westiemed – Page 22

Dodger

January 1, 2011December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

One evening late last August, I was on the computer and saw a message come in from Westie Rescue of Missouri’s (WRM) Facebook discussion board. Four months earlier I wrote a post about a recurrence of furunculosis in my eight-year-old former mill dog, PeachPie – the issue had long since resolved. A reply was posted, and I was tempted to ignore it but opened it anyway. It simply read that the writer was encouraged that my dog’s ailment had healed at least once…her dog’s hadn’t and it had been a very long time. I wrote her back and said I’d try to help with some info, but it would take a while because I was swamped. An email came back saying she (Lisa) understood and she would wait. She included a photo of her dog, Dodger, taken that evening. It stopped me in my tracks.

From the photo, Dodger, a two year, eight-month-old Westie, had a horrible growth under his chin and huge, awful looking paws. I was pretty dumbfounded but learned Dodger lived in central Louisiana and had been seen by numerous vets and even LSU Veterinary Clinic. No one really seemed to know what was wrong, what to do, or how to do it. One vet diagnosed Dodger with “the canine equivalent of Scleroderma” and recommended Dodger be put down.

I sent the photo along with the medical reports Lisa had emailed to everyone I knew and heard back from Karen Simondet. She offered to send the reports/photos to specialists she knew in California, but it was Labor Day weekend, and it took a little more than two weeks for the information to come back. Both the specialist and Westie Specialist, Dr. Kay believed Dodger’s problems were allergy-based bacterial and yeast infections.

WRM recommended I contact BJ – a woman with a lot of experience in holistic alternatives for info as well. For two months Karen, BJ, and I tried to support Lisa and Dodger from a distance but he got worse. By mid-October I received a heartbreaking email from Lisa. Dodger’s “chin mass” got worse and ruptured and his feet were no better. Lisa said for the first time in two and a half years, she no longer believed she could get Dodger well.

Lisa, Karen, BJ and I came up with a plan for Dodger to come up to me – just outside of St Louis – close to BJ. We thought if nothing else a new environment and a new vet might help. And WRM gave Dodger WRM Honoree Rescue status, allowing my vet to “officially” treat Dodger as a dog in rescue – waiving many fees and substantially discounting care and supplies.

On November 1, 2010, Lisa arrived from a two-day drive from Louisiana with Dodger in tow. Dodger exceeded all of our worst expectations. The first night alone, the smell of yeast was simply awful-within an hour the house reeked. Dodger went to the yard, but unfamiliar with its terrain, he tripped several times, breaking open some of the growths on his feet. They just oozed more. I called to get a vet appointment the next day and Lisa headed out to start her long trip back to Louisiana. Through all of this, Dodger was the sweetest dog and acted like everything was ok. He seemed to smile when he looked at me.

When I took Dodger to the vet the next day, the technician came in to get Dodger’s history and to look at him. You could just tell by the look on her face. She left the room and returned with my vet a few minutes later. By that time the exam room reeked. When Dr. Chris came in, he was friendly and professional as always, but the look on his face spoke volumes.

Dr. Chris didn’t know what to think about it all. He’d seen some pretty bad things before, but nothing like Dodger. He took some samples for cultures and dressed Dodger’s front feet in an antibiotic ointment. He changed the oral antibiotic from Baytril to Cephalexin and reduced Dodger’s two-month-long 10mg/day Prednisone dose down to 5mg/day. He increased Dodger’s Ketoconazole to 1/4 tab twice a day and later to 1/2 tab 2x/day. He also wanted daily cleaning of Dodger’s “chin mass” by scrubbing with Malaseb equivalent shampoo. He immediately took Dodger off the Metacam he’d been taking occasionally for pain and put him on Tramadol. Dodger also went on Doxycycline for a month when E-coli was present per the sensitivity cultures. Dodger also went on a limited ingredient diet to help his immune system to return to normal.

I asked Dr. Chris if he’d mind me bringing Dodger in every week or so, just to make sure everything was okay. After he looked at me like I was from Mars, he told me Dodger would be coming in every two to three days “for a while”. “Awhile” was a month.

Dodger’s first month was difficult. He ran into numerous problems – terribly constipated from a raw-only diet I’d put him on within his first week, sick from Ketoconazole, frustrated at having his feet and chin squeezed and prodded by the vet three times a week, and frustrated with rough scrubbings of his chin every day. For a while, the infections got worse too. But he never had a bad day and never growled through any of it. He always seemed to smile as if he knew I was there to help him, not hurt him.

In early December Dr. Chris biopsied three of the feet after Dodger had more problems with his feet. At this time, Pat Baker, an avid Westie lover, and groomer that I know through Facebook suggested I ask my vet to look into a compounded antifungal to help with Dodger’s nausea and anorexia, as her own dog experienced the same problems with the drugs.

My vet ordered a compounded Itraconazole and WRM helped with Dodger’s two-month supply. Within two days of that change, Dodger’s appetite bounced back and within a week the yeast began to retreat. The biopsies came back with the paw problems being follicular in origin. By mid-December Dodger was also off Doxycycline and down to 5 mg Prednisone on alternating days. His dressings came off and he was changed to 2x/day soaks/scrubs of his feet and chin and the vet gave us the okay to use immune-boosting supplements, so BJ developed Dodger’s nutritional support/supplementation plan. Dodger also remained on his very limited ingredient diet which the owner of a specialty grooming and specialty dog food store a few towns over chose for him.

By mid-December, Dodger was doing very well and the vet wanted to cut away the granulomas to his feet and to cut away Dodger’s “chin mass” that never did stop producing sterile pus. The vet believed surgery would reduce the opportunity for yeast and infection to grow/hide and would give Dodger a better quality of life. Dodger had to wait three weeks for my schedule to allow for his surgery – it was scheduled for 1/3/11. In the interim, he went to once a day soaks/scrubs.

Lisa relinquished Dodger to me on New Year’s Day because she loved him dearly and wanted this sweet boy to live knowing that returning him to Louisiana could be very detrimental to his health.

Dodger’s surgery was done on 1/3/11 and inside each granuloma, on each paw, the vet found a hardened mass of infected hair follicle. The chin mass had little blood supply but was still laden with pus. Dodger will return to the vet tomorrow to remove the bandages to his three paws. Later this month he will have allergy testing. And after that, he will have teeth cleaning due to the hyperplasia of his gums. They aren’t expected to improve. Dodger also needs specially formulated heartworm prevention that costs more than regular preventative, and because he had a bad skin reaction to Revolution, he has to take Comfortis for flea/tick prevention.

As you can imagine, Dodger’s vet bills, food bills, and supplements have been quite high these past two months, even with my vet’s generosity. The grant Dodger’s received from WestieMed will do so much – paying for this week’s surgery, upcoming allergy testing and serum, the dental cleaning and medications, special heartworm prevention, and Comfortis. By the end of this month, we expect Dodger to primarily require preventative maintenance medications and baths as well as a limited ingredient diet. We’re thankful to everyone who’s been involved with Dodger’s journey, the support we’ve received from Facebook connections, most of whom we’ve never met and from WestieMed for supporting Dodger and helping us cover his medical bills. Sometimes it was that support that got us from a bad day to the next day! It really DID take a village to give Dodger his life back.

Thank you WestieMed! We will keep you updated on Dodger’s progress.

Daine and John Brundage and Dodger Westie Dog (DWD)

Update January 8, 2011

DWD pulled out of his back right leg bandage yesterday and again this morning while I was running errands. When I came home I could see it had bled a little. His front right foot is hurting him a lot again today. And after the vet visit, DWD insisted on running in the field for a while with Sandy Neighbor Dog – so he’s probably going to be pretty sore for the rest of the day and into tomorrow. The vet visit went well. We should have the bandages off Monday. He continues on California Natural Lamb/Rice and Bravo lamb grind and California Natural Lamb/Rice (with oatmeal) bars (treats). He will stay on 250 mg Ceph 3x/day through January and then down to 2x/day. He will stay on the Itraconazole compound through January and then probably to ketoconazole every other day. He’s changed from every other day Pred to 5 mg on MWF. He still takes zinc. He gets coconut oil, Prozyme, and Wobenzyme as supplements. He gets Animax applied to his chin 3x/day and will get it on his feet 2x/day when the bandages come off for a while. He will get allergy testing in about three weeks.

While we were at the vet today, there was a tiny Rottie mix puppy that Dodger was very interested in so he got to check the pup out and he was very gentle with the pup, it was very cute. Everyone at the vet’s office agrees that he’s never had a bad day through this all. Thanks again for caring about this LWD and have a great weekend. Daine

Update January 10, 2011

DWD had his bandages removed today and then ran alongside me while I went to get Sandy Neighbor Dog out. It was a little too much for him. The smaller of the granuloma on the right front foot was the deepest of all, it went all the way through to the bottom of his paw – but that was the ONLY one that did that. His feet are obviously swollen and hurt him a lot right now. He has Animax ointment on his feet/chin – 3x a day now and he’s wearing children’s athletic socks over his feet secured above the paw with self-sticking velcro. For they’ll get changed 2-3 x a day. His chin looks great. He goes back on Saturday to have the sutures removed. Dr. Chris put some sutures in where the big granuloma was cut away. DWD will have his allergy testing on 2/3/11. We want to sincerely thank you all again for the support you’ve given DWD and us. It’s made things so much easier.

Daine

Update January 15, 2011

DWD had the stitches from a couple of his toes removed this am. He’s doing very well and he’s healing nicely. He stopped taking tram on Tues or Wed night. He’s not having any pain and has definitely found his wag. He sat as quiet as he could while the stitches came out this morning, but became very brave and bossy and barked up a storm while sitting in John’s lap. There’s very little swelling of his paws – especially compared to Monday’s pics. But today we can tell that both of the huge granulomas – the big nasty pink/red one on his right front paw and the BIG, nasty black one on his left front paw actually did grow through the paw – top to the pad. Dodger will get a soak and light scrub of feet and chin for at least the next week. We are leaving his feet uncovered through most of the day now – covered and with Animax at night. I expect we’ll start using the malaseb spray again at night too before long. His medications and his supplements and food are still the same. In February he will go down to 2 Ceph/day and the vet will decide about the Pred and Ketoconazole or alternative then. Dodger Westie Dog will have his allergy testing blood drawn on 2/3/11. This will be the last update until 2/3/11 unless there’s something worth sharing. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support over the past two and a half months and for caring about this LWD. Lisa wrote to me yesterday and said she misses him terribly. She’s thrilled with his surgery and it’s the outcome so far though, and she starts college classes again on Monday and said she made the right decision to let DWD go.

Daine

Update February 2, 2011

DWD went back to the vet today. Dodger’s front feet are doing very well. So is his chin.

His rear left paw has some swelling and bloody draining. This is the foot that was lanced and biopsied in early December. No granuloma has grown, but this was a change for the worse compared to last month. His right ear has become much softer/thin, but the left ear is about as leathery as it was at last visit last month. His meds were changed to: Ceph 250 2x/day, ketoconazole 1/2 tab/day x 30 days, zinc daily, Pred on M/W/F. He’s still on prozyme but the vet wants him off wobenzyme for now. He still gets some coconut oil in his food each day. He gets Antimax on his paws at night and they are covered. He’ gotten the wraps off his left front paw quite a bit recently, and his feet aren’t covered during the day as it’s been very wet here. He had blood drawn for allergy testing today.

Oh – vet wants me to spray with Genesis spray once a week. DWD will probably go back to the vet when the allergy testing results are in – about ten days. Otherwise, DWD is doing well. He’s gotten bored with his treats and food, so that’s become a bit of a battle and he’s managed to grab others’ treats sometimes. He also has a very bad habit of eating things in the yard – birdseed, leaves, twigs, etc. He’s also grabbed and eaten some other dog’s hair (from clippers). Found a no-fail way to get him to take his meds. He gets them in a small amount of Bravo as I SHOW him another wad of Bravo. He’s greedy so he gobbles down the first wad with the meds, without his usual inspection, and goes for the second wad. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts. Thanks for caring about this LWD.
Daine

Update April 6, 2011

It’s been just over three months since Dodger had surgery to remove the masses to his three paws (fourth was done four months earlier as a test), so it seems like a good time to send an update. Dodge’s chin has healed nicely. And his paws are doing very well too, but they continue to be a challenge. Dodger’s had a couple more growths – one that the vet had to remove from the first paw that was done back in November. Dodger is holding his own but the paws still blister at times and always seem to drain – but not much. He gets a 15-20 minute foot soak and scrub with a boar bristle brush on most days, followed by Genesis spray to all paws. And every night he gets Antimax ointment rubbed in between his toes and his feet are covered with socks ’til morning. He’s been on allergy shots for almost two months now and is at ten-day intervals now. Dodger’s going to stay on a limited diet of California Natural Lamb & Rice, he also gets some peanut butter and raw food – but not much, and the occasional cat food he steals. One problem we have is that he has the equivalent of Pica for dogs. He eats a lot of what he finds outdoors – plants, grass, seed pods, you name it – he’s not fussy. Our vet decided its better for Dodger to remain on Ceph (2x/day), Ketoconazole (1/2 tab/day), and Pred (3x/wk) along with supplements and probiotics until Fall’s first hard frost than to risk it. But instead of going to the vet three to four times a week – now he goes about once a month. WestieMed, we can’t thank you enough for the assistance you provided with Dodger’s medical bills! Dodger,
Daine, & John Brundage

Update December 20, 2011

Well, our first full year as Dodger’s permanent guardians is quickly coming to a close and what better time to send an update to WestieMed about him.

It’s been a year full of ups and downs for Dodger. Unfortunately, the growths on his feet returned and were removed several times, much more so on his front paws. We don’t know what stimulates their growth, but we’re pretty sure it’s environmental and he’s much worse in the humid, hot summer months.

In June Dodger got a very bad infection in one of his back legs that turned out to be pseudomonas, an opportunistic bacteria. He spent a month on Baytril and beat the infection but it was a scary time.

We’ve had lots of ups this year too! After Dodger’s pseudomonas episode, Dr. Chris decided to take him off the prednisone he’d been taking to suppress his immune system for well over a year and Dodger did great! Since then we’ve also cut his ketoconazole to 1/4 tab 3x/wk from 1/2 tab every day! Oh, and that “thing” that was cut off his chin in January – it never came back and all the hair grew back!

Dodger gets his allergy shots every month now and he eats a limited ingredient diet.

He doesn’t have to have to have his feet soaked and scrubbed anymore because we learned it didn’t really help him, we put Antimax antibiotic ointment on Dodger’s feet and cover them in socks each night. He’s been free of yeast infections this past year and that’s been wonderful! Also, there’ve been no lampshade collars for Dodger to endure since he joined our family in late 2010 and we’re really happy about that, too.

But Dodger’s skin is very thick which makes it quite difficult to give his allergy shots and it’s become all but impossible to intubate him; thankfully so far and he’s been able to have what medical procedures he’s needed with local sedation. Over the past months, Dodger’s had a harder and harder time evacuating his bowels so we’re watching that closely and hoping the problem won’t cause any problems or worsen.

Dodger’s got a wonderful disposition, he’s a bossy, chatty, opinionated little white dog who always seems to make the best out of whatever life dishes out to him. He loves people and attention and gives our vet’s staff and our visitors gentle “love bites” whenever he can. Oh, and Dodger eventually wore us down at bedtime and staked claim to a good portion of our bed a few months back. He’s very pleased with himself about that accomplishment and I swear he smiles when I put him on the bed each night.

In closing, we want to thank WestiMed once again for being there for Dodger and for us! It’s made all the difference in the world to know there are so many in WestieMed-land who’ve cared about and rallied for our little, bossy guy.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday and a prosperous new year.

Daine

Update June 22, 2012

I am sad to tell those of you who knew Dodger that we had him put to sleep this morning. Dodger came to us on 11/1/10 – initially to stay with us a few months, but it took a NY second for all of us to realize he’d come home. He brought John and me so much joy and laughter and happiness at the same time our hearts broke at the fate he was destined to on this earth. I will be forever grateful to all the wonderful people who shared our joy and sadness and who rallied for him and loved him from afar. Your support and encouragement were very much appreciated by Dodger Westie Dog and by John and me.

Summers were never easy for Dodger and this one was worse than the last two. He struggled for the past six weeks with boils that came back with a vengeance. Until yesterday we were able to cover the pain that came and went as the sores came and left. But by last night even high doses of tram and rimadyl barely helped. There were other problems too – related to the treatment and to the disease, whatever it was. After we got him comfortable today, he spent the morning in the yard, lying on his island and in the grass – barking and watching all the things that go on in the yard. Today he was as he always was – happy, opinionated, bossy, and stoic.

Thank you again for all your support and love – to Dodger and to me. It made all the difference in the world.

If there is a place that transcends the pain and suffering of live as we know it, and I believe there is, Dodger is now able to run and eat and drink free of the pain, suffering, encumbrances, limitations, and challenges that he experienced in his life up til now.

Daine

Lucy

November 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Lucy’s owner had to move into assisted living and could not take Lucy with her. So Lucy went to live with family. Lucy developed incontinence and unfortunately, with three other dogs already in the household, her family could not continue to care for her. Maryland Westie Rescue took in Lucy in July 2010 and brought her to a vet for evaluation of her incontinence. The diagnosis turned out to be a severe case of Cushing’s Disease. Lucy spent over a month in the hospital as vets tried to find the right balance of medication for her. In early September, she went to her foster home. However, because the vets were still trying to find the right dosage, Lucy had to report to the vet’s office every few weeks for a half day’s worth of testing. Lucy is currently in long-term foster care as the vets continue to adjust her medication. We are looking for a permanent home for her with a family that will be able to love this friendly little Westie and provide for her life-long medical issues. Many, many thanks from Maryland Westie Rescue and Lucy!

Thanks, Phil

Update January 15, 2011

It is with great sadness that I tell you that Lucy, our rescue Westie with severe Cushings, passed away this afternoon.

She was having a good day with her new owner and her Westie brother, Max, but then collapsed in the car on the way home.

Her owner rushed her to the emergency vet, but there was nothing they could do for her. I wanted to pass along my greatest appreciation for the grant that WestieMed provided to help cover her vet bills since she came into rescue this past summer.

Despite the long-term care, our vets were then able to provide, her little body was just overwhelmed by the severity of her illness.

We’re at least glad that she found her forever home last week, even if forever was far shorter than anyone wished.

Thanks, Phil

Lacy

November 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

One afternoon in mid-May I was talking on the phone to my daughter that lives sixty miles from me. While we were talking it became apparent that she was preoccupied with something. Finally, I asked what was going on. She told me that she was watching a little dog, like Skeeter (my Cairn Terrier) over in the neighbor’s yard. She was concerned because there were some large dogs hanging around. She was afraid they would hurt the little dog. Neither of us could sleep that night for worry of the little guy being hurt by the large dogs that were gathering. This is the beginning of Lacy’s story.

The following day I called my daughter and she told me the little dog was still there. Being a volunteer worker for Col. Potter Cairn Rescue, that afternoon found me at my daughter’s home. I needed to identify the little guy. If he was a Cairn I knew they would take him. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw him from a distance. His coat was so matted that the mats hung from him like pieces of an old rug. This poor little guy had been on his own for a very long time. We called him to us with pieces of lunch meat. He would come to within six to eight feet from us and then turn and run from us. It was then that I could see glimpses of white peeking out. I knew then that he was a Westie. For several hours we tried to catch him. Finally, we had to quit for the night. We went to a local store and brought a few cans of dog food and left it out for him. In the morning it was gone but we couldn’t be sure that he had eaten it. There were some other strays in the area. I had a 22 lb. turkey in the freezer so I cooked it and pulled it apart and made little bags of frozen turkey to tempt him with. I was sure that in a couple of days we would catch him. The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. I found it hard to sleep at night I was so worried that he would get injured or killed before I could catch him. Each time that it would rain I would cry for him outside in the rain. I started calling him “Westie”. So many times I came so close to catching him. Soon all he had to do was see me and he would come for the turkey and treats, but just as I would reach for him he would turn and run.

We started looking for his owner. We made signs and put them up everywhere that had a bulletin board. We even put signs in the library and laundromat. I called three county shelters to see what help they would be. Each told me to catch the dog and then call them. They would hold him for five days while waiting for someone to claim him. Then if they determined that he was adoptable we could pay an adoption fee and take him. I’m so glad that we didn’t do that. They would have most likely have tested him and found out that he had heartworms and determined that he was not adoptable. They would have put him to sleep. That would have been the end of his story. It didn’t end there. Being a rescue person, I had numbers of people that I had talked to about Cairns. Eight people told me if I ever got a Westie please call them. I did, and the first thing they wanted to know was if he was vetted and healthy. Even though he seemed healthy I couldn’t promise anyone that he was, and I couldn’t afford to have him vetted myself. Still, that didn’t stop me. There was a little lost dog out there afraid and alone.

I made three or four trips each week out to my daughter’s home to try one more time to catch him. I sat on the ground with turkey. I even laid on the ground trying to win little “Westie’s” trust. It was now late August and he was still running around. He got to the point that he would put his little feet on my legs, yet any time that I moved he would run. Finally, in desperation I called my sister-in-law and asked her if I could get him…would she take him? She never asked for a clean bill of health. That was all I needed. The next day I was back out there and this time I would make a desperate attempt to grab him. He came to me as he had so many times before. This time when I was sure that he was close enough I made a lunge for him. I tackled him and managed to get a handful of fur. I held tight and closed him into my arms. He struggled against me. I buried my face in his dirty coat and cried. It was finally over. He was safe! I stayed the night and we handled him and cuddled him.

We were so surprised that he snuggled right in and even sighed and fell asleep in my arms. He somehow knew that he was safe. The following morning I started cutting out his mats before washing him. It took seven hours to groom him. You can imagine our surprise to find out that little “Westie” was not a little boy but a little GIRL. I called my sister-in-law and asked her if it were alright that he was a little girl…all All she wanted to know was when could I bring her to her. I took “Westie” to her the following day. The next day little “Westie” was taken to the vet. I got a call telling me that she was heartworm positive. A few days later I got a call telling me that “Lacy”, as she was now called, was in heat. I knew then, that no matter what, that rescuing the little Westie when I did was a miracle. Most likely she would have been killed by the stray dogs fighting over her. I didn’t know what to do so I went online to Col. Potter’s mentoring list and asked for help. They sent me to WestieMed. your organization. We, as Lacy’s extended adopted family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts…sometimes love alone is not enough. This is truly a love story.

Thank you WestieMed. for jumping in to help little Lacy. Thanks to all of you, for because of you, a little Westie whose days were numbered can now look forward to many years of life and love. Thank you and your wonderful group for jumping in and giving her the gift of life. Her nickname is Lacy Love. Once again I really want to thank all of you. I can’t believe how great your group has been. You have all went above and beyond working with me for little Lacy. I wish that you all could see and meet the little charmer. She is so cute and lovable. She really is the perfect little Westie girl…what an attitude she has. She is so full of herself and yet so sweet and loving. I really think that someone knew that she had heartworms and was coming into heat and didn’t want to deal with the expense and bother of the whole thing. Their loss is Lacy’s gain because she is loved so much.

Thanks To So Many,

Kathy Cabble

Lacy’s care was funded by a grant from The Pedigree Foundation.

Mason

October 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

I am an independent rescuer through the WHWTCA. Blind diabetic Mason fell into my lap one day in late September 2010. He was abandoned at a county shelter in southern New Jersey, with no information about his history. The shelter easily adopted him out since he is so sweet, only about six years old, cute, and housebroken, to boot. But when he collapsed a few days later, the new owner returned him. At that point, a kindly shelter worker, at his own expense, took Mason to a local veterinarian who diagnosed Mason with diabetes. That was when the shelter asked me to take him into rescue, knowing how difficult it was to adopt out a dog with diabetes.

Mason’s insulin dosage has taken some work to figure out and unfortunately, even with a “rescue discount” his expenses have mounted quickly. This was particularly true the first week when the vets and I were still working out what his proper insulin amount was, and Mason suffered one serious “crash” in that time. Thankfully, diabetes now seems to be stabilized with a modest dose of insulin, and his blood glucose is monitored daily to avoid further unexpected problems in that regard.

But Mason’s medical issues don’t stop there. He still needs some major medical work, including extensive dental extractions, investigation of whether his sight can be restored, and further examination of some of his other symptoms. But without all the initial work to get his diabetes under control, these future issues would be out of the question financially, and Mason might not even be with us today. I am hugely grateful to WestieMed for stepping in with a generous and badly needed financial contribution to Mason’s bills, which allows me to continue caring for him. He is worth it. He is a sweet, friendly, well-mannered fellow who doesn’t mind his insulin shots and doesn’t seem at all bothered by not being able to see where he is going. In fact, his favorite pastime is to fling his squeaky-toys up in the air – and then search for them! While he does that, I continue my search for his forever home: I know there is someone out there who will be able to accept and love this sweet little boy despite his medical challenges.

With heartfelt thanks, I am
Sincerely yours,

Lisa Curry
Garden State Westie Rescue

Kimmie

October 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

I was contacted by a Westie owner on Oct 5th. She informed me that her dog groomer had a shampoo girl that worked at the salon and also worked as kennel help in a puppy mill half time for income. The woman (Mary) was homeless and lived in her car.

She told the salon owner that animal control came and issued a summons to the mill that they had to downsize from seventy dogs to thirty dogs in ten days or be closed down. The woman started to dump her dogs. Two of her Westies had given birth about six wks prior and she was going to dump the older breeding bitches who were about five years old. She was going to dump them in the woods. The mill breeder gave Mary the two dogs to dump in the woods, and Mary wound up taking them to the grooming salon asking for help. They called me and I picked them up. Both dogs were in bad shape, (Kimmie/Lesley) and the vet bills for both were $1131.67. Both girls have the best personalities and are very social little butterflies. Always happy and smiling.

Both had severe yeast infections and needed dental. Kimmie was the worst, and she had a severe skin infection and required dental and extractions, spaying and an x-ray of her leg. (Lesley was in much better shape). Kimmie does not use her right back leg. She currently hops around on three legs. She has a severe luxated patella but I think its kind of not even able to go back in the socket at this point and we suspect a cruciate ligament. The vet will not know more until she cuts inside

Karin Parish Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

Update November 1, 2010

Kimmie had her surgery and it was unsuccessful. She had such severe cartilage damage, and bone spurs, and other damage that it could not be repaired. It was hard to see on an x-ray – but once the surgeon got inside, she said it’s comparable to If you knee broke and the tissue around it tore and you have your knee flexed and it healed that way for years to the point where now the bone density is so thick, you really can’t do much about it, its permanently affixed that way. She can balance on it, but she is never going to use it. The upside is that she isn’t in pain and we don’t have to amputate it. My vet is going to find time to write a report up, but everything was fast and furious this weekend, and she didn’t get to that part.

Karin Parish Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

Boomer - WestieMed Recipient October 2010

Boomer (Now Spencer)

October 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

I received an email from the Center Hall SPCA in Central Pennsylvania regarding a Westie that had been brought to them. They wanted to know if our rescue group could take Boomer. This is his story.

Boomer was picked up by a local dog warden near State College, PA. He was a stray living on the streets. He was taken to a local vet and asked to be euthanized. The vet refused so Boomer was taken to the local SPCA. He was malnourished and underweight. When the SPCA called and asked if our group was interested in finding him a home, I jumped at the chance to help him. He was neutered by a local vet before he came to rescue.

He arrived at his foster home with the Murphy’s a few weeks ago. I took him to my vet for a rabies shot and physical exam. I asked him to look at Boomer’s left hind leg, as I noticed he was not using it when going downstairs. The vet suggested x-rays after the exam. He discovered Boomer had a degenerative hip problem caused by either being hit by a car or being kicked. Also in the x-ray, we could see about 10-12 bb’s. He had been shot many times. To make it even worse the tips of his ears and tail were spray-painted pink as was the top of his head. Despite all this abuse, Boomer still loves people.

Boomer had hip surgery to repair his hip and is doing well. He is even putting some weight on his leg.

Boomer moved to a new foster home last week due to a very dominant male who did not get along with him. His new foster home had three female Westies and he loved being with them. He bonded with the foster family immediately. He stayed in this foster home until today. He is the happiest little Westie who only wanted someone to love him and take care of him. Today he went to his forever home in Edinboro, PA.

I am so happy that we finally found the right home for Boomer where he will receive all the love and care he needs to enjoy a long and happy life.

Bob Murphy Rescue Westies WPA

Update February 1, 2011: Now named Spencer

We have a wonderful dog named Spencer. His name was Boomer. We adopted him soon after you helped him in October 2010. I’ve attached a picture that I thought you might want to post to show what he looks like now.

I’m sure that he wouldn’t be doing as well as he is now without having had your help.

Thanks so much for all you do.

Sincerely, Donna Anderson Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Update April 24, 2011

In October my husband and I adopted Spencer (formerly known as Boomer). When we first adopted him, he had just had the surgery that your organization helped provide. He was only walking on three legs. Our veterinarian discovered that he had developed an infection in the surgery area. After medication, therapy, exercise, and TLC, he regained the use of his leg. He is now doing extremely well. He enjoys taking daily walks along the lake, playing with his fellow rescue Tracy, and sleeping on his favorite chair. Thank you so much for all that you do. We are very grateful for the caring people that made it possible for Spencer to live a healthy and happy “second” life.

Sincerely,

Donna Anderson Edinboro,
Pennsylvania

Cuddlebug

August 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Cat Assistance primarily rescues cats and kittens. We met Cuddlebug, a Westie mix puppy when one of our local shelters called us to see if we could help them.

Cuddlebug is a fantastic young dog that was dumped at the shelter because she was leaking urine. When we saw her at the shelter her white coat was all stained yellow She is such a great dog so loveable we knew we had to do our best to save her and do whatever it took to find her a home. We took her to our vet and had her spayed. Our vet had told us that even in the cage she was leaking urine.

We were lucky and found her a great foster home and we sent her there in the hopes that the problem would resolve. Unfortunately, the foster home called us a few weeks later and told us she was still leaking urine. We took Cuddlebug to a specialist and found out she has a congenital condition called ectopic ureter that needed very specialized and costly surgery.

We were able to raise some funds to get the surgery done but we did not count on the complications. Cuddlebug had a massive infection that affected her kidney and she needed to have a second surgery to repair the infection. The infection was so bad that we had to make a decision whether to remove her kidney or repair it and hope it would be OK. We made the decision not to remove the kidney as she is a young dog and a real fighter. She was in the emergency vet hospital for ten days even though we originally were told she would be there two to three days.

She is now doing well and we are hopeful that she will make a full recovery.

WestieMed has been so generous to help us with our vet bills to pay for Cuddlebug’s surgery. Without their generous support, we could not have saved this great dog.

Cuddlebug is now renamed Coco. Thanks for your support.

Sarah Hart, President, Cat Assistance

Update April 12, 2011

We really appreciate your support!
Here is a photo of her going home after her surgery.

Sarah

Update April 5, 2012

She is doing great adopted by her foster home and they love her!

Sarah

Lillie

July 1, 2010December 27, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Lillie came to me from Westie Rescue Tennessee where I was to foster her and another dog that came from a puppy mill. Lillie led a miserable life until she was rescued.

When I saw her, I immediately fell in love with those big black liquid eyes. Even as scared as she was, she was able to wag her little tail to say that she trusted me.

I did not know much about her history, but when she came to me, she had medicine for her ears as they were pretty messed up. I religiously put in the drops until she started vomiting and would not stop. I rushed her to my vet on Friday and Lillie was still vomiting in the vet’s office. She was diagnosed with a severe case of Cauliflower ears and my vet said it was so bad that she could do nothing for her and recommended I take her to a specialist in Decatur, Alabama.

I carried Lillie to Decatur which was a two-hour drive from my house and dreaded every minute of it as it was going to cost me around $1,200 per ear and I did not have this type of money. My vet stated that if Lillie did not get the surgery, she would go deaf. This was not what I wanted to hear and because she is such a precious little girl with a very positive attitude, I vowed to help her in any way I could. Before calling Westie Rescue Tennessee, I tried to come up with the money for her surgery, but the vet bills had amounted to over $880.00 and I had nothing left in my savings.

Westie Rescue directed me to WestieMed to see if they would help me pay for Lillie’s surgery and they have been very kind as I had no other avenue to turn to and I did not want this precious little girl to suffer any more than she had already suffered. She was in pain and was constantly shaking her head to the point of blood.

She does not, at this point need the surgery, but the bills and future bills for Lillie could become staggering.

Honey Bun - WestieMed Recipient July 2010

Honey Bun (Now Jackie)

July 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Honey Bun was a 4-month-old puppy who was bred in Ontario by a back yard breeder and then sold to a family when she was eight weeks old. The family quickly noticed that their new puppy was not eating well and not playing or enjoying life as a new puppy should, so they immediately brought her to the Vet.

Their Vet diagnosed her CMO (Craniomandibular Osteopathy) and they promptly returned her to the breeder asking for their money back.

Craniomandibular Osteopathy (also known as “Westie Jaw”) is a non-cancerous growth along both lower jawbones. Fortunately, CMO is treatable and puppies nearly always fully recover, however, the recovery period is long and quite painful for the puppy till their growth period is over.

The breeder reluctantly agreed to have the puppy returned to her and contacted Westies in Need for help. She asked us to take this little girl in as she was not familiar with Craniomandibular Osteopathy – as a matter of fact, had never even heard of it – and was not willing to pay the inevitable costly vet bills or put in the time to make this puppy well.

We immediately agreed to take this puppy into our rescue, but also felt very strongly that this was a good opportunity to educate her on CMO and to let her know that both the male and female Westie she used for breeding Honey Bun were carriers of this condition and should NOT be used again in her breeding program.

After much discussion and calls from our Vet, she finally agreed to surrender the mom of this little puppy to us as well. She also agreed to have the male neutered right away, but would keep him as a pet. The Mom was surrendered into our rescue four days after Honey Bun came in and is now spayed and had some badly needed dental done and is now living a wonderful new life!

WestieMed has been so incredibly generous to our rescue and we could not thank them enough.

Westies in Need is committed to making sure this little girl gets the best care possible and lives a long and healthy life and we could not do it without WestieMed!

Corrie Yeoman Westies in Need

Update November 16, 2010: Honey Bun now named Jackie

Jackie is doing extremely well. We can barely remember the frail little dog we brought back from Kingston in August. It has been amazing watching her grow in character and confidence. She has also grown physically, she is currently twelve pounds and has a healthy appetite. Chloe and her have developed a wonderful bond and I am not sure what one would do without the other. Chloe really watches out for her little sister and Jackie simply worships the ground her big sister walks on. She is fantastic on off-leash trail walks and we can’t believe how fast she has become. Chloe only has about half a Westie length on her. They run and play like crazy. She does not show much sign of the jaw pain as she did in August and September. It certainly opens more but is still a little limited. We are hoping to get her off the Metacam by next spring. We will make our final decision upon having X-Rays done in Feb- March to see how the jawbone looks. Jackie has brought a lot to our little family. In the early days of August, she did not seem to even act like a dog. Watching her grow into all her natural instincts and become the thriving little dog she now is, seems nothing short of a small miracle. When I watch her running “hot” laps around the house or yard, the catchphrase “high on life” immediately comes to mind.

Update April 12, 2011

I saw Honey Bun just a few weeks ago. We had an indoor Westie Play Day-which was so much fun-had 147 Westies come for an afternoon of fun!!! She was there with her family and she is doing great. No longer on any medication and looks PERFECT!!

Corrie

Sugar (Now Marin)

May 1, 2010December 26, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

A few weeks ago we had a phone call from our local shelter about a purebred Westie named Sugar, who was turned in by her owner. She was about three and a half years old, according to him, and he gave no reason for no longer wanting her. He did say, however, that he had paid a lot of money for her and, since she had not been spayed, he wanted to sell her papers to whoever adopted her from the shelter. The shelter manager told him that would not be allowed and that, furthermore, all dogs adopted from the shelter are required by law to be spayed or neutered.

We made an appointment at our vets and went to pick her up at the shelter. Her vaccines were not up to date and no heartworm preventive had been purchased for a couple of years. We were concerned that she would be heartworm-positive. And she was very thin with no flesh over her ribs.

When I arrived at the shelter the manager was walking Sugar outside on a leash. It was very obvious that Sugar was in distress as, in spite of constant squatting, she could not urinate but a few drops at a time. We realized that her medical needs were urgent. When we arrived at the vet clinic, Sugar continued to squat and this time we were able to see that her urine was bloody. Dr. Foster examined her, brought her vaccines up to date and ran a heartworm check which thankfully was negative. She also had intestinal parasites. But, she suspected bladder stones and the x-rays confirmed the presence of three very large stones which had been causing her distress and had put her life in jeopardy. She had surgery the following morning after spending the night at the clinic on IV’s. We knew she was finally in very good hands and was going to get the medical care she needed. We had asked if it would be possible to spay her at the same time as when the stones were removed and Dr. Foster said that if she could, she would but that it depended on how extensive bladder surgery was going to be.

Dr. Foster called that afternoon to say that Sugar was doing well and that she had been able to spay her at the same time. We were able to pick Sugar up the next day. She had removed three bladder stones that were as big as walnuts. She gave us two of the stones and sent one to the lab. The results came back indicating that they were struvite stones and that she had been suffering with them along with a bladder infection for several months. Her bladder was really rough from the stones and it will take a while to heal.

Sugar arrived at her foster home on pain meds and antibiotics with instructions to keep her quiet and only leash walk her. She will have to be on a prescription diet for the rest of her life and have periodic testing to be sure stones aren’t forming again. Her appetite has returned and she is finally beginning to feel a lot better!

Sweet Sugar is recovering very well and she is a wonderful happy little girl who gets along with her foster mom’s dogs. She wants to play but we are still on ‘play hold’ until she is fully healed. We do roll a ball for her to catch, but not too far, and she thinks that’s great for now.

We look forward to placing this cute little girl who deserved so much more than she got, in a home where she will be loved, can cuddle with her new family, and be properly cared for, for the rest of her life. We will be very careful to make sure that happens!

We would like to thank WestieMed for their help in enabling us to bring this little girl’s health back to where it should be. And with your help, we will be able to get the dental work done for Sugar’s gingivitis which she desperately needs!

Pam Brown

Update May 21, 2010

Great news! Sugar was adopted today!

Her new mom came down from DC to meet her and we all decided it was a perfect match. Sugar will be living with 2 male Scotties.

Susan, her new mom, has a live-in housekeeper so she will seldom be without human companionship.

I’ve attached a photo of Sugar with her new mom, Susan.

Pam Brown

Update May 29, 2010: Sugar now named Marin

Hi everyone! I renamed Sugar Marin because all my “kids” are Ms — Madison (whom I lost last year), Monroe, and Morgan. Marin didn’t know her name was Sugar so she does not seem to mind. I haven’t found any words she does know, actually, including the all-time favorites: dinner, cookie, outside, sit, down, come. We had a challenging week because of this and the fact that she is quite possessive of me and not really great to my two Scottish terriers. She’s pretty aggressive with them, and they had a pretty sedate, calm life before she arrived. My oldest Scottie — Monroe — is eight and a half and a distinguished older gentleman. He’s not happy with our new addition at all and earlier this week, for the first time in his life, he somehow slipped under the fence and showed up on our neighbors’ porch, essentially saying, “I’m moving out; may I come to stay with you?” Fortunately, they called.

We had a breakthrough last night when I realized that Marin is very much like a puppy, regardless of her three and a half years. She doesn’t know any rules or have any manners, chews my fingers like a puppy, and runs wild. So, I have decided to treat her like a puppy who needs to start at the beginning with training and strict rules.

Today we had our first vet appointment; overall she’s in good shape and her gingivitis is not as bad as I thought it would be; they suggested we wait a couple of months before we put her under to get her teeth cleaned and thought that wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, she also had some white blood cells show up in her urine, so she still has a UTI or bladder infection. We have another course of antibiotics and “cranberry” pills to make that better; she does not seem in distress, however, and her previous surgeries are all healed nicely. Some other good news is that the vet thinks there’s a good chance that she does not have to be on the prescription food for her lifetime because the bladder stones were likely just from an untreated infection; we’ll keep her on the special food for a couple of months more and then re-evaluate.

It was a full day for Marin because she also had her first groomer appointment with our groomer (a lovely woman who breeds championship Scotties and used to groom the former President’s dogs — Barney and Ms. Beazley); she was patient and gentle with a nervous little girl who didn’t want her tail or feet touched. She does not look so wild anymore; she actually looks exactly like my precious Madison, which endears her to me more. She’s actually a very sweet little girl, and, although she just doesn’t know what to do, I can see that she would very much like to do the right thing and wants to be accepted.

There will be more challenges, but she is now part of our family. She has hundreds of toys to play with and gleefully dives into the toy box all the time to try them out. She has her own comfortable, safe bed in my room and has started to play in a healthy way with my youngest Morgan. She and Monroe were even chasing each other around last night; she runs like the wind. She’ll be okay.

Thank you all for your help and support.

Susan

Update September 5, 2010

I adopted Sugar (now named Marin) in May. She had severe bladder stones when her previous family gave her up, as well as gingivitis. She was on antibiotics for several months after I picked her up, but her bladder infection is all gone now, and her gingivitis is cleared up due, according to her new vet, a healthy diet. She has gained weight, which she needed.

She is also settling down into her new home, and she seems very pleased to be a member of our family, which includes two Scottish Terrier brothers. They play well together and go on long walks with my housekeeper, who also takes loving care of them.

Marin is asleep on the foot of my bed as I type this evening, where she likes to sleep “bottom to bottom” with my youngest, Morgan. He only tolerates that but it’s very sweet to see.

I am attaching a photo of Marin with her new afghan, especially crocheted just for her by my sister.

Thank you for taking care of our girl before she came to us.

Susan

Update April 5, 2012

WestieMed and a rescue group in Virginia saved sweet Marin’s life before she came to us, and she has been on a really healthy, happy track ever since. She has not had a health crisis in the almost two years since then. She is incredibly energetic, and she loves everybody, including her two brothers, Scottish Terriers Morgan and Monroe. She sleeps in her bed in my office while I work, and has lots of toys (which she loves) to play with.

Marin’s spirit is definitely indomitable, and we love her very much.
Susan