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We knew Tempo was something special from the moment he could todder around the puppy pool. He was confident and loved to be around people. It was no surprise that when it came time to evaluate the litter, he was selected as the pick puppy for his sweet, silly temperament and beautiful conformation. Tempo received his STAR Puppy certificate at just 15 weeks old, showing a quick mind and eagerness to work. At 7 months Tempo started his show career with a Best in Sweepstakes at the Indy Winter Classic. He then went on to win another Best in Sweepstakes at the GLBA Supported Entry. He was next in the ring at nine months-old; Tempo was WD/BOW for back to back 4 pt majors. Just shy of 11 months, he returned to the ring to be awarded back to back 5 pt majors, going WD/BOW and finishing his Championship. Tempo was owner-handled to 3 of 4 majors by his co-owner, Crystal Corner.
After finishing his Championship, Tempo went on to show what a great temperament and outgoing personality he has, when he and I earned his Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog titles with ease, as just 12 months. In August of this year, Tempo and I showed in our first Obedience Title and earned the first leg of his BN title.
Sadly, when Tempo and I attended out weekly Obedience class, last week, he was not his usual buoyant self. He seemed lethargic and not very interested in food. I discovered he was running a temperature and the next evening he did not keep down his dinner. The first thing the next morning, Tempo was taken to the vet where they immediately suspected exposure to Leptospirosis, a bacteria transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, usually in small pools of Santana water. Lepto causes the symptoms Tempo was experiencing and soon our vet felt they had done all they could do and he needed more supportive care, so we transferred him to Michigan State University.
Tempo has been in the care of the fantastic medical team at MSU since this past Thursday. Initially he was on dialysis, as he was not outputting any urine and it was clear he was in renal failure. After two days of being on 24/7 dialysis treatment, Tempo's urine output returned and his toxic kidney levels slowly began to come down. But now Tempo is facing a new challenge, his liver is showing signs of being compromised. His eyes and the underside of his ears, his gums and areas of skin, where it has had to be shaved, have a yellow pale to them. As his kidneys have improved, his liver has become stressed. Through all of this, Tempo has been a real trooper. He wags his tail at the students, techs and doctors who are caring for him and he loves it when he gets his daily visit from me and my parents. Although he has suferred with continual diarrhea and vomiting, he remains patient with all the tubes coming from his nose, neck and bladder. He continues to show his love for me with that happy tail wag, though it is slower and he tires quickly and has to lay down. For this and for the great blessing he has been to me, for his love and happy, willing demeanor, I have promised him I will not give up on him and we will do everything we can to see him through this most difficult time, as long as he wants to fight on. To keep this promise to my beloved boy, I am now asking for help from his friends.
Tempo's care on dialysis cost about $1,200 per day. His cost for care, now, is about $400 per day. That will go up to $600 per day, if he has to be put on the antibiotic especially for his liver. We all love our canine friends so much, they bring us so much joy and ask for so little in return. None of us should have to face the time when we have to decide to let our beloved dog go, when they have a very good chance of a full recovery, because the cost of treatment is more than we can afford. Through the goodness of my dear brother, Joe Tower, we were able to open a Care Credit account that will cover up to $7,000 of Tempo's care. As of yesterday, we were already at $4,800 in costs. The doctor says Tempo will need at least 5-7 more days in the hospital and the least amount of money they have been able to save a dog in Tempo's situation was $9,000.
I can't thank all of you enough, who have shared kind words of love and concern for Tempo. There is no doubt in my mind that the power of prayer is a strong and useful thing. And your kind words are helping to keep me strong, so I can be strong for Tempo. If you would also like to donate to Tempo's recovery, I would welcome those donations but please know, your well wishes and prayers are just as welcome and meaningful.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
-Christina
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