found this odd and thought that perhaps Brody had bumped into a table, a tree, a fence, etc while playing. Thinking this was perhaps a minor injury that would heal, he was given some anti-inflammatory medication and taken home. Over the net 3 days, his eye remained blood shot with a dilated pupil. It was clear his peripheral vision was suffering however Brody, having a SUPER high tolerance for pain and discomfort, simply continued in his playful ways.
Bringing us to a few days later, now Brody's left eye began showing the same signs of discomfort and pupil dilation, along with being bloodshot. Brody was taken in for blood draws to determine if this was perhaps a tick born issue or something of the like. The veterinarian essentially says his issue is uveitis which is extra blood/inflammation behind his eyes and should resolve itself.
**ALL RESULTS COME BACK NEGATIVE**.
Now our veterinarian, who is now 2 seasoned doctor’s have joined forces and are a bit confused. Brody took his first trip to the Ophthalmologist the next day.
The Ophthalmologist advised us that his right eye's retina is nearly completely detached from his eye; thus causing vision loss. The retina in his left eye is creeping away from connection as well, thus causing the same vision loss and 'foggy' eye as we observed in his right eye. This detachment is caused by inflammation in his retina. So...what is the cause? Brody is run through more eye drops, pressure tests, blood tests, urine analysis, etc. The doctor goes on to say that Brody must be quite tough. He thinks that he is in a lot of pain, but is not showing it at all, #BrodyStrong
**ALL RESULTS COME BACK NEGATIVE**.
Fast forward 2 more days and Brody is crawling out of bed with us one morning. Instead of his typical run down the front stairs to see what neighbor is walking the street on this day, he stops at the top of the stairs. He clearly cannot see his footing. He scans and pans with his eyes, seemingly only using his peripheral vision and with our guidance, makes it down 5 stairs before hunkering down and stopping. He is carried the rest of the way. Obviously we are heartbroken. Brody knows something isn't right. He is having trouble navigating his way to his potty area in our yard, he is cautious with even walking out the sliding door as he is having severe trouble with his footing and depth perception. This of course generates the fear of a 'ticking time bomb' before full blindness in this healthy and loving 4 year old little fella.
At a loss for the cause of his condition, last night, at the recommendation of our veterinarian team, Brody was brought to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, MA. The staff was AMAZING. It was recommended to get him an internal medicine specialist due to his quite complex issue and continued negative results in all blood testing and further analysis.
The doctor we met with down there was simply fantastic. She essentially wanted a full work-up on Brody. After 4 hours of blood tests, platelet counts, ultrasounds, cardiograph testing and analysis, eye reviews, the results were..... a $5,100 bill and a recommendation for immediate hospitalization for the next 3 days at the least. WOW. We were simply crushed, not just financially but emotionally.
His platelets (red blood cell count) were extremely low. Brody's count was so low, that the doctor essentially said he is at risk for bleeding at any moment and because his red blood cells are so low, his body wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding. With no other option, Brody was given his quilt we keep for him in our truck and tucked in for the night. Confused, exhausted and not at home.
The next step is to get him on a steroid-based medication. This medication is similar to a chemotherapy drug which will make his bone marrow start producing more red blood cells and hopefully fight this still, mystery infection. More blood work is pending and the thought is this is a fungal-type illness or possibly bacterial based. With this medication, his immune system will tank drastically and there is always the increased risk of a secondary contraction of a illness and the body's ability to not be able to fight the original problem that we have.
As we left him last night, Brody was tucked in, but hardly able to see. He is in great hands. We are blessed in that manner. With that said, we don't know where his bills will go from here.
All that work from last night, the $5,100 was from his initial visit. NOW, he goes to a internal medicine portion of the hospital for further observation, testing and medications. The concern of course is how he gets better and what the bills will be when he are finally able to take him home.
The holidays are here, time, money and energy is tight for everyone and we understand that. We just want to be able to have our little guy home and healthy. Any donation would be of the greatest joy for him and for us and so appreciated. We thank you for your time, reading ALL of this and keeping Brody in your thoughts and prayers. #BrodyStrong
Thank you,
Aaron, Kelly and Brody
The day after Thanksgiving 2017, we noticed that Brody's right eye was a bit puffy and he was squinting it. Of course we are now into the weekend and continued monitoring it. Eventually, he stopped squinting it by Sunday however it was now quite blood shot and his pupil was enlarged. We could see that at different angles in the light, a cloudy film was over his eye. We noticed a minor loss in vision and brought him to our beloved veterinarian that Monday. Our vet found this odd and thought that perhaps Brody had bumped into a table, a tree, a fence, etc while playing. Thinking this was perhaps a minor injury that would heal, he was given some anti-inflammatory medication and taken home. Over the net 3 days, his eye remained blood shot with a dilated pupil. It was clear his peripheral vision was suffering however Brody, having a SUPER high tolerance for pain and discomfort, simply continued in his playful ways.
Bringing us to a few days later, now Brody's left eye began showing the same signs of discomfort and pupil dilation, along with being bloodshot. Brody was taken in for blood draws to determine if this was perhaps a tick born issue or something of the like. The veterinarian essentially says his issue is uveitis which is extra blood/inflammation behind his eyes and should resolve itself.
**ALL RESULTS COME BACK NEGATIVE**.
Now our veterinarian, who is now 2 seasoned doctor’s have joined forces and are a bit confused. Brody took his first trip to the Ophthalmologist the next day.
The Ophthalmologist advised us that his right eye's retina is nearly completely detached from his eye; thus causing vision loss. The retina in his left eye is creeping away from connection as well, thus causing the same vision loss and 'foggy' eye as we observed in his right eye. This detachment is caused by inflammation in his retina. So...what is the cause? Brody is run through more eye drops, pressure tests, blood tests, urine analysis, etc. The doctor goes on to say that Brody must be quite tough. He thinks that he is in a lot of pain, but is not showing it at all, #BrodyStrong
**ALL RESULTS COME BACK NEGATIVE**.
Fast forward 2 more days and Brody is crawling out of bed with us one morning. Instead of his typical run down the front stairs to see what neighbor is walking the street on this day, he stops at the top of the stairs. He clearly cannot see his footing. He scans and pans with his eyes, seemingly only using his peripheral vision and with our guidance, makes it down 5 stairs before hunkering down and stopping. He is carried the rest of the way. Obviously we are heartbroken. Brody knows something isn't right. He is having trouble navigating his way to his potty area in our yard, he is cautious with even walking out the sliding door as he is having severe trouble with his footing and depth perception. This of course generates the fear of a 'ticking time bomb' before full blindness in this healthy and loving 4 year old little fella.
At a loss for the cause of his condition, last night, at the recommendation of our veterinarian team, Brody was brought to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, MA. The staff was AMAZING. It was recommended to get him an internal medicine specialist due to his quite complex issue and continued negative results in all blood testing and further analysis.
The doctor we met with down there was simply fantastic. She essentially wanted a full work-up on Brody. After 4 hours of blood tests, platelet counts, ultrasounds, cardiograph testing and analysis, eye reviews, the results were..... a $5,100 bill and a recommendation for immediate hospitalization for the next 3 days at the least. WOW. We were simply crushed, not just financially but emotionally.
His platelets (red blood cell count) were extremely low. Brody's count was so low, that the doctor essentially said he is at risk for bleeding at any moment and because his red blood cells are so low, his body wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding. With no other option, Brody was given his quilt we keep for him in our truck and tucked in for the night. Confused, exhausted and not at home.
The next step is to get him on a steroid-based medication. This medication is similar to a chemotherapy drug which will make his bone marrow start producing more red blood cells and hopefully fight this still, mystery infection. More blood work is pending and the thought is this is a fungal-type illness or possibly bacterial based. With this medication, his immune system will tank drastically and there is always the increased risk of a secondary contraction of a illness and the body's ability to not be able to fight the original problem that we have.
As we left him last night, Brody was tucked in, but hardly able to see. He is in great hands. We are blessed in that manner. With that said, we don't know where his bills will go from here.
All that work from last night, the $5,100 was from his initial visit. NOW, he goes to a internal medicine portion of the hospital for further observation, testing and medications. The concern of course is how he gets better and what the bills will be when he are finally able to take him home.
The holidays are here, time, money and energy is tight for everyone and we understand that. We just want to be able to have our little guy home and healthy. Any donation would be of the greatest joy for him and for us and so appreciated. We thank you for your time, reading ALL of this and keeping Brody in your thoughts and prayers. #BrodyStrong
Thank you,
Aaron, Kelly and Brody
Organizer
Kelly Breton Richards
Organizer
Manchester, NH
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