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Celebrating our area's four-legged, feathered and finned friends
Benelli Long
Meet Benelli Long. She’s an Irish Terrier named after the shotgun, and is a very sick pup at only 10 months of age. But her tragic disease has not diminished the love she has given to her wonderful owners, Jackie and Eric Long.
Jackie shares Benelli’s story:
What prompted you to purchase an Irish Terrier?
They don’t shed, and they’re small enough to be indoors — yet athletic enough to run with me. That’s the reason we found out she is sick. And we wanted a dog that is good with children. She is very protective of her family, which we liked as well. They are also noted for being a very courageous breed.
Can you tell us about Benelli’s disease?
She was diagnosed with Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) when she was just 4 months old. It is a blood disorder in which her own immune system kills her red blood cells leaving her highly anemic and fatigued. She cannot be around other dogs or animals because she is highly susceptible to catching anything that they may have, and it could potentially be very detrimental to her health.
I used to take her running for like three or four miles, and then one day I noticed that she simply could not keep up and would sit down in the middle of even a brisk walk. We took her to the vet and her red blood cell count was extremely low. We immediately took her to St. Louis to a specialist. There they did tons of tests and were able to rule out everything but IMHA.
So she is on steroids and an immunosuppressant daily to maintain her blood count. We go to the vet every two weeks for a CBC. Last week was a bad week because her blood count was lower so we had to up her medication. When her body quits responding to these medications is when there will be a good chance that we will have to let nature take its course.
That must be so hard. How are you holding up?
Bennelli is very smart. No matter what kind of day I am having, she makes it better. We are newlyweds and through this little dog our bond has grown closer.
She is our first “child” together. We realize what it means to not take a day for granted. She has helped us understand that life is precious. Most of all, her unconditional love has taught us what is it like to love something back unconditionally. She has made us ready for a family together.
It sounds like you’ve made the best of a very tough situation.
Words cannot describe how much this little dog has done for us. We are just so lucky to have her in our life. We hope that everyone can experience something this special in their lives as well.
Well, Jackie and Eric and Benelli Long, now you have all of the great iPet readers sending you very best wishes and prayers of comfort and healing.
