Savannah died during the wee-hours of Monday, August18th. She was a happy, will spirited little angel who loved to get ear scratches and to give kisses back. She had the best temperament of any dog I have ever met and her little spirit will be greatly missed in this house. It just isn't the same when I walk by the couch!

I knew she had not been feeling well the last couple of days but on Sunday she was going outside and walking around, alying under her tree or coming back in to her spot on the couch. The plan was to take her to the vet on Monday if she was still not feeling well.

The weather was very nice last night so I left the backdoor open for the dogs to go in and out. I had been gone all day so they needed some air and playtime.

When I got up this morning, Savannah was no where to be found. I searched her favorite napping spot under the tree and behind the bushes but no Savannah. I put the dogs in the house b/c sometimes she will hide more if they are rough housing. I looked everywhere in and out of the house. I was just starting to panic when I saw her. She had crawled under the lowest part of the deck into a previously dug hole. She was dead. The good thing is she looked very comfortable but the saddest is that she died outside alone with me.

The Autopsy: The Autopsy showed that Savannah was suffering from a Diaphragmatic Hernia. (read about this). Basically a rupture had occurred in the diaphragm muscle, allowing her intestine to wiggle through to the chest cavity. This pinched off the intestine causing it to

die. Symptoms would have been her not eating but since she never ate unless the house was silent and I was in bed, this was something I did not notice. She was still taking treats on Thursday night.

We do not know what caused the trauma. Savannah was unable to play with the other dogs because of her legs. (surgery was pending, see below). However, she liked jumping off the deck! If the dogs were bottle necked at the steps, Savannah would just jump down. I got onto her each time she did it and now, most likely, this is what caused her injury and death.

Her Story...

Savannah was born in the woods of Decatur, GA in January of 2007.

I had been trapping this family of dogs and puppies for a few months and I knew that the mother dog had gone off to have more. I went down at least once a week and walked in the woods on the obvious paths. I had grown accustom to the sounds of birds and squirrels and other things I wish to not think about while in the woods. One day I froze and I remember saying to myself "that is not a squirrel, that's the walk of a puppy!"

There they were, 4 precious little 10 week old puppies living under a fallen shed deep in this wooded area. Over the next week I caught 2 of the 4 puppies but then a construction firm started clearing the woods to build a subdivision.

During this process, the surveyors stole my trap. It took me 2 weeks to track down the trap and have them return it to me. During this time, one puppy was killed by neighborhood dogs and so that left one small puppy (Savannah), one puppy from the last litter, daddy and mommy! (See her brothers, Bear and JD)

I watched Savannah grow up. She hobbled around on 3 legs b/c her rear left leg was un-usable since birth. She ran from me and ignored the trap. She was living her little life in the woods, the only life she had ever known. I set up a pen with food in it and she and her family started to eat in their but only late at night when the world was silent and safe. These dogs were VERY smart. I swear daddy dog knew I am coming before I even exit the interstate!

Finally in October of 2007, I caught her mother! (see Kelly). In March 2008, I was walking around the woods with my dog and I heard a puppy. I cannot repeat the words that came out of my mouth as I was alone in the woods at the time. I had thought (hoped) Savannah was a boy this whole time...now I knew better! So I picked up Lennon (the puppy) and I spent 2 more days looking around the woods but found no more puppies. I assumed he was the sole survivor. Sadly I was wrong and a few weeks ago I saw 3 five month old puppies, belonging to Savannah, sun bathing at the edge of the woods.

My efforts continued as I would drive 45 minutes from Acworth to Decatur to set the trap and feed the dogs weekly. On Saturday, June 21, 2008, I got a call from one of the people who live down there telling me I had a dog in the trap! I was literally bouncing off the walls of my car when I saw that it was Savannah, the little dog I watched hobble all her life and who I had chased for over a year now! I just knew she was too smart and I would never get her. Apparently the draw of spare ribs was too much for her!

Day 1- Savannah was terrified when she came home with me but she never even growled at me. She just looked at me wide eyed and frightened. I drugged her and petted her for 4 hours the first night. She was covered in ticks so I Frontlined her, cleaned her ears, cut her nails, etc. She was so good! I think she even recognized her mother Kelly!

Day 2 - She still remembered that I was not going to hurt her and she let me love on her gently.

Day 3 - VET VISIT: I picked her up and we went to the vet. She was scared but very good. They determined that she was very underweight, heartworm positive, has Demodectic Mange, and probably needs to have her left rear leg amputated and the right rear leg will need an FHO. Savannah's brother from the first litter I caught had the same issue with the same rear leg but because we got him when he was 4 months old, he now runs on that leg.

Day 4 - Savannah got spayed just in case she was going into heat soon.

Day 6 - Savannah was very comfortable and sound asleep in this photo!. I was getting kisses, wiggles and wags from a happy little Princess named Savannah as she lay comfortably on the sofa and I brought her bowls of food! LOL What an amazing girl! She never knew life could be so good!

Day 7 - She was up and following the pack out the door in the morning and coming back in to her sofa when called.

Day 8 - She came up to me on the deck for love and attention and to give me lots of kisses.

She is the most AMAZING dog I have ever known. Until June 21, she had NEVER been touched by a person. Like all of her family members, she talks with happy dog whines and has a very wiggly butt. She is highly intelligent and of course, absolutely beautiful!

What is an FHO?

FHO surgery will remove the femoral head of the bone.  The muscles and ligaments will then be positions to heal and form a soft socket joint.  In Savannah's case, her rear left leg is beyond repair b/c there has been so much muscle atrophy (wasting away from non-use). This surgery will be performed on her good rear leg. It will be more difficult for her at first because she does not have a good leg to support her weight during recovery but once she is healed she will be able to walk and run pain free. Her rehabilitation will take months.

Thousands of these operations are done each year and those dogs go on to live happy healthy lives.  I know dogs that have had FHOs on both legs due to hip dysplasia.  They walk and run a little funny but are very happy.  Once his surgery is complete, finding Savannah a home may be very difficult.  She will need a wonderful person who will understand what has happened to her and love her anyway.

How are Heartworms treated?

Depending on the severity of the case, there are a few courses of action. First there is the bloodwork and chest x-rays to determine if there is any major damage to the heart at this point. Age is also a factor. A young dog has potentially not had heartworms for as long as an older dog.

After the bloodwork and xrays clear the dog for treatment, the dog will have a 3 day hospital stay. Day one she gets an injection of Ivermetin (cyanide to heartworms) in the lower back muscle on one side of her spine. Day two, she gets the same injection on the opposite side of her spine. She will have to be crated and leash walked for 5 weeks after this treatment. During week number 4, she will get an oral dose of Ivermetin to kill all the baby heartworms (Microfilaria) in her bloodstream.

This treatment is very harsh on the dog and has a high potential of death if the dog is allowed to be active. AS the heartworms die they are released into the bloodstream where they will disintegrate and exit the body. During this time, they can break off into small chunks. During increased actively, their is a high possibility that a large chunk can break off and cause a heart attack or suffocation by getting lodged in the heart or lungs.