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Support Piper the Papillon’s Medical Fund

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THE STORY

This is Piper, our winsome-eyed baby boy. At eight years old, he is just two years shy of his “brother” (cousin) Aeryn. A bright, loving, active papillon, he loves to soar off the three-step landing into the back yard to bark at trees, to claim every toy in the house, and to give pointed taps to remind you that his belly needs to be rubbed. A rambunctious master at play, he’s also a champion cuddler, just as likely to come flop his little head on a pillow next to yours.


On November 28th, he managed to wriggle under the fence into the neighbor’s yard, surprising their normally friendly larger dog. Unexpectedly, a warning growl, and the larger dog attacked Piper to protect his turf, as both families rushed to intervene. While my neighbor was navigating down steep deck stairs, I somehow vaulted the fence – I really don’t know how. From start to finish, this all lasted less than two minutes. People say never to get in the middle of a dog fight. I’d do it over again, given the likely alternative.

Frantic calls between us and our vet got us in right away for x-rays and an assessment. It was quickly determined that we needed to bring him to a specialist hospital. The ride there was excruciating for all of us. It was a long 30 miles away during rush hour. But aside from the university hospital two hours distant, this was recommended as the top emergency facility in the area that could handle all needs in one location.



Piper was wrapped in a towel in the backseat, cushioned by a blanket. As best as possible, we avoided bumps and potholes as he held himself taut in obvious pain. We kept talking to him, telling him how much farther, what a good boy he was, how much we loved him. He moved sparingly, adjusting himself delicately as he tried to find comfort. Our normally talkative little guy was largely silent until the last five miles, when he started moaning softly. I’ve never heard him make a sound like this, and it was heart-wrenching to listen to, feeling so helpless to spare him what he was going through, to rewind the clock. The minutes were interminable, as his pain must have felt to him. My mom and I started singing to him, she to calm and soothe him, and maybe me too. I was driving and had to be strong for him, but I felt like I was breaking because I hadn’t been able to stop this, and as much as I loved him, I couldn’t make this go away.

Hospital staff was excellent and took him in immediately for examination. They confirmed broken ribs and sternum, as well as a suspected diaphragmatic hernia, and we were told that it looked like Piper’s diaphragm was shoved into his sternum. He also suffered puncture wounds and massive bruising. We were relieved that, at that time, there did not appear to be internal bleeding. While they were stabilizing him in their ICU, they described the surgery that he would need and some worst-case scenarios just so that we would be prepared.



At that point, we didn’t know what to expect and it had been made plain that his injuries might not be bringing him home. My mother looked at desperation overtaking me, and reminded me, “God is greater. The Lord loves Piper more than we do, and we are going to choose to be an open door to God’s glory working in his life.” And while I was pacing with the images of the fight, and his glazed eyes and wounded body, she said “We are going to close the door on fear and we are going to lift him before the Lord, for God can intervene and God can heal him.”  During this time, word had gone out to family, to friends, and we knew that others were likewise extending support.

We were again given cautious words when we called later that night to check on him, but the next morning we were told that he made it through the night and his vitals were stable. His surgery, scheduled for that day, would end up being over two hours. When it was done, our surgeon called with better than expected news. There was no hernia or internal tear that needed to be repaired. There was bruising on his liver, but this would heal. His ribs were broken but would also heal, and his broken sternum was overlapping on itself, but likewise expected to heal. The greatest damage was to the left side of his diaphragm that realistically would have a lasting effect on his lungs, to which hopefully his body would adjust. And again, we were cautioned that though the surgery was deemed successful, his condition was still very delicate, and he should remain there under observation.


We were able to pick him up Friday night, and as excited as we were, we were ill-prepared for the sobering condition in which we found our baby boy when we picked him up.

Piper was glassy-eyed and out of it, having come off IV painkillers. He was wrapped carefully in thick bandaging; still we could see his undercarriage was completely black and blue, and horribly swollen. We were told that he would be in a lot of pain for a while. Our drive home was a complicated mix of emotions: relief at having him back, deep concern for his condition, worry about the logistics of the upcoming weeks, and delayed shock at how life had changed in one week–but most of all profound gratitude to the Lord that we were driving home with him.

And so we’ve started the difficult home recovery period.



OUR NEEDS

Our hospital bills for this have been more than $4,500. At the same time, sweet-hearted Aeryn is experiencing advanced cardiac disease, with no hope of surgery, and we are doing all that we can to keep him as healthy as possible for as long as we can. Our family is experiencing significant financial difficulties, and these unanticipated costs are a hardship for us.


These boys have never been just pets–as we’ve grown together since their puppy-hood, we’ve been blessed by the intimacy of family as many animal people can relate.  And we can tell you that this weary world would be a much better place if there were room for all people to experience the joy of watching of two paps roughhousing together.


It is difficult for us to ask for anything. We spend time thinking about the causes to which we want to give, and in better times have. If this appeals to your heart and you would want to donate anything we would be deeply appreciative, but we are also grateful for best wishes and understanding hearts.

With puppy kisses,
Lisa, Rebecca and Caroline

THE ITEMIZED FEES


Piper was initially treated by Dr. Jedediah Green at The Animal Hospital of West Woodstock. The staff of Blue Pearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital of Sandy Springs impressed us with their compassion. His surgeon, Dr. Cassandra Ruthrauff, was excellent and took great care in communicating with us.

The first row of photos below were taken the Sunday after his surgery. The middle photo was taken about a week out. You can see how swollen he is. We were unable to get pictures of the trauma prior to this, as we didn't want to maneuver him in any way that might cause him more pain.



Below, we’d like to share some ingredients for our recipe: How to Fall in Love with Papillons ❤️





Organizer

Rebecca Barlow
Organizer
Woodstock, GA

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