Bebe's Brave Battle

Bebe’s 8^th birthday last Sunday the 14^th started as any beautiful crisp April day…a walk in the park with her sister, Cece and my husband, Matt.  I was preparing her birthday breakfast once they returned but noticed that Bebe was favoring her left eye.  I took a look and saw that something was wrong.  Matt recalled that she had leaned in to smell a rose but had jumped back quickly and seemed fine. It turns out that smelling the roses on her birthday caused a rose thorn to pierce Bebe’s eye!  Off to the emergency vet we all went (including Cece) on Bebe’s 8^th birthday!

We were sent home from the vet and ordered to keep watch for any complications.  Bebe spent a restless, painful night and the next morning her eye was worse. That day she had emergency surgery by an animal eye specialist, Dr. Nancy Park at Eye Care for Animals in Chicago, to remove the infection from her eye and graft it from the healthy part of her eye. OUCH!  There was a high risk that she would lose her eye sight in that eye but we were hopeful.

Unfortunately things took another turn for the worse. The infection returned to the injured eye. It was looking like another emergency surgery was in store for poor little Bebe.  Dr. Park consulted with their Wheeling office and decided to aggressively treat Bebe’s eye infection for two days and then decide about surgery.  Bebe was put on a strong regimen of antibiotics: eye drops every hour and pain shots (that I had to give her) in order to save her eye. It was touch and go and Bebe was given a 50/50 chance of having her eye removed.  Brave little Bebe is a fighter.  Two days of this tough regimen and then back to see Dr. Parks.  Lot of prayers and love from everyone poured in for our little Bebe.  Cece, her worried sister, was by her side the whole time whispering in her ear that she would be okay.  Friday came and Bobbi took her back to Dr. Park to see what was next for our little Bebe.  With fingers crossed Dr. Park took Bebe into her arms and smiled widely.  “She’s getting a little better,” Dr. Park declared with delight.  Bebe wasn’t out of the woods yet, but was on her way to recovery!   Home Bebe went with 10 more days of intense treatments but no second surgery.  Bebe even did one of her favorite things the very next day…looking out the window!

Cece is very worried about her big sister and is keeping very close by her. Even though Cece is youngest, Bebe is the baby and Cece takes care of her.

  

Sunday Bebe started to eat again and is sleeping through the night. We are so relieved to begin to see our brave little girl return!  Thanks to all the prayers, well wishes and love…Bebe is on the mend. We still have a ways to go in Bebe's recovery but so far she has proven to be tough for her size and we are very cautiously optimistic.

Anna Maria Island, Florida -- Second home for Bobbi Panter Pet Products

I have been a part-time resident of Anna Maria Island (AMI) since I was a kid and LOVE it! I practically grew up there on family vacations since I was 9 years old. Living in Florida for so much of my life impacted the products I developed for my all natural dog shampoos. I learned how hard salt is on your hair and skin after spending many hours in the Gulf of Mexico.  This is the reason I decided to make my products SALT FREE--I do not put sodium chloride (table salt) or sodium lauryl sulfate in any of my products. What a big difference having no salt makes.  The essential oils that I use in my products are actually allowed to penetrate the skin and fur so that they work to solve problems. 

Bebe and Cece relaxing after one of their "spa" days.

Since Bebe and Cece spend lots of time on AMI and love it as much as I do, I have found out what problems they both get when they are there.  Bebe almost instantly gets hot spots from the grass so I use Itchy Dog on her right away!  In fact, I put some on my fingers and rub it into the hot spots and leave it in.  She is instantly relieved. Itchy Dog is Bebe’s saving  grace!

Being a celebrity spokesdog is not as glamorous as it sounds!

Since fleas and ticks in Florida are a huge issue I developed my all natural flea and tick shampoo, Charlie Dog, named after my dad Chuck. I know, he would much rather have a martini named after him but dog shampoo is what I do!  Charlie Dog is loaded with Clove Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Citronella and Lavender Oil which kills and repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and lice!  Guess what--school nurses have used Charlie Dog on the heads of their students when they have gotten lice and it is so gentle but--WORKS!  In fact, it is so gentle that it is even safe for puppies and kittens of all ages, even newborns.

So, when I am in Florida, which is very often, I use a combination of Itchy Dog and Charlie Dog on both Bebe and Cece and they stay safe from insects and hot spots leaving them looking and smelling fabulous!

My products are carried all over Florida but I really love when local stores carry them.  Last October a new store opened on AMI. It’s called AMI Outfitters and they sell great coastal gear and apparel, mostly for men. They also have a natural dog section with terrific products including my Signature Line of products. It’s great to see this kind of partnership form from a love of AMI.  Thanks AMI Outfitters!  See you next time Bebe, Cece and I are on the island!!  I can’t wait.

Owner Steve in front of his store AMI Outfitters.

Check out AMI Outfitter's Facebook page!