Zoe's puppies are almost 5 weeks old!

Boys ears dropped down for awhile and the girl is on the right. They are still great eaters on damp regular food but still snuggling with Mom at night though they have pretty of biting power with the razor sharp teeth!

More on Henri.

Dear Friends and Family,

Lowering Henri's Prednisone dose has made things a little more challenging to interpret. He appetite is not as veracious but I am not sure if is simple due to being on less Prednisone (an appetite stimulant) or if he isn't feeling as well or...if he is just working his parents...hoping for something better will fall into his food bowl. The change has me a little stressed out but time will tell what is going on. I figure, if he will take a treat, we are probably OK, as when he was very ill, he would either spit treats out or push them back into my hand.

His energy is very good. He is bright-eyed, playing, greeting us at the door and chattering throughout the day. Bella continues to closely monitor his food intake and carefully cleans the floor after each of his meals. As you will see in the attached photo, Henri torments his sister by eating slowing and telling her good his "special" food is. Luckily, Henri is a very messy eater which makes Bella very happy :)

In about a week, we go to our normal vet, Dr Myhre, for Henri's followup IMHA bloodwork. Then on March 6, we go to Tacoma for his internal medicine followup for the IBD/Crohn's Disease. I am anxious to talk with Dr Herman, his internist, to find out how she thinks he is doing and where we go from here.

The Helping Henri Medical Fund has begun. If you know of anyone who would be interested in being a member or making a donating...please have them contact me at westiepack@yahoo.com Remember even small donations can truly make a difference in our ability to help Henri.
Thank you!

Prayers!
Warmly,
Ella
Helping Henri Medical Fund,
The mission of this community is to help support Henri's medical costs and prevent the termination of his life due to finances alone.

Fitch family comes for a visit...

Gary and his wife Virgie came down from Spokane to see Zoe and her puppies Saturday in hopes that they may be able to return for the boy as a new family member when he is older. I explained to them I would like to see him in a show home primarily but they are first on the list if the little guy is destine for a forever pet home. I also explained to them Rachel had been bred and there would definitely be a puppy available to them from that litter. They are a very nice couple!


Chris,

It's really hard to get a good picture of a couple of squirmy 'book ends' !

Thanks again for the visit yesterday. That was really over the top. We
enjoyed meeting you and getting to know Zoe and her family.

Gary

Henri enjoys new food.

Dear Friends and Family,
As you might imagine Bella is jealous of all the special attention and food her little brother is getting. Unfortunately, Bella's primary love currency is food, while Henri's has always been attention--probably because food never made him feel good. Bella's currency is that of most dogs. The last few months has been challenging to find a balance to fit every ones needs. Bella needs to lose a little weight. Henri needs to gain weight. We have been showering Bella with "extra" attention...but it is hard to make up for all that special food she sees Henri getting.
Anyway....the pic tells it all. Henri is so easy going...as Bella couldn't get any closer to his food bowl if she tried. I even saw her little pink tongue shoot out and lick his bowl while he was eating.
Sigh..
Prayers!
Love,
Ella

PS The Helping Henri Medical Fund support concept should be presented with the next day or so. Please watch for this. We will need a timely response so we can identify those interested in participating. Thank you, Jeannette for all your help!!

Lily turns 5 weeks old.

She really enjoyed some couch time!

Latest Zoe puppy pictures...

If they were not so "healthy" they would be up on all 4's crawling out of the wehelping box! Oh oh I hear growling and barking....

Henri still needs your help....

Hi Folks,

So Dr Herman guestimated $1000/annually for IBD followup care--this is separate from Henri's IMHA followup care and basic healthcare costs. We can handle the IMHA followup care, basic healthcare and a small portion of the IBD costs+Bella's Addison's care..but not everything. I am racking my brain for a novel approach to tackling this...I haven't had much feedback. We must find ongoing support to supplement our current medical expenditures for him. We need a long-term plan. I have had conversations with a few folks--and all the difficult issues have been mentioned--he is not re-homeable and he is not a canditate for Rescue. I respect each of you and your opinions. To date, we have had 2 donations: Michele Hayward for the endoscopy and Chris Larson. Thank you!!!

Henri is doing GREAT! He is responding to treatment. He is eating without nausea meds. Mommy has been cooking him lots of sweet potatoes and turkey. Henri is doing what he needs to be doing. I have some pics to send soon.

FYI Other than providing updates for Henri, I may let Jeannette present any financial support ideas...honestly, I need a break. I am tired of asking for help...this is making me feel badly. I hope, we can come together and find a solution. If the kid continues to respond, it seems like we should go with him.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ella

Haley's puppy is almost 4 weeks old.

Not looking too happy in her new surroundings is Haley's little girl Lilly. She was starting to escape her whelping box far too often and interrupting her Mother's dinner which is usually a pretty savage affair! lol

New Zoe puppy pictures!

The boy has a touch of white on his chin and chest so you can tell who is who...At this point I like the girl a little better, before it was the boy so they are neck and neck. Just to let you know getting these two shots was not very easy as there was some growling going on and Mom was watching very closely.