THE STORY OF ARCHIE
Good Fortune brought Archie to our store, just in time. He was being sold on the streets of Wilmington at only 3 weeks old. Those who purchased him brought him into the store, knowing he needed help. When he arrived he was severely malnourished & very frightened. Knowing he had a slim chance at survival, we poured our hearts into him.
After we showed him that dirt was not a food, he slowly began to accept a bottle & be hand fed. He slept most of his early days & everyone who came into the store gave Archie words of encouragement & love. He was improving daily, gaining weight, increasing his energy & even chewing bones. We thought we were well on our way to health, when we noticed a red bumpy rash all over his tummy. It developed quickly into sores that spread rapidly. He had developed Demadex mange which is inherent in all puppies, but since Archie was taken away from his mother at such a young age, his immune system didn't receive the necessary antibodies usually provided from mother's milk.
We decided to treat him homeopathically, & so Archie soon met Dr. Shelley Epstein of Wilmington Animal Hospital. She explained to us that antibiotics might clear up his condition in the short run, but for his body to gain overall strength & heal from within we needed a different treatment plan. Over the next 6 weeks we fed him a whole food diet & the proper holistic remedies. He steadily improved. The sores eventually went away & his coat started to grow back. Just before Christmas he developed diarrhea & became very listless. We ended up at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Delaware & he was diagnosed with Parvovirus. He fought for his life those three days, not accepting water or food & was kept in isolation. We were not allowed to visit. On the evening of the 5th day without food or water we were told that if he did not eat the next day we had a very difficult decision to make. We asked everyone, his caregivers, customers, & friends to send him all the "good energy" we could that Monday night. On Tuesday we got one of the best phone calls we have ever received. Archie turned the corner over night. He wanted food & water & he was going to make it!
Currently he is doing GREAT & lives with Cathy & his best friend Maggie. He has many mothers & often has overnights with those who have helped him along the way. He is a true love. He gives us all the love in the world & has a feisty streak in him that is beautiful to watch. It is the fighter in him that has kept him alive to this point. We will celebrate his 4th birthday May 2008.
We want to sincerely thank the staff of Happy Dog Healthy Dog, all the customers & especially the veterinarians & technicians who have been there for Archie giving him all their love & support.