Rainbow Bridge

Dear friends,
Last weekend was so heartbreaking.  We lost our little Daphne.  Daphne was so frail and weak but we thought she was starting to get stronger.  But, she woke one morning and she knew it was her time.  I took her outside where she tried to get far away from me and had a seizure.  She passed in the ER but not before I gave her dozens of kisses and whispered to her how much she was loved. 

Our little Daphne is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for us.  We love you Daphne.

A few days prior to Daphne passing we lost Tracey.  Tracey was a rescue from Fort Worth that was an owner surrender.  She was so broken, literally.  Broken bones and several internal injuries.  I was with her for less than a few hours before I was forced to make the decision none of us like to make - it was time to let her go.  The ER Vet advised that no matter what was done to help her that she would never recover, would always be in pain.  My heart was so heavy, and still is, for her life and death.  No animal should EVER be abused, neglected or forgotten.  Tracey, though I only knew you briefly, I will always treasure and love you. 

Lastly, my Mom's Chi - Fawn - died on July 4th.  Fawny was 12 and the love of my Mom's life.  She was such a wonderful dog, full of spirit and personality.  So smart and loving.  In May she was diagnosed with a heart murmur and swelling of the heart.  Even though she was on meds it just kept getting worse and an xray revealed that the swelling was so great that more than likely she had a tumor in her heart.  With tears, confusion, anger, sadness and guilt my Mom let her go.  All of you know, that even when we know it's time to let our baby pass with dignity that it isn't done without so many mixed emotions.  Time has stopped our tears from being as constant but hasn't erased our longing for her bark, little kisses and constant barks for treats at 9 pm.  Fawn, I miss you my little sister. 





We love all of you sweet angels.  Until we see you at the Rainbow Bridge...

King Update

Dear Peke friends,
King has recovered so well from his car accident.   His eye has fully healed and he hasn't any pain remaining.  On July 12th he was neutered so as of this week, he is ready for adoption!!

This one is tugging at my heart though.  He is spirited, funny, smart, stubborn, loving, mischievous, playful, cuddly and just so dang cute! 

I think he is actually younger than 3.  Because he acts a bit like a puppy at times; maybe he's just making up for not having a fun puppy-hood.  He loves to take my hand in his mouth and pretend to chew.  He loves to steal whatever craft I'm working on.  But funniest of all, he hides things.  I've found rawhides in every corner of my bedroom and on the shelf of my nightstand.  Stinker!  LOL

He LOVES being with other dogs.  He is a cuddler and always wants to cuddle up with the others.  Of course, that could also be because he thinks the girls are his harem. 

King would be great with a family that has kids that are tweens or older.  If you are interested in adoption, please visit the Pekes and You Pekingese Rescue site:  http://www.pekesandyou.com/ . 

Best wishes and high hopes to all,
Jennie and the Pretty Pekes

Daphne

Hello Peke friends!

What a bittersweet few weeks it's been here in Texas.  But for this entry, it's all about the sweet!  And talk about sweet, our newest foster is Daphne.  This little love is a senior and was a stray in the Arlington, TX area.  Poor sweet Daphne has all sorts of challenges but she is a curious, loving little girl.

Daphne's biggest challenge is that she is HW+.  In the Southern United States heartworms are a terribly common problem that is so easy to prevent.  Unfortunately little Daphne wasn't on preventative and developed HWs.  Not sure how long she has had them but because of her age our Vet has advised that we need to take a less aggressive approach to treatment.  For those of you that might follow my other blog, http://www.theprettypekingese.com/ , you've read about Sandy.  Sandy underwent HW treatment and we took a very aggressive approach.  Hers was a mild case and because she was young at the time she could withstand the treatment.  She's doing wonderful now and is the healthiest (and most vocal) of all my Pekes.  Since our little Daphne is at least 10 years old we are more cautious. 

Treatment involves giving her Heartgard once a month.  Normally, this is used as a preventative but when a dog has heartworms this will kill any new larvae and worms.  Given each month the severity of the heartworms will not likely increase since we'll be killing any new ones.  The existing ones will live 1-3 years so until we get a clean bill of health, she'll be tested every 6 months to determine the severity of her heartworms and ensure that this direction is still best for her. 

Her heartworms are mild, so I'm confident this process will work for her.  We do have to keep her relatively calm but at her age, she's not exactly running marathons around the house with the other pups.  LOL

In addition to heartworms, Daphne is almost completely blind and she has problems with her hips.  But she has such spirit!!!  She has explored the house dozens of times and has memorized where her favorite "landmarks" are like the water bowl, the drapes closest to the AC vent (she likes to lay on the drapes that used to look very chic pooled on the floor)...  She is also great with the other dogs in the house.  She loves them and always wants to be near them. 

Her hips aren't causing her too much trouble, she takes an anti-inflammatory twice a day which has made her a different little angel than the one I originally met.

Daphne is available for adoption but will need to go to a home that is open to caring for a special needs angel.  But believe me, the extra effort that is needed are worth it.  The love you receive back is priceless!

Here's Daphne during an early evening play session...

More information about Daphne and all of the available Pekes from Pekes and You Pekingese Rescue can be found on their website.  If you are interested in a Pekes, please always consider a rescue first. 

Best wishes and high hopes,
Jennie and all the Pretty Pekes