Pixie will only be adopted by a VERY special home. Someone who will
understand her needs and her limitations and will be VERY patient with her.
She will NOT go to a home that has children.
I believe Pixie’s page gives a lot of information about her, but Pixie has
really made a great deal of progress the past several months and I wanted to
give you some additional information about Pixie that I believe is
important.
Pixie is a special needs Yorkie.
Pixie is not a perfectly normal little Yorkie girl. Pixie is beautiful and
wonderful and fun, but she is not normal. Pixie’s brain did not fully
develop and, while we believe she is a delightful little dog, she is not a
good match for just any family. In many ways, Pixie will be a perpetual
puppy. Pixie usually knows what she wants to do, but her body does not
always cooperate, and she has to work extra hard to make her body do things
that come easily and naturally to other dogs. Pixie is very determined. She
has spent the last year repeatedly surprising her foster parents and her
vets.
Please indulge me while I list some of the positives of living with Pixie,
as well as some of the negatives. Pixie stumbles and tumbles and trembles
and veers and often falls over when she is walking or standing. She seems to
have greater control when running than walking and she loves to run. Her
motor skills have continued to improve over the past year, but she will
never be normal. She sometimes goes in a diagonal direction when she wants
to walk in a straight line. She sometimes has tremors, similar to Katharine
Hepburn. She isn’t having a seizure, it is just Pixie. She often falls over,
but she gets back up and goes on her way again, sometimes choosing to rest a
moment before continuing on. We have been grinding Pixie’s food up and
mixing it with water to make it easier for her to eat. In the beginning,
Pixie lacked the coordination to chew and swallow. She is doing much better,
but it takes Pixie a long, long, long, long time to chew and eat just dry
kibble. She is a good little eater, but a messy eater.
On the topic of Pixie’s diet, it is likely that she will always be on a
special diet. She also takes one pill per day to help with her neurological
issues. The medication is not expensive, but it is a cost consideration and
Pixie will need to continue on this medication every day for the remainder
of her life.
Because of Pixie’s issues and challenges in the motor skill department,
Pixie is not housebroken. She gladly goes outside when the opportunity is
presented, but she is clueless about holding her bladder. It is highly
unlikely (if not downright impossible) that Pixie will ever be housebroken.
She will gladly wear puppy panties with a sanitary napkin, but they need to
be changed regularly. Any family wishing to adopt Pixie must have a full
understanding and agreeability about this issue.
Pixie loves to play and just walk or run. Her favorite toy when playing by
herself is a baby jungle gym. Pixie gives it quite a workout. She sleeps
well at night, but does get up and move about from time to time in the
middle of the night. This is a good time to remind you that she is not
housebroken. Also, Pixie likes to find little cubby holes and hide. When
you've just about given up on finding her, she will reappear behind you with
her big innocent look as if to ask you what you're looking for. She will
often come when called, but if she is in a hiding mood, you won't hear a
sound out of her.
Pixie is often quiet, but she is sometimes anything but quiet. Most of the
time, Pixie is very quiet. But --- She is a dog, and she barks. She barks
when she wants her breakfast and when she hears the other dogs bark, and
when the doorbell rings, and when she just wants to hear herself. And, Pixie
sings. It is not pretty, nor is it quiet, but it is funny - at first. It is
loud and piercing. We’ve often wondered if Pixie is preparing to audition
for the role of opera soprano. It can be funny – for a few moments – but
Pixie doesn’t always choose the best times to perform. Usually, picking her
up and talking quietly to her will get her to stop. Usually. She doesn't
sing for us very often any more, but we used to get regular concerts, so we
make no promises with regard to her concert schedule.
Pixie is beautiful, but she does NOT like baths or being brushed and her
wavy, baby-fine hair tangles easily. She is pretty good about keeping her
pony tail in, but it sometimes takes two of us to put her hair up (one to
hold her and one to put the hair up). In many respects, getting Pixie to
cooperate is like getting an 18 month-old little girl to cooperate if you
want her to be still.
Pixie has no biting inhibitions. She is not aggressive or dangerous, but she
does bite. She sometimes bites to play (much like a young puppy) and she
sometimes bites when she is angry if she can get a grip on you. Pixie does
not have a mean bone in her little body, but she knows what she wants and
what she doesn’t and she does act out. We watch how we hold her so that we
can keep clear of her teeth when she is angry. This is not a big deal in our
home, but we’re used to Pixie. Her adoptive family will need to be very
aware of this aspect of Pixie’s personality in order to keep everyone safe,
especially any children that may be exposed to Pixie even briefly. Her bite
is like that of a puppy, not a full grown pit bull, but puppies have sharp
little teeth and so does Pixie.
Also, Pixie has no idea about heights and will walk right off the edge of a
cliff (or a bed) and will jump out of your arms given half a chance. For
this reason, she is never allowed on the couch or the bed unless we can
closely monitor her. Pixie makes no attempt to break her falls or land on
her feet if she falls. Because of her size, falling from even a short height
can be dangerous for Pixie. Remember, Pixie moves in fits and starts. She
goes from zero to ninety in 0.02 seconds. Her adoptive family will need to
be very aware of this aspect of Pixie’s personality.
For a long time, we thought of Pixie much like a child with Down’s syndrome.
Over the past year, we have adjusted that thinking and see her more like a
person with MS. She has a higher mental capacity than we first appreciated,
but she has definite challenges in the motor skill department. The fact
remains that Pixie has special needs and always will. We love her and think
she is a delightful dog, but it is very important that anyone considering
adopting Pixie have a good understanding of what Pixie is and what she is
not. Pixie provides hours of laughter and enjoyment and love, but she also
brings challenges and occasionally frustration. Pixie seems to have a short
attention span and can become easily distracted. At other times, she is
extremely determined and focused. She seems to understand that if she works
hard enough, she can do what she wants. For example, Pixie spends hours just
walking. After watching her closely, we discovered that Pixie was neither
wandering aimlessly nor nervously pacing, she was practicing. Each day,
Pixie's coordination improved and she became more confident. The more Pixie
does, the more Pixie can do. Even the shape of Pixie's eyes have changed
over the past several months.
Dogs with Pixie’s condition are extremely rare, so there is much we do not
know about what to expect for her future, including any future medical
complications. We have every reason to expect Pixie to live a very long,
healthy, happy life. We have asked the vets what to expect for Pixie, but
survivors with her condition are so rare, that they just don't know. Nobody
can give any guarantees about Pixie's future. I wouldn't necessarily
categorize Pixie as high maintenance, but she is definitely special needs.
If you have other, specific, questions about Pixie, please feel free to ask.
The more you know about Pixie the better. Her foster mom can be reached by
sending an e-mail to dana_bts@yahoo.com.
Sincerely,
Pixie’s foster mom
FM said it was time for me to give you an
update. She hasn’t written since I went to see Dr. Ducote’ back at the end
of June, so she decided I needed to do it.
Well
I’m now almost 7 months old. I should be able to be fixed soon, but FM was
waiting until my big teeth came in and they have been slow in doing that.
FM said that they are just now starting to come in. Dr Cooper said that
they should have started when I was 4 months old, but I guess I’m slow in
that department too. Anyway when I get fixed, they will pull out the baby
teeth, as the big teeth are coming behind them.
I’m
doing really well, I still love to run and play. I still bite some, but I’m
doing so much better since Mom put me on the amitripltyline. I have to take
it every day and it helps me not be so compulsive, with my biting and my
running. Don’t get me wrong, I still bite and run, but just not as much.
FM
said that as soon as I get fixed, I’ll be ready for my forever home. It has
to be a home that will be patient and will accept me as I am because I’ll
never be any different. The will also have to accept my limitations. I can
NOT go to a home that has any children because of my biting.
FM
decided I needed a new hair cut and she gave me a puppy cut. She cut off
all the black hair and I’m a beautiful silver color, her favorite. She had
to take me down to Aunt Jan’s to have her help her finish me because she
couldn’t hold me and do the front end. I’m just a wiggle squirm butt.
Don’t
you think I look pretty now? I’m all grown up and FM said I’m so
beautiful.
Well,
I’m pooped from being at Aunt Jan’s so I’m going to go take a nap. If you
want any other information about me, please write FM at
jackiep1@comcast.net.
Love
Pixie
Poo
Update 6/21/06
Yesterday I took Pixie to see Dr Ducote', since we had already talked about
doing an MRI and I knew she would have to be put under for that, I did not
feed her, in case she wanted to do it.
Dr
Ducote’ was pleased with her progress, that she was walking better, and
seemed stronger than she did before. She did say Pixie has tremors and she
sways her head and trunk when she is standing still. I had also noticed
that.
Dr
Ducote' sent her off to do the MRI
and I picked her up today. The news is both good and bad. She does not
have something that is fixable, but it will not get any worse.
She
has a very rare embryonic defect and there is no known treatment and it is
not a progressive lesion. It is called agenesis of corpus callosum. Dr
Ducote' said that she has never seen it in a dog before, even though she
studied it in school.
From
what I understood there is like a bridge in the brain between the right and
the left side where the nerves and neurons cross over and Pixie's did not
form and that the space is filled with CSF (cerebrospinal fluid).
This is
what Dr Ducote’ said at the end of her report.
“Pixie
seems to have improved somewhat, perhaps compensating for her deficits to a
degree. She may continue to adapt as she matures, so I believe she has a
fair chance to have a good quality of life. Her
behavioral problems may continue to be a challenge, as she may not be able
to respond to operant conditioning the way most dogs do. House training and
chewing / biting will probably continue to some degree. She will need to be
with owners who will understand / be able to tolerate these problems.”
