About Little Bear
I've always had cats and when my last kitty passed away I decided to get a dog and went looking for the perfect companion. Since I was living in a pet friendly community and was on the 4th floor, being disabled and knowing I had a long haul of being really sick taking interferon and ribavirin, I decided to get a little dog and train him on puppy pads on my balcony. That's when I found the MOST AWESOME POMERANIAN! They told me he would be a maximum weight of 8 lbs and that they loved to be cuddled and being so small long walks weren't necessary, playing with them would wear them out just as fast and they would get enough exercise... Perfect! I was going to be laid up for a couple of years and there is nothing better than lots of snuggles when you're feeling sick and blue. And knowing how alone you are when you get sick (did this before) the companionship would make my journey to health easier!! So I got my little pom, a little boy, named him Little Bear and brought him home. Well Little Bear got very big, meaning instead of 8 lbs he is 25 lbs! From what I understand, the Pomeranian like most pure breeds have been manipulated to grow a certain way and they used to be the size of a regular sled dog and were ratters on Russian barges, so my Little Bear is a throw back in genetics BUT his legs are too thin to carry his weight. So he had a hard time going for walks and playing like a dog should and needed knee surgery on BOTH KNEES and of course since it's genetic the insurance wouldn't cover it and it is EXPENSIVE!! So someone donated a puppy stroller so he could go for walks until I could find a way to pay for 2 major surgeries. All this time I was so sick and he was the perfect companion and never had to worry about cleaning after him, he trained immediately!
After a few years and I go into remission, I had to move back to my old family home, my mom had passed and it was time to start over again. I took Little Bear to see my old vet, Dr. Paul Navin, (God Bless him!) that I had for years before I moved and he actually agreed to do Little Bear's knees.... yes, both knees as long as I could pay something on the bill every month. So surgery was done and it went successfully! So in the last year and a half, Little Bear retired his puppy stroller and got to go for walks, very short at first but got up to a mile a couple of times a week and shorter walks the other days. Then in June this year when I was out walking him, he started to act funny, like he lost his memory, panting like crazy, drinking water like a mad dog and loosing his footing, keeping me up all night barking and tapping me with his paws - and was actually falling down! And I noticed his fur wasn't soft but brittle, it felt like little needles and his skin was turning black.
BACK to the vet.... again! As soon at my vet touched Little Bear, he looked at me and said, "I think Bear might have Cushings Disease." Poor Bear Bear, got poked and had to stay at the doggy hospital for more testing. When I went to pick him up, it was confirmed, it was Cushings Disease (Pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism; a brain tumor on the pituitary gland) AND DIABETES, adult onset, insulin dependant, 2 shots a day. It was a long month with all the testing and hospital stays / visits and my bill was getting higher and higher!
Lucky for me, his VET Insurance does cover both diseases, so I get some of it paid for but it's put a huge financial burden on me. The last year has been unreal, the government messed up my benefits and ended up taking ALL my food stamps, then my car, and 87 Renault Alliance is in bad shape, dangerous to drive, axles bad, it rolls away if you're not on a lever surface, it overheats and MORE! No money to fix it either. With the cost of running a home on a disability check? Run a home and do what it takes just to live day to day on a little over $1000 a month? Right! And where I live, if you are on any kind of government check, you DO NOT QUALIFY FOR ANY PROGRAM for any kind of help to pay utilities! That means if you're retired and only get a Social Security check or like me, get sick in your 30's and HAVE TO GO ON DISABILITY.. well, there is NO HELP! I truly believe it is the governments way of enforcing AGENDA 21, if you can't eat right and have to struggle, your stress level is outrageous and you die sooner.
Anyway, this is why I started asking people to click on my BLOGS, so I can get at least a bit extra to keep my Little Bear around, get his medications and pay for his vet visits/stays.
I want to thank all you for helping me out. I'm the type of person that will find a way before I ask for any kind of help, I might not be able to do everything I want physically but I have a pretty good head on my shoulders and will find a way to make it. I have so far...
Oh, by the way, I'm teaching myself the coding and trying to find trick to get my BLOGS better and better and out there. If anyone has any tips I'd truly appreciate it.
Love and Light,
Ava and Little Bear
UPDATE 5/29/2015
Little Bear's has had a tough winter and spring and thought he had dislocated his right from arm, but ends up after vet visits and an x-ray that his arthritis is really bad and is now on more MEDs. He's only taken a few walks with his leash since the weather warmed up and am so grateful to the man who donated his stroller so he can still enjoy a long stroll. HE LOVES HIS PUPPY STROLLER! He sits in it like a little king.
I want to thank all of you that visit my BLOG, all the prayers and help support my furbaby, Little Bear. My pup is truly my best friend.
Love and Light,
Ava SilverMoon
