Leo
Success Stories
Leo
CA - 2015
I would like to tell you about my sugar baby Leo. We got Leo when he was 2 months old in 2008; my daughter brought him home " and was going to take care of him", we all know how that went. He soon became my husbands baby; he was so small and when he was cold he would climb inside my husband, Ted's shirt and fall asleep. This has become a ritual and before you know it love was in the air. He was such a happy,playful pup who loved everyone. His charming personality and his " Joker" smile entertained everyone who met him. I
n 2013 he went to the vet and he was a whopping 29 1/2lbs so he was put on a diet. Everything was going well and he was shedding some pounds BUT something was wrong. The weight just kept coming off and he was down to 16lbs. He endured test after test and he was diagnosed with Poly Mediate Arthritis, an Autoimmune disease. Then he was diagnosed with liver disease, then Pancreatitis. So he was put on two medications and special food. Still something was wrong; in November of 2013 he was diagnosed with Diabetes and eventually lost his sight.
We didn't know he was blind because he navigated around our home with such ease. One night I had let him out in our yard, like I always did, and a few minutes later I found him hiding under our table soaking wet. He had fallen into the deep side of the pool and swam to the steps to get out, like my husband had taught him too. Leo went straight to an ophthalmologist who concurred he was blind but we had the option of doing cataract surgery on him. Almost immediately we knew that Leo was going to get his sight back. Leo now can see, out of his right eye only, because glaucoma claimed his left eye about 2 months after his surgery. It had taken a very long time to get his diabetes under control but we were determined to give him the best care possible.
The following year on December 23, 2014 my husband, Leo's daddy passed away from an internal brain bleed. My income dropped by more than 50% overnight. Our family was and still are devastated. I have been trying to keep up with his medical care and also my financial obligations but I was struggling. I belong to the Canine Diabetes Group on FB and that is where I was referred to The Brown Dog Organization. I was so ashamed to ask for help because I have never done that before but Brown Dog returned my email and reached out her hand to help me. I was unsure if I was going to have to have Leo put down because I couldn't afford his medications. Like most dog mommies, I would go without food and medications for myself before I would let that happen to my sugar baby Leo.
Brown Dog Foundation are angels that I believe were sent to me from my loving husband, Ted. I cannot thank them enough for all that they are doing for me. I applaud them for their empathy and hopefully if my plans pan out I will be able to help someone else through this organization.
Sincerely,
Annette