He's Not Blind But He Is Very Sick

This little guy just arrived Tuesday afternoon from Cody, Wyoming.  The shelter there had asked if we could take him ... the family who had the litter of pups said he was blind and contacted the shelter for help in finding a home for him.  We named him, well, Cody.  A young lady from Wyoming, Mandy W., drove him up to us.

We could tell right away he wasn't blind.  He scampered around just fine, navigated around objects, tracked our hands as we waved them front of his face, and he never ran into a thing.  Yet we noticed his eyes sometimes darted back and forth very rapidly. 

Then a few hours after getting here, he started throwing up.  Again and again.  We called our vets Tuesday evening for guidance and started him on fluids that night.  Yesterday morning he was lethargic and still throwing up, so Alayne rushed him in to our internal medicine specialist in Missoula, Dr. Dave Bostwick. 

Dave ran some tests and called with the bad news:  Cody has parvo, a virus that is often fatal to puppies.  Cody is now on IVs and getting round-the-clock medical care in the hospital.

Dave did an eye exam and told us that the rapid, darting eye motion is called nystagmus, which is very rare and especially so in puppies.  Dave also discovered that Cody's retinas are an unusual color.  He is consulting with our veterinary ophthalmologist in Spokane for more answers. 

The photo was taken a few weeks ago by the family who had Cody's litter.  He is quite a bit bigger than this -- he's 8 weeks old now -- but just as cute.  He is a handsome, cream-colored little guy who is affectionate and sweet.  As of today, Cody is holding his own, but it's too soon to know if he will survive.  Please keep him in your thoughts over the next few days.

Comments

[cathy]

Hi, Cody. My critters and I are all holding you in our thoughts and saying a prayer that you'll be okay. You're a beautiful pup and you're in the best of hands.

[Roz]

Thoughts and prayers are sent to you, Dear Cody. You're such a sweet pup.

[ginger & Tobias]

Poor precious Cody. He sure got to the best place to get the special help he needs. We send him positive vibes and special get well thoughts to pull through his trials. Special hugs to the little guy. (in the photo he almost looks like a little polar bear with a long tail)