- Joined
- Jan 30, 2021
- Messages
- 146
Hi Everyone - @Dr. Jeff suggested I post this part of a post I wrote in 2015, after being contacted by a pet parent in Michigan as he was losing his beloved dog. The rest of the article includes all of the research I did back then on this disease and the vaccines being given for it. Happy to pass that along if anyone is interested. It may be somewhat dated, though, and I know you have a lot of resources here on this platform, as well. Now, on to Gracie Lou and my friend, Gerritt.
THE TRAGEDY OF GRACIE LOU
It all started when I got an email from Gerritt. He'd been advised on Facebook to reach out to me for help in connecting with an organization that might assist him with his really high vet bills. His nine year old Jack Russell Terrier love of his life, Gracie Lou, was deteriorating rapidly at an animal hospital in Grand Rapids, MI., and Gerritt was very distraught and didn't know what to do. Just days earlier, he'd brought Gracie into his local vet for her vaccinations. At that time, Gracie was what seemed to be a very healthy, active dog. His vet, who will remain nameless, recommended Gracie Lou be given the new L4 vaccine to prevent Leptospirosis. Gerritt, trusting of his vet like many of us, said ok. A cursory examination of Gracie was done - a look at her gums, palpating parts of her body. There was no discussion of pros and cons nor of the risks involved.
Gracie was given the shot. Within a week, she was in renal failure, and rushed to a well-known veterinary hospital. Gracie rapidly became unresponsive, her lungs filling with fluid. After doing everything they could for her, a couple of days later, Gerritt made the decision to put Gracie Lou to sleep. Devastated he'd so suddenly lost his baby girl and frightened of the financial ramifications of what he'd just experienced (having to put $5,000 down on his credit card to begin treatment, with only a small Social Security Disability Insurance monthly allowance), Gerritt needed answers and he needed help.
How could this previously healthy dog decline so rapidly?
Gerritt agreed to let me tell his and Gracie's story for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, he doesn't want any more pet parents losing their babies to this vaccine. He asked me to inform people about this disease, the vaccine and to always ask questions of our vets. He wished he'd asked more of them. Also, and I offered this, I wanted to see if I could raise money to help Gerritt pay his exorbitant vet bills. Like us, he's a loving dog parent who's grieving and trying to cope with his very difficult financial situation. He still has no definitive answers as to why Gracie Lou got so sick, despite a necropsy and more post mortem tests the labs are doing. Maybe we can ease some of his pain…
THE TRAGEDY OF GRACIE LOU
It all started when I got an email from Gerritt. He'd been advised on Facebook to reach out to me for help in connecting with an organization that might assist him with his really high vet bills. His nine year old Jack Russell Terrier love of his life, Gracie Lou, was deteriorating rapidly at an animal hospital in Grand Rapids, MI., and Gerritt was very distraught and didn't know what to do. Just days earlier, he'd brought Gracie into his local vet for her vaccinations. At that time, Gracie was what seemed to be a very healthy, active dog. His vet, who will remain nameless, recommended Gracie Lou be given the new L4 vaccine to prevent Leptospirosis. Gerritt, trusting of his vet like many of us, said ok. A cursory examination of Gracie was done - a look at her gums, palpating parts of her body. There was no discussion of pros and cons nor of the risks involved.
Gracie was given the shot. Within a week, she was in renal failure, and rushed to a well-known veterinary hospital. Gracie rapidly became unresponsive, her lungs filling with fluid. After doing everything they could for her, a couple of days later, Gerritt made the decision to put Gracie Lou to sleep. Devastated he'd so suddenly lost his baby girl and frightened of the financial ramifications of what he'd just experienced (having to put $5,000 down on his credit card to begin treatment, with only a small Social Security Disability Insurance monthly allowance), Gerritt needed answers and he needed help.
How could this previously healthy dog decline so rapidly?
Gerritt agreed to let me tell his and Gracie's story for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, he doesn't want any more pet parents losing their babies to this vaccine. He asked me to inform people about this disease, the vaccine and to always ask questions of our vets. He wished he'd asked more of them. Also, and I offered this, I wanted to see if I could raise money to help Gerritt pay his exorbitant vet bills. Like us, he's a loving dog parent who's grieving and trying to cope with his very difficult financial situation. He still has no definitive answers as to why Gracie Lou got so sick, despite a necropsy and more post mortem tests the labs are doing. Maybe we can ease some of his pain…
I once questioned a vet (conventional) if all those boosters/shots were necessary...He said "yes, if you want your Koby [my pup] to live a long and healthy life." 
