I am happy to report right now Brody is doing well, but in May he was diagnosed with a scary condition that leaves me stressing over him often. After he had what appeared to be a seizure, I took him into the vet. After describing the event, she almost immediately diagnosed him with a condition called a collapsing trachea. Basically, his airway can collapse at any time and actually has several times since. He doesn't have a seizure but he passes out and loses consciousness if he gets too excited, overwhelmed, stressed, hot, or anxious. With further diagnosis we found he also has an enlarged heart. His enlarged heart puts pressure on his trachea and makes his condition worse and even more difficult to treat. He is now on medications for the rest of his life to help control the issue. It's been hard because he is a naturally anxious dog, so keeping him calm is slightly challenging and not to mention stressful!! Especially with 2 small children that stress the dog out!! I now feel like a nurse 24/7 because I am constantly assessing his medication needs and his behaviors. He has heart pills, anti-anxiety pills, and cough suppressants-all to help his condition. I am thankful he is with me often so I get to keep a close eye on him. And I am thankful for the time we have had with him. I know he is sick and it breaks my heart. If you know me at all, you know how difficult it is going to be when it is his time to leave us. It is comforting to know that many dogs live a long time with his condition-so I remain hopeful and will continue to be his personal nurse as long as he needs.
That being said, I wanted to snap some pictures of him and his brother/best-friend. I hope for many more years with these pups, but I know it doesn't always work out that way. Delaney and Cannon may have changed our lives, but these two will always hold a special place in our hearts...(and of course Dewey and Riley too!)
Dewey is world's worst picture taker...so he wasn't invited:)
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