Since then...

Ferdinand came home with us the day after school let out last year. From day one we knew he was a special little guy. He walked a little funny and had a great little growl and bark. He immediately took his place as part of the family. Moxie did pretty well allowing him to come into her home to live. She was patient, especially once she realized he was here to stay.



Ferdinand spends most of his days playing with his big sis, Moxie, and snuggling with Mommy and Daddy. He does not really have a favorite toy, but seems to prefer cat toys to dog toys. I think it's because they are small enough for his little mouth to fit around.

At the end of October 2008 Ferdinand started falling over when walking or trying to go to the bathroom. He also seemed to be having trouble seeing. We immediately took him to Northshore Veterinary Clinic in Bellingham. They took a look and did some blood tests and concluded that he had some swelling in his brain due to either Meningitis or Encephalitis. They suggested that we take him either up to Vancouver, BC or down to Lynwood to see an animal neurologist who could give us a more definitive diagnosis. We started him on the Prednisone that the vet at Northshore gave us and immediately called to make an appointment down at the VCA Veterinary Specialty Center in Lynwood. They said at VCA that it may be up to 2 weeks before they could see him, but that they would call us back if anything came up sooner. We got a call early the next morning from Northshore letting us know that Dr. Kline, the neurologist, at VCA could see him that day. I made some phone calls to get a sub in the class and called John to tell him to get ready to head immediately to Lynwood. We got down there mid-afternoon and they were able to do the MRI and Spinal tap right away in order to find the source of the swelling. We left him there and went next door to check in to a hotel. We spent the next little while nervously awaiting results, hoping that he would make it through the night with all the trauma to his body. At six am we were back over at the vet to check on Ferdi and meet with the neurologist. She showed us the MRI results and the obvious brain swelling. She suggested we try him on a new medication, Procarbazine, along with the Prednisone. The Procarbazine has fewer side effects than the Prednisone and may be easier for his body to process. We brought him home that afternoon and watched him like a hawk. Every time he fell asleep we had to check and make sure he was still breathing. We actually did this for several days until the medicine finally started to work. He began showing small improvements in his stability and continued to improve for the next few weeks.

Since then he has been weaned off the Prednisone and is only taking the Procarbazine. It seems to work well for him and it definitely does not have as many side effects. He has been back to his "Ferdi normal" self since November.

We know that with his neurological problems that his life might not be as long as many small dogs and are determined to give him the best life he can possibly have, no matter how long it is.

My First Ten Weeks

5:00am: Little Miss Porsche has been antsy all morning...up and down and up again. She has started to nest her bedding. Morocco Mole (one of my Chi) is a bit too interested in her : ) My guess is, today is the day!
7:00am: Did not eat her breakfast. Took her temperature and its dropped to 99 degrees, both sure signs we are very close. Taking all my dogs out for a walk- give her time to nest alone.
8:00am: no change. Still antsy. Grooming herself a lot.
10:30am: Porsche's water just broke. Will take her in to emergency vet to make sure pups are safe and not in distress and have them conduct a vaginal exam.
11:00am: At Animal Emergency Care, Dr. Jessica Parker does as x-ray and we see 2 pups. Neither very close to the birth canal. We will take her home and being our Lamaze Breathing... (ha ha)
12:30 am: still hanging out with the other dogs... no change. Some discharge noted, but she really is not progressing.
5:00pm: still no change... back to Animal Emergency Care to help move this along. Dr. Parker does a vaginal exam and she agrees no real change. She gives her an injection of Oxytocin to being contractions. Now we wait.
5:45pm: still waiting
6:20pm: still waiting
6:30pm: still waiting
Although her milk is now engorged, no pups... SO off to an emergency cesarean section. These pup need to come out NOW!
Dr. Parker is sending us home, she will perform the c-section and call us as soon as its over.
9:00pm: still no word from the vet. I call. Tech says they have delivered 2 pups, but still trying to revive the pups. They do not suspect either will make it, but AEC does not give up so easily.
10:00pm: Vet calls, they are STILL trying... we love and appreciate them SO much.
10:45pm: vet calls, both pups are alive and breathing on their own. Two boys. In oxygen chamber. The bigger one is deformed with a head swelling- they noticed since delivery. They do not suspect he will live. He cannot latch on to nurse due to the deformity on his face. Other pup is tiny but nursing well. Staff will tube feed bigger pup through the night. Porsche is sleeping, recovering from anesthetic. Vet says we can pick them all up in the morning.
3/31 Pick up Porsche and the babies. Porsche is bright and alert... pups are tiny, typical for Chi. Ferdinand weighs 3 oz and Lumpy (sorry Lumpy- the name just stuck) is at 4oz. We will begin to tube feed Lumpy right away, since he still cannot nurse due to his deformity.
At home, Tube feeding is going well. We have raised may Chi litters and we tube feed them all- until we are sure they are gaining weight from nursing alone.
Porsche is such a young girl... still a pup herself. She wants nothing to do with them. She wants to get back to playing with my Chi....Oh Porsche.. its babies raising babies!
We have to hold her down and comfort her to allow Ferdinand to nurse.

4/1 7:00am: Lumpy is worse, although tube feeding is going well- he produces a "wet" sound when he breathes. We head to Northshore Vet for exam. Dr. Brita Tiffney says he is not meant for this world. She can all but guarantee he will not survive the next 2 days. He has a condition that causes fluid retention that shows as swelling in his head. She gave some Lasix to help pull the fluid away- but she doubts it will work. In all her years she says she has only seen one pup survive this condition. So we much try.
Tube feeding every 4 hours... all day
5:00pm: Lumpy has passed away. Oh sweet Chi, we tried our very best but you were not meant for this life. We lay him on the floor on a blanket and let all the dogs, including Porsche realize what has happened. All dogs approach him. Morocco Mole and Meg are the first. Both lick him but they know... all dogs know. Porsche grooms him, trying to revive him. I am sorry sweet Mamma, he is gone. Percy and Pudge approach. Percy has been this this many times- over the years. He sniffs pup and goes to Porsche to comfort her. Percy grooms Porsche and nuzzles her. Pudge... well, as the strong silent type, typical for him, he looks at the pup and heads back to his chewy bone.
Its time to refocus all of our attention on Ferdinand. He is nursing and we are continuing to tube feed.

4/3: Ferdinand is growing.. not much, but he is up to 3.2 oz. Porsche still does not want anything to do with him. If we keep them together she pushes him out of the bed. Its not her fault- she is young and does not know what to do. He now sleeps in a plushy heated bed with stuffed mini squirrels as his litter mates. We tube feed him 5 times a day and still gently restrain Porsche to let him nurse. With just one pup and him not nursing much she is drying up a bit...
4/6: Ferdi is up to 4oz! Good Boy. Porsche has officially decided she can't be bothered with him and just wants to play and play with my Chi. She no longer goes to him when he cries.
That's ok, he gets comfort from us and the other dogs. He nuzzles his "litter mates" the plushy squirrel toys in his bed. After feeding him we have to "help" him pee and poo, since Porsche won't. Pups can't go on their own yet, they need help.
4/8: Fat Ferdi is up to 4.2 oz. He told us LOUD and CLEAR this am he wanted to nurse! Sorry Ferdi, Mamma is almost dry. We substitute a bottle and he sucks down a feeding in less than a minute! Now that's my kind of Chi!We will update pictures of dear Ferdi:Rest in peace, fly with the angels dear Lumpy2 Weeks old
4/10 Ferdinand is hanging on at 4.2 oz. We bottle feed, as he will take the bottle perfectly well, maybe a little too well. He is a funny pup... he would eat and eat if we let him. He would eat more than his body can hold, if we allowed it. We have to take the bottle away from him as he does not seem to have the ability to regulate himself! He gets too engorged after eating- but would keep on sucking away if he could
4/11 Called Northshore Vet about his eating... Dr. Barron says to regulate his food more. He can eat too much.. but not too often So... back to feeding every hour to every other hour for a while. He gets 4cc at a feeding, he would eat 10cc if we let him. After he eats he looks like Violet Beauregarde - the girl who turned into a Blueberry on Willy Wonka! Even after eating and KNOWING he is full he will suckle on your clothes to fall asleep.
4/13 Guess who is opening his eyes! Good boy Ferdi! Took him outside in warmed blanket to see the world. More light exposure will help the development often eyes now. He is still a freak about the eating... I wonder if he will be a crazy eater as he gets older. Porsche has no milk left... she will clean him if I ask her, but only for a second then she is off to play.
Morocco Mole is offering him a toy this morning...he does not understand why he won't play with him yet!
4/16/08 We are still regulating his food, he is growing well. Up to 5 oz now. This morning we have noticed he has 2 swellings in his groin area. He appears to have 2 inguinal hernias. This is not uncommon in small pups, but they are certainly cause for concern. Both are "reducible" which means we can gently push them back into the proper place. But at any time if we can't do that, there is the possibility that blood supply could be compromised to the intestines and it could be life threatening. If they get larger or he has any other complications (vomiting, not eating, excessive pain) then we all get very worried.
4/18/08 Ferdi is hanging in there... hernias both appear larger than before- but we are still able to reduce them. He is eating like a champ. No vomiting, but his BM are less frequent, going only 2 times a day. Northshore vet is going to examine him tomorrow.
4/19/08 Saw Dr. Fjelds today at Northshore Vet. We discussed all the possible problems with the hernias. She also detected the beginning of an eye infection, so he will start on eye drops today.
4/20/08 Only having one BM a day now...we spoke with vet at the emergency hospital, since he is still eating well and no vomiting, we should just continue to do all that we are doing.
His eyes are much better today. The sun came out and we enjoyed a bit of wiggling in the back yard with the other dogs.
4/21/08 I am so happy he is a good eater... I would be a mess if he was not. He is plump and growing everyday. I left a message at Northshore vet to touch base about his only once a day BM, I will see them this afternoon. We are all worried he may need emergency surgery... no local vet does neo natal surgery...It would be a trip down to Seattle or Canada. Please little Ferdi, hold on and get bigger. As soon as he reaches 1 lb he has a higher change of surviving surgery. If it never becomes an emergency all will be repaired at the time of his neuter and no one would ever know he had a problem.. but for now we all hope he can continue to eat and not have any further complications.
Had a chat with Northshore vet, they are in agreement with Animal Emergency Care: as long as he is active, eating well and not vomiting we will accept the once a day poops....everyone wishes he would go 3 to 4 times a day... but one is ok, if we have everything else going for him.

4/23/2008
Ferdi is doing well. Eating like a champ.. all 3 hernias are still redusable and still only pooping once a day. But no vomiting and he is growing!

4/26/2008
Trying to stand today. He is a bit developmentally delayed... he should be moving better but its understandable with all he has going on. His eyes are still very wide apart.. hope you grow into those! We should of named him Marty Feldman!


4/29/2008
A whopping 8.5 oz today! He is walking better each day. He is very aware of his surrounding now. Still very quiet- tried to "play" with a toy today- wall, ok, he rolled on it... but we'll take it!

5/2/2008
9oz this morning. He is trying his best to "run" to us when we come into the room- pretty much that means he rolls out of his bed.
All hernias are still redusable, still no vomiting.. still goofball eyes!!
5/5/2008
Ferdinand is doing very well. He is 5 weeks old now and growing like a weed. We started on puppy milk from a flat saucer, and although our first attempt was not successful, later this afternoon he licked it 3 times!

5/7/2008
Doing really well now. Lapping puppy milk from dish for 80% of all feedings. Still giving him a bottle to make sure he is getting enough. He is running normally now. He gets very excited when we come into the room. He weighed 10 oz today

5/8/2008
Mixed in a bit of puppy canned food today. YUM! He loved it. He is playing with toys and trying to wrestle with the other dogs.
He seems more on track developmentally now. He grr's at his toys as he plays with them.

5/11/2008
eating 100% puppy food now. Some canned but most dry kibble let to get soft in warm water. He is a good eater and he is now pooping like a normal boy.
All of his hernia's are still present, but all still redusable, and much easier now he has normal/firm poo.
He is using his wee pads for all his potty now, he gets himself up and goes to his pad then back to bed. Such a good boy. We are at a whopping 12 oz


5/13/2008
Happy, fat and playing everyday! Ferdi is showing his true personality. He RUNS at us when we come into the room. He is very social and is happy to meet everyone.
Potty on his pads 100% now... such a good boy

5/16/2008
Loves to wrestle and grrrr at his plushy toys. He is a brave one- part of his development is exposing him to a new substrate every day or so... so far he has mastered: carpet, wood floor, tile, grass, bark, concrete and wet puddle. This helps Chi not be weary of new situations.
Sleeping in his crate every night, no fussing or whining. we tell him to "kennel up" and off he goes to bed.
He is a whopping 13oz

5/18/2008
All 3 hernias are still present but much smaller. Normal poo, form and frequency. Eating "almost" dry crunchies, barely have to moisten them at all.
Meeting lots of cats. He is enjoying everyone!
Its our job to have him experience as many things as possible now... all on his home turf (since he can't go out into the real world until he is fully vaccinated) and all with positive reinforcement, . The rule is 100 things in 100 days:

Over the past week, we mastered:
Seeing and hearing a lawn mower
Barking neighbor dogs
Kids yelling and screaming in yard next door
Rain
Toe nail trim
Mirror
Wheelchair
Man with Hat
Doorbell
Dog brush
Teeth brushing.... and more every week. This is a time we can expose him to all these things, almost guaranteeing he won't be weary of them as an adult.
The #1 reason dogs are afraid of things as adults is that they simply were not exposed as a puppy...
5/21/2008
Up and running.. he is a fast Chi now!. eating very well. Hernias are still reducible, but appear smaller. Chica (AKA Porsche, Ferdi's mom) is staying with us for a few days while her new parents are on vacation. She ran up to him and basically said " yep.. still a dorky puppy" and ran off playing with my dog Meg... she was SO never meant to be a mamma! But we still love you Chica!

Afternoon 5/21/2008: "DID YA HEAR!!! I am gonna get adopted! I found my forever home! I really love them a lot and am excited that I get to have a sister of my very own. Her name is Moxie... I'll still hang out here in my foster home for a little longer- I need to get a bit bigger, but I am so happy!" thanks everyone for rooting for me, love Ferdinand "

5/22/2008
Veterinary Exam today. First vaccine. Such a brave boy, he did squeak when he got his shot, but took a treat right after.
Vet says maybe a beginning of a minor skin infection- so she put him on antibiotics to be safe.

5/23/2008
Jason, our dogs and I are heading to Orcas Island for the weekend. Ferdi is staying with another Furbaby Rescue Volunteer who fosters Chihuahua. ( She and her husband have 3 Chihuahua all from rescue) She also has 3 big dogs, which will be great exposure for Ferdinand

5/27/2008
Ferdi is back from his sleep over... he GREW! His legs are taller and he BARKED for the first time! Loved the other dogs, of course, played very well and got along with everyone... how could he not!
His skin looks perfectly fine, we will continue antibiotics until gone, but looks like we caught that in time before it became and issue.
Lots of playtime in the sun this afternoon- running with my dogs. He really enjoys "attacking" the Dandelion Fluff!

5/29/2008
Ferdinand is enjoying eating with my dogs now. He knows "go to your place" and he head towards his mat to eat... Still a freak about wanting to eat more than he should... so we have to regulate it, but he is doing great.