In the middle of August, Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston (WSRH) received a request to take in a Westie mom and her puppies. The person surrendering this little pack said Pippa had been dodging cars on a busy highway so they picked her up and took her home. Two weeks later, she gave birth to four puppies. The finders kept the little family for nearly four months when they realized they were unable to provide the vetting that five dogs required so they reached out to WSRH. Realizing that the puppies were four months old and had no veterinary attention or shots, we immediately said yes and took in the little pack.
Pippa was a great mom! She was very attentive to her four pups which were almost her size already and still were nursing. The first job for the volunteers at WSRH was to get rid of the fleas and worms, then get them to the vet to be checked out and start their shots. Dr. French at Bear Branch Animal Hospital examined the little family and found the pups to be quite healthy, however, he was concerned with Pippa’s health. X-rays confirmed she had bladder stones while a heartworm test was running and would bring us bad news. Pippa’s bladder stones were quite large so Dr. French wanted to get them out as soon as possible, however, since she was still nursing, we needed to allow her a little time for her body to recover. At four months old, the puppies were old enough to be fully weaned and they had no trouble eating whole food, so it was time to give mom a break. WSRH worked with an all-breed rescue group to place the pups, who looked nothing like mom.
After resting for two weeks, Pippa was scheduled to have her bladder stones removed and be spayed at the same time. The surgery went well and, after two weeks of recovery, she began treatment to eliminate her heartworms. Heartworm treatment can be very hard on a dog. It is reported that the medicine which destroys the heartworms also can cause pain and inflammation in the dog, making them lethargic as we would feel with the flu. It’s also hard on dogs who do not experience as much discomfort because they have to be confined for at least a month: no jumping and playing, no exercise which may cause an increased heart rate. Pippa is in a foster home with retired foster “grandparents” who are able to watch her closely and make sure her recovery continues to be uneventful.
Pippa has cleared the two-week mark following the start of heartworm treatment and is doing very well. If she continues to do well, we expect Dr. French will release her later this month and she will be available for adoption.
We are very grateful for WestieMed and all of its supporters for being there to provide assistance for all Westies who need extra help in getting healthy and well and ready for forever homes, especially our little Pippa.
Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston
www.WSRH.com
Update August 12, 2015
On behalf of Pippa, we send our sincerest gratitude to WestieMed for the help provided to remove her bladder stones and heartworms. Pippa did well in heartworm treatment and made friends with Louie, a Scottish terrier going through treatment at the same time. The two friends often curled up together during their confinement and seemed to find comfort in each other’s company.
Pippa since has been adopted and was able to stay with her newly found BFF, Louie. The wonderful lady who met them decided she wanted to keep them together so they get to continue to enjoy each of their companionship as well as the love and care of a doting mom.
Thank you so much to WestieMed for helping this sweet girl live a full and pampered life.
Kind regards,
Maggie Escriva
Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston