Almost Home Animal Rescue of Rutherford County

Middle Tennessee's Premier Large-Breed Dog and Horse Rescue


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	Belle'sStory

			Friday, August 1, 2008 Today, we got a call for a 9 month old female fawn great dane at a local shelter. So, there was no question in our minds...to the shelter we go to get her. When we arrive we find that she is one sick little girl. She has been preliminarily diagnosed with panosteitis, a painful bone disease in young dogs, and also with aseptic meningitis, a non-contagious neurological disorder. Unfortunately, we think she has a long road ahead of her, starting with a lumbar puncture to test her cerebrospinal fluid for the presence of meningitis. We are committed to helping this beautiful dog, and are hopeful that she will soon lead a healthy, pain-free life. She will visit our veterinarian on Monday for an examination, and to confirm if the preliminary diagnosis is correct. We are aware that Belle's vet expenses will be astrononomical. If you would like to make a donation to help Belle, please send a secure payment using the "Donate" button below: or, you can mail a donation to: Almost Home P.O. Box 10583 Murfreesboro, TN 37129 All donations are tax deductible

			Monday, August 4, 2008 Belle spent the day at Dr. Kinard’s office getting x-rays, blood work, and a lot of poking and prodding to start the long process of targeting what’s wrong with her and what can be done to fix it. Although Belle shows signs of stress at having all this done to her, she is very gentle and tolerant. We hope to have the results soon!

			Tuesday, August 5, 2008 Belle spent most of the day laying around and resting after her long day at the vet. She’s a big girl, but she’s still a puppy. She gets excited over a raw-hide, and enjoys a good chew. She is very curious and wants to know about everything her foster mom does. She discovered her first cat today. Belle wagged her tail and sniffed and the cat was happy to allow it. In the evening Belle went to the dog park to meet up with more of her new Almost Home friends. She was a big hit - charming both humans and dogs large and small. After about an hour you could see that she was starting to have a hard time moving, but Belle has such a happy and courageous attitude that she never once whimpered or complained.

	Wednesday, August 6, 2008 Belle's blood tests came back today, and they were surprisingly normal! So, now we're not really sure what the diagnosis could be. More tests are on the way to determine just exactly what needs to be done to help Miss Belle. More updates to come!

			Friday, August 8, 2008 Belle has doing great! She's spent the last few days playing with people and her new brothers and sisters. She's sweet and gentle, but she's very puppy-like and crawls, hops, and shakes her head when she wants to play. Today she was trying to be "extra" cute and do a little dance to convince her foster brother Toby to give up his raw hide. It didn't work but it cracked all of us up! Dr. Kinard thinks that Belle might have Neosporosis. Neosporosis can cause ataxia (loss of control of movement, leading to a staggering gait), nystagmus (involuntary jerky movements of the eyes), progressive paraplegia (paralysis of the hindlegs), encephalomyelitis (inflammation of both brain and spinal cord), and sometimes meningitis (inflammation of the meninges [the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord]). Signs of infection can start with an animal developing mild ataxia and knuckling over on the hind feet. The joints can become fixed in extension with loss of pain sensation and developing atrophy of the muscles of the hindquarters. The parasite encysts in tissue and can encyst in the brain and other organs leading to the neurological symptoms listed above. Belle will be making a return visit to Dr. Kinard's office to confirm if this is, indeed, what the issue is, and what treatments lie ahead for her.

			Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Belle seems to be getting more stable on her feet. She tries really hard to keep up with her foster brothers and sister. She has a new favorite toy and loves it! She has a happy go lucky attitude and if she gets wobbly and falls down she picks herself up keeps on playing!

	Thursday, August 14, 2008 Belle is doing about the same. Her big adventure today was taking her new foster brother Moe to the vets office. Moe was pretty scared and unsure of his new surroundings so Belle volunteered to show him the ropes. She's a champ at getting in the car (with a little help). She helped Moe to stay calm for the ride and then showed him the vets office wasn't so bad. She makes friends everywhere she goes. We finished up the day with a trip to the dog bark and Belle slept very well all the way home.



			Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Wonderful things are happening for Belle. Belle is packing up her toys and getting ready to move. A spot has opened up in one of Almost Home's finest, newly remodeled, foster homes. Belle will have all new foster siblings to play with and the love and care of two of our best foster parents! THANKS YOU GUYS! Dr. Kinard says we are putting off the spinal tap for now. Belle seems to be responding to her treatment and hopefully she'll be able to be spayed in the next few weeks. Belle still has a long road to full recovery but things are looking up. Keep sending Belle her get well notes she loves them and so do all of us who love her!


			Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Hey guys it's me Belle. I have been at my new foster home about two weeks now and it's great! I have a pet door that I can go in and out whenever I want all by myself. My three new jack russell foster sisters can sometimes be a real pain, they don't sleep much - go, go, go!!!!! Being just a 100lb puppy, sometimes I need my rest. I get stronger and healthier everyday. I went to be spayed today whatever that means, all I know is I got to ride in the car and see that nice man that they call the vet. I got to ride in Mom's other car yesterday, the mustang, I got the whole backseat to myself. It was cool. Bye for now!