Aurora was found as a stray in Ohio and landed herself in a shelter. Upon arrival she was noticeably abandoned and neglected. Her frail frame was emaciated. Her hip bones protruded from her back end, every rib could be counted and scrawny legs were left with little muscle mass. Besides being noticeably underweight, her skin was raw. She was COVERED in fleas and flea bites. Her possible once luxurious coat was now gone. She was missing skin and hair over her entire body. Her skin peeked out from her meager coat and raw pinkish color. Another visible area for Aurora was her bred body. Her nipples dangled low and her "womanly parts" had been used for all the years of her life. This pathetic looking young lady had been OVER BRED, UNDER FED and severly neglected, nonetheless left to fend for herself through the Ohio winter.
Saintly Bernards Rescue, stepped to the plate to give this lovely lady a second chance at life- the GOOD LIFE. Prior to transport, she was updated on her shots and cleared to cross state lines from Ohio to Pennsylvania. With the help of a great team of people, Jamie Byrnes got Aurora to Saintly Bernards Rescue and into a warm foster home.
After consulting with our veterinary team, they decided to postpone her original spay until she had sometime to heal and gain some weight. In her foster home, she would get 3 meals a day of quality grain free kibble, yummy and nutritious goats milk and necessary supplements and medication to begin getting her GI tract back on track. Also, while in foster care, she began to refresh her manners (sit, down, stay, come) and learn to walk nicely on the leash. She got along with all dogs (big or small, dominant or submissive, annoying or kind), cats,adults, kids etc… She loved laying on the dog bed or even the couch. Miss Aurora was on the road to recovery and the good life.
While in foster care she packed on a whopping 12 pounds! She was eating consistently, having solid bowel movements and gaining back her energy. The veterinary team thought Aurora was ready for spay so she can begin her pursuit for her forever family.
Aurora was brought into the vet for her spay in the morning and her spay was done around lunch time. The amazing vet, Dr. Heller, informed us that she had had some complications during her spay. When she was opened up her uterus was swollen, full of puss and blood. They took a sample and were going to send it away, but it could have been a multitude of issues. Another issue that presented itself during the surgery were the rocks found in her intestines. The vet did her best to push them down her GI tract so she could easily pass them. Amongst the biggest issue was her lack of clotting, recovering from the anesthesia and her body temperature. A dog's normal body temperature is at 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Miss Aurora was hovering around 97 or 98 and not increasing progressively. They asked that Aurora stay in their care as long as she could for the day and be sent home as close to closing as possible.
Auroras foster family and Jamie met to pick up the lovely lady, hear the vets diagnoses and prognoses and take it easy with the princess for the next few nights. When they brough Aurora out to us, she collapsed to the ground, began urinating and bleeding from her surgery. Her skin turned pale, her gums turned white and our little lady laid there limp and lifeless. The vet rushed out and said she would have to go back in to stop the internal bleeding and that there was a strong chance that Aurora was not strong enough to survive the second surgery. But, this was her only hope at life.
Several more hours of surgery, many more bleeds and a warm sleepy night at the emergency vet- Miss Aurora survived the surgery. The vet sampled Auroras blood because she saw the lack of clotting that was happening. She discussed with us that Aurora is suffering from a genetic and life threatening blood clotting disease. Even if she pulls through the night she has A LONG and ROCKY road to recovery. She also will live a more disabled life for the rest of her life. She received 24 hour care at the emergency vet, where they did SEVERAL blood plasma transfusions and had her sleep in a heating tank. The next day she received testing, evaluating and intravenous fluids.
After an extremely rough and uncertain 24 hours, Aurora was still fighting. She will continue to fight. The vet warned us that the internal bleeding issue that came up CAN happen again. With even the slightest fall, nick or bruise, Miss Aurora can bleed out. Her body is not capable of clotting blood at a wound or injury site. Her frail body cannot endure another surgery and there is still a chance that this lady may not pull through. Aurora was going to be on STRICT bed rest the next 4-6 weeks, with close monitoring, daily hemocratic blood tests, hourly body temperature checks and minimal activity.
After researching Auroras blood disorder, we found out that this is a genetic disease. With her obvious years of breeding, her litters can also carry this life threatening disease. All of these Saint Bernards can suffer from a life cut to short with a simple wound or injury due to their blood disease, hemophilia. A dog with a mild form or hemophilia might never even need treatment, unless excess bleeding occurs due to trauma or surgery. Unfortunately, dogs with severehemophilia often die from uncontrollable bleeding problems. Once you know your dog is affected, your vet will help you with managing this lifelong disorder. This will include being vigilant for signs of bleeding, and occasional blood transfusions
Managing this disease is TOUGH. Aurora will have to live a relatively safe life. She may not engage in lots of rough housing, BUT, luckily- our fighter is just as happy being your snuggle buddy.
Through all of these ups and downs we have experience with Miss Aurora, she is still looking forward and not looking backwards. She is steadily eating, drinking, walking and resting just as she should be. Her body temperature has remained steady and her hemocratic tests have not gone backwards (they still need to improve drastically). She is getting lots of rest and not pushing herself to far.
Aurora is a GORGEOUS, GENTLE, SOCIAL 3 year old smooth coat Saint Bernard. Although her past life was not good to her, she holds not grudge. She is a fighter and has fought very hard to have her chance at the GOOD LIFE. She is a special girl who will need a special home to give her the quality of care she will need for the rest of her life.
Donations can be made for Auroras surgery and recovery at
www.saintlybernards.org. If you are interested in providing the BEST
home imaginable for our special lady- please feel out an application
at www.saintlybernards.org. Remember, she will need round the clock
care for the next 4-6 weeks, a quiet home, a quality veterinarian team
and a committed family.
I hope I was able to adequaelty tell Auroras story. If you have any more questions- please feel free to email Jamie at Byrnesbernards@yahoo.com
