This page is dedicated to the dog that started my obsession!🐶😍I am a shelter volunteer & animal advocate🐾so I'll share fun & educational animal info in her honor. DAKOTA'S STORY:
Dakota was born in my basement from my brothers dogs, Sable & Cherokee. She had 12 pups, 10 surviving, and Dakota was #6. She was the runt at just 6 oz, while her brothers & sisters were 9 &10. I would go sit with them everyday after work at a time in my life when I didn't even want to go home. And everyday, this one tiny little pup, which I called SIX would climb up and snuggle in my neck. She was born in Oct & my birthday was in Nov. Seeing how much I loved them my brother asks...how would you like to have a puppy for your birthday? I kept the little pup that chose me...my Dakota Sixx. We had such a bond! In Feb of 2010, when Dakota was 8 years old, I took her in for a routine dental cleaning. When her blood tests came back her ALT liver enzymes were in the 300's. Normal ranges is from 10-100. Dakota also had severe anxiety, which was set off by a fireworks incident a few years ago so she was on regular medication for anxiety. Naturally, the first thought was the meds. We took her off them, put her on antibiotics and re-tested. They were now in the 600's! Next test...Now she was in the 900's. Knowing now, it is not her meds or an infection, she now needed a bile acid test. The results came back positive. She had liver damage. Normally, by the time a dog is diagnosed with liver disease it is too late. That is because the symptoms are very subtle up until the liver is already begun failing & the dog usually dies within a few months. Sometimes liver disease happens on its own but more often it is caused by another disease & the liver damage is secondary. So in order to find that out she need to have a sonogram & a biopsy. We feared that it was cancer. With help from some truly amazing friends I was able to have that done. That's when this page was created. Thankfully, the test came back negative for cancer! But unfortunately, it did confirm that she had Liver Fibrosis. There wasn't anything that could medically be done for her. Medications are processed in the liver so she couldn't take anything. I was told that a dog in her condition would live another 3 months. I was devastated.� The only "treatment" was a special prescription food which is made to break down easily in the liver. I was determined to do everything in my power to give her the best quality of life for as long as I could so I researched everything I could. I read blogs & case studies anything I found. Not just about canine liver disease but human liver disease. I learned that the liver has a remarkable way of regenerating itself if caught early & cared for properly. It was dumb luck (or divine intervention) that made me take her in for a teeth cleaning so I was hopeful. Along with her prescription food, I gave her milk thistle & Sam-E everyday (6 pills a day). After about 9 months she stopped eating the prescription food. I wasn't surprised. She was always a picky eater so I was surprised she ate it to begin with. So I started to cook a special concoction of chicken, rice, carrots & wheat. It had to be carefully measured in order for her liver to process the nutrients. I also baked "treats" for her in the oven with her prescription food. I didn't even cook for myself! LOL Eventually she stopped eating my gourmet meal. So I'd top it with baby food. Eventually, she completely lost her appetite. I could get only her to eat once a day and it was usually a hot dog. During all this I also had fluid drained from around her her liver twice. Her belly was so full she looked pregnant. She was still as happy, sweet & loving as usual (we don't deserve dogs) but her poor body was failing. She was skin & bones. I made the very difficult decision to euthanize after she wouldn't even eat that hot dog for 3 days. I didn't want her to suffer. After all, she GAVE ME 2 YEARS! It wasn't easy or cheap. I went into debt from medical bills, food & supplements. And I'd do it all over again! � My heart will never forget my Dakota Girl�
