Heartbroken 😞

I’m sharing this story so others can be aware, if it happened to this beautiful boy it can happen to all. Read up on this, it’s so rare but can kill our wonderful pups!

Baylee, from our Spring Vega/Kimber litter passed away Wednesday. After three months of Baylee having issues the culprit was finally found. Baylee ate a beetle of some sort that was an intermediate host to a parasite called Spirocerca lupi :

Dogs are infected by eating an intermediate host (usually dung beetle) or a transport host (eg, chickens, reptiles, or rodents). The larvae migrate via the wall of the celiac artery to the thoracic aorta, where they usually remain for ~3 mo. Eggs are passed in feces ~5–6 mo after infection.

Infections are seen in southern areas of the USA as well as in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide (eg, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, South Africa).

These pups love bugs, they like playing with them, they love eating some of them. This is such a RARE occurrence and that makes this even harder.

Baylee’s owners are heartbroken, this pup was so very adored and now this family has lost a member. I ask if everyone could please pray for peace for this family. It’s something we always face with dog ownership but this boy had such a short life and the memories made were surely not enough.

These dogs become so much more than “pets”, they have such personalities that they become a virtual family member. When one leaves us, it leaves a hole in the house and the heart. My heart breaks for Baylee, who thankfully is no longer suffering, but also for this dear family. Please keep them in your prayers.