Aundrea’s Chihuahua Story

Share this post!

I know Amiga won’t always be here. She’s going to be 12 this month, the 17th. We’re having a party for her. She had a stroke on January 3rd and if it weren’t for my boyfriend, John Barr, she may not have lived.

It was a joint effort to save the little dog’s life. We all had to help her, but when it happened John was the only one home. He knew what to do. She was having seizures. I have epilepsy, he knew he had to keep her hydrated; and he called his mother Sandra Barr in a panic asking what to do. She told him he was doing fine and she was heading home. She had been with Melody Schultz shopping.

Mel took mom home and mom called vets in the area, then called me. I was in state college with my mom Sally Ann Rowley having Christmas dinner. I stopped eating and called Amiga’s vet but they weren’t open. The only vet open was the vet hospital in state college.

My mom and her husband Wesley Rowley took me to the vet hospital; and Mel let my dad borrow her car to take Amiga there. My mom, Wes, and I met Sandy and my dad at the hospital.

I could hear Amiga crying; they had already took her back. All I wanted to do was hold her and calm her down. I know how scary seizures are, but I couldn’t right away. I had to wait and when they finally let me hold her she calmed right down. Her cries became less desperate, but she started having trouble again after a while, and I had to take her back to them.

They wanted her to stay overnight. We said okay, then we got the bill. There was no way Sandy and John could pay for it. My mom and Wes asked me to ask my dad if he could help, he couldn’t. So, Wes got a card from them that helped with the bill and he paid for it all. Then I went with my dad and Sandy home.

John doesn’t do well on long car rides so he stayed home. I had to check on him, he was so upset about Amiga getting sick and almost dying on him while I wasn’t home to help. I got home and he was crying.

The next day my brother Richard E Jr. Wood and his wife Sara Wood brought her back home to DuBois and Sara counted her heart beats. Amiga was doing better she still whimpered and the vet told them when they picked her up it was a side effect from the stroke and she couldn’t help it. They said she might always do it.

We did some doggie rehab with her. At first all she did was lay in her bed. Then she started eating and drinking, sort of. Then she started walking, in right hand circles. Then I got her to follow me to the left. We practiced for about a week and she sort of got it.

She still has problems, but she no longer whines, she walks okay, and she jumps and dances. I am so grateful to my family for saving my dog. She means the world to me. I know I’ll be devastated when she’s gone, but these wonderful people extended her life.

Aundrea Irene Clark‎