Gracie Anne went to Purdue 1/5 for her recheck and I am happy to say she has beaten the odds and her heart murmur is gone, it is not a grade 2 anymore, not even a grade 1, its is totally gone! She now weighs 3.9 lbs. The Dogtors at Purdue were so happy with her progress and said she was doing awesome. They did find a small leak in her Pumonic Valve which is the valve between her right ventricle of her heart and her lungs, so in other words a little bit of blood is going back into that right chamber of her heart. They are not concerned about this, but do want to see her back in 6 months to make sure it has not gotten any worse.
She goes in 1/7/10 to be spayed and then her surgeries in her short lifetime will be over. Gracie enjoyed a spa day today, she got a bath and blow dry and tried on her new coat, the red really brings out her color, don't you think :-)
Until later....Gracie Anne
Update 12/21/09
Gracie Anne went to the dogtor this last week and got her stitches out. She is up to a whopping 3.3 lbs and is doing great. The dogtor said he did not hear a heart murmur that day, when she left Purdue she had a grade 2 murmur, so this was wonderful news, but we will have to wait until she goes to Purdue to be sure if this is true.
Gracie is truly a Christmas miracle and has really given our rescue family a lot to be thankful for this year! Gracie goes back to Purdue Jan. 5th so keep your fingers and paws crossed and hope they find nothing, which in this case would be wonderful! Gracie does have Luxating Patellas, one leg is a bit worse than the other, but that sure doesn't slow her down.
Gracie would like to thank all of her friends out there that have given towards her medical bills and wish them all a very Merry Christmas! Until next time, Goodnight Gracie..
Gracie Anne's medical bills still need help being paid, if you can find it in your heart this holiday season to give to her medical fund the rescue would be so thankful. We have many dogs needing medical attention, one that is in dire need is Mindi. Mindi has a liver shunt and needs surgery to save her life.
Update 12/13/09
Gracie Anne continues to do well. She even seems to have grown some since her surgery. She is also officially off all meds and has had no problems at all without taking them. I am proud to say that it seems she is on the road to recovery, although we don't know if her murmur will go away completely or not this girl has fought back to beat this. She is staying out with the rest of the gang more and loves to play. To feel her heart now compared to what it did feel like its almost like a calm and soothing silence, it is a true miracle. She goes in Friday to get her stitches out and for a check up, but im sure the dogtor will be really impressed with her progress as we all are.
Update 12/5/09
Gracie is home!
She will need to go back in one month for a checkup. She gets her stitches out in 2 weeks. She continues Lasix for 1 more week and she has Metacam and Tramadol for pain, she is also taking Clavamox for infection. She seems to be doing well, cage rest for 2 weeks and then she can be out with the rest of the gang.
Right now her murmur is a grade 2, but they said with time it should get better if not go away totally, but it will not get worse. She looks like a naked mole rat right now to most people out there, but to us I know she is beautiful.
To date, Gracie’s medical expenses are $2328.61. Please consider making a donation to help with her bills.
Update 12/3/09
Gracie is doing very well this a.m. and they are thinking about pulling her chest tube around noon. She is eating and drinking so they will also pull her IV too. The Vet tech said she looks wonderful and is more active and alert which she said she was very happy about. Thank God she came around!
Stay tuned for more updates as they come in.
Update 12/2/09
Gracie Anne had her surgery today. They did try to go through her Femoral Artery and did with success, but the coil they tried to place to block the PDA did not hold, so they had to open her chest and go through that way. The surgery took a lot longer than expected she was out for about 6 hours with both procedures, there were some complications, but they managed to tie off the PDA. The surgery was the biggest hurdle now she needs to recover. She is still critical, and will be in ICU for the next 48 hours. She is taking a bit longer to wake up, but that is to be expected with how long she was out. We will keep you updated as we know more. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for this precious girl! After she recovers she is expected to live a normal happy life, which we are all thrilled about! We have also added a picture of what a PDA look like.
11/26/09 Update
Hi everyone, this is Gracie Anne. A friend is helping me type this since I am too little to reach the keyboard. I wanted to update you about what we found out this week when we went to see the dogtor at Purdue. She told me that I have a big heart and that although having a big heart usually is a good thing, in my case it is not. See the reason I have a big heart is because I have a PDA, which means Patent Ductus Arteriosus this a vessel that connects the Aorta and the Pulmonary arteries together, after I was born it was suppose to close, but for some reason it didn't.
I have to have this big surgery next week to have this fixed, they say if I do not get it fixed soon I will die, I do not want that to happen! I am just a baby and want to play and be loved just like other puppies get to!
My surgery will cost a lot of money, so if there is any way at all you could help I sure would appreciate it, I know it is close to the holidays but with your help I will be able to enjoy the holidays too. I will keep you all updated on how I am doing, with a little help from my friend.
Please keep Gracie Anne in your thoughts and prayers, she is so small 2.8 lbs and this surgery is huge.
11/10/09
Hi, my name is Gracie Anne and here is my story…sad, but unfortunately true. I am about a 12 week old, 2.2 pound Pomeranian. My life started in a puppy mill, but some nice ladies came along and rescued me and gave me to the Angels to take care of me and help me find a nice home to live in. The Angels found me a nice home right away, but when I went to the dogtor to get spayed, he gave the Angels some bad news. It seems the puppy mill did not want me because I have a severe heart murmur so they could not sell me or breed me.
I went back to the dogtor for an ultrasound to see what type of murmur I have. Once again he did not have good news as he said I have a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) heart murmur and he saw hints of other problems as well. My heart is already enlarged a little bit. The next step for me is to go see a cardiologist to see if I am a candidate for surgery or not. Mom says the cardiologist bill just to evaluate me could cost up to $500. If I am able to have surgery, it could cost up to $3000. These seem like really big numbers to a little girl like me, but mom tells me all the time that the Angels will figure out a way to take care of me.
I am scared and unsure of what my future holds at this point, but my foster mom said all the Angels love me and care about me. It is very hard for me at this point as I just want to be a normal puppy and play with the other puppies that live here. Unfortunately I get tired very quickly so I am only allowed to get down on the floor and feel what it is like to be a real puppy for just short periods of time. Mom said too much activity is bad for my heart right now.
If you have it in your heart to help the Angels out with all the money they need to help fix my heart, I would really appreciate it.
Love and kisses,
Gracie Anne
More about Gracie Anne - Adopted
Good with Dogs, Is Not Good with Kids
Sponsors: Barbara Sanders,
Peggy McCain,
Nicole Lee,
Leslye Love, PSG Students
Please read our adoption policies thoroughly before applying to adopt.
Please click HERE to view our adoption policies and to complete our online application.
Unless otherwise stated in the profile, all of our foster dogs require a fenced in yard.
IPPRA DOES NOT SHIP ITS DOGS. Please be advised that we do not transport. You will be responsible for coming to pick up your new dog on adoption day. The general location for each foster dog is listed in its profile. Preference is given to local applicants. Our Special Needs dogs (medical issues, seniors, puppy mill rescues, emotional issues) must be adopted close to their foster homes.
PLEASE NOTE - There are NO exceptions to filling out an application. Our dogs are in private foster homes, not a shelter facility. All of our rescue dogs are altered, up to date on vaccinations, flea-free and on heartworm prevention. We check references and do a home visit. Only an approved application may adopt one of our rescue dogs.
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