I Am A Little Fighter (Harper's 3rd updates)

It has been a long time since I felt such great sadness. My heart is heavy. We have two dogs in the vet, both in serious condition, lives at risk and our funds are running on empty. One baby Harper whose life is in danger, especially since she is very young and rather weak. The other, Chloe, an old rescued dog who has been seriously attacked by a few dogs. We visited Chloe just now and her cries were unbearable. Chloe’s story will be shared in our next blog post.

Harper had been unwell for a week

 As for baby Harper, to date, her vet bills are estimated to be about $1300. She is expected to remain at the vet for another few days, under close observation, where she will receive daily tests, x-rays and injections. She can’t be discharged just yet as her tiny body could shut down anytime.

Feeling very down and uncomfortable

Baby Harper has not been eating regularly the past week, and had only been drinking a lot of water and milk.

We thought she was just picky with her food since she was still energetic, playful, and was defecating normally. Two nights ago, Fiona decided to feed Harper some roast pork to test if she was being picky or if she was ill. Harper refused the food and went back to sleep. This was when we realized that something was wrong and we rushed her to the emergency at 10pm.

An X-ray was done on Harper, which showed a mass in her stomach. We couldn’t identify what the mass is but we knew it could be life threatening, as Harper’s breathing grew increasingly labored, her eyes lacked her usual shine, and her energy dwindled through the night. We decided to ward her for a night at the vet for examination.

The vet did an ultrasound scan the immediate morning, and the results revealed that her stomach and intestines were full of water and food. This means that whatever she had eaten in the past week had not been fully discharged.

This raised some alarm bells to the vet, and a series of test followed including meningitis and other diseases, to rule out the culprit behind the blockage in Harper’s tiny tummy. It pained us to see baby Harper being poked repeatedly to have her blood samples collected, but we know this had to be done to stay on the side of caution.

As results of the ultrasound scan are not definitive, we can’t be sure what the mass in Harper’s distended stomach is made up of. The vet suspects it could either be a foreign body, or an ileus. Either way, we know baby Harper is suffering in terrible discomfort.

Baby Harper feeling miserable alone at the vet

The vet said a blockage in her tummy would cause Harper to throw up since the food and liquid cannot pass through her digestive tract. However, the worrying aspect is that puppies, like Harper, do not usually know how to regulate their bodies like adult dogs do. Adult dogs would instinctively know to continue eating to induce vomit, in effort to feel better. We are still monitoring Harper round the clock to see if she would vomit.

Her eyes reflect her pain and sadness

 

According to the vet, Harper may also have some underlying neurological issues. Lisa suspected the same when she helped foster Harper while Fiona was out on some days, for long hours at a stretch. We are also unsure if her lack of appetite may be stemmed from her spinal cord injury, which could have caused so much discomfort that she couldn’t eat.  

 

Mr Aziz visited Harper at the vet as he was extremely worried about her

There are so many uncertainties and we worry Harper’s health will take a dip for the worst. As of now, our beloved baby Harper has already lost so much weight and we could tell from her eyes that she is in pain.

Mr Aziz was worried sick and he and his family visited Harper at the vet this afternoon to keep her company, to show some moral support, and to let Harper know all will be well. Mr Aziz was like a happy Grandpa, carrying Harper and patting her.



Baby Harper is weak, unwell and sad. The lack of exercise these few days have made her back foot knuckle again.

Mr Aziz holds Harper lovingly

 

Love knows no barriers. Mr Aziz has said he will not hesitate to help any living being

 

The entire Aziz family visited baby Harper at the vet

Harper has already undergone three X-rays and one ultrasound. X-rays are done daily, while her next ultrasound will be done on Tuesday to see if her stomach clears up. If it still hasn’t, and if she still does not vomit or defecate, the doctor will need to operate on her to see what is causing the blockage in her stomach.

Like all surgeries, there is an element of risk involved in these procedures, especially for Harper who has just recovered from an episode of chest infection caused by the haze, and the fact that she has not been eating and is rather weak.

It is a tough decision but we can only continue to hope for the best and to prepare for the worst.

We’ll keep you posted on baby Harper’s progress. Meanwhile, please keep Harper in your prayers.

Let's make this sad puppy well again

Should you wish to donate to Harper’s escalating vet bill, please email Fiona@hopedogrescue.org

On a side note, we have started preparing for the HOPE 2014 Calendar. Baby Harper will be the cover girl this time round, as we are all greatly moved and inspired by her courage and determination to live fearlessly, despite her disabilities – Harper was born with a broken spine which has impeded her walking and led to her incontinence.

We are currently sourcing sponsors to print our HOPE 2014 calendars, so we can print more copies, sell more calendars, and raise more funds. These funds would go into helping the needy dogs, and to give them a chance to live healthily, happily, and heartily.

To date, our funds can only help pay for a handful of calendars, which leaves us in a less than desirable situation. It is a given – the less we print, the less we sell, and the less funds we raise. Above all, it is more expensive to print these calendars in low quantities.

So, if you have any friends / connections out there who are willing to sponsor us, or to print these calendars for us at an affordable price, please let us know and we’ll be in contact with them.

From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You for helping us save lives.