ANNOUNCEMENT, JULY 4, 2010: Sometimes I think that our wonderful Gianna was meant to have one litter, and one litter only. The five puppies she and Petromonoff Valiant brought into this world in January 2007, are exquisite bulldogs; we so want to see five more just like those. We have not been able to do that because of a series of reasons that only Murphy's Law could explain. We had such high hopes for these babies in 2010; all arrangements were made and timing was perfect. We did not, however, plan on what happened on the afternoon of Thursday, June 24, 2010: Gianna underwent three hours of delicate surgery to remove pieces of a GARDEN HOSE!! that she evidently decided to eat. Under the skillful and talented hands of Dr. Tim Thompson and Dr. Grace Schnell of Hope Animal Clinic, Marble Falls, TX, pieces of the hose that could have been there for WEEKS, were removed from her stomach and intestines. Unfortunately, there was a perforation in her intestine and peritonitis has been a MAJOR concern. We are into Day 10, post op; all indications are that she is going to be fine. She will require continued care and observation [I sleep beside her crate on the floor to monitor her constantly, and she comes and shares my pillow about 3 in the morning! :) ] and testing during the weeks to come. She is surprisingly strong, mending, and happy. We have every reason to believe that all will be well; but are we breathing easily? No, not yet. But signs are far more positive than negative. For that we are so very grateful.
WHY did Gianna decide to eat a garden hose? No answer for that. I do not keep 'toys' down because 'some' bulldogs have a penchant for eating all things, ALL things. As a teenager, Gianna was known to eat pieces of a rubber ball (that is when we took up all toys after monitoring the girls' play); we could always tell which of the poop in the backyard was Gianna's when we pooper-scoopered at the end of the day: Gianna's was always the 'colorful' pile. But, this girl has not eaten foreign objects since she has been an adult: these girls live right here with us and we would know. And yet, at some time in the last months, she without question found a water hose when she was playing outside and decided to sample portions. IF YOU HAVE A BULLDOG, OR REALLY OTHER BREEDS AS WELL, WATCH CAREFULLY! THEY MAY EAT ANYTHING FROM PECANS IN THE YARD (Mila!), TO SOCKS (Dr. Grace's dog); TO HEADS OFF RUBBER CHICKENS (Buddy!); TO GARDEN HOSES!!! They will also eat rocks . . . Oh, me.
IF YOUR DOG IS VOMITING OVER A PERIOD OF TWO DAYS AND CANNOT HOLD ANYTHING DOWN, DEMAND AN X-RAY!!! ALL TESTS MAY PROVE INITIALLY THAT IT IS LIKELY JUST A TUMMY UPSET, BUT ON THAT THIRD DAY OF VOMITING, DON'T WAIT! DEMAND AN X-RAY!!! YOU HAVE NOTING TO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN!!!
Breeding plans for Gianna, quite naturally, have been placed on indefinite hold. That is not even a concern right now, and may never be again. All we want is for this most precious girl to heal totally. AND, we now have the most barren backyard ever . . . a water hose is not even in sight.
OUR PLANS ARE TO BREED OUR LEELEE AS SOON AS SHE DECIDES TO HAVE A HEAT CYCLE!!!! This sweet girl has had two litters of wonderful, healthy little ones in the past! She is five years old this year; and this will be her last breeding. After this third litter, she will 'retire,' but continue to lie around and be a little piece of velcro for what we hope will be several years.
