Another year older...

Leeland in his Winter sweater January 2014

Leeland is 7 years old today! I can't believe we have had him so long. I'm happy to report he is still healthy and happy. He takes no medications other than his normal monthly preventatives and he is still doing great on nonprescription food (Petco's Natural Balance). He still plays like a puppy and is more loving and snuggly than ever.

We know we were so lucky to see such overwhelmingly successful and lasting results from the shunt ligation surgery. We are grateful everyday we get to enjoy his company.

Happy Birthday Leeland!



Happy Birthday Leeland!

Today's is Leeland's 5th birthday and we are so thankful. When he had the surgery we weren't sure if he'd survive and if he survived we weren't sure what his life expectancy would be. Luckily, Leeland is still here and doing so well. He is healthy and happy and more mischievous every day.

Thanks to everyone who has read his story, we hope Leeland continues to give hope to owners with liver shunt dogs.

Leeland's brother

I would also like to report that we have a new addition to the family in Westin! He was originally my mom's dog but we found that Isac and I had much more time to care for him and he and Leeland are the perfect pair! They play endlessly and we are so happy that each of them has a live-in playmate now.

So far Westin has been in perfect health and we keep our fingers crossed that it stays that way. He is our second little boy and we couldn't imagine life without him now either. We are so thankful to have them both!

Leeland's Anniversary!

Back for an update on little Leeland! July 16, 2009 marked the first anniversary of Leeland's shunt ligation surgery. I am very proud and happy to report that he is doing so well. He still has all of his energy for playing and walking and now eats "normal" dog food with no issues at all. We could not be happier about his progress.

This time last year we were still waiting and watching to see how he would react to the surgery, I am so grateful he has come this far and we've had another wonderful year with him!

Thanks again to all of you who wished him well!

A little more Leeland

The recovery

The rest of the summer was spent recovering. Leeland was back to his old ways before no time, and we were happier than ever before. About a month after the surgery Leeland had blood work done again to see how he was progressing. One test in particular called the "bile acids test" would be most telling. Before the surgery Leeland had tested in the 300s both before and after eating. The new test would reveal a 4 before eating and a 19 after!

Our Vet was shocked, he said he's never seen such a quick and complete turn around. It was at this point we took Leeland off the antibiotics to see how he would do. After a month of success with no antibiotics we started taking Leeland off the laxative. That was also a success.

We left him on the prescription food until just recently. Now we are experimenting with the right food for Leeland. Our first attempt at a "normal" food was designed for dogs with "sensitive stomachs." We thought this might make the transition easier, but it turns out that Leeland is way past that, and needs to be on something even more average! I've never been so happy to have an average dog.

I'm thankful everyday now for Leeland's strong recovery. He's an amazing dog and I'm so glad he's still around.

Of course none of this story would have been possible if it weren't for the Care Credit Company, that approved me for a line of credit to pay for some of the expenses, and my dad who offered the use of his credit card for the remainder of the costs. Without him there wouldn't have been a choice to make, because surgery would not have been an option, fiscally speaking. My sister also lent some money to the cause. I was overwhelmed by my family's generosity.

Thanks to everyone who supported and loved Leeland throughout his battle! Hopefully there won't be any news to report regarding the liver shunt, we hope that chapter in his life is over. But this blog will stay put, and updates will be added about the fully recovered Leeland for anyone who's a sucker for schnauzer face!

The hardest decision

On July 16, 2008. Leeland had his liver shunt ligation surgery. After ultrasounds, and x-rays we were sure that's what it was. The surgeon said he wouldn't know exactly what he was dealing with until he actually opened Leeland up.

There were concerns that what looked like one big shunt on ultrasound was actually dozens of tiny inoperable shunts. Other concerns were that even squeezing the blood vessel would send Leeland into shock, making the ligation impossible.

I dropped Leeland off that morning and I cried like a baby. I have always been a "dog person" but I've never felt anything like my bond with Leeland. As crazy as it seems to some people, he really is like a baby to me. He is such a huge part of my life and I was terrified of losing him so soon.

I went to work and was a nervous wreck, finally around 3pm that afternoon I got the call from the surgeon. Leeland had done well in surgery and now only time would tell. He spent the night in the hospital and came home the next night. I made a bed on the floor and laid next to him all night (he was not strong enough to jump on the bed like he normally does, and we couldn't risk him jumping down and opening up his incision). He was so tired the whole next day, all he could do was whimper in pain. The second night home we went to sleep on the floor just like before, but this time he woke me up at 5am, seizing.

We hopped in the car and rushed to the emergency vet (which happens to have the office below our surgeons office). We saw the same night-shift doctor that we had in May. He put Leeland on Valium and told us that he would observe him for more seizures. We went home and waited to hear back. We called often and didn't get much news, after a few encounters with snobby receptionists and incompetent vet techs, we were thoroughly frustrated. Come to find out later that the office forgot to prescribe us a pain reliever for Leeland the day of surgery, keeping him in an extreme amount of unnecessary pain those few days.

We took him home that night and prayed there would be no more seizures. Luckily, there weren't. Slowly Leeland regained his energy and started acting like himself again.