11 year old Kandy was ill and her family couldn’t afford her vet care. Their plan was to have her euthanized without even attempting to help her. They had never spayed her or, it seems, done any meaningful medical care throughout her lifetime, so it now put her in the position of needing a lot of maintenance which would be expensive. Kandy had been a service dog to help them with their anxieties, and this was how she was repaid for her years of giving. Thankfully, their son couldn’t bear to have her die without the opportunity for treatment and reached out to North Atlantic Westie Rescue to see if there was anything they could do. They had a volunteer pick her up at her home in NJ, just outside NYC. She showed all the signs of having been sick for a long time: extremely dehydrated, not eating, her rib and hip bones sticking out and loss of much of her muscle, as well. She spent her first night in foster and by the morning, she was vomiting and unable to stand, obviously very sick. In an effort to get her to a local vet immediately, NAWR contacted Scottish Terrier Club of Greater New York Rescue nearby, who they have worked with many times in NJ, and Kandy was carried into a specialty vet with an Emergency Clinic that they used frequently. She was examined and admitted for emergency care and observation. After doing a myriad of tests, we were informed that she was a totally unregulated diabetic, seriously dehydrated and was in critical condition. Approving her care and hospitalization, the vet went ahead and got her on IV fluids and antibiotics to try to stabilize her condition. The next hurdle was to try to regulate her diabetes, so she was started on IV insulin once she was better hydrated. She was monitored every 2 hours throughout the night. The second day in the hospital, she stayed on IV and was weaned onto insulin shots. Her blood sugar which had been over 600 upon arrival was steadily coming down in the right direction. As she became fully rehydrated, she started feeling better than she must have felt for a very long time. By late that evening, Scottie Rescue was notified that she could be picked up and her insulin shots, prescription diet, and the remainder of her medications could be maintained at home. She spent a few more days with them and although weak, she was definitely recovering, getting stronger, and showing more of her bouncy Westie personality. She was transferred to Westie Rescue in Delaware and is doing very well. She’s running around, beating up lots of toys, barking when her meals aren’t ready fast enough, and just being a happy little Westie girl. She still looks and acts like a puppy, so we feel she still has years ahead of her to enjoy her second chance at life. Kandy is an adorable and sweet, spirited, petite Westie with a big persona, and so worth all it took to swipe her out of the hands of death.
We’re very grateful to WestieMed for agreeing with us and paying for this life saving medical care for Kandy!
With much appreciation,
Erica Cerny
Scottish Terrier Club of Greater New York Rescue