Olivia

Olivia, was a lively little puppy, whelped in August of 2005. Her owners were so excited to finally take her home with them. She was destined for a life filled with love and caring, as her owners would provide her with the very best of everything. All was going well, until about 3 weeks after she got to her home. Patti had been taking her out to the local golf course frequently, for exercise and play time. She really enjoyed being outside as do all of this breed. The place was full of delicious smells and lots of critters to watch, maybe even chase. Olivia really enjoyed her outings. 

Early into the 3rd week, Olivia started showing some signs of a urinary problem; she peed frequently and drank lots of water. Even though the Spinone does take on a lot of water, her thirst seemed excessive. Off she went to the vets where they took blood/urine samples and ran a cystocentesis test. The sodium and potassium levels proved to be 'off' a bit. They talked about doing x-rays to rule out any kind of tumors or growths on the kidneys. Reports came back with nothing really conclusive; perhaps she got a 'bug' as the weather had turned colder and the snow was starting to fall. 

So with that, off she went to puppy classes! It wasn't long before the vomiting started. This time, the University vet clinic put her into their ICU for more extensive blood work and an IV. She'd dropped weight and couldn't keep her food down. She was in intensive care for about a week, bordering on renal failure. She was one sick puppy! We were all franticly worried about her. Olivia was a great little patient, a real fighter with lots of true grit. All the staff really pampered her with attention. 

When the final diagnosis came in, the doctor was proved correct in his suspicions; he'd been treating her for Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease of dogs and people. It is often regional in distribution and often spread by rodents. It's often found in puddles of water especially around horse ranches. Not all pets need to be vaccinated for Leptospirosis, just those at high risk. Consult with your veterinarian about the vaccine. There are many strains of the bacteria, but the vaccine is only good against 2 of the strains.

She pulled through because her owners did not give up on her! Thanks to their caring, she is a happy, healthy dog today!

Last edit date:  04/22/2008