THE STORY ABOUT MY FIGHT

Alyssa`s name is something as beautiful as SEASCAPE`S SEAFOAM ALYSSA, but we call here Alyssa. 

The name Alyssa means beauty inside as well as out. We hope and believed that she would live up to her name.

Alyssa was born on the 5 July 2003, in a litter of 4 where there  was one stillborn puppy, 2 males and 1 bitch (her).

She was a healthy girl who at birth weighed 175 grams, not a slight and pitiful bitch. With a puppy who had so

 much lifeforce, who would ever have thought that she would end up sick. But when she was 4 weeks and a couple 

of days, she got a small white dot on the lower eyelid. We just assumed that it was made by one of her brothers claws.

The day after we noticed the dot, liquid started coming from her eye. At night we called our usual vet, and she told us to

come straight away. We got some medication for her (unfortunately the wrong one) and a message from the vet that we

had gotten there to late. When she said that we just stood like ????? and wondered what the vet meant, but she never 

answered us that. We went back home, and 3 days after we noticed the dot we called another vet. By that time Alyssa 

was without fur on one side of her snout. This vet I need brag about, cuase she studied all of her books about animal 

diseases, and figured out that it had to be Canine Juvenil Cellulitis. 

She called around to other vets to doublecheck with them that it was the disease. She calculated and measured just how 

much just how much medication such a little puppy body could handle. Afterward we went straight back home, with the 

right medication this time, and our fight for this little puppy began.

She got blister on her body, lost the fur around the eyes, but she didn`t seem to be in any pain. 

She was still playing with the two other puppies and seemed to enjoy herself. If she had shown signs of pain, I would 

have taken her to the vet and gotten help so that she wouldn`t suffer........

The medication we used on Alyssa was:

SYNULOX VET.40 mg

PREDNISOLON 5 mg

This is the medication that was measured by the vet, since different puppies have different weight.

And they must not get too much or too little.

If your unlucky enough to get a puppy with this disease, contact a vet immediately.

It`s extremely important to get the right medication and to start medicating as soon as possible.

When Alyssa was 8 weeks old she and the others in my kennel was going to a vet in Bergen,

where they where getting Micro chips and everything else they get before the are delivered to their new owners,

The adult dogs where getting PRA eyescans, and present was to vets.

The took a lot of interest in the puppie with Canine Juvenil Cellulitis, who despite the medication had gotten large

blisters on her body. One of the vets gave her narcosis and opened up the blisters and got the liwuid out.

After the treatment followed some horrible nightly hours, and I decided that come morning my little puppy wouldn`t

have to suffer anymore. But when morning came she was her usual happy puppy mood again, and didn`t seem to

be in any pain.

We went back home with her and continued the medication. The vet in Bergen told me to contact her every week,

so that she could monitor Alyssa and the progress of the disease. Many weeks went buy before I finally got the

message that I could start to decrease the medication. Something that was of great importance was that the medication

dose had to be gradualy decrease over a few weeks.

Now I`m not too sure just how long Alyssa was on medication, but it was at least a couple of months.

Befor we could finally stop medicating, and exult that she made it.

Why did we fight so hard for her you might ask yourself. I was told that they didn`t consider the disease to be

fatal, but that it`s very strong mediaction for such a little body. Alyssa is the kind of dog that your heart

just melts for, if you know I mean. The time when she was sick, she was mostly a frisky and playful

puppy, but there was days when she just layed there. But today I`m very happy we fought for her right to live.

Even if you who reads this gets a puppy with Canine Juvenil Cellulitis, it`s probably best not to use it in breeding.

At least not untill we have gotten more information on whether it`s hereditary or not. I`ve been asked by older

experienced breeders, who believes and thinks that the disease isn`t hereditary, if I could get her in pup, to prove

that it`s not hereditary. To this I will answer neither yes or no, not yet. If I ever decide to do it, I want first a declaration 

from the vet that she is completely healthy. And I would use a male that I know is considered healthy. If I ever do get in pup,

 I will tell all about it here.

Most people who get a dog wants a familydog. Meaning the dog isn`t going to be used in breeding or for show,

and for this the dog is perfect. The dog can mean a lot to a person who needs a loving and faithful friend.

Barks from Alyssa and hugs from Rigmor