In Memory of Marshmellow

Marshmellow was one of those dogs that people did not give up on. From his owners repairing his prolapsed rectum when he was two months old, to the vet clinic that took him in when his owners could no longer afford to care for him, and then to FBRN. He came to us at 9 months old and FBRN made sure that Marshmellow was scoped so we could hopefully get the diarrhea and leaking resolved.The biopsy came back that he had severe IBD and a colonic stricture that would require a balloon procedure to stretch the colon walls. During one of these procedures, they discovered a perforation in the colon wall that would require emergency surgery to prevent bacteria from entering the abdominal cavity. The emergency surgery would cost between five to six thousand dollars, an expense that FBRN could not afford. The specialist said that he was not going to give up on Marshmellow and so the hospital graciously donated the surgery to Marshmellow and FBRN.

Back at home, Marshmellow got worse, he was leaking every twenty minutes, it was a struggle to keep him clean with the staples on his belly. Both my husband and I were depressed as so much time was devoted to his care, the continual cleaning he required, and we were watching him get worse. Two weeks after the surgery back at the specialist, he was diagnosed with a peritoneal hernia due to straining. The specialist said he would not recover from the hernia. The specialists at the hospital had tried so hard to help give Marshmellow every opportunity to one day play like a puppy should, and when we had no other options; the Specialist sat on the floor with Marshmellow and me, and she too cried as we had no other choice but to set Marshmellow free.

Marshmellow was born in October of 2008 and we set him free in October 2009.

Michelle Hague
CA Intake Coordinator FBRN