Growing up we both had childhood dogs, so we always knew we wanted to adopt a dog eventually. After a few friends got dogs in June of 2017, we decided it was time we start looking. As many people do, we went to several shelters and searched online, looking for our dog. The one that we connected with.
At one point we thought we found the one, a pit-bull puppy from a rescue near my hometown. However, when we called there was one catch; if adopting a puppy it was required you currently had a dog. A playmate the younger dog can learn from. It was not meant to be. We were very upset and disappointed, but that same day I suggested we visit a pet store where a foster-based rescue was having an adoption event.
When we walked into the pet store there were about twenty dogs in various pens and crates. We went towards the two pens with puppies. As soon as I saw a small brindle dog with white paws I knew Alexa would choose this one. Alexa spotted the small dog quickly and went straight towards it. A member from the rescue approached us and asked if we wanted to hold one of the two puppies in the pen. “Yes, the brindle one!,” said Alexa.
We learned it was a female, her foster name was Amelia. She was one of seven in a litter rescued from Tennessee. Amelia and her sister were the only two remaining. We were told she was the special one because she was the only brindle colored dog in the litter, the rest were light golden.
After we met her she was put into a penned area with a different litter of puppies that were much bigger. Not only did she eagerly play with the other dogs, she was ‘sassy’ with them. At that point we new we wanted to add her to our family. We completed the paperwork and the next day, July 4th 2017, Kira’s foster parents dropped her off at our house.
We instantly fell in love with Kira. She was such a great dog; she learned quickly, wanted to explore everything and be friends with everyone (including cats).
One day in early December 2017 Kira was not able to keep any of her meals down. We didn’t think much of it as many dogs vomit for a number of different reasons. However she continued to have trouble keeping any food in her stomach. We thought maybe she had swallowed one of her toys and it was stuck in her digestive tract. We took her to a local clinic where she was given some medication which seemed to help.
But after a few days she began throwing up again. This time we brought her to our regular vet how is a family friend. She recommended surgery for Kira that same day to see if anything was stuck in her stomach or intestines. We agreed.
A few hours later she called me and asked that I return to pick up Kira and discuss the results. When I arrived the news was not good. Nothing was felt in her stomach or intestines so they were not opened up. The vet suspected it could be an issue with her kidneys and when she inspected she found the culprit. Small cysts on both the kidneys. A condition known as polycystic kidney disease, which Kira was born with.
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