We received a text from Tink’s owner asking to surrender her to rescue because they could no longer care for her. This little girl just turned 5 last week and had been suffering for quite some time. Her itch is so intense that she received 3 baths in less than 24 hours of receiving her and was whisked off to our vet the very next day. Tink has a severe case of Malassezia dermatitis which is why her skin resembles elephant’s skin. Her ears are swollen shut, her nails were considerably overgrown, she has a heart murmur and is in need of a dental. Poor Tink is not spayed and was bred with the owner’s other dog. We will spay her once we get her skin under control. Her initial vet bill was extraordinarily costly and we will incur more cost once she gets her dental and spay.
This little girl is as cute as a button and so sweet and gentle. She has a long road of recovery and we are so thankful we have her now. She needed us and with the help from WestieMed, this little nugget will get everything she needs. We are committed to her health and happiness.
Karen Simondet and Kay DeLoach, WROC
Update October 28, 2021:
Tink has been in rescue for three months now and we’ve made quite a bit of progress. Her fungal and yeast infections have been eradicated, though we are still dealing with three types of bacteria. We’ve pushed out her spay and dental procedures because we do not want to do a surgery with bacteria on the skin. She is still receiving her medicated baths, every other day. The biggest change is in her personality. Though very sweet and quiet from the start, Tink has a bit of a wild side and loves to play! Now that she is feeling so much better, she exudes confidence that every little girl should own!
Karen
Update March 1, 2022:
It has been six months since Tinkerbell came to WROC and we’ve held off getting her dental and spay surgery done due to her persistent bacterial infection. However, during her recent checkup, several palpable mammary masses were discovered, so we bit the bullet and proceeded with surgery and sent out for biopsy. The good news is that the mammary tumors were benign. There was quite a bit of bleeding and her abdomen filled with fluid, so we continued with warm compresses several times a day. Turns out the surgery was the easy part. Tink suffers from Epidermal Dysplasia and though management of this condition is possible, curing it is considered impossible. Since we are unable to bathe her until her stitches come out, Tink has taken a step backward so we are doing everything we can to help control the itching until we can bathe her again. We must remain diligent in treating her to ensure long term comfort which is costly. We are so thankful to WestieMed for helping us accomplish this! In true Westie fashion, keeping Tink quiet has been a challenge! Nothing seems to phase this little girl. She is tough, resilient and lives every day to the fullest.
Karen – WROC
Update September 28, 2022
I can’t believe it’s been a year already! Tinkerbell just had her 3 month follow-up with the dermatologist specialist and though she is doing well, Dr. Werner thinks there is room for improvement. She has grown hair in her chest area, something I did not think was possible! It is sparse, but nevertheless it is an improvement. We will continue to administer 25 mg Atopica once daily, 1/4 tablet Ketoconazole 200 mg and we added 250 mg Terbinafine daily. If we don’t see a change with the Terbinafine, then we will change her anti-yeast treatment to Itraconazole. She has also been on a hydrolyzed diet this past year which is mainly for her irritable bowel disease but this also aids with her skin issues. As a last resort, the next step is allergy testing in order to formulate allergens for immunotherapy. She continues to get two medicated baths a week.
She is comfortable, happy and continues to keep Dewey in check. What a difference a year can make!
Karen