Karl was surrendered last Tuesday by a backyard breeder. He had an enlarged cranium, could not see down, his eyes diverged outward and upward and he could only walk circles to the left. The breeder knew something was wrong but didn't have the resources to do anything for the poor little 7-week-old pup. It was later learned that two of his litter-mates had died within the first two days of birth. We can only hope that the breeder won't choose to breed that female again.
 
Karl's first stop was the VCA Animal Care Clinic on Wednesday. He was given antibiotics as a precautionary measure. After his exam he was referred to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Clinic for further tests. He spent four-and-a-half hours in the clinic at the "U". His little feet almost never touched the ground because, in the words of the attending veterinarian, "... there are no shortage of people that want to hold him ...". Their recommendation was to do an MRI scan to confirm their tentative diagnosis of Hydrocephalus (water on the brain). Karl's prognosis was not good.
 
By Saturday Karl's appetite was gone and his drive to pace in ever-tightening left-hand circles was overpowering. He would fight sleep or being held to pace, pace, pace. What little eyesight he had was rapidly fading and his level of pain was increasing. Discussions with University doctors suggested steroids but that would, at best, be a holding action with no hope of improvement.
 
Karl was taken back to VCA on Saturday where the staff saw the rapid decline of his condition. The decision was made to help him across the Rainbow Bridge. Karl wasn't with us long but he touched many while here.
 
Please think twice before buying a puppy from a backyard breeder or a pet store. And if little Karl tugs at your heart-strings like he did ours, please send a donation to RAGOM to help defray the costs he (and others like him) ran up at various clinics.