It's with great sadness that I write this. Bobby, the Fila pup was euthanized today.
A few days ago, his stool started going soft. People thought it was just the food, too much rich, human food which was being fed to him in his bonding sessions with various staffers.
Three days ago, he started having constant, liquid, bloody diarrhea. He stopped eating. He just lay by the front of his kennel. The last time I saw him, he lifted his head to touch his nose to my hand through the grating of the kennel door but did not get up to greet me like he had been doing and then he lay his head back down and closed his eyes.
The stool samples went out yesterday for testing and this morning it was confirmed that he had parvo.
Parvo is extremely painful. The dog bleeds its insides out. The in-clinic treatment for parvo would have been very expensive and very difficult to accomplish considering how it would have been nearly impossible to handle Bobby and there were no guarantees that the treatment would've even worked.
Thus the vet decided to euthanize Bobby immediately - also in part to prevent further contamination as parvo is extremely infectious.
Toronto Animal Services South is now in lock down with no dogs coming in or going out. The problem is, no one knows how Bobby caught the disease in the first place - if it came in with one of the other dogs or if it's been transmitted to any of the other dogs. We wait and see.
Meanwhile, every surface in the facility has to be cleaned and bleached as bleach is the only common cleanser that will kill the killer.
I'm so sorry we failed you Bobby. You did your best in your short, hard life and you came a long way from where you were, but still, we could not save you.
Bobby, may you rest in peace.
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16 comments:
Im going to cry!!!! this is terribly sad! after all the hard work that went into helping Bobby. Poor poor dog.
Rest in Peace Bobby. May you find happiness in Doggy Heaven
I'm so sorry Fred
Susan
No one failed Bobby. He went from an abusive environment that twisted his soul to a place where people cared for him, gave him love and time, and a chance to play. Yes, it was a short, tragic life, but because of TAS volunteers and staff, it ended much better than it began.
Would have been great if he could have had a long, happy, life, but at least he knew love and something like happiness at the end.
Parvo is vicious and usually incurable in puppies: we nursed too many through their last hours before making the awful decision. I still cry about the litter of 5 that came at two weeks, and died, one by one, before they reached two months. We still wonder if we should have euthanised them sooner, instead of fighting for each little life until it was clear we could not win. Was it right to extend their suffering in the hope of saving even one?
TAS staff and volunteers did not fail Bobby: they gave him a reason to live in his last weeks, and they gave him a quick and merciful death when it became clear that nature intended a long and agonised one.
You did good. Don't feel guilty, feel proud.
Oh no.
I was just getting caught up on your posts and enjoying this fella`s progress in his wonderful videos.
I`m so sorry to read this and my heartfelt condolences go out to all who knew this pup and worked so hard to help him overcome his fears.
RIP little fella
Hoping for the best for the other dogs at T.A.S
Oh, no!!! I'm so sorry. After all the love and effort all of you put into the poor pup. What a terrible shame.
At least he learned to play and maybe got an inkling that there are nice dogs and people in the world.
Rest in peace, Bobby. You will be missed.
*tears*Hope no other dogs at the facility succumb to this.
I'm so sorry to hear this. One of our dogs had parvo and while she made it and went on to live a long life, it was really touch and go and could have gone either way. It's such a horrible disease. At least Bobby knew some human kindness from you all before he went.
Bobby, Bobby. Beautiful Boy. He had a hard start, but he went out easy, surrounded by love. Thanks, TAS, for letting Bobby's last days be such good ones.
Shit. :(
This is terrible news. Bobby deserved much better in life for sure.
I have a suggestion .
I do alot of intake of pups and dogs from questionable locations.
My vet told me that the next time I bring in pups, to get some antibiotics for them immediately. They are cheap and keep my babies safe, along with a special diet and alot of hand washing/bed/floor washing.
A few years ago , I brought in two wee beagle pups and both showed signs of parvo almost immediately. You don`t wait to see if its the food. They both went to my vet, were put on IV fluids and meds for a few days and were saved. Cost to us was a few hundred dollars. Very little to pay for two lives saved.
God Speed Bobby. See you at the Bridge.
Fred, next time you have a scardy pup, I may have room for him.
i agree. You guys didn't fail bobby. Society failed bobby.
You did your best, and tried to give him everything he could want or need during his short life.
Sometimes, it's just not enough
Rest in peace, sweet little Bobby. Many of us cared about you and hoped for a better life for you and Andy. I'm glad you had a chance to play and know nice people.
Fred, condolences to you and the staff at TAS, particularly Bobby's trusted friend who worked so hard to bring him out of his shell. And best wishes that the parvo is contained and resolved quickly.
Poor little guy. How tragic and terrible. On a positive note, I'm glad he at least saw the other side of humans before he was put down so that he had some memories of being treated kindly and with respect. He also had a chance to play and have some positive human and canine interaction, however, fleeting.
Parvo is such a terrible disease. I hope none of the other dogs at TAS get it.
Jenn
Rest in peace, sweet baby. It breaks my heart that you never had the opportunity to live in a home with a family that loved you and cared for you. But you are in a better place now, where no one will ever hurt you again.
Many thanks to the people at TAS that gave him patience, love, and a kind touch.
I'm with House of Discarded on this one :-(
Its cuts deep. So very sad all 'around.
I am so sorry to hear of his passing.
You did everything you could, and if I could, I'd give you a great big hug. I cannot thank you enough for giving these poor dogs with what was no doubt the best time of their lives. They were given a chance, a chance that their previous "owners" never gave them.
So very, very sad. :(
Just the other day the woman in front of me at the coffee shop was saying how she will never have another of her dogs vaccinated for parvo after her last puppy "got parvo from the shot". Alas, the dog certainly had un-manifested parvo before the shot and now she may be subjecting numerous other dogs to similar sad painful unnecessary deaths.
I'm sorry to hear this.
DogsDeserveFreedom
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