Another Vicious Dog Attack!
Ah, not another one – and this one was captured on video!
It’s hidden behind a cut, in case the trauma of seeing an American Bulldog brutally mauling a small boy is too much for my sensitive readers to take.
You probably really shouldn’t keep reading this. Seriously.
Wobbly Dogs and Aging
Tessa woke up the other morning listing. She’s like a ship that’s lost it’s ballast – leaning to one side, head cocked in what should be a cute sort of tilt. Only it’s not cute, not at all. She’s having a hard time negotiating stairs and any kind of uneven ground. She’s barrel rolled herself a few times going down the outside steps, and we’re not even taking a chance when it comes to the basement stairs.
The veterinarian isn’t 100% sure what the problem is. It’s not her ears – they’re fine, thankfully. Tessa has been spared the ear problems which plague so many French Bulldogs. She 
certainly has bad teeth – she always has. One or two of her back molars need to come out, and she’s on antibiotics to clear up any lingering infection before we tackle this. I’m hesitant about putting her under anesthetic for anything less than a life threatening condition, but bad teeth can cause all sorts of issues in a senior dog, and I guess we need to take the plunge and have them extracted.
Mostly, though, Dr. Boyd believes Tessa has had something commonly called “idiopathic neuropathy” – idiopathic being a fancy word “designating a disease having no known cause”, and neuropathy being “any diseased condition of the nervous system”. So, idiopathic neuropathy, meaning “We don’t know what it is, or what caused it, but it has something to with the nervous system”.
I’m consoling myself with the studies which seem to indicate that the majority of cases of idiopathic neuropathy just disappear, as mysteriously as they came. Already after a few short days, Tessa seems more steady on her feet. All of this, of course, is a symptom of the greater truth, that my dog is aging. And, like of all of us who are aging, she’s become plagued with mystery ailments. A hip that clicks, hearing that’s failing, a bit more wobbly on her pins that she was in her youth. I know it’s all to be expected, but none of it makes me happy.
Still, Tessa’s a remarkable healthy dog for both her breed and her age. Infirmity doesn’t stop her from occasionally charging and rolling the cat, or from staking out her claim when the puppies get too close to her pillow. She still rules the house, with a little bit of help from me when it’s called for.
She’s also looking forward to making it to the Nationals in Minnesota in 2008, as am I.
Carol
Cosette Needs Your Help
By now, everyone in the French Bulldog world has heard the story of poor little Churchill, the French Bulldog with the horrific skin condition who was taken in by FBRN. Churchill inspired an outpouring of generous donations from readers who were heartsick at the appalling condition he was in. Unfortunately, FBRN had to make the wrenching decision to let Churchill go, when Veterinary care was unable to stop the advancement of his cancer.
Now, there’s another sad little Frenchie who needs your help – and she’s with a rescue without the deep pockets and well organized financial backing of FBRN.
Meet Cosette –
Cosette is being fostered by French Connection Rescue. Here is her story:
Cosette was found wandering the streets and a family tried to take care of her since November. The Dad lost his job so now they cannot take care of her and turned her over to The Connection Rescue, AKA us!
She is clearly a puppymill breeder and is probably almost the worst case Frenchie her foster mom has ever seen. She is emaciated, bare skinned, eye and ear infections (a clubbed ear too), heart murmur, fluid in the lungs etc. Her nipples hang so far down and look like balls on a string. She has no front teeth and is about 7 years old.
Although she has had a rough life, she has the personality of gold! A real sweetie pie. 🙂 She is a tiny thing weighing in at 13.9 lbs right now and is very petite.
She is going to need all the help she can get! My vet who opened just for me to bring her in said he believes we can get her better. I hope he is right.
Cosette needs your help. Here’s what you can do:
- Donate to her care – as much or as little as you can afford
- Blog about Cosette – help spread the word, and get her the readers she needs to help FCR raise the funds needed to care for her
- Post about Cosette to your newsgroups and forums
Let’s all help show Cosette that she is as cared for as Churchill was, and the one poor little used up puppy mill dog can still have a shot at a happy life.
Carol