08/21/2026
**COQUETTE UPDATE — Hopeful, grateful…and still terrified. ❤️🐾**
These photos and video are from our visit with Coquette yesterday.
I can't tell you what it felt like to see her walk into the room.
She stood with us the entire time. She ate some ham. She was alert and so incredibly happy to see us. For a little while, we got to see our Coquette again.
It was wonderful. It gave us hope when we desperately needed some.
But I need to make something very clear because these beautiful pictures can make it look like our girl is getting better and the crisis has passed.
It hasn't.
Coquette is still critically ill. Her doctors are still calling her prognosis 50/50 and, as of this morning, she still has no measurable platelets./ Darryl Brisebois and I prefer to say she is 45/55 on the hopeful side.
The reason she looks so much better in these pictures is because of the extraordinary veterinary care she is receiving and the blood transfusions that are keeping her stable.
Right now, those transfusions are buying our girl time.
This nightmare started so suddenly.
Last Friday, Coquette wasn't feeling well and wouldn't eat. On Saturday, when we saw blood, we took her to a nearby vet that was open. They suspected UTI or bladder stones, gave her medication and sent us home to monitor her.
By Sunday, I knew something still wasn't right.
On Monday, we took her to our regular vet, Dr. Lissa. She took X-rays and there were no stones, but there were blood clots in Coquette's urine and her bladder was enlarged.
We were sent for a thorough ultrasound and bloodwork with Dr. Louvet.
That's when everything changed.
Coquette had essentially no blood platelets. None
The doctors believe she has Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT), an autoimmune disease in which her immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys her own platelets.
Platelets are what allow the blood to clot normally and help stop bleeding.
Coquette's immune system has been destroying hers.
She is now receiving prednisone and another immunosuppressive medication designed to calm her immune system and stop it from attacking her platelets.
If the medications can stop that destruction, Coquette's body will have the opportunity to rebuild its own platelet supply and she can come home.
But that takes time.
It can take several days — sometimes up to a week — before we begin to see her platelet count respond.
And that is the agonizing waiting game we're in right now.
In the meantime, Coquette has been bleeding.
The blood transfusions aren't curing the IMT and they aren't giving her the platelet recovery we're waiting for. They are replacing the blood she has lost and keeping her stable while we wait for the medications to work and for her own platelets to recover.
They are buying her time. Without them, she can't survive until her platelets kick in.
Then we were hit with another terrifying complication.
So much blood had pooled in Coquette's bladder that it formed a large clot. That clot began obstructing her ability to urinate, which could eventually put her kidneys in danger.
Trying to break up the clot is risky because Coquette has virtually no platelets and therefore has a serious risk of bleeding.
But leaving it there wasn't an option either.
We had to take the chance.
She has now undergone two procedures to break down the clot, and thankfully they are working. A significant amount has dissolved and passed through her catheter.
Today she is having a third procedure in the hope of clearing as much of the remaining clot as possible so she can urinate properly and we can get this particular danger behind her.
And today we also received some genuinely wonderful news.
The red blood cells from her latest transfusion are still there.
Her body has not attacked them. Her vital signs are better and, clinically, Coquette is doing better.
That is fantastic news.
It's why the little dog you see in these pictures was standing, eating ham and looking so happy to see her mom and dad yesterday.
We are allowing ourselves to celebrate that.
But we are still waiting for platelets.
As of this morning, there are still none measurable.
One platelet. Ten. A hundred.
At this point, I think we would celebrate every single one.
If the medications work, her immune system stops destroying them and her own platelets begin to recover, that is when we can really begin talking about getting our girl home.**
Until then, she needs to remain in hospital. She may need more transfusions. She needs continued monitoring, medication, procedures and around-the-clock care.
And that's why I'm coming back to our village again.
I always say it takes a village. Maybe it sounds corny, but I have never understood those words more than I do right now.
YOU are Coquette's village.
Our friends. Our family. Fellow animal lovers. People who have followed PetitsPawz Complete strangers who somehow fell in love with a little dog they've never even met.
You've donated.
You've shared her story.
You've sent messages and checked on us.
You've prayed for her and rooted for her.
You've celebrated every little piece of good news with us.
And most importantly, you have helped us give Coquette the time she needs to fight.
I don't know how we will ever adequately thank everyone.
Her bill is already enormous and continues to grow with every day in hospital, every procedure and every transfusion. We have put in everything we can ourselves and will continue to do so.
I don't care what we have to sacrifice.
I want my baby home.
But we simply can't come up with all of the money fast enough on our own.
We still need approximately another $5,000 to keep covering her care as we wait for those platelets. Hopefully less.
I hate asking. I really do.
But I love her more than I hate asking.
So I'm asking our village to please stay with us a little longer.
If you can donate, even a small amount helps. If you can't, please share Coquette's story. A share can reach the person who gives $10, the person who gives $100, or simply another person who sends some love our girl's way.
We're going to see her again at 5:30 today.
I'm going there hopeful.
I'm going there terrified.
And I'm going there with more gratitude than I can possibly put into words.
Because despite everything that has happened since Friday, our girl is still here.
Yesterday she walked into that room.
She stood with us.
She ate her ham.
She looked into our eyes.
And for that little while, she was simply our Coquette again.
So today we keep fighting.
We keep hoping.
And we wait for the news we desperately want to hear:
She has platelets. ❤️
Come on, baby girl.
Just give us those platelets. We've got you from there. ❤️🐾
As of two days ago, our bill at Rive-Sud was already $8,054.41, on top of approximately $1,000 for the ultrasound and bloodwork, $300 for X-rays, and $345 for Saturday’s initial vet visit.
We are paying as much as we possibly can ourselves, but the cost of her hospitalization, transfusions and procedures is rising faster than we can keep up with.”
Every extra day she needs to stay there adds substantially to the bill — but right now, those days are what are giving her the chance to survive long enough for her platelets to recover.
Apart from GoFundMe (in comments), donations are also welcome by etransfer to [email protected]
We are so incredibly humbled by the kindness you have shown our little girl and us. Asking for help like this is not easy, and I don't take a single donation, share, message or prayer for granted. Whether you have given $5, $500, shared her story or simply sent us some love — thank you. Truly.
You are helping us give Coquette the time she needs to fight, and there are simply no words for how grateful we are. ❤️
From Darryl, me, and our little fighter Coquette — thank you for being our village. We will never forget it. ❤️🐾
