BEHAF

BEN'S story:

Ben is a Berner who in short was abused. He had injuries, that were allowed to heel wrong and well so much else. He was rescued by the Clear Creek Rescue group and Hope for Animals. He is in a foster home and having surgeries. Since BEHAF now handles separate rescue funds for Berners in need like Ben, we had them apply for funds and we have sent them a generous amount to help with Ben.

We were pleased to be able to help through the generous donation so the friends of BEHAF and the fund raisers. Check out Ben's entire story...

Aug 29, 2008: Ben has been in to the vet twice over the past week as his splint has "rubbed" a wound at the top of his leg so the bandage is being changed more frequently.  His leg looks good and the surgery is healing as expected.  Ben is in good spirits and continues to open up a little each day. He loves to sit on the deck and watch the hummingbirds as he is not quite sure what they are.  :)  He is now accepting treats from me. The vet and the staff at the hospital have even commented on how much more relaxed Ben seems to be.  He loves my granddaughter, who is 6 years old, and they seem to have a special connection.  Thank you again for helping this very special guy!

Julie
Hope For Animals

As you can see by his pictures, both of his legs are painful and he has learned to sit up so he doesn't put any pressure on his legs.

SPIRIT'S story:

Newcastle's Alpine Spirit, aka Spirit, is a young male Berner owned and loved by Noreen Dowling. Spirit suddenly became ill late one Sunday night in January 2000, and was diagnosed the following day with an intestinal blockage. Later that day Spirit underwent surgery to remove what appeared to be a piece of towel that he had ingested. Several weeks into his recovery, he was feeling well enough to try ingesting another towel, which required another operation. Ah, those Berner boys!

BEHAF is happy to report that Spirit has made a complete recovery. We are pleased that we were able to assist his Mom with these unexpected medical expenses.

CORA'S story:

Cora is a young female Bernese Mountain dog who lives with Lisa Hasler. In her short life, Cora has faced many medical problems, including a seizure disorder. Cora's Mom has struggled to identify Cora's condition and keep it under control. She was doing a wonderful job of that, until Cora became ill with an unidentified infection. She delevoped a huge lump in her neck after several weeks, which grew very quickly. Cora had developed an abscess that was the size of half a pineapple. Her seizures returned, along with allergy symptoms that had previously been well-controlled. In addition to the surgery to drain the abscess, Lisa and Cora have had to deal with managing her other medical conditions, getting everything back under control again.

Cora is doing well now, and her neck has healed. BEHAF is happy to have been able to assist Cora and Lisa with their medical bills.

LUCA'S story:

Luca & Nero the pup

Kathy, Luca's owner, writes:
"We picked little 20 lbs. Lucabrasi "Luca" up at the breeders house on the way home from our honeymoon in 1992. We have loved him and been with him every day of his life. Luca (Ch. October the Godfather V. Resal) earned his AKC championship in 11 shows at the age of 2 and we are very proud of him. He is the family protector and mascot.

One rainy day in July 1999 he was running into the house, full of his Berner energy and his foot slipped on the wet stair. I heard a yelp and ran to him. Luca was limping and was obviously in some pain. We thought that he may have just pulled muscle but after a week of limping, we realized that it was something more serious. He was diagnosed as having a rupture anterior crutiate ligament and we were told that the surgery could cost $800-1500. I was devastated. We had just finish paying off a long term debt for work we had done on our house and now we were faced with expensive surgery.

After posting my questions on the BERNER-L and doing lots of research on the internet about ACL surgery, we decided to have the surgery done by a board certified surgeon. The closest who is experienced with large dogs is at Tuft University, 2 hours away. On August 31 my husband and I will bring Luca to Tufts for the surgery. He will need to stay there for 3 nights and I know I am going to be a wreck. Luca has never been away from us at night and I know he won't understand what is happening to him, yet if we ever want to have him go on walks with us like he used to, we need to do this. Also, I am so afraid that if we don't have the surgery done, that the other knee will become injured. I know the recovery process will be a long one but he is a healthy 7 year old so I hope it goes well."

Since Kathy applied for assistance & Luca's case qualified, BEHAF will be helping with his medical costs.

To Luca

by Luca's owner, Kathy

My life without you, would be so strange,
You fill my heart with joy.
When wagging your tail, or licking my face,
or chewing your favorite toy.
I feel so secure and loved when you're near, With you I can always play.
When down in the dumps or just feeling sad, You're by my side everyday.
No other can replace your spirit and will,
You're strong as a gentle bear.
Forever we'll frolic and play in the grass,
Together, an unseparable pair.

UPDATES:

Aug 31, 1999:
Hello all, "Well we dropped Luca off at Tufts Foster Animal hospital about 3 hours ago and he is waiting for surgery tomorrow morning. It is about a 2.5 hour drive for us. He was very good with the vet and the vet students. The good news is that I feel that he is in good hands... the bad news is that the surgeon said that his other leg (the one that doesn't have the torn ligament) isn't solid and don't be surprised if that ruptures sometime soon. Bummer! I hope his right leg can at least hang on until the left is healed. Please pray that the surgery goes well tomorrow morning. Thanks for all your help and advice, thanks to the BEHAF for assistance, thanks to Brad Peceimer and my mother for their donations towards the surgery bill! You are all great! Kathy Amoroso (and Luca and Nero)"

Sept 1:
For those who are interested, Luca's crutiate ligament surgery went well today according to the surgeon. They called me about 3:30pm and said that they were waiting for him to wake up. They used the TPLO method. I hope they call me tonight with an update. If anyone has any pointers on how to make the recovery process easier for the dog, or any other tips, I'd love to hear them. I really don't know what to expect. Kathy"

Sept 2:
"Hello all, I heard from the vet student at Tufts today. He said that Luca is doing really well, eating and drinking, yet walking on only 3 legs (as to be expected). He said as long as things stay good, we can pick him up tomorrow. I am excited to see him again. I really miss him. Kathy"

Nov 17:
Hello all, Just wanted to give an update about Luca. The surgeon called yesterday after reviewing Luca's followup Xrays. He said that Luca's knee was all healed and that we should gradually re-introduce him to exercise. What a relief! I am so grateful for all the help, advice and support that everyone gave us.
Kathy Amoroso

1 Year Later (Sept. 22, 2000):
I was checking out your site and wanted to update you on how Luca is doing a year later. He is still doing great and you would never know that he ever had a problem with his ligament! He is running and jumping and being the same ol' happy crazy dog that he has always been. I am SOOO glad that we had the surgery done and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. We have him on Glucosamine and Glycoflex just as a precaution. Thanks so much to all who helped us out.
Kathy Amoroso