CRUCIAL INFORMATION, TOO LATE
I got the phone call while driving to Meridian, Mississippi for lunch with my sister. The necropsy on Olive was finally complete.
She had no cancer of any kind. The mass seen on MRI of her cervical spine was a benign fatty lipoma. Her liver, which appeared small on CT abdomen, was well within normal limits. In short, she was a perfectly healthy little girl.
Except for the parasite.
Olive had Babesiosis, caused by the blood parasite Babesia. It is likely she contracted it from a tick, as the only other usual form of transmission is direct blood contact, such as a transfusion or a dog bite. It resulted in hemolytic anemia, and her red blood cells were being systematically destroyed.
There is no way of knowing if Olive was bitten by a tick somewhere on our journey, or if she was a carrier. Even when treated, a Babesiosis infection may not entirely clear. Dogs with the condition can be permanent carriers. It is very possible that 30 days of prednisone, an immunosuppressant, given to treat inflammation for her neck pain caused the infection to resurface. We’ll never really know.
You might be asking yourself, as I did, how this parasite was missed given the battery of tests we threw at her. It can be difficult to confirm a diagnosis of Babesiosis; the organism can rarely be found in standard blood samples. Particularly during the primary infection, a dog with acute Babesiosis may be serologically negative. A PCR test, done postmortem, which checks for genetic material from Babesia, revealed the infection. And as this was a parasitic infection and not bacterial, all those antibiotics had no positive effect whatsoever.
Even if the parasite had been discovered, some of the treatment drugs, such as diminazine aceturate, can have quite severe side effects and still may not clear the infection.
I hope that sharing Olive’s story and discussing what caused her death will help someone down the line. All I could do after the telephone call was hang up and cry, realizing how sick she was. It made me wish I had made the decision to end her suffering sooner. It’s true what they say about hindsight.
HELLO, IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
I have never been the type of person to immediately get another animal when I lose a pet. It felt disrespectful, as if I was merely replacing the last one. I considered grieving to be the only way to honor the loss. When my cats Max and Oliver died, I waited two and a half years before getting Boss Tweed. And, I wasn’t really looking then. I just happened to see him when Maria suggested we go to PAWS Cat City, “Just to look.” (I’m the only one who came out with an animal, by the way!)
A few days after Olive passed, I loaded the Petfinder app on the iPad. My thought was, as I traveled, I could take my time and look for an area of the country in desperate need for dog adoptions, and a dog best suited to this lifestyle. I knew I didn’t want to wait as long as I did the last time, because a dog is such a good companion (and alarm system!) for a solo traveler like me. And, since I am not working and have nothing but love and unadulterated time to give, I also began to understand that the best way to honor Olive’s memory was to help another animal.
In Memphis, Tennessee, the need was great; over 80 percent of the animals in their shelters are euthanized. But, I could not find a suitable travel companion. In the South, so many of the dogs in need are of the large variety. I was looking for a smaller dog, able to navigate motorhome steps, who enjoyed traveling in cars and thus hopefully would enjoy traveling in the RV as well, who at the very least tolerated cats.
I widened my Petfinder search to adjacent states, and I noticed a pattern. Many of the dogs were listed as a bonded pair. When it came to cats, I always thought that “bonded pair” was a fiction created by well-meaning shelter volunteers to convince people to take more than one feline. But with dogs, it made sense, given their need for interaction and their pack mentality. It must be infinitely harder to send two dogs home together at the same time, and it broke my heart to think of splitting up soul mates; I narrowed my search to bonded pairs and anticipated a long wait to find the right family members.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Only three weeks after Olive’s death, sitting in the rig in my old hometown of Decatur, Mississippi, getting ready for the high school reunion, I saw Rocket and Pinkie on Petfinder.
They were the perfect size. According to the Friends of the Jackson, Mississippi Animal Shelter, they were a bonded pair, housetrained, crate trained, rare barkers and friendly to cats. They were being fostered in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The next day, my sister and I were off to Vicksburg, two hours away, to meet the pups. At the foster mom’s house I was immediately smitten. In a chaotic and rowdy house with two young children and chock full of cats and barking dogs, they both ran up to me for love and head rubs, neither of them barking. It was clear that Rocket was still a puppy, as he was all gangly and falling over himself, which was adorable. Pinkie was more reserved but sweet as can be, soft to the touch, licking me and nuzzling her head under my hand.
I took them back to the rig that very day. After a three-day trial run, there was no question. Rocket and Pinkie belonged with me.
The vet thinks that Pinkie is Rocket’s mom. She is approximately three years old, and he is approximately seven months old. She appears to be mostly Chihuahua. He appears to have Dachshund, Basset Hound, Yellow Lab, and who knows what else in his DNA.
In the three short weeks that we have been together, they have both learned to sit and to beg for treats on their hind legs. Pinkie has mastered lay down, and Rocket has learned to shake. Rocket is letting Boss Tweed lick him on the head, but Pinkie isn’t all that interested in Boss.
Rocket makes this hilarious growling sound when he plays with Pinkie, who acts so put upon and put out when she is forced to play with him. I haven’t decided if Pinkie is not that bright, or if she is contemplating world domination.
They love riding in the car.
They also like the dashboard of the rig in the sun as we drive down the road, and they sleep with me all night. In the morning I am usually awakened by Rocket wrestling with Pinkie on the bed.
Rocket adores his plush toys, which he takes out of the box one by one and deposits on the dashboard. Pinkie doesn’t play with toys, but she’s really into her faux antler bone. Sometimes she and Rocket chew it at the same time together, a la the dogs with the spaghetti noodle in “The Lady and the Tramp.”
I must have been mad and delusional to think that having two dogs would not be any more work than having one! I don’t know what synapse in my brain failed to fire. But, I am getting the hang of it. I see how it would be a lot easier to have two dogs when you have a partner. We are all learning how to go on walks together.
Rocket has learned to eat only his food and not Pinkie’s and the cat’s too. Well, honestly, the human learned how to feed them separately. Rocket and Pinkie settle down nicely in the crate when I go away exploring, and a baby monitor app on the tablet keeps me in touch on my phone.
As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” I never expected to adopt again so soon after losing Miss Olive, and I miss her every day. Rocket and Pinkie present new challenges, but also new joys. They love meeting people and playing at dog parks – things Olive could easily live without. I may even throw in some dog park reviews on the blog!
This Post Has 12 Comments
I am so glad you found Rocket and Pinkie. My daughter and I foster for our shelter here in Greenville and I have witnessed bonded pairs. Recently two Papillion brothers were adopted out separately and my heart Cried for them. I am hoping the shy one ends up better off and receives more attention now they are separated, but I could see they really loved each other.
I understand what you said about grieving being the only way to honor the loss of Olive. Ten years ago, I would have thought it incomprehensible to immediately take on another dog, but I feel completely different since I have been fostering. You did the right thing. Good luck with your new pals, Tammy!
I’m so sorry Tammy to read about dear little Olive.
I remember it took her awhile to to take to Ivan/myself when we went with you on the great motor home find expedition.
She was a little sweetheart and I can only imagine your heartbreak in hearing the report on Olive.
I believe in serendipity and in my opinion adopting Rocket & Pinky was meant to a perfect timing.
The kisses and love from these two new babies has been what your heart needed especially hearing the news of Olive.
It honestly makes me want to find a puppy love connection as well.
I think it will happen in a serendipitous moment after this craziness of what the hell to do/where the hell to go after selling the sugar shack settles down.
Not a done deal as yet… Thank goodness.. as trying to find a place we both like and move it all by October 1st is incredibly stressful.
So bringing a new puppy love into this stressful time would probably not be good for the baby but I’ve got my radar out just in case.
As you often do in your writings.. You bare your heart and soul and it pulls all of us into your life even while you are far away.
Become a novelist my dear Tammy.. You have the heart and talent.
Love you to the max ❤️???
Tammy, I too have gotten another dog when one passes away. For me it is to put my focus on another so that my pain is lessened. One dog never replaces another.
I am so pleased for you how Pinkie and Rocket have worked out and I love seeing all their photos! I know about bonded pairs but not until I got my Labrador Retriever, Lucy Lou Sunshine in 2010. My male Cooper came from the Humane Society here in Gulfport in 2006. He immediately became Lucy’s surrogate mommy (daddy?) and was sharing his bed with her within 3 days. She would not leave Cooper’s side and would suffer anxiety whenever separated. After a couple of years she actually started to bond with me! In 2013 Baby Girl a Pug mix, abandoned by a neighbor, would wander the neighborhood. Every time I saw her I said a prayer, asking God to find her a home! She wound up pregnant, I located her puppies and brought them home to care for them. I found good homes for the puppies and she has been with me since. God did find her a home! Baby Girl bonded to Lucy immediately and has been her side kick since. Cooper now has not much to do with either Lucy or Baby Girl but he tolerates them. Lucy has no time for Cooper. It has been surprising to see the change of affection in the dogs over time.
Greetings from Oregon! I’ve recently started following your blog and am enjoying your entries, especially this one. As a dog lover, and an RVer, I know the joys and strains of rescuing and traveling with fur kids and applaud you for adopting Rocky & Pinkie? The emotions you’ve shared over the loss of your sweet Olive brought my own feelings to the surface of losing ‘the best dog ever’ back in November 2014. I didn’t think I would get another dog for some time, but after 5 days of intense mourning, I too felt the call to help another dog in need. Now, I have 2 rescues, Buddy & Cisco and am confident I’ll never be ‘petless’ again. Every bit of effort I put into these guys comes back tenfold and I often ask myself, ‘who rescued who’? Daily walks, training and grooming are the best medicine for all of us!
They’re beautiful! Those pictures of them asleep in the car carriers are adorable. Love the harnesses, too — did you buy those online? I’ve been looking for something like that for my escape artist chihuahua for a while. I worry about yanking on his neck with a collar, but he is remarkably clever when it comes to getting out of harnesses. Those that you have look like they might be tough to remove. Anyway, congratulations on your new friends!
Sarah, the harnesses in the very last photo belonged to Olive and they fit Rocket & Pinkie well. They were Petco purchases and are just okay if you have a puller/tugger. The better harnesses, the smaller ones, I purchased at a veterinary clinic in Mississippi. I don’t remember the name. They fold over at the top, and a metal loop sticks through the slit. The Velcro is super strong. The material is just a little stretchy so it does not pinch them, and neither of them can pull out of them. I use the Petco ones when the other ones are in the wash!
Congradulation Tammy,You are going to be very happy with your 2 new 4 legged kids.They look so cute.We lost our little kid 4 years ago and got 2 brothers,Koko and Pepsi. They are the light of our life as yours will be too.You will have so much fun watching them grow as you grow with them.We are starting a new life with them next month.We will pick up our new 5th wheel and retire and go full time.Love your blog and enjoy your experience on the road.Hope to meet one day,have fun with your little kids,hope to see you down the road. Frank Sandidge
I’m so happy those two sets of four paws where found by you. Safe travels, your passengers are depending on you. 😉
I am happy you found a pair of Mississippi dogs! So cute.
We traveled with two dogs in the motor home for years. I walked them together on two 16 ft retractable leaches in RV parks. Park rules stated 6 ft leaches only. I never had compliants about the long leaches in a park.
Congrats on your new co pilots!!
Oh how I have enjoyed this blog and the photos of your two new traveling companions! And yes, I believe that there is plenty of love to go around—-so you can miss and love Olive, and also love your new dogs. I treasure the photos I have of Olive, and take delight in the photos of Rocket and Pinkie. And I am so very happy that Boss Tweed finally has a friend who appreciates his licking and cat loving.
I know this has been a very difficult journey, and I am glad to know that you finally have the answer to Olive’s illness. I too am sorry that her little spirit had to suffer so much, and I also know she is glad that two more rescues are getting your love now.
Hi Tammy,
It’s been a while since I’ve read your blog. My, you have put many miles and a lot of adventures into the last few months.
Your telling of Olive’s illness and passing is heartbreaking.
Thanks for introducing your new co-pilots, Rocket and Pinkie. They look like the perfect pals for Boss Tweed, and you.
Joanne and I are still planning on the RVW Convention in Mesa in October. Will you be there? It will be a hoot to catch up with you again.
Alice, I think I’m staying in the Southeast for the whole fall and winter, so I won’t be at Mesa, darn it! I hope Joanne has healed up nicely!