Norman Linguini……The Comeback Kid!…Or Rather, The Comeback Dog!

This is Norman Linguini. We got him from The Metro Animal Shelter on December 13, 2016. He was 8 Weeks Old then, and full of SPUNK!  We immediately fell in LOVE with him. He did what a typical puppy does. He gets into things, he tears stuff up, and he leaves a mess everywhere. He is full of MISCHIEF! He chases anything that moves, and playfully likes to nip at you. Norman has quite the PERSONALITY. I swear, I feel like I should be paying a "2 Drink Minimum Cover Charge", because he is quite the Comedian! :-)

Then, SOMETHING happened. On Saturday, January 14, 2017. We noticed that he had thrown up some food, and when we took him outside, he had some diarrhea, I figured that he had gotten into something, like all dogs do. When I came home late that night after being on the air, I noticed that he was acting a little lethargic. Again, we figured that he probably got hold of something, and he should be fine after a day or two.

The next day, Sunday, January 15th, comes around, and Norman is drinking his water, but totally ignoring his food. The water he drinks, he winds spitting up minutes later. The diarrhea persists, and he's also not very playful, either. In fact, ALL he wants to do is SLEEP. We're starting to get a little worried now. The next day, he had an appointment to be fixed at Capstone Veterinary Hospital. Since he had an appointment anyway, we figured that The Vet should look at WHY Norman hadn't been feeling well lately.

The next day, Monday, January 16th comes around. I carry Norman out to the car, because he's weak. I get there at 6:58a, (they open at 7), because Norman needs to be the first dog that they see. I carry him inside, and tell them he'll have to be fixed at a later date, because he's sick. The girl agrees, and Norman is taken to the back. She tells me that The Vet isn't there yet, but when she arrives, she'll take a look at him. I drive back home, and get a call later that afternoon. Norman has thrown up a couple times since being there, and has some diarrhea. He's drinking a little water, but they give him some IV fluids so he doesn't dehydrate. The Doctor, (Dr. Katy Drain), decides to run a couple more tests. Later that afternoon, I get ANOTHER call. Dr. Drain says, "Norman has tested positive for Parvo". I said, "That's what I was afraid of". I go on to tell her that I had a puppy that had passed away from the disease a year and a half before. She tells me the disease can live in the soil for YEARS. As I'm already fearing the worst,  she says, "I always tell people that Parvo is not an automatic death sentence. He's not dehydrated, and he's been getting plenty of fluids. We'll send you some antibiotics and food for Norman to fight this."

I pick up Norman just before they close, and I carry him out to the car. He looks TIRED, all he wants to do is SLEEP. As soon as we get home, we give him some water. He laps it up immediately, but a couple minutes later, spits it up.....this isn't good. He finds a corner to lay down in, and isn't in the mood to do ANYTHING. I'm really SCARED now. I've seen this before, and it doesn't end well. I go to bed for the night, but I really don't sleep. Lisa stays up all night with him, and says to me, "Don't go in there, he doesn't look good, it will be a MIRACLE if he makes it through the night."  She doesn't want me to go in there, because she knows that I'm going to come back and tell her the SAME thing, "It will be a MIRACLE if he makes it through the night." 

Morning comes, Tuesday, January 17th, I get ready for work, and I spend a little time with Norman. He's laying in the corner, and the only things that are moving are his EYES. I'm CONVINCED that this is the last time I'll see him alive. So, I bend over, kiss him on the forehead, and I tell him. "Norman, buddy, You GOTTA beat this!" I pet him one last time before I walk out the door.

The whole day at work, I'm thinking about Norman. I purposely hold off calling to check on him because I'm afraid of getting the bad news. I figure, "No news is good news, right?" Finally, I can't take it anymore, I decide to call. But before I do, (and I know this sounds silly), I say a little prayer for him. I said, "Dear God, please don't let this dog die. He's been dealt a bad hand, please let him LIVE. I know You don't owe me anything, and I owe you EVERYTHING, all I ask is that you help make him well again."  I then make the call, and find out that Norman isn't really moving much, but he is DRINKING some water, and he hasn't thrown anything up yet. Wow! At least that's SOMETHING! Norman ISN'T giving up!....Norman is A FIGHTER!

I get home that evening, and as soon as I walk over to him, he lifts his head up and looks at me. There's a TWINKLE in his eyes that wasn't there yesterday. I look at him, and think to myself "This Dog has a CHANCE!"  However, even though he IS drinking water, he's isn't eating any food yet. He needs to eat SOMETHING if he's going to survive. I go to bed still concerned, but feeling a LOT more optimistic than the previous night.

The Next Day, Wednesday, January 18th, rolls around, and Norman is still not touching is food, but he's licking it, at least he's showing some INTEREST. I come home that night and I find Norman on the couch. I ask Lisa, "How did Norman get on the couch?" She says, "He jumped up there! Can you believe it?" And then she says, "He ate a half a can of dog food today, too!" I said, "Oh My God, he DID?! This is a MIRACLE! Norman is GOING TO MAKE IT!" 

That was last Wednesday. Now, 6 days later, after being so close to leaving us, I'm proud to say that Norman has made a MIRACULOUS RECOVERY!  Check out THIS video that I took just 10 Minutes Ago.....Norman "The Superdog" is BACK! He IS "The Comeback Dog!"

Yes, Norman is back to doing what a typical puppy does. He gets into things, he tears stuff up, and he leaves a mess everywhere. But you know what?...I wouldn't have it any other way. :-)