OkcPets Magazine July 2021

From sick and abandoned to life-saving cover star By Katy Hawkins, Manager, Neel Veterinary Hospital A rchie, featured on the cover of this issue of OKC Pets, is living his best life, but that wasn’t always the case. The first few months of his life were tough. He was originally sold and labeled as a Boxer, with his brother, by a breeder. Unfortunately, neither dog was given proper vaccinations, and they became terribly sick with parvovi- rus at about 4 months of age. Their original owners brought them to Neel Veterinary Hospital, where I work. Within minutes of their arrival, sadly, Archie’s brother passed away. Archie was not as ill; however, his owners abandoned him at our hospital when the extensive care options were discussed. Archie was hospitalized in our isolation ward for eight days, and I fell in love with him during that week. His personality and that single eyebrow sealed the deal. Even when he felt bad, he was excited to see our staff. He would wag his little tail so fast when he noticed someone coming over to give him attention. He was definitely a favorite among the staff. On the eighth day, my boyfriend Matt and I brought our dog Luke to meet Archie at the hospital. They did well with introductions, and we took Archie home on Jan. 31 of this year! Because the parvovirus continues to shed even after symptoms clear, we still had a few more weeks of home isolation before he could venture out of the house and beyond our backyard. Finally, it was time for more puppy vaccines and his neuter. Working in an emergency veterinary hos- pital, I know about the life-saving aspects of a pet who has a universal blood donor type, so when I brought Archie in for his neuter, we decided to test his blood type as well. His blood type fell within donor range during a preliminary test, so we sent another sample to a reference laboratory for more in-depth analysis. While we waited for those results, we also sent a blood sample to Royal Canin for their Genetic Health Analysis to find out his breed, any genetic issues that might appear later in his life and other helpful information for a more complete picture of his health. A few days later, his blood donor panel results were in—Archie has a universal blood type and qualifies as a blood donor! This is a fairly rare result as there are many canine blood types, and only a couple are considered universal and able to be donated to other canines in an emergency situation. To think that he could have died from parvo and not only recovered from that deadly virus but also has the chance to save multiple other dogs’ lives in the future makes me emotional. Archie will be making his first donation this fall when he turns 1. He can donate blood as often as every four to eight weeks until he reaches senior age, around 8 years old. Every blood dona- tion is extremely important to our critical patients who need transfusions in order to live. I encourage everyone to reach out to Neel Veterinary Hospital or their local veterinary ER to see if they have a blood donor program and inquire if your pet might qualify. We also received Archie’s Genetic Health Analysis back from the lab, and it confirms what we suspected. He is about 75% Amer- ican Staffordshire Terrier and 25% Boxer. His friendly, excitable and goofy personality fits with those results, and he couldn’t be a better pup for our family. Looking back on his first days with us at home, we knew he would be with us forever. Initially, we foolishly told ourselves he would be a “foster” until we made a final decision. Truthfully, it wasn’t even a decision—as soon as I took his picture in isolation and sent it to Matt, we knew. Archie adds so much fun to each day— everyone is his friend, especially his big brother Luke who he follows around and imitates. Luke is famous for his grass kicks after he potties outside, and it took just a few times of watching before Archie began to do the same. We’ve nicknamed him Curious George because Archie never stops observing his surroundings, usually looking for mischief or a good time. We laugh a lot at their antics. I can’t ever stay annoyed with him; he is just too cute! One evening, I was on the couch, and I suddenly heard a crash in the kitchen. That was the night we—and he—learned that he was tall enough to reach the top of the kitchen counter and also pull off plates of leftover dinner! I rounded the corner and saw his guilty face. To my surprise, he had not started cleaning the food off of the floor yet. I think he knew he was already in trouble. I gave him a piece of cheese, and he happily trotted into the living room with his treat. His arrival into our family was perfectly timed, and now he has a happy, long life ahead to enjoy with the ability to save other dogs who are sick just like he was at the beginning of his life. Archie gives us so much joy, and we’re so happy that he can spread that joy to OKC Pets’ readers! Archie’s ¨ STORY ¨ 14 OKC Pets • July/August 2021