Those of you who know my sweet Brodie, know that he was supposed to be my "last hurrah" as a show dog and just as he has been a wonderful, fun family pet, he also did not disappoint in the show ring!
Just as his breeder and my friend Kelly Knight had predicted, he obtained conformation titles in no time at all! I can no longer show due to health issues but my friend Jennifer Anders showed him to his UKC championship his first weekend out, at 7 1/2 months. He grew a bit more hair and then finished his AKC championship in just two circuits, out in Georgia at barely 9 months with Kelly Knight, and one more circuit with Ann Rairigh, finishing up the day he turned 10 months old, all from puppy classes, taking Best of Winners, finishing his AKC championship with several 4 point majors, points to spare.
His breeder and I were even more thrilled, when, at age two years old, he passed ALL of his health clearances with flying colors! Even some testing that others don't consider necessary, we had done, because several people were interested in breeding to him.
Then, just before age three, Brodie started having some issues, originally diagnosed as a urinary tract infection but eventually, after urine and semen cultures were sent out, he was diagnosed with a prostate infections. He had a truly rough year, losing weight, not eating while on the strong antibiotic, so also had to be on anti-nausea med, and supplements, etc. We had him checked and rechecked by a repro vet, in hopes that things might get better but he became sterile, and finally, when his third ultrasound showed that things we were worse, we agreed to have him neutered, because this is standard treatment when a prostate infection does not respond to antibiotics and when ultrasound shows an abscess or cyst. I confess I cried, but the main thing was to get him well. His breeder endured quite a loss, as he was the only intact male from his sire, and his bloodline was very valuable to her.
Recently on a routine follow-up veterinary appointment, we were once again told he had bacteria in his urine! Almost by accident, we found out that one of the veterinarians responsible for his care last year, had misread a semen culture. He was prescribed the wrong antibiotic, which probably explained why the infection kept coming back, why he became sterile, why eventually things looked worse on an ultrasound this past January instead of better, and why the issue came back even after neutering!
The good news is, now that the mistake was discovered, and he is off this antibiotic (which was so tough on him, each time the infection was back, he had to be on anti-nausea med and often had to be force-fed and even have fluids while on the antibiotic.) We were told that the culture showed it was the only med that would work for the bacteria shown on the culture, and each time any bacteria showed up, he was put back on that strong antibiotic. He was finally taken off all medications, when we got a second opinion (which happened to show that his urine was free of bacteria) and he is eating well and acting like he feels great at the moment, praise God!
We have an appointment scheduled to have a urinalysis and complete bloodwork rechecked in another week. We need to verify that there are no kidney values off (bloodwork did show one concern), make sure the urinalysis shows no blood of bacteria and make sure bloodwork shows no sign or infection, and no kidney damage from the antibiotic, as sadly, that is a known side effect from the antibiotic that he was on, off-and on, for almost a year. Would appreciate prayers for a good report!
I am not sharing this journey to fuss about a mistake made by a veterinarian. Heavens knows, after dealing with various medical practitioners myself, for my own medical problems the past 15 years, I know that doctors are not infallible. This has been extremely disappointing though, as he is the last male from the line that his breeder had hoped to keep going. He also carried for the parti-colored gene, and a lovely solid colored AKC champion that carries for parti, and passes all health clearances and is a nice dog structurally with a great coat and temperament, is hard to find. His dam even had Spanish imported lines, his UC Davis diversity testing did not show any worrisome markers, so we had high hopes for this boy as for as what he might produce.
Since I don't breed, my biggest disappointment is knowing I will never have a pup sired by Brodie, but the loss was greater for his breeder, as well as for other people who wished to use him. I am sharing all of this only to say--if your dog has a medical issue that is not clearing up, and if you are starting to doubt anything about the dog's diagnosis, simply get a second opinion. If Brodie's bloodwork is still off when rechecked this month, then in a few weeks we will be at the vet school They require a $2,500 deposit up front before doing any testing, with an estimate of up to 3,500 for the work-up, which of course doesn't include any treatment if they find something treatable!
It doesn't matter if your dog is a show dog or a beloved family member, or like Brodie, he may be both--it is upsetting and expensive to have a dog that is not getting well, and to watch him struggle.To think that all along, the report from the lab who did his culture, showed that this was not only the incorrect antibiotic, but was one that this strain of bacteria was resistant to, oh man, what a blow it was to find this out! If only, if only, if only....if only we had a second opinion at another clinic, perhaps all it would have taken was another set of eyes to read that culture report and catch the mistake!
So if ever you are unsure, get a second opinion! It may save you and your dog much grief in the long run. And if you happen to be reading this post in July of 2025 if you don't mind, please say a prayer that Brodie's upcoming lab work will show that he is on the mend! For that is the most important thing of all, making sure that my four year old Standard Poodle, who may very well be the last Standard I ever own, gets back to health so that we will have many more years with him! As always, thank you to Bonnie Winnings, who shared this beautiful dog with us, sending him to us when he was 11 weeks old, four years ago. He is a beautiful, loving family member, who continues to bring us much joy.
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