Featured Pet
2009: Taylor
True grit, devotion and love – these are the attributes often used to describe the American Bulldog breed, and that description rings true for Taylor Kaye, a rambunctious bulldog from Tennessee.
The Kaye family, who owned an older bulldog named Koufax, were in for a surprise while house training their new eight-week-old puppy. The “puppy pee-pee phase” had taken hold of their lives and created the ultimate training challenge in patience and perseverance; however, little Taylor’s frequent accidents had her owners in training-fatigue mode. What was the problem? Why wasn’t the training working? After replacing a few area rugs and cleaning up too many morning puddles, the decision was made to have their bright-eyed puppy spayed at 6_ months old.
With much disappointment, Taylor’s spay, which was routine and uneventful, didn’t fix the constant in-house accidents. In fact, their little bulldog’s problems not only continued but seemed to worsen. Instead of little puddles, they were now dealing with constant streams of urine leaking. The damage costs were starting to increase and the frustrations were mounting. What now?
It was decided that their precious pup would try a daily medicine for urinary incontinence to help eliminate her bladder issues, and with much relief, the new medication seemed to work. Yes, for a while, their home and floors were dry. However, as they neared a year of success on the medication, the Kayes noticed familiar cycles reminiscent of the original urinary control issues starting to show. Taylor was showing signs of discomfort and her skin was becoming prone to frequent rashes. The puppy’s once snow-white fur was tinged a dingy shade of yellow from her constant leakage. Desperate for answers, the Kayes re-visited the veterinarian. The diagnosis: Taylor had a urinary tract infection; but as the antibiotics began, the suspicious feeling of the infection not being the root of the problem lingered.
As time progressed, Taylor started to show signs of serious kidney infections and malfunctions. At almost three years of age, she was referred to PBVS by her local veterinarian. After being examined by Dr. Brown, a board certified, internal medicine specialist at Palm Beach Veterinary Specialists, it was determined that Taylor’s ureters and kidneys had various deformities. Dr. Brown’s expertise in dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the internal organs helped save Taylor’s life. An ultrasound was performed it was discovered that the ureters (a tube that leads from the kidneys to the bladder) were extremely large and deformed, causing urine to leak back into her kidneys. What was next for this courageous canine?
After reviewing the ultrasound, Dr. Brown quickly consulted with Dr. Roy, the director of medicine and surgery at PBVS. Dr. Roy performed an exploratory procedure to establish the best way to surgically correct her problem. During the surgery, he was able to reattach her ureters and correct what was probably a defect that had been present from birth. In a nut shell, the bulldog’s plumbing was simply all wrong.
After the surgery, Taylor was closely monitored and a successful recovery was on the horizon. Her owners, who had prepared for the worse, could now breathe calmly. Their precious little pooch was titled “the sweetest dog on earth” by the PBVS staff, and the Kayes couldn’t agree more. After five days in the hospital Taylor was discharged. Her temperament and overall disposition was reminiscent of her puppy years – happier and friendlier. To date, the TLC given by her family – Shawn and Jodi Kaye, 5-year-old Max (who she absolutely adores) and her very best dog friend Koufax – has been the best medicine for a successful recovery that any doctor could have prescribed.
