In early April, we were contacted by a lady that had taken in five Westies from a family member that had become ill and couldn’t care for them. When she found out the owner would not get well enough to ever be able to care for the dogs, she decided she needed to re-home them. We were told that the dogs were acquired for breeding purposes. We arranged for the arrival of the five dogs and settled them into foster homes.
We were told the dogs were all healthy and sweet. They all are definitely sweet, but right from the start, foster mom noticed that Chloe, was not well. She was very skinny, lethargic and just unwell.
She arranged for the vet to see the dogs first thing that next morning and that is when we found the extent of the problem with Chloe, a bad case of Westie Jaw known as Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO). They gave care instructions to the foster mom which included processing soft food with water or broth into a thick soup, which she eagerly lapped up. She was able to start gaining weight and her energy increased every day. We were referred to the specialists at the University of FL Veterinary hospital who said they had never seen this condition in such an advanced state. They advised that the best hope for this little girl was an extensive and dangerous surgery. We are very concerned about this, but we know her options are limited.
Our goal for this incredibly sweet little girl is to provide her with a more normal life that will allow her to be happy, healthy and for her to enjoy her life to the fullest.
Aggie Latyak
Sunshine State Westie Rescue
Update August 14, 2019
I am not sure if the last update included the immediate aftermath of her surgery. Her condition was so far advanced that they could not free her jaws. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to be in too much discomfort and she does have pain medication on hand if she should need it. The few interested parties that initially acted like they were interested in adopting her no longer expressed interest when we couldn’t correct the problem, so she is being cared for by our foster. The other thing is that she and her sister are very bonded. Foster mom decided to adopt her sister, Panda, so they could stay together. They are having a great life. Chloe loves to run outside, play in the mud and swim in the pool. Feeding time, as you can imagine, is very messy because of the way she has to eat, but foster mom has it down to a science now.
Thank you so much for helping us with our really difficult cases.
Aggie Laytak