Tier A:
$5 each
8 for $20
24 for $50

EMMA'S STORY  [back to top]

Emma's situation came to our attention and it was decided to do a fundraiser to help with her extensive, unexpected emergency ICU vet bills.  Any funds we raise above the vet bills will be donated to the BEHAF general fund. By the way, Georgiana and Patrick are the Berner people who lost everything when their home burned in the California wildfires two years ago.

Miss Emma's BARC
May 26, 2009

By Georgiana Webber

Emma came to her Forever Home on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend 2002, exactly 7 years ago!  Emma was rescued from an auction in St. Louis by Amy Kessler and her intrepid BARC crew in April. I will never forget the sight of our own dear sweet 5 month old puppy looking out of her shipping crate at me at the Delta Air Freight Terminal in San Diego. I finally started to breathe again! The man at the freight terminal had to help take the crate apart so that I could get it into my trunk, and while he did that, Emma had a much needed potty break. She flew from her Foster Mom's home (Jaime) in Indianapolis to Atlanta and then on to San Diego.

As a puppy Emma had an endearing habit of grabbing the leg of your pants in her mouth and walking along side of you. I have an awesome photo of her on the afternoon we arrived at Home of her holding her leash in her mouth and trotting off across the driveway with head in the air and a smile on her little face as if to say, “I'm Free”. We did the usual puppy socialization class, Obedience I & II. Emma was the most rambunctious, bouncy puppy in obedience class! I think she thought it was 'Play Time' and all the other puppies were there just to play with her. I am sure the instructor was astounded when she passed her CGC a couple of months later!

Emma learned to pull her cart when she was 5 years old. She seemed so proud and excited when I brought out her harness and the cart. She never did any carting trials though because she has Grade II hip displaysia and moderate elbows (from x-rays taken at 2 years of age) and while learning to pull her cart a club member observed her limping. We just used it for occasional pleasure walks around the neighborhood.

Early this year Emma started slowing down quite a bit and was doing quite a lot of panting. At first we attributed it to her getting older and not as energetic. I became increasingly concerned when she wouldn't (couldn't) stand the whole time while having a bath in the tub. She would sit down and have to be encouraged to stand. Then in March we decided to do a nice family Sunday afternoon walk at the beach. We parked the car and started walking but she would only walk about 20 feet and sit down. Around this same time (February – March) she started having trouble getting into the car. We had to help lift her back legs up onto the floor board and then help her climb up onto the seat. She seemed to be weak in the hind also. We thought it was probably due to arthritis pain which we thought the panting was a symptom of as well.

We started out trying to figure out what was going on with her at her regular vet and at my insistence he referred her to a cardiologist who did an EKG and said that her heart was normal. By this time (mid-April) she was panting very excessively. The cardiologist also did a full blood panel which came back normal, a Toxoplasmosis and a Myasthenia Gravis test which were both negative. I also sent a Thyroid 5 panel to Dr. Dodds for review. (As of this writing we have not received results.) From here we went to a neurologist who tested her reflexes and stated that the next test he would consider was an EMG to test the connectivity between nerve and muscle.  That test has not (yet?) been conducted. The surgeon who evaluated her with the cardiologist thought we should test for Laryngeal Paralysis so we scheduled an exam/possible surgery for May 20 th. 

Emma had the LP surgery at 4:45 PM on Wednesday May 20 and remained in ICU as she developed aspiration pneumonia the next day after aspirating saliva.  We waited to visit her for several days as we knew she would become very excited and she needed to rest and gain some strength back. It was the most painful 5 days of my life, with lots of ups and downs!  As soon as they saw some improvement in her condition we visited her. She was so very happy to see us! She wagged her tail and got up and hugged me so happily that she rubbed the tape off of one of her nasal tubes. She was all grins and couldn't take her eyes off of us. We brought her some of her favorite foods (frozen yogurt), chicken hearts and gizzards, some banana and even a couple of pieces of artichoke heart.  We visited her again the next evening.

Emma had to remain in ICU as long as she continued to be oxygen dependent. Every day she was showing some improvement so we were hopeful that she would be able to come home soon to recuperate in familiar surroundings. They had to take x-rays to evaluate the pneumonia. The surgeon told me that they evaluated her oxygen dependence level on a scale of 0-6 and she was currently around 2 or 3 on that scale. She was panting quite a bit but he said that was normal and helpful to move the pneumonia. They were also doing coupage to loosen the infection and she was on 2 broad spectrum antibiotics both intravenously and in the oxygen. Poor dear girl had to learn how to eat and drink all over again. She was very cautious and was not too interested in either for the first few days.  All of the staff at the hospital were very kind to her.  One tech called her a 'love bug' – boy that choked me up because that is what I call her all the time!  She's was there so long that she had become quite the favorite patient. The doctor hoping to wean her off the nebulized oxygen soon.  It was awfully painful to look at her sweet face with the oxygen tubes in both nostrils (one was even sutured to the top of her muzzle) and her IV in her leg. They had to shave the bottom left side of her face and neck and part of her shoulder. They had to switch the IV site to the other leg as had been 5 days since the surgery. We missed her so very much.

Update from June 1 st - Emma actually pulled her oxygen tube off her face around midnight on Wednesday, May 27 th. I guess she said she's done with that! They wanted to observe her off oxygen for at least 24 hours before releasing her. She was released to go home on Friday, May 29 th. Wow, 9 days in ICU! We had a very uneventful weekend but Emma was not interested in food much and often refused her 'meatballs' with meds stuffed in them. She is still having a very difficult time walking. She will walk about 4-5 steps then need to sit down and rest. She really didn't eat much at all and we called California Veterinary Specialists on Sunday evening with some concern. They suggested we bring her in for a free re-check so we made an appointment for 11 AM today, Monday, June 1 st.

It was determined at the re-check appointment that Emma was a bit dehydrated and needed to take some meds IV. Much to my dismay I had to leave our poor baby there once again for 24-36 hours. Once she realized that they were walking her away from me she put on the brakes and wouldn't walk. It took lots of coaxing to get her to go forward. She just didn't want to go “BACK THERE” again. It broke my heart. I know that she needs to make baby steps forward with her health issues and we are learning more every day on how to care for her and what to do to make her life better. We got a nebulizer today to help give her breathing treatments 3 times a day. I am getting lots of wonderful encouraging support from the folks on the Laryngeal Paralysis Yahoo group. I need to remember that she needs to take lots of time and lots of baby steps to get better.

Update from June 3rd: We're still having trouble getting pills into Emma - she is so smart. Today I tricked her by giving her little 'treats' of liverwurst and then gave her a 'treat' with a pill in it and she didn't find it! I'll keep her guessing! She seemed to walk a little better this afternoon.

Update from July 9th We saw her Internist today and he felt that she was responding (albeit slowly) to the 2nd course of antibiotics for her Aspiration Pneumonia. She still exhibits muscle mass loss but has made marked improvement in her mobility (most likely due to her weekly acupuncture treatments). We are still doing the nebulizer with coupage twice a day. She has some more energy and lots of 'spark' in her eyes. She will 'run' and chase after a toy in the evening when it is cool for a few minutes. She mostly does her 'bunny hop' but we keep her active each evening to encourage her to move and regain muscle tone. She is walking much better, but still exhibits some neurologic symptoms such as some knuckling over on her rear foot. It is not sure whether LP (Laryngeal Paralysis) is caused by or a by product of neurologic disease. All I know is that she is staying bright and happy - even though she has lost 14 lbs since the beginning of May!

All of the medical professionals who have met and monitored Emma absolutely love her. The vet tech's at Cal. Vet. Spec. admire her every time we go in and they definitely noticed the improvement in her walking. Dr. Bausone (her acupuncturist) adores her and he has really made a huge improvement in her mobility! It is so encouraging to have the veterinary professionals profess how great Emma looks and how improved she is! Thank you to all who have considered Miss Emma a worthy cause; we do ever so much appreciate everything that has been done for her. She is the spark in our lives and we will do all we can to keep her well and happy.

Thank you so very much for your kindness and support!

With sincere appreciation,

Georgiana, Patrick & Miss Emma's BARC

(hey Mom, I do feel better - just not too energetic right now)

ABOUT BEHAF

The mission of the Berner Emergency Health Assistance Fund, or BEHAF, is to provide some financial assistance to the owners of purebred Bernese Mountain Dogs throughout the world who are facing extensive and/or unexpected medical expenses for their dog due to catastrophic illness or accidental injury.

The goal of BEHAF is to assist owners in decreasing the importance of their financial issues in order to help them make medical decisions based on what is in the best interest of their dog. BEHAF is funded solely through voluntary contributions and administered by a voluntary Board of Directors who are Bernese Mountain Dog owners, and includes medical, legal, and financial professionals. Anyone who owns a purebred Bernese Mountain Dog who experiences an accidental or catastrophic medical condition, which may or may not be of an emergent nature, is eligible to apply for financial assistance, based on their financial need, according to the criteria set forth by the Board of Directors. BEHAF encourages the repayment of assistance through monetary contributions or volunteer work, so that we can continue to help those in need. In all cases, the decision of the Board of Directors is final.

"TO LOVE ONE BERNER IS TO LOVE THEM ALL!"

For more information about BEHAF go to:   http://behaf.org/

RESULTS

THANK YOU ALL for making a donation to this very successful fundraiser.: