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Because it’s extremely hard for me to talk about it, many of you may not know that last September I took Pirate in for a routine checkup, where, to my horror, he was diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure and the outlook was grim. Our lives changed at this moment. After a couple days of complete hysterics, I went into research mode, like any mom would. Because of the heroic efforts of the UC Davis team with Pirate 3.5 years ago, we rushed up there and spoke to the head cardiologist, Dr. Stern. He took one look at Pirate and said, “Let’s make sure it’s really that bad first...” Clearly to his surprise, it most definitely was. We had 3 options.
1) Put him on meds and manage the heart failure, with a prognosis of about 1-1.5 years or so, with more frequent emergency visits as time progressed.
2) Apply to be considered for a brand new experimental device called Mitrex. The Mitrex husband and wife team didn’t have any long term statistics and had mostly tested on pigs, but this device would buy him some time.
3) Request a consultation with Dr. Uechi, a cardiology surgeon that has the best success rate in the world for repairing mitral valve’s in dogs. His practice is in Tokyo.
We moved forward with all 3. Pirate was immediately put on 2 different medications twice a day, every day, and I limited his activity and any stress. Dr. Stern spoke to Dr. Jessica Solomon about their Mitrex procedure, who happens to have her practice in Portola Valley. She didn’t recommend Mitrex because it was still so new, but said to keep moving forward with Dr. Uechi, as that was our best bet.
So, with much persistence, and help from an extremely generous co-worker in Tokyo, we set up a call with Dr. Uechi, he looked at Pirate’s case and recommended Pirate get the surgery to fix his Mitral valve. This was a huge relief. He gave Pirate a 95% survival rate, which worked for me. Scared to death, I scrambled to download and understand the pages and pages of Japanese travel requirements, including the 180 day waiting period. Without any way around this, Dr. Stern seemed concerned that Pirate wouldn’t be well enough by this time to travel to Japan. Determined to make Pirate well, we pushed forward and did all the necessary paperwork, bloodwork, microchipping and vaccinations. We also changed our lifestyle to be extra cautious with his activity and stress level, as well as get regular acupuncture. Pirate is a mello dude anyway, but the combination of the medication and these other precautions has enabled Pirate to be well enough to travel to Tokyo for his surgery on Tuesday, May 24th.
There have been many appointments, emails, forms, and even a visit from Dr. Uechi to look at Pirate’s case in person. I’ve been assured that Pirate is in the best hands possible, which is what he deserves. As a few people know, these last 7 months have been very difficult. The thought of losing Pirate is unbearable and I will do anything I can to keep him well and happy.
I understand that this may seem extreme to some, but for me, except for being terrified, there is no question that I wouldn’t do anything I could for him. He is my family. Just me and him for the past 10 years. Many people say he is a lucky dog, but I am the lucky one.
I know you love Pirate, too. So before we leave, I’ve planned a little Pirate party. Please join us on Sunday, May 15th at 3pm at our house in Santa Cruz to show Pirate some love. Dogs are also welcome, of course! We'll have a silent auction featuring some great items for you to bid on. All winning bids will go towards his surgery cost. Current items include wine, personal training, pet sitting & walking, massage, Southwest Airlines voucher, acupuncture, and more to come.
If you're unable to attend, but would be interested in bidding on the silent auction items, please let me know.
My trainer and friend, Charlyn Lopez, has also so generously organized a Zumba class/party on Tuesday, May 17th at 7:30pm at CrossFit Aptos, 7960 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Zumba favorite, Anthony LaFrance, will also be a co-instructor! Come join us for a fun evening! A $10 minimum donation is appreciated.
If you have any additional silent auction items to donate, please let me know.
Your donation, support and love is most definitely appreciated!
xo,
Allison & Pirate
1) Put him on meds and manage the heart failure, with a prognosis of about 1-1.5 years or so, with more frequent emergency visits as time progressed.
2) Apply to be considered for a brand new experimental device called Mitrex. The Mitrex husband and wife team didn’t have any long term statistics and had mostly tested on pigs, but this device would buy him some time.
3) Request a consultation with Dr. Uechi, a cardiology surgeon that has the best success rate in the world for repairing mitral valve’s in dogs. His practice is in Tokyo.
We moved forward with all 3. Pirate was immediately put on 2 different medications twice a day, every day, and I limited his activity and any stress. Dr. Stern spoke to Dr. Jessica Solomon about their Mitrex procedure, who happens to have her practice in Portola Valley. She didn’t recommend Mitrex because it was still so new, but said to keep moving forward with Dr. Uechi, as that was our best bet.
So, with much persistence, and help from an extremely generous co-worker in Tokyo, we set up a call with Dr. Uechi, he looked at Pirate’s case and recommended Pirate get the surgery to fix his Mitral valve. This was a huge relief. He gave Pirate a 95% survival rate, which worked for me. Scared to death, I scrambled to download and understand the pages and pages of Japanese travel requirements, including the 180 day waiting period. Without any way around this, Dr. Stern seemed concerned that Pirate wouldn’t be well enough by this time to travel to Japan. Determined to make Pirate well, we pushed forward and did all the necessary paperwork, bloodwork, microchipping and vaccinations. We also changed our lifestyle to be extra cautious with his activity and stress level, as well as get regular acupuncture. Pirate is a mello dude anyway, but the combination of the medication and these other precautions has enabled Pirate to be well enough to travel to Tokyo for his surgery on Tuesday, May 24th.
There have been many appointments, emails, forms, and even a visit from Dr. Uechi to look at Pirate’s case in person. I’ve been assured that Pirate is in the best hands possible, which is what he deserves. As a few people know, these last 7 months have been very difficult. The thought of losing Pirate is unbearable and I will do anything I can to keep him well and happy.
I understand that this may seem extreme to some, but for me, except for being terrified, there is no question that I wouldn’t do anything I could for him. He is my family. Just me and him for the past 10 years. Many people say he is a lucky dog, but I am the lucky one.
I know you love Pirate, too. So before we leave, I’ve planned a little Pirate party. Please join us on Sunday, May 15th at 3pm at our house in Santa Cruz to show Pirate some love. Dogs are also welcome, of course! We'll have a silent auction featuring some great items for you to bid on. All winning bids will go towards his surgery cost. Current items include wine, personal training, pet sitting & walking, massage, Southwest Airlines voucher, acupuncture, and more to come.
If you're unable to attend, but would be interested in bidding on the silent auction items, please let me know.
My trainer and friend, Charlyn Lopez, has also so generously organized a Zumba class/party on Tuesday, May 17th at 7:30pm at CrossFit Aptos, 7960 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Zumba favorite, Anthony LaFrance, will also be a co-instructor! Come join us for a fun evening! A $10 minimum donation is appreciated.
If you have any additional silent auction items to donate, please let me know.
Your donation, support and love is most definitely appreciated!
xo,
Allison & Pirate