Mausi's Story

From early on Mausi was different. Just how different began to become apparent when at the age of 8 weeks we visited the Wald Clinic in Frankfurt.

The news was crushing; Mausi had Hydrocephalus.

Here is her background:

Mausi was born to a litter of six pups and was one of the smallest. Both Mausi and one of her sisters was very weak and required us to intervene by hand feeding. Of course we worked closely with our veterinarian in our efforts to save these two. Unfortunately Mausi's sister did not make it...which made us all the more determined to save Mausi. With much blood, sweat and tears, we managed to pull her through and everything was looking good. It was clear to us that Mausi was developing much slower than her siblings, but she proved herself to be a playful, happy pup. We wound up keeping her separate from the rest of the litter, as her siblings would force her away from the food dish, and she was often picked on in the "rough & tumble" games. She continued having problems feeding herself....we kept hand feeding and consulting with out Vet about why she wouldn't eat. All the time she continued to be playful and very active. Sometimes she seemed to lose her orientation and would bump into objects. Still, she responded to calls and seemed to learn her name and it was clear she was not blind. During this time she caught a ear infection that was treated successfully. After this treatment, Mausi began to shake her head..like she had something in her ear. Day after day, Mausi continued to develop, began to eat a little and drink alone and was, as always, playful and happy. Still, the head shaking and occasional disorientation kept us concerned. To make a long story sort, after X rays and various blood tests failed to reveal a cause, we wound up going to the Wald clinic in Frankfurt. There we had a CAT scan done and received the bad news.

Now, I do not think for a minute that Mausi is in pain or is suffering in anyway....and I will not give up on her just because she has a medical problem. The folks at the clinic made a big point about the high costs and generally short lifespan, but we were not worried about the cost and are convinced we can give Mausi a happy, quality life...for as long as her condition allows.