It all began on the afternoon of May 10th. Max had been acting a little depressed. We just assumed that it was because his 'sister', Pepper had gone to the veterinary clinic and was staying overnight. When his urine was tinged with blood later in the day, we knew something wasn't quite right.
Then, less than 24 hours later during the early morning hours of May 11th, 2003, Max passed away. Our "Little Guy" was taken from our arms...but not our hearts...by a disease that went undetected until it was too late for us to save him.
Up until that day, everything seemed normal with Max. He had been eating, playing, etc., just like always. We had no indication whatsoever that something was wrong with him because he never acted ill.
Had it not been for the fact that a CBC was run on Pepper before she was admitted, we wouldn't have known that she too, was dealing with the same silent killer, Ehrlichiosis. We narrowly avoided a double tragedy. She had a blood transfusion, which we believe is the only way that she survived. The transfusion enabled her body to develop new platelets. Coupled with twice daily doses of tetracycline and lixotinic, within a month, she was well on the road to recovery. Her last check-up revealed a normal level of white blood cells, and a good platelet count. She was still a tad anemic, but that was taken care of with a few more doses of lixotinic.
Through the pain and the tears, my family and I have made a vow to Max's memory to make every effort to help spread the word about this horrendous disease so that other families may be spared the pain and worry that we have had to endure.
On March 9, 2005, Pepper joined her little brother at the Rainbow Bridge. We miss them both dearly, as does their brother Bubba.
Educate yourself! Get the facts about Ehrlichiosis by visiting the links below:
Thank you, Pam
Next Page
