Aquaman!

He was born March 29th, after a 6 hour gap from the puppy before him. He was given the turquoise collar. He was a little weak, but his mom had a hard labor and delivery of the previous 4 puppies. He sucked and took a bottle fairly well and was gaining weight slowly. Then, on day 15 of life, he started "refluxing" milk out his mouth and nose and coughing. He required frequent suctioning. Debbi recommended a remedy and it helped some, but it didn't "fix" the problem. I called the vet (the young one in the practice) and she told me not to worry, some puppies grow slowly and he would catch up by the time he was a year old. She didn't seem concerned about the "reflux". By Saturday morning, I couldn't take it anymore and called the vet again, this time speaking with the original vet I had worked with over the past 10 years. He felt the puppy had a megaesophagus, caused by a vascular ring. Then he recommended tube feeding. Since I am a Nurse Practitioner, that just happens to work in pediatric gastroenterology, I knew the dangers of a misplaced feeding tube. I took the agua (somehow turquoise became aqua) puppy to the vet and there he had an upper gi. The barium stopped just above the stomach, but a little tickled in. The vet was sure this was a vascular ring, and that this puppy would eventually die. He showed me how to tube feed him and suggested that I do it for the next 2 weeks, if the puppy made it. I called Debbi again, this time telling her the puppy was going to die. She was not very happy with me at that moment. She reviewed the case again, all the symptoms--oral/nasal reflux, inability to swallow, dysmotility of the esophagus. Then she gave me the remedy. We gave it and repeated it 1 more time 3 days later. We tube fed Aquaman round the clock and put him in "reflux precautions" with his head elevated. Several of the puppies would allow him to lay on them with his head up. Then my husband started allowing him to eat off his mom again. After the 1st dose he was greatly improved and only needed suctioned 3 or 4 times a day. After the 2nd dose he did not need suctioned ever again. One day when I was putting down the tube, it felt like something popped and the tube went down better. The 2 weeks were up and we went back for the 2nd Upper GI. This time the vet's partner (not the young one) saw the

puppy and gave him a big syringe of barium. It went all the way down with no problem at all! It was a miracle. He didn't feel the puppy had a vascular ring, and to keep watching him and see how things went. He felt that we wouldn't really know until the puppy was on kibble (that is actually when most vascular rings are diagnosed). We kept supplementing him, as he was smaller than the rest, then it was time for kibble and raw. I was scared to death that he would choke. He ate it like a champ. When I took the litter to get the ears cropped, I elected not to do his, just incase he didn't make it (ear cropping here is $650/puppy). The old vet couldn't believe that he was still alive. He did the 3rd upper GI and there was not a trace of a problem! Now Aquaman is growing and eating all raw, including his bones without any evidence of a problem. This is all thanks to Debbi, there is not doubt about it. She has worked with several of my other Giant Schnauzers over the past 14 years and has never missed a call. She has saved 2 of my dogs with Valley Fever. She has helped my horse with a rattle snake bite to the face. I don't know what I would do without her and her vast knowledge.

Thank you Debbi!!

Aquaman and Kim in Arizona