The past couple of weeks had been so tough for us and this guy. He came to us in July. His former owner was selling him on Facebook because they could no longer take care of him, which is so sad. It is so unfair for this little guy that his family were giving up on him. But when I saw his video posted, we wanted to open our home to him and bought him. We named him Kiefer, but we soon got to call him "Kippy" or "Kip".
The day Kippy got home, he had a slight cough. He was timid and his eyes were sad. I was thinking it's because he must have known that he has been given away, and that we were strangers to him. But even that first few minutes, he let me hold him in my lap and embraced him.
The vet gave him cough syrup and after two weeks, we really thought, we were seeing improvements. He was eating well, he was always wagging his tail, happy to see us, although he wasn't barking too much. Then he began to develop sticky mucus in both eyes. The day after, he started to gallop on his four legs, and he doesn't seem to have control. He was walking wobbly.
When we took Kip to the vet the next morning, the doctor said he was already showing signs of canine distemper. I was crushed and terrified! I have read about the condition and it is terrifying! Our vet said we could give him supportive medications and hope that he will be able to fight it, as there is currently no cure for distemper. We brought him home with a heavy heart and we felt broken, but not completely hopeless. There is a chance of surviving this dreadful disease and we were holding on to that hope no matter how slim the chance seemed to be.
That same afternoon, Kippy started to have involuntary head shakes. From that moment, we could only pray that he makes it. I was praying the virus will not progress to the point that Kip will get extreme seizures, as that would mean his condition was getting from worse to worst.
The following two weeks was even more difficult but we were thankful for each day that passed that he did not show signs of worsening, although he doesn't seem to be improving as well. We had to force feed him as he was no longer able to stand nor eat on his own. He was too weak and was barely moving. We gave him food and vitamins through a syringe. Each day was a tough day, but we had to keep fighting for him. With him. And fight he did! Kippy is a survivor!
Today, seeing Kippy so full of energy and being his playful self gives us so much joy! We have never seen this side of him when he first came home with us. He is so sweet. He loves jumping and oh, does he love running! And he enjoys being cuddled and carried in your arms. He is such a fur ball of sweetness and I love him so much! It is a blessing that he survived after what he went through and we are extremely grateful for each day that we get to spend with him.🐾❤
