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.