Our Gifts from God…Babies

Some of you may know that I do not have Human Babies, however, I have Fur-babies. Grace and Luna are gifts from God! Babies come to us in all shapes and sizes, human and non-human!

It has been less than 24 hours since Luna Tuna has left for residential training; I’m experiencing so many mixed emotions.

First of all – she isn’t mine – she is a gift from God, and it is up to me to handle this amazing miracle he has given to us.

Second, this is my first puppy in over 20 years. All my other dogs came to me older and were trained; they just needed some ‘tweaking’ to correct certain behaviors.

My dream is to walk Luna and Grace (my other 6-year-old Lab) together without either of us getting hurt. Luna has a huge prey drive (of course, she is a Labrador), but it is out of control, and I am concerned for our safety because Grace is picking up on these behaviors too. Not good!

The Girl for Us

I had an out of body and mind experience in September 2016 while deciding whether or not to get another dog. We are used to having multiple dogs, and Grace is so quiet; so we looked at a rescue and for the first time in my life – a breeder. The breeder called us, but I was still on the fence about all of this so I decided to decline. I watched everyone pick up their puppies (in a private Facebook group). Someone asked how many were left and the reply was two black females. Well we wanted a black female, the signs were there, and the decision was made, a puppy we wanted. Going through all of this I sat and it literally felt like God was reaching into my heart, stomach, and soul to adopt this little girl we call Luna, (aka, Luna tuna Tickey Tavey Smith!). I knew with all of my being she was the girl for us!

One month after Luna came home, she became very ill with a rare disease, puppy strangles. It was very frightening. It took some time and at one point, it was a bit shaky with her responding to the treatment.   However, with a lot of love, and a great vet, we were able to heal her.

What Did I Do Wrong?

I will never forget that morning, her eyes were puffy and filled with goop, she was lethargic, and she had jowls like an old overweight person and sores all over her jawline.  We called the vet and rushed her over and when we got the diagnosis all I could say was, “What the hell is puppy strangles and did I do something wrong?” Puppy strangles causes a ‘hiccup,’ so to speak, in her immune system from the shots as a baby,  and it is possible the lineage of the parents, like great grandparents. This isn’t proven, however, it can be possible! It strikes in puppies between the ages of four weeks to four months old.  Again very rare. So that Saturday back in November of 2016, I lay on the couch with my new Luna Tuna as she slept on my chest with warm compresses on her face.

I endured much stress and anger. I already have a lab with immune issues, not another one? I thought. I wanted a healthy playful puppy, and God gave me her. It took me time to accept all of this. Eventually, I felt blessed that we could afford this expense of $1,500 beyond the initial costs. This was totally unplanned, and we received no support. After the 10-week long treatment, we thought Luna was cured, but she had a secondary (very common with this disease) flare up and needed another 3 weeks of treatment.

As of today, she is doing fine, and our vet feels she will not have any issues as she ages. We are doing everything possible to rebuild her immune system:

1. Raw food diet *
2. Raw goat milk *
3. Immune boosting supplements.
4. Wholesome all natural treats.
5. DoTerra Essential Oils.

Everything required for her care is natural and organic, from shampoos, ear cleaners, and organic cotton balls and q-tips! Does this sound over the top? Well maybe, since Luna had to have the Bordetella vaccine to participate in this program, and yes she had a reaction to it. So I decided back in November I was going to empower Luna and myself and become an educated dog mom, so I started doing research (which is not my favorite thing to do) by asking questions, comparing brands, and most importantly – stream-lining their care.

Luna’s reaction to the Bordetella was conquered through natural remedies such as organic coconut oil, essential oils, natural soap for soaking, and patience (not something I have an abundance of).

Luna is a Gift

We expect to pop a pill and have everything become magically better overnight. Well, I do not want my babies to suffer any more than the next person does, but popping pills can create more issues down the road. Our environment presents issues for these animals and now even their food has been compromised for the love of money. Remember recalls?

So I surrendered, became educated, and realized that God doesn’t give me what I cannot handle. What I can handle is having conversations with Him – even as I write this. My emotions are exploding and my heart is swelling up with joy and anticipation. All I can do is ask God to help me look after this gift he has given me.

Luna Tuna, I love you so much and I miss you!

Peace,

Kim

*Food is Answers Raw and Primal Raw food for dogs

*Goats milk is Answers