Strait from Ella, Henri's owner....
Hi Friends and Family,
It's hard to believe...but has been 8 months since Henri was diagnosed with vaccine-induced immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. The journey has been difficult and long...but Henri has proven that miracles can and do happen.
You may remember that Henri was placed on an immunosuppressant cocktail of cyclosporine, prednisone, and AZT to attempt to stop his immune system from destroying his red blood cells. Very slowly over the past several months, we have been weaning him off of these drugs. His hematocrit has stayed steady through each medication reduction. Hurray! Currently, he is only taking a small dose of AZT. The plan is to stop the AZT in January, then he will be medication-free.
Recently, Henri surprised us with deciding to finish teething. When he became ill, he was in the middle of teething. He had all his adult front teeth and had just cut his molars. About a week ago, he decided it was time to finish the job and is now cutting his premolars. The medications likely held up the process and while vets thought he may not get these teeth at all---he is Henri had, also, lost over half of his hair with the illness and is now growing a lovely, thick, coarse Westie coat. We send lots of thanks to Sandy Davis for sticking with us through this long journey and helping make Henri into the handsome young boy, he was meant to be.
Since I last wrote, Henri celebrated his 1st birthday. Attached is a photo of him tasting his first pupcake. Also, a photo of Henri and Bella on squirrel patrol. They perch together at the end of the sofia, facing the window, hoping for action. Henri has been very busy making up for lost time, for all the puppy things he missed. He has chewed up all our tupperware lids, so now, we have bottoms with no tops. He has learned that not all things vertical are appropriate to pee on. He has, also, learned that when his favorite stuffed animal is missing (his big white bunny), it is likely in the wash machine---which he comes to tell me with lots of incessant barking. Additionally, he has learned if his sister has a chewy and he barks out the window, she will drop it to come see what is happening--smart little boy.
We want to take a moment to extend our gratitude for all the support Henri has received. A special thanks goes to Henri's Godmommy, Jeannette Melchior. Henri, himself, sends endless terrier kisses to his sponsor, Michele, for giving him the life he loves--his life with his family.
Warmly,
Ella, Jeff, Bella, and Henri
Jody and her family are very excited!!
Chris
Hello Uncle Chris – It’s been way to long since I wrote and I see from your blog that a lot has happened in your world while we were traveling. WOW and Congratulations!! I even see that I have some new half brothers and sisters from Momma Haley. Life is sweet!To fill you in just a little bit… In August the three of us headed off on 2-month RV trip covering parts of 17 States. While the primary reason for the trip was to see the new granddaughter in Franklin, TN, we had tons of fun all along the way. Eden Grace was just precious and I liked pushing her swing and giving her kisses. Her fur-sister Maggie & I ran and ran all over the house! What jolly fun we had but there are way too many pictures of our time in TN to share here.Although every place was extra special, here are photos of some of my favorite activities: Climbing through the mazes of rocks & silly pictures at Rock City (GA); Walking along part of the Appalachian Trail (Great Smoky Mountains, SC); Hiking & once again rock climbing around Sylvan Lake (Custer State Park, SD); Being carried in a sling on trails that didn’t allow pets; Chasing seagulls at Illinois Beach State Park; Seeing cousin Brian at Great Lakes Naval Training Center (IL); Just chillin’ in the motorhome; and Discovering that toilet paper can be fun.I’ve become a regular social butterfly and made both 2-legged and 4-legged friends all along the way. There was cousin Maggie, of course, but we also had a Westie (and Cairn) party in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a long romp with a black lab puppy at Old Faithful, and absolutely tons of playmates at campgrounds all over the country. WOW!!!You can probably tell by the photos that I’ve grown quite a bit. At 14.5 pounds, Dr. Suzy wants me to loose a pound so that I fit my petite frame a little better. Oh well... I really like my food! It’s nice to be back home and I’ve become quite comfortable on the love seat in the music room even though Mom quickly shoos me off (after taking a picture, of course!). ;-) Will sign off for now but am sending hugs your way,Your niece Cassie
