Kokonut's Story - Histoplasmosis

by Mary Wakeford

My name is Kokonut. I was well loved. I was a ten year old West Highland Terrier. I loved my life. I loved my mamas. I loved my pack. This is my story...

My days were spent chasing birds, lizards and squirrels. The squirrels were much faster than me, but lizards were an easy conquest. My mom used to call me the great white shark terrier when I delivered my gifts of hunt to her as an expression of my love. Since I've been gone, the yard is full of lizards--the pack I left behind are slackers.

I loved protecting my family from the big black box in the den. The bright colored m&m's jumping around on conveyor belts; a show called Animal Planet full of weird looking creatures popping out of nowhere. I would growl and bark at the noisy box and scare them away. My motto was:

"Don't Mess with Koko, 'cuz she's a nut!
You'll think she's loco if she bites you in the butt!
Now get back inside that big black box-LEAVE US ALONE!
Lest you'll feel the wrath of scarier terrier hormones!"
I'm a hip-hoppin, jet settin' happenin' clown
if an adventure's going down, I'm goin' to town!

To say I was a spoiled 'Westie' would be an understatement. One of my favorite memories is the aroma of the homemade cookies my Mary would bake for me. Even now, I sometimes get a whiff of the love they represent. I call it the aroma of love. It transcends even death.

"It" happened last January...

I traveled to Colorado with my moms to spend the Christmas holidays with the family. My seasonal runny nose attributed to allergies presented as usual, but this time it was tinged with blood. Then came the wheeze--there is nothing sexier than a wheezing Westie. We thought it might be due to the change in altitude, but my mamas were quite concerned, so scheduled an appointment with my doctor the minute we got back to town.

I was poked, prodded and scanned like a hot chick going through the airport TSA. Antibiotics, blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, urinalysis, endoscopy, nasal flushes, then dosed up with stronger antibiotics.

I became sicker, and my white blood cells continued to stay at an unhealthy level in spite of the medications and treatment. Valley fever, a usual culprit, was ruled out early on.

My mamas took me to a second doctor for another opinion. That doc specialized in Eastern medicine, or Holistic, complemented by standard western philosophy. She immediately diagnosed me as suffering from a fungal infection. A sample of my blood was flown all the way to Texas for a biopsy.

Sure enough, the biopsy confirmed I was suffering from Histoplasmosis. I likely ingested the fungus from the damn birds I was constantly chasing off property. I knew they were trouble. God only knows what I caught from the 'fooooooking' lizards.

Unfortunately, and not for any failed attempts by my mamas or the doctors, I developed a brain hemorrhage two days after being diagnosed and went to sleep. I never woke up. I'm writing this letter from a beautiful place called Rainbow Bridge.

~***~

It was hard seeing my family so distraught at my leaving them. But, let me tell you something about my moms--they are warriors. They put their grief to work by starting an educational awareness program to inform others about the disease that took me, and so many others.

I'll bet you didn't know the Histoplasmosis fungus doesn't meet protocol for standard testing in most veterinarian hospitals across the country, yet it's as deadly and prevalent as Valley Fever. This needs to change. Effecting change seems to be my dog purpose, well that and chasing things.

I'm kind of famous now. I even have a tab on a web page. It's called the Kokonut Fund. It's purpose is to build awareness about Histoplasmosis in dogs, and a bunch of other important things that every pet parent should learn about. Our mission is to get the word out for early intervention, and save lives through knowledge.

We want the world to know about Histoplasmosis, and other important matters that affect beloved pets like me. The intent is to make the fungus as well-known as Valley Fever among animal lovers, as well as veterinarian offices.

That is my legacy. My dog purpose. It's a pretty solid endeavor.

Here are some of the symptoms the Histoplasmosis presents, though mine were limited to nasal mucous, lethargy & the sexy wheezing toward the end:

Lack of appetite
Weight loss
Depression
Diarrhea with straining
Other signs that may present are:
Coughing
Difficulty breathing, associated with harsh lung sounds
Enlarged lymph nodes
Lameness
Eye and skin changes
Fever 104 degrees Fahrenheit
Pale gums and lots of mucous
Jaundice
Enlargement of the liver and spleen

It was too late for me, but my mom is working hard to save everyone's beloved pets through a foundation called the Holistic Animal Care with Dr. Caroline O'Sullivan, a good Irish woman at the helm. If I weren't of Scottish descent, I would want to come back as an Irish wolfhound, a Blue Kerry, or a Wheaton Terrier--all descendants of the Isle of Eire.

I hope if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I will come back to my mamas. I'll follow the scent of their cookies all the way home to our front door and immediately go to work on the lizard overpopulation that has taken the yard over since my leave. Did I mention the pack I left behind are a bunch of slackers?

The Kokonut Education Fund is an information wizard, much like I was a lizard wizard. You will learn about First Aid through talks and seminars; rattlesnake awareness, all kinds of interesting and informative news. It's all about sharing and caring, because isn't that the entire point of our time on the planet?

My Mary has even designed a beautiful tag in honor of moi. It is a brass bone with a silver cookie in the middle. I must admit, it is stunning.

I was lucky to be loved. So many critters are not. Please take a minute to read about our mission in getting the word out. You will be helping my family work through their grief by helping others.

Who knew a little white doggy with a penchant for chasing things and loving my people would one day have her own weblink.

I'm feeling very "Ali" at the moment, so I'm going to end with a Mohammad Ali quote...

"Don't count the days, make the days count!"

Please help us make the days count in service to my friends at Holistic Animal Care, and my moms.

Thank you from Rainbow Bridge!

In Love and Knowledge,

Kokonut-The Bestie Westie in the West!

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Recognized

A friend of mine owned Kokonut. She asked me to write something up for the website last year following Kokonut's death. They did not use my story for the web page, and went with a more concise "medicinal" fact presentation.

I've placed this under the category of Family, because like Kokonut's mamas, I consider my pets as members of my family.

I personally had never heard of Histoplasmosis, but thanks to the knowledge shared by Kokonut, I'll know to look for it in my own pack.

In the spirit of getting the word out and possibly saving other beloved pets, I am sharing Kokonut's story now, for the greater good.

Photograph obtained through Google Images.

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Mary Wakeford has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.

As told by Kokonut, the bestie Westie Terrier in the West!

Kokonut's Story - Histoplasmosis

by Mary Wakeford

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