# Update on Snowball



## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I emailed Angie about Snowball in Ohio,the little puppy w/ huge health issues. She's still hanging in there! It's a miracle that she's still alive. Lets keep her in our thoughts and prayers. She's already in my heart.I'll cry my eyes out if she doesn't get a good prognosis.
This is what I heard back from Angie

"Her weight is up 2 ounces so while not a huge gain, its a gain none the less. I do have two possible adopters but I'm waiting until the 25th until I have more information so that they can make an educated decision. One is a neonatal nurse so that definitely would be good for Snowball."
Thanks,
Angie


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Oh, I'll pray for Snowball!


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

I finally got to the video clip of her. How sweet. She has really touched me.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

She's just a little heart grabber isn't she? I wish I could take her but I have 5 dogs now and it wouldn't be fair to her or my fur kids. I don't have enough arms to hold them all as it is....


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Thank you for the update. I've become a little skittish about opening threads on Snowball, praying that it's good news. She's such a little fighter. I hope the vet will give her a good prognosis on the 25th. rayer: rayer: rayer:


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## KAG (Jun 1, 2006)

Come on baby girl. Keep gaining and get well soon, little one.
xoxoxoxoox


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Just went to check the website on Snowball's progress and I've cut/pasted the news below. They've also added new video of Snowball after her bath too. :wub: Check here to see how cute she looks with her new purple bow: Snowball's News & Video. They're taking her to the vet today so fingers (and toes) crossed for good prognosis. 

UPDATE: 1/22/10: Well, I have good news and bad news for little Snowball this evening. I came home tonight to find 
Snowball's eyes all yucky with green stuff so she was whisked off to the bathtub to get a good wash and then a blow dry. I 
had to trim some of the hair around her eyes in order to get everything clean again. She continues to have the scruffiest 
coat I've ever seen too. No matter how many times she is bathed and blown dry, she still looks the same afterwards. lol 
But I did manage to get a little purple bow in her hair and I think she feels pretty.  Snowball has very thin skin and great 
care must be taken when blowing her dry, both with making sure the air is not too warm and in gently brushing and fluffing. 
She got her ears cleaned again with a medicated antibacterial, antifungal ear wash and they continue to look good. She 
continues to have a scabbiness to her skin so I am anxious to hear what the vet has to say about it Monday. I did buy her a 
special medicated shampoo but I did not use it on her this evening because I needed to really get the eyes clean and free 
of goobers. I also got her some liquid puppy vitamins. 

The vet had said to be sure not to touch her head much since the skull is soft so I have been diligent about not touching it 
to see if there has been a change but in washing her tonight I very carefully felt the top of her head as she was being 
washed and I was very saddened to see that it remains soft. At this point I truly fear that her skull is not going to harden 
and she will have this condition for the remainder of her life. Unfortunately this could be a very serious situation for her in 
the future. I am now very concerned and anxious for her follow up appointment on Monday, the 25th. She is now 14 
weeks old. She also got dewormed again tonight and got her nails done.  What is the good news you ask? Well, I 
weighed her tonight and she has gained another 3 ounces which now brings her up to 1.8 lbs! She still continues to be 
seizure free and she is very loving and playful. I took new pictures of her this evening and also a new video, all of which 
are below so be sure to scroll down and see them. I want to thank everyone who is praying for this little angel and who has 
sent in donations for her care. Monday will be a very big day for her that's for certain.


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## drclee (Jul 16, 2008)

Thank you for the updates. I pray that you get some good news from the vet today! I hope Snowball hangs in there - we're all rooting for her! Thank you for all that you're doing for her!


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Aw poor baby,at least she's gained some weight,who knows maybe there's a treatment for soft or brittle bones that could help her. Maybe at a university hospital w/ a veteranary program?


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Latest update on Snowball. I and others have thanked Angie for all she's done for dogs in her care.

UPDATE: 1/25/10: I know that everyone is anxiously awaiting this update on little Snowball and it is with a heavy heart 
that I type this update. I am sorry to say that my earlier suspicions of her being blind are in fact accurate. I thought that 
once the swelling had gone down and her eyes weren't bulging as much that she could see because it seemed as though 
she was responding but testing in the vet's office today proved that she is indeed blind or at best, severely visually 
impaired. Her skull is still soft and the vet says that this will not improve. She does still have some fluid on the brain and 
this too will not improve. She said that at this point, its best that the skull IS soft because it is allowing for the brain to swell 
whereas a hard skull would not. On a good note however, she gained another 2 ounces and is up to 1.10 lbs and she still 
remains seizure free. Being seizure free is HUGE right now. Her heart is also good with no sign of murmurs. 

I asked about the possibility of a liver shunt and she said it was possible but it was entirely too dangerous for her to fast for 
the 12 hours required for the testing. She said if she was on a 12 hour fast that she would probably get hypoglycemic, 
start to seizure, and then die. Bloodwork to test for a liver shunt is also not a possibility. The vet said testing the blood for 
a liver shunt is not always accurate plus it would require 2-3 cc of blood to perform the test and she said that Snowball 
probably only has about 8 cc of blood in her. 

At this point, the vet recommended comfort care only. She said to try to make her as happy as possible for whatever time 
she has left. She did say that if seizures begin, that this would be the cut off and would be the time to let her go. In 
summary, little Snowball is not going to get better and will most likely get worse at some point and then die. I wish that I 
had better news as I know everyone has been praying for her and I know I have shed a ton of tears for her myself. 
Snowball is incredibly special needs, especially now that I know for sure she is blind on top of the brain injury. We are not 
sure how much her brain is actually functioning but the fact that she toilets on a piddle pad instead of her bedding is very 
encouraging. She certainly responds well to love and especially my daughter. I have received so many wonderful people 
applying for her and I know everyone's heart is in the right place and I thank you for this. Knowing how many people love 
little Snowball truly warms my heart and I can't thank you enough for everything. In light of her diagnosis and future 
prognosis today, I have chosen a neonatal care nurse who has two handicapped maltese to be her new home. One of her 
maltese is an epileptic and the other has a spinal cord injury so she is very well equipped to handle Snowball's special 
needs and future care. I am just heartbroken that Snowball did not get a good report at the vet today but I am comforted in 
knowing that she will be in very skilled hands and will be loved and happy for however many days she has left. 

I will be placing Snowball on the abuse/neglect page and since her page has ended up being so big all by itself, I will keep 
her page intact and will do a link from the abuse page to her page. I will keep her page updated with future reports from 
her new home so that everyone can keep track of her. She's been an amazing little girl and so very brave. Today she is 
full of love, life and playfulness and I pray that she will have many more to come. 

Thank you again,
Angie


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## drclee (Jul 16, 2008)

I am so sad to hear this news. :crying: Poor little Snowball! But I am so happy that you found an amazing woman to be her new mom and give her the love and care she needs. I will continue to pray for her precious health and well being. rayer:


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## pinkheadbaby (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm sooo sad for Snowball  but also pleased that she is happy & playful. Who knows how long she will live but she has had such a wonderful gift of love & care since she was rescued!! Thank you all for the great work you do. :aktion033: 
As a 20 yr NICU nurse, all I can say is the Snowball's new foster mommy has a big heart & is so idealy suited for this special little doggie!! :ThankYou:


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Thanks to cleooscar for originally bringing Snowball into our hearts. :wub: We wouldn't have know about her and I'm sure all the positive thoughts have made this as happy of an ending as can be. :tender: Thanks cleooscar :you rock: and thanks to everyone on SM,you rock and I'm happy to be here w/ such fine people! :SM Rocks!:


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

I just watched the new video. She is so cute with her little bow. I continue to pray for her and my heart hurts for her.
I hope she is happy in her new home and we continue to hear about her.


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## heartmadeforyou (May 16, 2009)

This poor little soul. :bysmilie: Was she in a cage with more than her litter? How did she sustain all the bites? Such a hard life for one so young. My prayers are with Snowball.


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## missiek (Jan 2, 2010)

Oh poor soul!! How can people be so cruel??!!


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I was crying away reading Snowball's last update. I had hoped for a better prognosis given what a miracle it's been that she's survived and even thrive this far. At least she seems to be in such a good spirit, gaining weight and enjoying life without knowing her situation. In the video, she seems like a normal cheerful puppy that she should be. Her caretakers, Angie and her family, and A1 K9 Rescue have been so wonderful with Snowball. I've emailed Angie and given her links to our discussions here. A big thank you to everyone for your support and prayers for Snowball and special thanks to Michelle for keeping us updated. :ThankYou: 

Please continue to keep Snowball in your thoughts and prayers. I hope that she'll continue to thrive, enjoy being a puppy, and live in comfort for as long as possible. rayer: rayer: rayer: I'll keep checking on her site for any new updates.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I received an email back from Angie at A1 K9 Rescue. I had given her links to our threads so she can see the love and support Snowball is getting from the SM members. Here's her email:

Thanks very much, I will definitely check it out. I was crushed as the vet answered my questions yesterday. I guess deep in my heart I already knew that she was blind as it was my observation and comment early on. I suppose I was just in denial and hoping she wasn't. She just responds to sound so well that it was kinda hard to be 100% certain but she failed the test miserably yesterday and it became very obvious. I have never been around a completely blind dog before so I didn't know what to look for. I do now. We never let her wander off by herself so I didn't notice her bumping into anything. I have also been very careful not to touch her head because I was fearful of hurting her (the vet kept yelling at the vet tech not to touch her head in the office so I was a little freaked at home about doing it) but yesterday she showed me where to touch so that I could feel it for myself and now I have a better understanding of what she was talking about. She felt that her head softening was actually worse than the other visits and now Y'd. I was crushed. I was there forever yesterday and Snowball just kept failing one test after another. The vet also thinks she has some cognitive discrepancies too so its possible that she is a bit retarded but a good sign is that she does toilet on the pad and not her bed so the vet said that does require some thinking. The only positive comments yesterday was that her weight was up another 2 ounces and that her heart is good. That's it. I spoke on the phone with the neonatal nurse and cried like a baby but her condition just made the lady want her even more. For this I am truly thankful. The lady is saint that's for sure. I was so worn out emotionally yesterday that I went to bed as soon as I got my kids in bed. Today I feel ready to take on the world again. lol 

I am going to move Snowball to the abuse and neglect page with a link to her main page since it is so long. I will definitely keep it updated once she goes to her new home. If this lady forgets to update me I will CALL her. lol I know so many people are pulling for this little pup. Every day I get tons of emails with well wishes for her and everyone has been fantastic. I just wish I had better news. But right now she is stable and happy and loved and that is what's important. The lady lives in NJ and I believe is picking her up this Sunday. I have no doubt that she will be spoiled and cuddled for the rest of her days. 

Thank you again,
Angie


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

:crying: Snowball's story is so heartbreaking. I look at all our guys and girls and think of how lucky we and they are that they have the health that they do especially next to what Snowball's problems are. If only it were different for Snowball but for her young little life, she is now receiving the love and tender care that she deserves from these women who are angels. I pray for her to enjoy whatever time she ha left and know what true love is and thank Angie and the nurse who will be taking her in for giving so much of themselves so that she can have the life she deserves. Sweet kisses and hugs to little Snowball. We all love you. :wub:


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## donnad (Aug 22, 2006)

I was really hoping for some good news. I will continue to pray for this baby. You never know what miracles may happen.


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