This is the story of Scooter, my dog. And how a life, in canine, human and every other form, can change in a moment. And how we can adapt and survive. And how Drs. Brandeis and Newman - and the entire staff at Partners and Paws - jumped in to help Scooter survive.
Scooter is a six-year-old mixed breed rescue dog. He's got some lab in him for sure, but I think he's some sort of sighthound, too, because if he sees a squirrel 1/4 mile away, he wants to go chase it. And when he gets near that squirrel, Scooter doesn't want to kill it. Nope. He'd rather run alongside it and have another critter to run with. That's Scooter. Everyone is his friend.
Like people, I think every dog has a purpose that they are called to fulfill in life. And for some dogs, just as for some people, it may take longer to discover that purpose than for other dogs. For Scooter, he discovered his purpose about 18 months ago when my fiancé, Stacey D. - a runner's runner - decided to see how Scooter would do on one of her daily runs. Well, Scooter took to that first run like melted butter takes to a brownie mix. He integrated right into Stacey's pace, ran in a perfectly straight line alongside her and added a level of fun and companionship that both of them never expected. A bond was formed. Memories made. Love created. A love that is amazing to see. And a dog's purpose was borne.
It took about two days for Scooter to figure out Stacey's running routine and to insist that he run with her by barking and woofing at her when she was donning her running clothes and by picking up his leash and bringing it to her so she had little doubt that he intended to run with her. For Stacey, she adapted her running routine to account for Scooter. On days where she wasn't running, she would tell him the night before that they were not running the next day. Believe it or not, Scooter seemed to figure out which days were "running days" and which ones were not. It was an amazing transformation to see Scooter connect with Stacey and build his entire day around the possibility of running together. And when they ran, he was focused. He'd see squirrels, but he would not pull on the harness to chase them; rather, he'd run right alongside Stacey and stay on task. He'd see people, and he'd stay on the sidewalk in a straight line with Stacey. He'd see other dogs, and while he might glance at them, he'd stay on task. He had his job, and his job was to run with Stacey.
Over time, Scooter built up his running stamina, being able to go as many as seven miles without any issues whatsoever. When Stacey purchased a special running harness and shock absorbing leash for Scooter, it seemed to make the runs even more enjoyable for them both.
So on the day before Thanksgiving when Scooter opted to not run when loose in a park by my house, it was concerning. Never before had he not run when allowed to be off leash at a park. On Thanksgiving morning, again Scooter decided to not run. And when he didn't eat dinner Thanksgiving evening - not even a piece of turkey breast - we knew something was wrong with him. When Scooter threw up six or seven times during the night, we were deeply concerned.
The day after Thanksgiving, I called Partners and Paws and told them what was happening. They created space in their day for a 10:30 AM appointment. Scooter and I went in to see Dr. Tim Brandeis. After an examination, Dr. Tim x-rayed Scooter's chest and stomach. Thankfully, everything appeared normal on the x-ray. But there was significant bruising that had appeared on Scooter's stomach and under his fur. Tim instantly diagnosed that Scooter had something called IMT - Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia - which is a serious disease where a dog's immune system attacks its blood platelets and destroys them. It can be life-threatening, and for Scooter, his life was under attack by IMT. Little did we know, but Scooter had begun to bleed internally. Blood was pooling in his stomach. The sickness Scooter endured Thanksgiving night was blood being discharged from his body.
Dr. Tim kept Scooter at Partners and Paws the rest of the day for observation. He ordered blood tests, which confirmed low blood platelet count. Canines normally have about 500,000 platelets in their blood. Scooter had 25,000 on the day after Thanksgiving. By Sunday, his blood platelet count would bottom out at 2,000.
Through a series of aggressive treatments, Scooter little by little made small gains. At one point, we transferred Scooter to a 24-hour animal hospital so he could receive IV fluids. Then we transferred him back to Partners and Paws, where Dr. Tim continued to bring Scooter home with him at night to watch him.
Scooter is fine now. He's healthy and beginning to resume his running routine. The staff at Partners and Paws saved his life. Everyone there pitched in and cared for him and help Scooter recover. They comforted him when he was ill, cleaned him when he got sick, and watched over him. They are great! read more
