Chirp’s Journal
A Courageous Fighting Spirit Meets
Pap 911 Rescue’s Persistence
– The call came in mid July that a transport leaving Missouri was carrying two small Papillons. One was old and one was skinny. Would Pap 911 Rescue take them? That was all that was known about the little travelers coming our way. The pickup was at 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. at the Cracker Barrel off the expressway, and Pap 911 was there to take them. They were both small and obviously not in good health.
One was round and pudgy, the hair on her head mixed with gray. Her body was just about hairless with odd sprigs sticking out here and there. Her stringy tail wagged tentatively. “Am I safe with you?” We named her KoKo.
The second one could hardly be called a dog. She was more like a hairy bag with sharp bones sticking out of her back and hips. Her ribs could be counted. She wasn’t skinny, she was emaciated! She made little concerned sounds way down in her throat. We named her Chirp.
– Chirp is not settling in quietly. She hates the crate! She must have been locked in one all the time, because she pees and poops and doesn’t seem to mind being dirty. Normally, we put new babies on the second row of crates, so that they let us pick them up and put them down every time they eat. But with Chirp, we have decided that she should be on the ‘ground floor’ so that she can get out of her crate any time she wants to.
Today was her first vet visit. Dr. Brown was appalled at how skinny and frail she is. Weighing less than 3.6 pounds, Chirp has absolutely no muscle mass at all. Her legs are sticks that barely hold her up. It was decided not to even draw blood today. Dr. Brown wants me to feed her my special chicken stew for a while and get her immune system built up before she is subjected to further stress.
– Time for a recheck at Dr. Brown’s. Chirp has been eating three meals a day and she is getting stronger. She has gained a couple of ounces, but I swear, she eats and then she poops two times the amount she eats. The stool is formed, but almost sponge like and huge. Dr. Brown takes her blood for a complete blood count (CBC) and chemical panel, heartworm test, and fecal. She was a good girlie, but so so scared.
– Normally, we would not do a blood panel on a dog as young as Chirp, but this time it is a good thing we did! Her blood work is awful! Her liver enzymes are so high that the ALT isn’t even registering and the CHOL is very low. Thyroid is in the normal range so more blood testing is needed.
– Dr. Brown took more blood and sent it off for testing at Texas A&M.
– Results are back: with bacterial overgrowth in small intestine. In plain language, Chirp’s pancreas is not working. She is getting no nutrition from her food. Even though she is eating, she is starving to death. This is a rare disease in Papillons that Dr. Brown has never diagnosed or treated before. We will go to Dr. Duval, our internist at Georgia Veterinary Specialist (GVS).
– Dr. Duval reviewed Chirp’s tests and has put her on for a while for the intestinal bacteria. Colleen, Chirp’s new foster Mom, will take over her care and continue her journal.
– (From Colleen) As her new foster mom, I am amazed at Chirp’s courage and fighting spirit. Had it not been for the dedication and persistence of Pap 911 Rescue, I believe that it would have been the end of our little Chirp!
I was able to bring Chirp into my home after the specialist assessed her condition and began her on a supplement consisting of pancreatic enzymes. She will be closely monitored.
– The first day Chirp arrived in our home was a happy day! We have two Papillons, Max and Piper, and a miniature Australian Shepherd named Heidi. My pack totally accepted Chirp right off! I couldn’t have been more pleased! Though Chirp was quite timid, she seemed to be comforted by the presence of the other dogs.
I am taking off from work for a week to spend time with Chirp to get her settled in as best as possible. Each day she grows stronger and braver. I leave the door to her exercise pen open so she could venture out whenever she felt ready. Chirp loves to eat! Thank goodness for this! I think this little girl has never felt a full tummy in her entire life! Though she keeps her distance, she doesn’t want to miss out on anything. Carefully, she watches me as I pet and play with my pack. I could see her little mind taking it all in. She began taking treats from my hand, a very big step for her. And I saw her furless little tail start to wag! What a special day!
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– We went to the lake for a few days. We had just spent the evening watching a movie. The whole time I am holding Chirp in my lap. She still stiffens when I go to pick her up. Within minutes, when she realizes all I want to do is hug her close, she relaxes her little frail body and falls asleep. Such a sweet baby.
After the movie, I put Chirp in her pen and went into the other room to get ready for bed. Within minutes I heard a scream! She had climbed right over and out of her pen! I couldn’t believe it! She hit the tile floor hard and went into shock!
I thought she had broken her front legs at first, but then after 10 minutes, she stretched both her front legs out and stood up! By that time it was after 11 p.m. I decided to sleep on the floor next to her that night. At dawn, she wouldn’t stand up at all. At 6:30 a.m., I hopped in the car with her and quickly drove to my vet. The vet took her outside, watched her move, and did a thorough deep physical exam. She didn’t feel that Chirp had broken anything. I still asked for x-rays on her legs. The x-rays revealed no breaks. My vet sent me home with anti-inflammatory and pain meds, and said to watch her for a week.
When I contacted our leader at Pap 911 Rescue, she wanted me to get her to the specialists at GVS. I took Chirp to the ER where the vet evaluated her and wanted the neurologist to
examine her. The neurologist examined her and then wanted the orthopedic surgeon to examine her! My oh my, this little girl certainly was having all the very best of attention! They all felt, based on their evaluations and watching her movements, that nothing was broken. So, she came home with a heavy dose of Tramadol pain meds. She is so tiny I had to go to a special pharmacist to compound the medication for her. Fortunately, she loves to eat so I have no problem at all sneaking her meds into her food.
– It has now been several days since she baffled all the specialists. Chirp will occasionally, carefully, and slowly, walk on all four legs, but it looks uncomfortable for her. She prefers to hop around on her two back legs like a kangaroo. She’s a fast kangaroo though. She has an incredible spirit! She hops her way out of her pen and into the den where she can be with all of us – just one of the pack.
– Chirp got a complete recheck by Dr. Duval. He believes she is on the mend. Hooray! Her pancreatic supplement is working and she has gained a pound. She seems completely recovered from her spill, but we will be watching closely for several more weeks.
With the help of Pap 911 Rescue and the donations made by loving people all over, she is getting the very best of care and is worth every bit of it. Chirp will need continued veterinarian care, and would love you to be one of her sponsors. It is because of the 
generosity of humans and the dedication of the Pap 911 Rescue volunteers that Chirp and others like her are allowed to live and feel the grass under their paws and the sunshine on their sweet faces.
