Goliath is scheduled for heart surgery on August 28. While we wait to see how things go for him, life in the rescue goes on full bore. The on-site adoption event yesterday found homes for two of the dogs at this kennel, so we have a little available space. It didn't last for long because the phone rang late on Saturday. It was a local animal control and shelter with a list of 6 adult dogs and 3 puppies that need to find space elsewhere within the next 2-3 days, or face euthanasia. The person who called is making herself available this afternoon so that we can rescue as many as possible.
But before all of this, we took in a gorgeous and playful bundle of fur about 8 weeks old, and the rescue coordinator called to say that there was a pregnant Aussie mix female that she just couldn't leave at another animal control facility. Unfortunately, the female was given live virus vaccines and wormed at a critical point in the development of the puppies, so a veterinarian has warned us that the pups will either be stillborn or possibly suffer birth defects and die. She also has kennel cough which she picked up in her three weeks at the shelter in spite of her vaccination.
We do have one dog to board for the neighbors, who are taking a much deserved brief vacation.
It's going to be a busy week - new dogs, heart surgery, maybe a blessed event and prayerfully maybe at least one pup will be okay.
There's a plan somewhere because every time a dog leaves, the phone rings, or someone stops by with a new candidate for the rescue. Several people have asked how I can foster and part with the dogs --- I have to look forward and move forward, and celebrate when we find homes for the current residents.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Pool Party
Goliath went to a pool party for dogs and their humans over the weekend. The proceeds are targeted for his surgery.
My goal, as his foster mom, is to let him live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances - to be a puppy and explore the world, keeping in mind he has to learn to behave himself as well.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Update on Goliath
Goliath went to the teaching hospital for his evaluation last week. He has severe pulmonic stenosis (narrowing of the pulmonic valve), right ventricular hypertrophy (thickening of the walls of the right ventricle), and tricuspid regurgitation (backflow of blood scross the tricuspid valve). Without treatment he will progress to congestive heart failure and pass away.
Our rescue group is trying to raise the $2500 needed for balloon valvuloplasty to correct the pulmonic stenosis. We have entered him in a "cutest dog" photo contest in hopes of winning one of the weekly monetary prizes.
This little guy has fought to survive neglect, has fought to survive in spite of the fact that he was probably a premie and way smaller than the other pups in his litter.
The beauty of this is that Goliath knows nothing of his problem. He is happy, playful, and just wants to explore and enjoy life. Radar, a cat, is his new best friend. Jessi and Koko are teaching him to put his nose to the ground and hunt. Koko is also teaching him to herd the cats to the old barn.
We will just have to see what happens from here on out, meanwhile giving him the chance to be a normal puppy, or as normal as possible under the circumstances.
Our rescue group is trying to raise the $2500 needed for balloon valvuloplasty to correct the pulmonic stenosis. We have entered him in a "cutest dog" photo contest in hopes of winning one of the weekly monetary prizes.
This little guy has fought to survive neglect, has fought to survive in spite of the fact that he was probably a premie and way smaller than the other pups in his litter.
The beauty of this is that Goliath knows nothing of his problem. He is happy, playful, and just wants to explore and enjoy life. Radar, a cat, is his new best friend. Jessi and Koko are teaching him to put his nose to the ground and hunt. Koko is also teaching him to herd the cats to the old barn.
We will just have to see what happens from here on out, meanwhile giving him the chance to be a normal puppy, or as normal as possible under the circumstances.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Puppy Dump
Why people just dump a litter of puppies anywhere is beyond me. Granted, most shelters and rescues are filled to capacity right now, but leaving them off where they have shelter and food, regardless of the ultimate outcome, is better than what could have happened to the three litters we recently acquired.
The first litter, age 6 weeks, was dumped at a foreclosed home site. Fortunately for the puppies, Charlie Brown, Sally, and Lucy, a neighbor spotted them and turned them in to animal control. However, by this time they were literally skin and bones, had been eating their own waste to survive, and two of them had two feet in the grave and the other two feet on banana peels. We had gone to pick up another dog and spotted them. We could not leave them there in that condition, because with the over crowding, euthanasia would have been the result. They are alive today and are now thriving.
The second litter was left in an airline carrier crate which was left outside, while the owner left town for three days. A relative was supposed to come by and take care of the pups. No one showed up for two days, and there was monsoon like rain event. The puppies sat in the crate in their waste and water till someone called animal control. We were asked to help out because they needed special care. They were too weak to support their own weight and stained from the urine and feces they had been living in. Ethan and Ellie are also thriving and ready to look for new homes.
The third litter was dumped in a blackberry patch about 4 feet from a main roadway. The lady who found them routinely goes to pick wild blackberries and raspberries in that location. She figured that someone knew she was there about every 2 days and dumped them there figuring she would find them. She did manage to find homes for two of the three pups. We have Halle Blackberry, and she is teaching Goliath how to treat a lady.
The lady who found Halle said she called several organizations, and I was the only one who returned her call. One organization that she did talk to literally accused her of lying about finding the pups.
No matter how thin resources are stretched, no matter how full we are, I tell myself to not be judgemental, but rather be glad someone had the nerve to admit they needed help and a place to take a litter of puppies.
The first litter, age 6 weeks, was dumped at a foreclosed home site. Fortunately for the puppies, Charlie Brown, Sally, and Lucy, a neighbor spotted them and turned them in to animal control. However, by this time they were literally skin and bones, had been eating their own waste to survive, and two of them had two feet in the grave and the other two feet on banana peels. We had gone to pick up another dog and spotted them. We could not leave them there in that condition, because with the over crowding, euthanasia would have been the result. They are alive today and are now thriving.
The second litter was left in an airline carrier crate which was left outside, while the owner left town for three days. A relative was supposed to come by and take care of the pups. No one showed up for two days, and there was monsoon like rain event. The puppies sat in the crate in their waste and water till someone called animal control. We were asked to help out because they needed special care. They were too weak to support their own weight and stained from the urine and feces they had been living in. Ethan and Ellie are also thriving and ready to look for new homes.
The third litter was dumped in a blackberry patch about 4 feet from a main roadway. The lady who found them routinely goes to pick wild blackberries and raspberries in that location. She figured that someone knew she was there about every 2 days and dumped them there figuring she would find them. She did manage to find homes for two of the three pups. We have Halle Blackberry, and she is teaching Goliath how to treat a lady.
The lady who found Halle said she called several organizations, and I was the only one who returned her call. One organization that she did talk to literally accused her of lying about finding the pups.
No matter how thin resources are stretched, no matter how full we are, I tell myself to not be judgemental, but rather be glad someone had the nerve to admit they needed help and a place to take a litter of puppies.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Goliath Update
Goliath went back to the vet yesterday and weighed in at 5.3 pounds. There is a chance that he might qualify for a grant to have his heart repaired, so we needed to make sure he was vaccinated and decided to do some preliminary blood work before we take him for the evaluation examination at the teaching hospital.
His blood work showed that there is no kidney or liver involvement which would compromise his chances for the surgery. That result allows us to go ahead with fund raising to pay for the rescue's part of the expense, which is the preliminary evaluation. We are praying that we get the grant for the actual surgery.
The miracle for the day is that Goliath can see! The right eye, which had been covered with what appeared to be a juvenile cataract, has cleared. The vet could see his retina and optic nerve. No wonder the little guy can find so much mischief to get into.
Meanwhile, he is learning to put his nose to the ground and "hunt" with Jessi, my 90 pound rott/lab. She lays down on the floor and allows him to play with her. He has met a few of the barn cats, goes for walks in the horse pasture, runs through the flowers and plays tug of war with the leaves. He is being allowed to be what he is, a playful puppy with a big curiousity.
His blood work showed that there is no kidney or liver involvement which would compromise his chances for the surgery. That result allows us to go ahead with fund raising to pay for the rescue's part of the expense, which is the preliminary evaluation. We are praying that we get the grant for the actual surgery.
The miracle for the day is that Goliath can see! The right eye, which had been covered with what appeared to be a juvenile cataract, has cleared. The vet could see his retina and optic nerve. No wonder the little guy can find so much mischief to get into.
Meanwhile, he is learning to put his nose to the ground and "hunt" with Jessi, my 90 pound rott/lab. She lays down on the floor and allows him to play with her. He has met a few of the barn cats, goes for walks in the horse pasture, runs through the flowers and plays tug of war with the leaves. He is being allowed to be what he is, a playful puppy with a big curiousity.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Will He Make it? - part 2
Goliath weighed 1.4 pounds by Monday morning when we got to the vet's office. He was eating and drinking, his motor skills were improving, his plumbing was working, and his eyes no longer had pus oozing from them. The examination revealed cataracts, which could be fixed at a later date.
Then the bombshell. Goliath has a PDA - patent ductus arteriosus - a hole in his heart which should have closed shortly after birth, but did not. We were told he would not grow as big as his brothers, and when he does grow, it will further compromise his heart function and eventually he will die. Our choice was euthanasia or allow him to live out whatever life he has left.
None of the people in that exam room wanted to see Goliath euthanized - it just wasn't a good day for a little guy who was fighting so hard to live to have to die. About that time, he started playing - doing what I call the puppy prance - and acting like a contender on American Idol. I asked the rescue coordinator if I could take him home and let him live till he either became so symptomatic that he couldn't be comfortable, or passed away on his own. She agreed.
Goliath will be eight weeks old in two days. He goes outside and plays in the grass,. follows me around the yard, and attacks my pant legs and shoe laces. He gives great lickies!!
We have been told that one of the veterinary teaching hospitals in the state sometimes does a PDA repair for charity, so we are checking that out. Meanwhile, little Goliath is sharing his love of life with everyone who meets him.
Then the bombshell. Goliath has a PDA - patent ductus arteriosus - a hole in his heart which should have closed shortly after birth, but did not. We were told he would not grow as big as his brothers, and when he does grow, it will further compromise his heart function and eventually he will die. Our choice was euthanasia or allow him to live out whatever life he has left.
None of the people in that exam room wanted to see Goliath euthanized - it just wasn't a good day for a little guy who was fighting so hard to live to have to die. About that time, he started playing - doing what I call the puppy prance - and acting like a contender on American Idol. I asked the rescue coordinator if I could take him home and let him live till he either became so symptomatic that he couldn't be comfortable, or passed away on his own. She agreed.
Goliath will be eight weeks old in two days. He goes outside and plays in the grass,. follows me around the yard, and attacks my pant legs and shoe laces. He gives great lickies!!
We have been told that one of the veterinary teaching hospitals in the state sometimes does a PDA repair for charity, so we are checking that out. Meanwhile, little Goliath is sharing his love of life with everyone who meets him.
Will He Make It?
Got a call from the local kill shelter at nearly 5 PM on a Friday night. They had confiscated a litter of 8 puppies from a neglect situation and one wasn't doing well. Could we take them?
All eight were boys - 7 of them relatively healthy, just needed food and wormer and some flea prevention. Number 8 was only a third the size of his brothers. His eyes were glued shut with pus, and his ribs were prominent. Took the pups home and got the seven settled in the kennel, and then took number 8 to the house where I put some antibiotic ointment in his eyes, got him some food and water. Because he was so much smaller, the thought that he might have a congenital defect of some sort nagged at me. He ate, drank, and snuggled up with a small stuffed toy for a much deserved snooze.
The antibiotic ointment did its work, and then I could see what looked like a cataract on his right eye, and a blip in his left. Not a good thing. First thing Monday morning he would go to the vet. We have to have a name to make the appointment, so we called him Goliath.
All eight were boys - 7 of them relatively healthy, just needed food and wormer and some flea prevention. Number 8 was only a third the size of his brothers. His eyes were glued shut with pus, and his ribs were prominent. Took the pups home and got the seven settled in the kennel, and then took number 8 to the house where I put some antibiotic ointment in his eyes, got him some food and water. Because he was so much smaller, the thought that he might have a congenital defect of some sort nagged at me. He ate, drank, and snuggled up with a small stuffed toy for a much deserved snooze.
The antibiotic ointment did its work, and then I could see what looked like a cataract on his right eye, and a blip in his left. Not a good thing. First thing Monday morning he would go to the vet. We have to have a name to make the appointment, so we called him Goliath.
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