Form Object
My name is Kona. I am an 8 year old toy poodle. I live with my Mom and my Dad and my fur-sister Patsy.

Most days my life is pretty good. Dad always gets up really early. After we go outside he pushes a big pill down my throat. I try not to gag. Then we have a big cuddle and I snuggle back in with Mom for a little extra sleep. 

After we get up Mom checks the time and then she fixes my breakfast. She knows my rules - a flat plate, not too much at one time, and break the food up into little bite size pieces. When she puts the plate down I stare at her like she is crazy. Patsy gobbles hers down and offers to eat mine too. Dad gets involved and tells me "Kona ! - you eat your breakfast!!". If I am interested I will push my ball around the plate until I am sure it is safe. Sometimes even when Mom follows the rules it looks like too much food. Then Mom has to take some back off the plate. Sometimes I insist on being hand fed and sometimes I just don't feel like eating. I will push my ball around, stretch, jump up on the couch or whatever else it takes to get the message across.

Once we get past breakfast it is time for fun. The
whole family will go for a short walk. Then Dad usually sits on the couch working at his computer. I get Dad to throw my ball for me. He says it makes working difficult, but I know that I am more important. When Dad won't play any more I enlist Mom. - When they both say "No More" I will play by myself. I will throw the ball downstairs and bring it back up. Or I will roll it up in the floor mat and dig it out. I also have stuffed toys to play with. I shake them and toss them and if Mom and Dad aren't watching I chew on them. Sometimes I play tug with Mom or Dad or my fur sister. I have several toys that are now in pieces. My favorite has "Flea" stitched on his chest but Mom calls him "Stubby". Something about missing his legs after all my playtime.

 Most days we go out again for a long walk - at least an hour but preferably longer. I love to go in the woods near our house. Dad will throw a golf ball down the path for me to chase after. I like when it bounces off the path and I have to search for it. My tail wags all the time I am hunting and goes really fast when I can smell the ball. I can usually find it on my own. Sometimes Mom or Dad has to help me. I know lots of words like Back, Way Back, Up, Down, You Look (they don't know where it is) and Find It (I am close).
The best days are when we go hiking or go to the beach. I can hike for hours. Two hours is good. Four hours is better. I love to run on the beach and when we get on damp sand I can really show off. Strangers have commented on how fast I am. I love to swim in lakes and in the ocean and get really excited when I smell water. Of course, Dad has to throw my floater ball in the water to make it fun.

About 18 months ago I needed to have my teeth
cleaned. The silly vet said I was old and needed to have my blood checked. Then she scared Mom and Dad with talk about elevated liver enzymes. They kept taking me back for more tests. I hate it when they take me in the back room. I got some yummy food for the bile acids test but I didn't like the rest of the process. So now I have had an ultrasound and a Protein-C test. Mom & Dad agreed with me that I wouldn't have a biopsy. That was the start of the pills. And Mom has started making all my food. She gives me small meals four times a day.

Even though Mom and Dad try to take really good care of me some days my tummy really hurts. It makes loud noises and I don't want anyone to touch it. On the worst days I want to run away from myself. I try to stretch it better and I look at Mom and Dad with pleading eyes to ple-e-e-e-ease make it better. They give me some pink medicine (Pepto Bismol) which helps. But I still don't feel like eating and will usually not touch my food till almost bedtime. Then it is back to play time !!!

Mom and Dad's notes:

We fell in love with Kona the moment we saw her. She was an adorable little ball of fur padding confidently around a room of children and larger dogs. She was so small, but happy and active - and oh so smart. As she grew she was gangly, but poodles can have a narrow build and the vet was not concerned. We always left dry food out but she didn't seem too interested in eating. We rationalized that she was just too busy playing to eat. At bedtime I (Mom) would hand feed her. I could only put three or four in my hand at a time or she would turn away.

Kona reacted poorly to her puppy vaccines. We couldn't touch her for 2 days. The vet said that was common - so we changed vets. The new vet suggested we spread the vaccinations out, but otherwise seemed unconcerned. They have been really good in every other aspect so we felt confident that there was nothing to worry about. Sometimes Kona would have an off day where she acted like her stomach was upset. All we could think of was that she had eaten something that didn't agree with her. At that point we were letting our dogs have little bits of whatever we were eating. We decided that pork seemed to cause problems and stopped letting her have any.

In October 2008 we got the news that Kona's liver enzymes were elevated. We went through the usual battery of test: Bile Acids, Clotting Factor, and Ultrasound all pointed to MVD. We discussed the option of a biopsy and decided the risks outweighed the benefits. We started Zentonil and Prescription R/X HepatoSupport and Hills L/D canned food. Shortly after I started on a homemade recipe using Hilary's Blend supplement from my vet and a recipe custom developed for Kona by Hilary. ( She is a nutritionist ). I also started her on Lactulose.

I was so scared when we got her diagnosis and I started reading all the problems other people are dealing with. So far we have been lucky with minimal symptoms. She has put on weight since we started treatment and her coat is fuller. My heart hurts when she has intestinal issues. She looks at us with pleading eyes and looks so distressed. We were recently told she might have IBD and have started her on Pepcid. She is still having off days - but they don't seem as severe. We will give it more time to get a baseline and then pursue other options.

Kona is our gem - which is good because she has cost us as much as a good diamond. In spite of - or maybe because of her illness - Kona has an incredible zest for life. She loves her balls and will play fetch for hours. If we make her wait for the ball she gets really big eyes and slowly turns her head till she spots it, then whips her head back around to see where the ball goes. When you tell her "No More" she waits a few minutes, then comes back with the ball in her mouth and wagging her tail. Half the time we start throwing again before we realize that we had decided to stop. If we are out walking she enjoys hunting for her ball in the brush. If we go to the beach or a field she loves to just run full out. She also loves her stuffed toys and will toss them around the room and pounce on them or shake them hard.

We call her our Personal Trainer for getting us out every day. She is also our Smile Maker. Strangers often stop to comment on how fast she runs, how cute she is sitting with her ball or how amazing it is to see such a small dog on our long hikes.

I will always worry that one day she will start having more severe symptoms or that she won't live as long as most small breed dogs. For now we know Kona is lucky to be in a family that can care for her. Mostly we are just proud to be her Mom and Dad.