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SOFIA
This is Sofia. On July 14, 2003, at 8 weeks of age, and
weighing only one pound and 5 ounces, she was dumped at
an LA shelter to be euthanized.
The reason...she had a heart
murmur and was worth nothing to her owner. The good folks at the shelter gave us a call to
see if we would have any interest in trying to save her.
Without hesitation, because we're crazy, we scooped her
up, took her to Arbor Animal Hospital in Irvine, and
found out she had a Grade 6
PDA
heart murmur. Heart murmurs range from 1-6....6 being
the worst.
She is a very sick little girl.
Thanks to the generous help of our Little Dog Rescue
supporters, we were able to take her in for an
echocardiogram
and x-rays... She was diagnosed with a
PDA
and will need surgery.
There is no survival alternative. The good news is that
in spite of her small size, she is a candidate
for surgery and the long term prognosis is for a very
normal life.
Our vet,
Dr. Daryl Mabley, of
Arbor Animal Hospital in
Irvine, explained to us that due to her size, the best
facility for her surgery would be at UC Davis Veterinary
School. Dr. Mabley (what would we do without this good
man!!!) contacted Dr. Sara Miller in the cardiology unit
of UC Davis and on Monday August 4, at 10 AM, we will
meet with her to begin our journey to recovery.
There are 2 surgical solutions for Sofia. One is by
threading a "coil" or plug through the carotiod artery
in the neck to the heart and "plugging" the hole. The
other is "cracking open the chest" and tying off the
leak. Dr. Miller feels Sofia's size, and the angle of
her ductus (hole) probably rules out the coil
alternative and she'll most likely need open heart
surgery.....we will find out on Monday. If she IS a
candidate for the coil, she will have it done on
Tuesday, Aug 5 by Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller did tell me
that they have never done a coil on anyone this small.
We also learned that time is of the essence, because if
the murmur reverses, it will no longer be repairable.
OHHH, my sweet baby!!! If not the coil, she will need
to go to the cardiac surgical team and will hopefully be
scheduled on Tuesday or Wednesday. Recovery, of course,
would be a lot quicker with the coil.
And so we begin our journey!! Please join us, as we
document it. We will be taking pictures throughout the
trek and posting them for our wonderful Little Dog
supporters. We thank you all for all your love and
support. Sofia wouldn't have a chance without you and
she thanks you from the bottom of her broken and soon to
be mended little heart!!
Click each
thumbnail to see the full-size picture, then use your
Web browser's Back button to return to this page
7/31
Here's Sofia booking her Monday
morning flight to Sacramento.
8/1
Today's project was finding just the right carry on bag
for our flight. Here's what we found!!
This one was wayyyyy too big
This was wayyy too small
This one was just right!!!
And she's decided that it would be
a lot more fun using it like this!
8/2
She's got all her bare necessities
packed and ready to go!!
8/3
With house sitters and dog sitters in place, we're just
about ready to go. Since Sofia probably won't be able to
have a bath for a while, we thought we'd clean her up
before we go. She was MAD!!!!
OWW!!! Don't you know I have a bad heart!!!! Stop
it!!!
There, now we're ready to go. WE've decided to drive
(UGH!) because it will be less stressful on her. She's
up to 1 pound 11 ounces!! So, we're on our way!! Say a
little prayer for us, please.
We made it and we're nervously awaiting tomorrow
morning's appointment.
8/4
Disappointing news today. After
ANOTHER echocardiagram and more xrays, Dr. Miller
decided that not only is Sofia not a candidate for the
coil, but she has fluid in her lungs. The sent us home
with medications and we will return on Thursday for
Sofia's Friday heart surgery. We're very
disappointed and sad because we can see her going down
and getting weaker. But, we're determined she'll get
through this with flying colors.
Here's Sofia with Dr. Miller
We've just arrived home from our long drive home from
Davis. We're going to be home long enough to unpack, do
laundry, and repack. We'll leave again on Thursday AM to
make our apt. with the surgeon at 4 PM. Her surgery is
scheduled for Friday at 10 AM. My heart is dying,
watching her go down and not being able to do ANYTHING!!
She's lost a couple of ounces and it's very important
that we get it back on her. Please say a little prayer
for our girl. The last few days were extremely stressful
and hard on her, so I'm hoping that being home will be
easier on her.
8/7
We're on our way to the airport, with our little girl.
Four PM apt. with the Dr. today and we're saying our
prayers. Sofia needs this surgery very badly.
We've arrived in Sacramento and although Sofia slept
most of the way snuggled in my arms, she was a hit with
the crew. She, of course, was upgraded to first
class..... we had to grovel to sit with her!!
Next stop, 4 PM, Davis.. surgery dept. Now, we hope that
they'll accept her for surgery. We'll repost after her
appointment tonight.
We're back from Davis with good news. Another
echocardiagram and blood taken. She will undergo surgery
in the AM. We were able to take her back to our hotel
room, so she won't be stressed by being in a cage
tonight. We will meet her surgeon, Dr. Margo Mehl, and
her anesthesiologist, Dr. Linda Barter, at 7 AM. Sweet
dreams, all!
8/8
Sofia had a quiet night. She slept hard. We got her up
for a 3 AM feeding because the Dr. said that was the
last time she could eat. And because she's so tiny, she
needs to eat often. WE arrived at the clinic at 6:45
and we were met by Dr. Linda Barter. She took our little
bird down for prep. Now, we wait. We're both a wreck
because we know the risks are huge with such a tiny
body. But, at least she's able to have the surgery. She
wouldn't last long without it. PLEASE, LET IT BE GOOD
NEWS!! We'll let you know as soon as we hear.
12:30
SHE MADE IT!!! SHE MADE IT!!! SHE MADE IT!!!!!
After a long and stressful surgery, Sofia is in ICU. Dr.
Mehl (my heroine) said that the ductus was huge so it
took longer than they expected. She isn't out of danger
yet, but late this afternoon we'll have a better idea of
how she's doing. We were able to take a quick peek at
her in ICU and here's some pictures.
Dr. Mehl
This ICU incubator box is heated to 87 degrees
My little bird. She doesn't have much hair left, so she
really does look like a little bird now. Our gorgeous
swan!!!
As you can tell, we're pretty excited. I'm sure Dr. Mehl
thought I was going to squish her.. I hugged her so
tightly. Yep, we know she's not out of the woods yet,
but she's on the road to recovery.
Thank you, friends. Without all of you, Sofia wouldn't
have had a chance. Stay posted. We'll take more pics and
update as soon as we know anything.
8
PM
Just spoke with Dr. Mehl (I don't think she ever
sleeps!!) There's a POSSIBILITY that our little girl may
be discharged tomorrow. Although she's in a lot of
pain, The drain from her heart has been removed, and all
is going well. Barring any unforeseen complications,
they may let us drive her home tomorrow and turn her
over to our vet, DR. Mabley. Her heart is now mended, so
we'll just need to control her pain while she's
recovering. She's young, and should recover quickly. We
have an apt. with Dr. Mehl at 9 AM and we'll update when
we get back to a computer, which, hopefully, will be
from home.
8/9
This morning we're packing up and getting ready to go
over to the hospital, hopefully to discharge our little
girl. I checked my email, and much to my surprise, I
discovered this wonderful note.
Hello, I am an animal health technician working in the
ICU at UC Davis Vet School Hospital. I was assigned to
work with Sofia overnight. I just finished reading the
"article" on Sofia's journey. She's out of surgery and
recovering well. I will be sitting with her throughout
the night and I will never be far away. Just to give
you(the parents) some comfort. SHe's an adorable little
baby, I see why you cherish her so much. What a little
character.
Billy Vernetti
What a wonderful surprise!! Such fantastic people, all
of them. UC Davis is AWESOME!!!!! GO AGGIES!!!!
8 PM
We're home!! We're exhausted....
and we're thrilled!!!!
With instructions for future care, Dr. Mehl discharged
her patient this AM, as long as we didn't fly home. The
pressurization wouldn't have been good for her newly
operated on heart. So, we made arrangements to drop the
rental car in LA and drove home. Francois constructed a
condo in the back seat of the car....
Sofia just wanted to be
touched...comforted... snuggled....loved......so she was
in our laps most of the ride. By the time we got home,
needless to say, she was wiped.
Here's a picture of her incision, but if you're at all
squeamish, please do not go any further or enlarge. The
small incision under the large one is where the drain
was.
8/10
We're being very lazy today.... chewing our chewers and
dragging around newspapers that are supposed to be used
for potty.....doing all the things that normal, healthy
little puppies with good hearts do. A lot of itching
from the incision, quite sore, and very tired, but all
very normal. Dr. Mehl told us to keep her quiet for 2
weeks, until her stitches come out!!! Right!!! Maybe if
we conk her over the head with a baseball bat!!!
8/13
Well, we've all recovered, the
suitcases are unpacked and the laundry's done. Sofia is
doing so well. She has soooooo much energy, and making
up for lost time. We had a terrible problem with her
incision itching. She just couldn't stop. So, our dear
friend Sally Stack from Villa Park, designed a little
shirt for her to wear. It's made of t-shirt material.
She steps into it and it velcros on top of her. It goes
around her chest so it won't slip back. Here it is and
it works like a charm. Sally always has just the right
fix for all our problems!!
Sofia has recovered so very well. As of today, she
doesn't squeak anymore when we pick her up. I think that
her pain is totally gone now.
Let me show you how well she's doing. Here's her
incision. As you can see, it's healing beautifully. I've
decided that if I should need heart surgery, I'm going
to Dr. Margo Mehl at UC Davis!!!!
She plays and plays and is just a silly, happy, lively
puppy.
"I HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOUR COMPUTER ISN'T WORKING"!!!!!!!!
8/20
Sofia started out at 1 pound 5 ounces and you can't
believe what it's taken to get her to 2 pounds. From
chicken, ground beef, syringing baby food into her
mouth, and practically chewing food for her.. she just
had no interest in eating......and now we've come to
this. She's now eating only dry puppy kibble...... she
eats 3-4 times a day......eats like a horse.......
attacks my hand if it doesn't come fast enough....(yep,
we hand feed her, and love it!!) ..... plays like crazy
all through her meals.....like a child with the airplane
thing.....
But, today, we finally got to 2 pounds!!!! We've been
teetering on it for the last couple of days, but she
played very hard the other day and lost an ounce!!!!
Sofia has absolutely no idea that she had a bad heart.
All she knows is that she's got a TON of energy!! We
think that the doctors at Davis implanted a TURBO
CHARGER into her heart. She's quite a dynamo!!!
Tomorrow she gets her stitches out and from then on,
she's just like any other dog....just a bit smaller!!!
8/28
Sofia is now 2 pounds and 2 1/2
ounces!!! She's growing by leaps and bounds (well, maybe
not leaps and bounds!) and has more energy than all of
us put together. We are constantly amazed at how much
energy she has. She eats like a horse, plays like mad
and sleeps like a rock. She's had her stitches removed
and her incision has healed beautifully. She's really a
little miracle girl!!
8/29
This is Sofia with her friend, Margie, whom we rescued
from an LA shelter. She was dumped there because she had
mange from the hundreds of fleas we found on her. Now,
most dogs like to lie NEXT to their friends,
right?? Not Sofia, she has to sleep on TOP of her
friends!!! Nice friend, huh?
8/29
Sofia has a new friend, Shelly, who was rescued from an
LA shelter. She's now healthy and playful, so she and
Sofia "go at it" a few times a day. Although Shelly is
a little larger than Sofia, Sofia is ALWAYS on
top!!!! Very bossy and she has NO idea
how tiny she is!!!
9/01
PSST!!! Hey, Margie. Wanna go for
a swim. They'll never know!!!
AHHHHHHHHHH, it's FREEZING!!!
Oh geez, Margie.. I think we got BUSTED!!!
10/10
Here's Sofia with her new "do". Because she loves to
swim in her bowl every day, it seemed much smarter to
keep her in a summer "do". She now is weighing in at 2
pounds and 12 ounces.
10/28
Here's Sofia tipping the scale at
just 3 pounds and wearing the newest creation from our
dear friend Sally Stack of Villa Park. (she's just as
bossy and sassy as ever) Sally designs, makes, and
donates our beautiful jackets.
Not only are these jackets
gorgeous, but they have kept many of our bald little
orphans from being cold but feeling beautiful, after
being buzzed down. If you're interested in purchasing
one of these beautiful creations,
you can see them at:
Villa Park Animal Clinic
17859 Santiago Blvd # A
Villa Park
or
email
for more information
All proceeds go to Little Dog Rescue.
Here she is sporting her new "swim"
coiffure. (She swims in anything that has more
than an inch of water) And Sofia absolutely must have a
treat when Sally comes visiting with her jackets. Having
been brought up in a barn, or so it seems, Sofia goes
looking for her own treats (in Sally's purse) because
Sally is so darn slow (with the treats!!) Sofia
certainly has a mind of her own!!!
Friday November 7
Today was Sofia's final follow up visit, with an
echocardiogram scheduled.. Our appointment was with Dr.
Karen Sanderson from Advanced Veterinary Care Center in
Lawndale. Dr. Sanderson is a graduate of UC Davis and
specializes in cardiology. We anxiously awaited the
results of her procedure, and were told that she passed
with flying colors. She will now lead a perfectly normal
life with a normal lifespan. What wonderful news!!!
Watching her on a daily basis, we were sure the results
would be good. We've pretty much known from the third
day after her surgery, that the "turbo charger" that
Davis placed in her, is supercharged and there for
good!!!
Here's a picture of Sofia having her final
echocardiogram with Dr. Karen Sanderson on the left
12/11
Here's what your roll of
toilet paper looks like:
Here's what our toilet
paper looks like!!!
12/18
Sofia actually has her own bed and Pepper DOES have
bigger beds to choose to lie in. Buuuutttt...... this is
the favorite and Sofia needs to be warm and cuddly at
all times!!
12/26
On those cold
mornings, when you just don't feel like starting the
day, the sleeve of a bathrobe is a great place to hitch
a ride!!
3/01/2004
Sofia and Pepper
10/04
We lost our beloved Pepper 3/05 after a long battle.
Rest in peace, dear Pepper. We all miss you terribly. |
