Rolling Dog Farm Blog

A week to the day he went into the hospital, little Cody finally came home to the ranch.  Alayne picked him up at Dr. Dave Bostwick’s clinic in Missoula this afternoon.  Despite having life-threatening parvo, this tyke actually looked like he had grown in the week he’d been gone!

He is back to being the joyful little pup he was during his first few hours here.  He’s lively, barking, jumping up and down, and wanting to play with us.  We have him in isolation in a cottage away from the other dogs, where he will remain for another 14 days just to make sure he’s past the infectious stage. 

We were very lucky Cody survived.  It helped we started treatment almost immediately from the first onset of symptoms.  It also helped that we had the best medical care for him around the clock.  Dave directed his treatment plan and cared for Cody during the day, and at night he was cared for by the Western Montana Small Animal Emergency Clinic.  (They’re in the same building.)

When Cody’s white blood cell count dropped dramatically on New Year’s Eve — a very bad sign — Dave told the emergency clinic to give him a plasma infusion.  It’s not cheap … $250 … but the plasma made a big difference in Cody’s ability to survive.

The total bill came to $845.50.  Was it worth this little life?  You bet.  Every penny of it.  Thanks to the sanctuary’s generous supporters, who make all this possible, we could afford to give Cody whatever medical care he needed. 

In the final photo, Cody is looking up at Alayne, who is holding a toy in her hands.  Yes, he can see just fine!  We still don’t have an explanation for his rapid eye movement, which seems to come and go, but it sure doesn’t affect his vision!

(Click on photos for larger image.)