Scott Carino reports that his much loved Sheepadoodle Louis is still at the emergency veterinary clinic, still vomiting and suffering from severe diarrhea.
The vets there say he is not out of the woods yet but that the virus – parvo- is proceeding normally. It’s been five days since Louis was able to hold down food or water.
He’s on an IV for water, and they might force-feed him this afternoon if he’s not able to hold food down. He did vomit this morning. Parvo is a nasty virus and Louis, who is four months old, is having a nasty time with it.
The next couple of days will be critical. And expensive. Scott is still not asking for help.
The doctors say it’s usually this rough when puppies get the virus, but most dogs pull through. Scott is a wreck and I feel for him. I am sure he is finding a way to blame himself for this, he’s like that. He still isn’t sure where the virus came from.
Scott is taking it hard, he adores that little dog.
Note: Some people have called the vet clinic and offered to give a donation to Scott to pay for Louis’s treatment. I would ask people not to do that until and unless Scott asks for it, it is his call, not ours.
If he does ask for help, we will talk about a gofundme page or something in that vein, so records can be kept and the vet clinic doesn’t have to play accountant. Boundaries are important. If Scott needs help, he will ask. I’ve known him for years, but I won’t make decisions for him, and I would not send a donation to the vet clinic. We share his story, but we don’t take it from him. I do appreciate the generosity.
Oh, PLEASSSSSE! Sorry not sorry. Sorry I told you I donated to help a sick dog, not sorry for the Random Act of Kindness. What if those Mother’s who protested in Portland waited around for men to give them permission, or waited for men to ask for help. Sometimes we need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice, and JUST DO THE DAMN THING! This isn’t about your friendship, it’s about a dear loving man who lost his business and now his beloved puppy is fighting for it’s life. I listened to that inner guidance and followed my heart. As for the Vet Hospital having to take donations, it is an uplifting experience for them to know people from all over care enough to reach out and help.
Antoinette, it’s up to you what you do with your money. I’ve asked people to respect Scott’s wishes and not send money unless he requests it. If you choose to ignore his wishes, that’s your call, not mine. I also asked for people to consider the clinic, which has to handle the donation and do paperwork on it. It’s not their job to collect donations, if we do it, we ought to do it right.
It’s not about my friend, you are right, it’s about respecting somebody else’s wishes and not taking over someone else’s troubles. As I told Scott if he wants or needs help, he should feel free to ask for it and I will be happy to try to help him, as well as a lot of other people. And good on you for wanting to help. So far, he has decided not to ask for additional help. As this goes on, he might change his mind, but that isn’t my call.
He has his pride and dignity to consider, those are personal choices for him to make, not you, and if he needs to ask other people for money it ought to be his decision, not yours. It’s not for you to tell other people what is uplifting to them. This feels like it’s about what you need, not what Scott or his dog needs. I hope other people don’t follow your lede. I’ve asked people not to send money to the clinic. I can’t hide behind the Holy Spirit, I can just tell you what I think. I’m leaving this very personal decision to him at a very difficult and private time.
There are people in the world, Antoinette, who really don’t want to take money from other people, it is demeaning to them. They have the right to feel that way.
I hope Scott isn’t beating himself up over this. My vet told me that parvo is everywhere outdoors, lasts pretty much forever – puppy vaccines give limited immunity; even with puppy vaccines, a young dog can still come down with it – no way to tell where a puppy contracted it. Emergency vets are now very experienced in treating parvo: they’ll use all best practices to save Louis. Hoping for the best and wanting Scott to know he did the right thing: get Louis to an ER.
He does blame himself a bit, but I see no way it was his fault…
Parvo is one of those things we think will never happen to OUR beloved dog. Protecting puppies – really protecting them – from Parvo is truly not easy because they want to run around and explore the world before they are totally immunized.
I am looking for a puppy and this is a cautionary tale.
What a gorgeous pup Louis is! Fortunately he is a larger breed which I tend to think (maybe wrongly) gives him a better chance than a four pound puppy. Many good wishes and thank you for keeping us updated!
I have attended a number of groups with people who have lost their pets. THE most common sentiment one hears is self blame. Usually from the most conscientious doggy moms or dads. I have come to think of self blame as a way to hold on to the beloved friend and a back handed attempt to regain emotional control of the situation.
I once fostered a GS pup for Leader Dogs for the Blind, Rochester, NY. She came from impeccable breeding and it was my job to socialize her until she was one. Then she would be ready to return to her school for training in the profession she was bred for. I was extremely protective of her until all shots were given. But as dumb luck would have it, she got parvo. I was very fortunate the vets pulled her out of it. She wasn’t even my dog. I felt so responsible and terrified this happened. It just came out of the blue and she was vulnerable. To this day I wonder where it came from! Scott has no reason to blame himself.
I do hope your friend is able to visit his dog. I have seen pups not expected to recover make miraculous recoveries, and I attribute it to their ‘person’ being allowed to spend time with them in the hospital. I know that may not be possible in these times, but I hope so.
Poor little Louis! It is just so awful to watch an animal struggle, and my heart goes out to Scott. I’ve been in similar situations and it’s just such a helpless feeling. I hope the little guy turns the corner soon.