Please note: All of the photos in this blog post are courtesy of Lisa Teso, an amazing Portland-based photographer. Thanks Lisa! If you need pictures, her site is here: Portland Child Photography
Katie and Richie have a knack for finding super-cool spotted dogs. Their dog, Makani is a Visla and Australian Shepherd mix who is so fleet and fast that it’s hard to count her spots.
Makini
Here’s when Makani and Allie met.
They’ve since become buddies.
Allie’s Early Days
Allie is about four months old. She was at a shelter from her puppyhood, then stolen by someone for about six weeks, then dumped back at the shelter. Then she was adopted by Katie and Richie.
In the same week that I heard about the theft of Allie from the shelter, I heard about a completely unrelated dog shelter thievery in another state. This dog was brought back and dumped too. Very disturbing.
Allie Contracts Parvo
Anyway, Allie’s new family had her about a week or so, when she got sick. During that time that she had been stolen from the shelter, she had picked up the Parvovirus.
Parvo is about 80% fatal in puppies who are not vaccinated, but only 20% fatal in those who have been vaccinated.
Allie and Katie
She had been in the local hospital’s ICU for a couple of days when Katie called me. Allie was to the point where she wouldn’t even lift her head up anymore. It looked like the end.
Katie said, “Could you please talk with her? I’m not sure that she knows what’s going on.”
I tuned into this little pup. She felt very sick, and she had the energetic distortion that comes when a soul is disconnecting from the body. I had only felt this a few times before, like when a friend’s cat caught a baby bunny in the yard, and we helped that bun pass over.
Energetic distortion feels terrible to the communicator. It feels like you’re touching a live wire. It’s not a good sign of prognosis.
She was also quite scared, though not scared to talk with me. That was an encouraging sign.
Allie didn’t understand why she was at the hospital or what these people were doing to her.
She felt sick, but she thought that maybe these people were making her that way.
She knew that Katie was really upset, but she thought that it was because Allie had been taken away from her and put here in this place and Katie was trying to get her out.
She missed her new family, and she thought that she’d never get back home to live with them.
She was giving up.
I sat with her a bit, in my mind. I just gently sat with her, and then I said,
“Well, actually, your body is sick, and these people are here to make you better, and when you feel better you get to go home to your mommy and daddy and Makani.”
She said, “I don’t know how to make myself better.”
I said, “You don’t have to know. Your body will do that on your own.”
She paused for a minute, and then she asked, ”Do you think I will get better?”
I knew the odds against her were pretty high. But, I felt like she’d make it.
I said, “Yes, I think so. I think you will get better and then you will go home and it will be very good.”
I sent her pictures of her playing in the yard with Makani, and snuggling with Katie and Richie.
Allie said that she didn’t like the smells of this place, and that she missed the smells of her family. I told her that I’d ask Katie to bring in a t-shirt or a blanket that smelled like them.
Then I disconnected for a few minutes. I was feeling sick to my stomach from her parvo.
I tuned back in, to find a lighter, happier dog. She felt more hopeful. The energetic distortion was gone.
Allie and Richie
Allie Turns the Corner
Allie made the choice to stay. She asked the questions and took the brave step of believing that she could get well.
That night, Katie visited and Allie lifted up her head, and ate some food. Katie gave her a blanket that she had rubbed all over Makani and Richie and herself. Allie buried her nose in it and soaked in all those good smells of her family.
The doctors went ahead with a plasma transfusion.
Katie hired Ming and Candy at Reiki Fur Babies to provide healing to Allie.
Ming said that Allie told her how much she loved her mama. I burst into tears when I heard this. Sweet little puppy.
Allie Goes Home
I didn’t hear from Katie for a day or two, and then I got a note saying that Allie was home!
She is still possibly contagious for the next 10 days, so they’ve cordoned off half their house, and separated these two bouncy dogs.
But..Allie is home, and she is recovering and soon she and Makani will get to play together.
What a heartwarming story!!! We had a Golden Retriever that had been run over & killed & were so saddened by his death. Some time later, we got a puppy & as it turned out, he had parvo. We were devastated! The vet said his chances weren’t good. We hospitalized him. The vet put him on meds. to keep him as comfortable as possible & an IV. They said it was just touch & go & wait. My husband & I prayed so hard. We just couldn’t lose another puppy & have to go home & tell our kids. After a week in the hospital, he pulled thru! We finally got to bring him home. That’s been over a year now & he is very healthy! Thank God for miracles & people like these who help & love these furbabies.
Oh, I am all sniffly now. It reminded me of Atlas’ bout with parvo a few weeks after he came to live with me. He looked so sad and sick in that crate in the hospital. I wish I had known reiki then .. I might have been more comfort to him in his distress than I was (generally I was about as bad off as he, except emotionally, which I’m sure did not help him at all to see). Anyway, I am so glad Allie pulled through. She is a beautiful puppy.