Bee

Sweet little Bee came into our lives in late August 2020, about a month after she was born. Both Bee and her twin sister were born with special needs, and their mother was not able to care for them after they were born. Unable to stand or walk, Bee and her sister were cared for and bottle-fed by their human mom. While her sister made steady progress, Bee continued to struggle with mobility even though her human family built her a special cart to help her gain strength. Wanting the very best for Bee, her human family contacted us to see if we could help.

After Bee came into our care, we took her to Iowa State University Large Animal Hospital for an evaluation. It was evident to us that this precious little girl was facing a lot of challenges, as she presented with intention tremors, difficulty standing, inability to walk without assistance, and inappropriate auditory and visual responses to the point where we suspected she may be deaf and blind.

An MRI revealed that Bee had severe cerebral cortical atrophy, mild cerebellar atrophy, and symmetric lesions in the thalamus, which explained all of her unique symptoms. While Bee’s original prognosis was not incredibly hopeful in regards to recovery, she did nothing but prove everybody wrong! Our sweet, determined, loving little Bee eventually learned to walk without her cart! And, we know for certain that she was able to see and hear in some combination, as she was able to respond to our voices and visual cues.

Bee continued to grow stronger, more independent, and more adorable every single day. Even though she experienced the world a little differently than those around her, she was always the most joyful person in the room. It was impossible to feel anything but awe when in little Bee’s presence, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to have known and loved her.