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Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, UT 84741
Little Bit
My little Bit - my heart and soul
I remember the day I helped rescue him from an abusive home. There were quite a few people there to help including animal control, the Humane Society staff, sheriffs department and constable. At the time I worked for the Humane Society.
Many animals were rescued that day from implorable living conditions. Little Bit was the only dog in the house and when the owners opened the door he came running straight for me, jumped into my arms, and has been with me ever since. The court awarded all the animals to the Humane Society and this little man became the owner of most of my heart.
He was so thin, full of mange and fleas, and had the scar from a human bite on his back. I bathed him and medicated him for the parasites. Then I took him to my vet to have him checked for heartworms and other parasites. Thank God he did not have heartworms but was full of hookworms, which live on the blood of animals.
My vet estimated his age at about seven months. The worms were easily cured with medication also. He had little hair and smelled pretty bad when we first got him, but once the mange and fleas were gone him hair started to grow and soon he could be groomed. I believe he is a Poodle/Schnauzer mix.
He had a tough life even after he came home with me. He started to have seizures and had to take daily medications to control that and it worked. Several years later he was bitten by a water Moccasin snake and became very ill. The snake bit him on the cheek and caused a lot of rotting of the flesh. It did heal but he has drooled ever since because of scar tissue.
Little Bit is almost thirteen years old now and at about ten years old he started to have problems with his mouth opening and had trouble eating. I took him to my vet and he thought he had a neck injury at first. He put him on a new steroid medication and he seemed fine after a week or so.
Then we moved to Kansas and he started having trouble again. I still had the medication and started to give it to him and he got better again. But unfortunately a month or so later he started having problems again and couldn't even open his mouth to eat.
I found a wonderful vet here and he was diagnosed with Masticular Myositis, which causes the bones in the scull and jaw to thin and shrink and locks up the mouth. These wonderful vets followed the suggested treatment, which was high doses of the steroid Prednisone for six weeks, and then gradually lower the dose after that.
It worked, though Little Bit became bloated and was hungry all the time and he gained too much weight. He hasn't had any more problems with it and it's been over a year. His liver is enlarged from all this medication but even though he sleeps a lot he still plays with the other dogs, eats and drinks normally and has no problems going potty.
Well, now comes the part where he gave me the will to live when I was so sick last year. I woke up one night with excruciating pain in my back and was taken to the emergency room. I had x-rays taken of my back, which showed a little arthritis but no major problems and was sent home on pain meds.
The meds didn't touch the pain and I was admitted to the hospital the next day with the pain just as bad and a temperature of 105 degrees. The doctors were puzzled for a day or so and I was on antibiotics and morphine.
They found out I had a staph infection in my blood which also caused an epidural cyst which is why I was in such pain. I was taken by ambulance to KUMed in Kansas City to be cared for. I don't remember much of it and didn't realize how sick I really was.
When I came home more than a week later, I had a pic line in my arm to receive IV antibiotics every eight hours for about six weeks and I was nauseous all the time. I was also on strong pain meds and I was still in a lot of pain. Little Bit stayed by my side except to eat and go outside to potty.
I couldn't even get out of bed without help at first and was pretty much bed ridden for about six weeks. I have two other dogs, Zoe and Baby whom I love dearly but Little Bit owns most of my heart.
He seemed to know I was sick and hurting and he stayed cuddled close with me and gave me lots of kisses. He made me want to get better and I know he had a lot to do with the fact that I did get better. I was on antibiotics for six months and I am happy to say that now I am pretty much back to my old self.
I worry about my little man all the time as he is getting older and less and less active. I will cherish every day with him one day at a time, and I pray that God will let me have him as long as possible. I know he will let me know when he is ready to go home, but hopefully it will be a long time from now. I love you so much my little man and I always will.
Karen Franklin, Burlington, Kans.
