MOCHA BELLA

June 12, 2010...  MochaBella was a very sick little angel when she came into rescue.  Despite her sickness and pain she was so sweet to all who met her.  We had hoped that MochaBella was strong enough to overcome all of her medical problems but she continued to weaken despite medical treatment.  Today her foster mom helped her cross over Rainbow Bridge.  Mocha is at peace now....  Thank you to Tina Pace (Mocha's foster mom) for loving her and caring for her.

June 9, 2010...  MochaBella spent Tuesday night at the vet and I picked her up yesterday afternoon. She isn't doing well and I'm stuck wondering now what the next best step is to take. After her ultrasound on her heart, she was diagnosed with Pericardial effusion - a condition in which an abnormally large amount of fluid collects in the pericardial sac that ... See Moresurrounds the dog's heart (pericardium). A secondary condition, referred to as cardiac tamponade, results from this retention of fluid, as the swelling of fluid applies pressure on the beating heart, compressing it and restricting its ability to pump blood.

She had 300cc's of bloody fluid drained from the pericardial sac and the fluids from her colon have also drained. She looks less swollen than before. The fluid has been sent off to determine if she has cancer, so it is a wait and see game right now. I'm praying the fluid does not return and build up around her heart.

Her rear legs are another story. She now has no mobility in her back legs and doesn't want to put any pressure on them, so she is pretty immobile. I don't know if they are stiff from being in the crate for nearly two full days - so I'm just waiting to see. She has more energy and was very affectionate with me last night :) but she can't do anything but drag her back legs. We are looking into a mobility device to help her move around. I'll keep you all updated as things unfold. I can't thank you enough for your help with her vet bills. You all donated a combined $230, which $200 was used to cover her bill on Monday. Yesterday I picked her up and he bill was nearly $300, so we are continuing to raise funds. Someone very special donated $200 yesterday, so I am VERY thankful this morning. I'm hoping the mobility device will help Mocha as long as she needs it. I know she wants to run around!

Please continue to pray and spread the word, if you are able.

Love,

Tina

June 8, 2010...  Mocha Bella has an enlarged heart and there is fluid on the heart, in which case we drain it then look for the problem causing it, or determine it is something more severe - she needs an ultrasound of her heart.  There is also fluid on her abdomen and it looks like one side of her pelvis was crushed and healed on its own and is now surrounded by calcium; they are emailing an image of the pelvic exam to a specialist tonight in Charleston.  I’m praying this will all be okay – she is just so special. She weighed in at 27lbs and is indeed about 2 years old

June 7, 2010...  SarahBella (my 6-yr-old skin daughter) and Oscar (my fur child from CBR) and I began fostering Mocha Bella yesterday and have been watching her carefully. Mocha has some serious health concerns and walks with difficulty. I have scheduled an appointment for her this afternoon for X-rays and a preliminary checkup to see if we can determine what is wrong. She can’t weigh more than 25lbs but she is 2-years-old! !!! She is absolutely gorgeous

SPONSOR ME!

Thank you to MochaBella's sponsors:

Dorothy Peters

Kathy Drinkard