Although Jack, unfortunately, lost both of his owners within the past year the remaining family saw to it that he was well taken care of and boarded him at the Vet who had taken care of him since he was a puppy. The lady that owned Jack would take trips from the nursing home to the Vet’s office to visit him as often as possible as she obviously loved him very much. She did this for as long as she was capable of making the trips. When River City Westies learned of Jack, Teresa from River City Westies contacted us and asked if we would foster Jack which we did. We fell in love with him virtually instantly and a week or so later we adopted him. Jack is eleven years old and has a zest for life! He is a very happy, loving and active Westie boy who loves to play with toys, chase tennis balls, bark at squirrels, ride in the car, interact with others and go for long walks with us, but is equally content snuggling with you on the couch and giving you kisses! He gets along great with our other adopted Westie (June) who was a rescue dog from a puppy mill. They run around like two little white bullets and play together in our fenced yard. All in all two happy Westies!!
Jack has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) and requires a special diet and food supplement for the rest of his life. He has responded very well to this treatment, and the EPI is under control. We recently noticed that Jack seemed to be consuming a lot of water so we took him to the vet that had always taken care of him. They did a urinalysis and the results indicated his water consumption was too high for his size. The Doctor recommended that we have an ACTH test done to try and determine what the problem is. Thanks to WestieMed who is assisting us with the cost of the test we are getting it done ASAP. He is the love of our life and we want him to be healthy during his golden years. We can’t thank WestieMed enough for all they obviously have done to help Westies in need.
Thank You So Very Much, Tom & Helene Wagner
Jack – WestieMed Recipient
Update October 6, 2010
Jack is doing very well. He just had his annual physical exam at Midlothian Animal care and everything seems to be OK.
He is a happy little guy and is getting along fine with our other Westie (June) who is 5 years old and adopted also. June seems to get Anal Gland infections frequently and the Doctor suggested surgery to remove her anal sacs. Right now she is on antibiotics to see if that can clear up the infections.
We have Jack on a special diet that the Doctor recommended of Purina EN with a measured scoop of Pancrea powder plus twice daily. He is pretty active for his age of 11 years and we love him very much. So we are enjoying every minute that we spend with him.
Thank you again for your help in the past. Enclosed is a picture we took of Jack in his Halloween costume when he participated in The River City Westie Walk last week.
Thank you, Thomas Wagner
Update April 13, 2011
Jack is doing good, he just had his twelveth birthday on March 4th. I had him in the vets a few days ago and he needs to have his teeth cleaned as he has tartar on them. The vet gave us some antibiotics to give him until we can afford to get his teeth cleaned which will be probably next month. Jack won’t let me brush his teeth as I have tried several times and so has the vet he gets vicious about it so we have to get his teeth cleaned annually, the last time they had to remove three teeth that were bad so we are hoping we don’t have a repeat of that again. Other than that he is doing great.
Hello, my name is Rosie. I am about four years old and I have spent all of my life in a PA Puppy Mill. My home was a wire cage and I was used for breeding purposes only. I had very little contact with people. Due to the wire cage and poor care in the puppy mill, my feet and teeth are in terrible shape. I have had repeated infections in all my paws.
One day a very kind person from the PA AG Department came and rescued me from my poor environment. She called the MD Westie Rescue to find me a good loving home. Due to the kindness of the MD Westie Rescue, I was placed in a temporary foster home for about a month for evaluation, for medical care, and for finding me a loving family. Then some nice people found out about me and brought me home with them. I have been in their home from January 2010 to the present. My current owners are known to me as “Momma and Poppa”. They take good care of me and I have been under the care of a veterinarian who gave me multiple antibiotics and pain medications for my infections. I have been on medications since I have been living with Momma and Poppa. I had numerous surgeries (5) on all my paws. My Momma changes my dressings every other day.
When I first came to my new home, I was very timid and afraid of any human contact. My Momma and Poppa have been very patient and good to me. They give me lots of love. They take me on car rides and I can watch TV with them. I love to play outside. Now, I am much more sociable and even walk on my hind legs when I get excited.
I am restricted in what I can eat because the Vet believes I may have an allergy. I am on special dog food and allergy medication. Hopefully, this will prevent me from getting any more infections. Once my infections are under control, they will take care of my dental problems.
All this care has cost my owners, Momma and Poppa, a lot of money. Due to the wonderful people of WestieMed, they will receive financial help. Their bills total over $2,400 and climbing. I feel so much better now than I have ever felt in my life. I am beginning to trust and feel much love at my new home. I know this will be my “forever home”.
We want to thank WestieMed for all your help and support. We love our little “Rosie” and we will do all we can to make life better for her.
Thanks again and God Bless, Bill and Marge Lutz Fallston, MD
Update May 3, 2010
Basically, Rosie is doing very well, except for her two paws, one of which requires lots of care. The other three are a lot better than when we first got her last Jan. We spend ~ $260/mo. (includes a 20% discount) on her caretaking her to see our vet and having him clean out her re-occurring cysts and 4 drugs given daily. We will send you a more detailed update on Rosie when we get back from vacation in October. She is a sweet and lovable lady.
Thanks, Bill
Update April 15, 2011
Rosie – WestieMed Recipient
We had Rosie for the past sixteen months and as you can see via the attachments, she is 100% better than when we got her. She only had two flare-ups in the past six months and she recovered very nicely. As long as Rosie gets one Atropica tablet every other day is fed venison and potato dog food that we get from our Vet and wears her boots very time she go outside, her flare-ups seem to be controlled and eventually eliminated. One thing we need to do is to housebreak her. She does know how to tell us when she needs to go outside and thus she pees either on the floor or on pads. Thus, Rosie is restricted either to the kitchen or on our bed (she doesn’t mess on the bed). Rosie and our cat gets along very well — no fights. She is also good around our grandsons (ages two and four), but we need to watch them to ensure they don’t hurt her. There are times when I believe that she remembers her past, from the way she reacts when she is sleeping and having bad dreams. All-in-All, she is a wonderful pet and companion and we love her dearly. She weights ~ 22 pounds and in good health except for her allergy.
Any suggestions you may have in getting her house broken will be greatly appreciated.
We thank WestieMed for their help in getting Rosie back to good health.
My name is Buddy, and my story begins in September of 2009 when I ended up at the next-door neighbor’s house from my now new Mom. My owner didn’t want me anymore and decided to leave me there. They already had so many dogs that they wouldn’t let me in the house and so I stayed outside all the time. My fur was all matted and I ate only when one of the other dogs didn’t finish their dinner.
My new Mom could see that I wasn’t happy there and I was cold and shaking when the weather was bad. I also had fleas and ticks. So one day she came over and asked if she could have me. They were glad to give me to her since they couldn’t afford to feed me or get my yearly vaccinations.
Oh, life was good at my new home! I had my own bed, lots of food, a lap to lie on and new friends to play with. Only one afternoon, on November 20th a truck was driving up the driveway and I was playing with Quincy, my poodle friend while following the truck and I accidentally rolled under the truck and got hit!
Mom will tell you the rest of the story!!!
Buddy – WestieMed Recipient
Yes, Buddy could not get up, but was still alive! I took him to my vet and he was in such shock and pain that they had to sedate him heavily before taking x-rays. Buddy had broken his pelvis in many places and on his right side it had shifted upward pressing against his bladder.
Needless to say, he had to be taken to a surgical clinic to have his hips pinned and on the other leg, remove the ball from the end of his bone because the socket in the hip joint was shattered. Also the lining of his bladder needed to be repaired.
Anyway, after eleven days at the hospital, he got to come home for recovery. That was on November 30th, and now, as of December 16th, he is walking on three legs at least with every 3rd or 4th step on his other back leg. So he is doing so well despite everything he’s gone through. He’s wagging that tail and talking up a storm and it’s so nice to see him with his sense of humor back.
I can’t believe I’ve been blessed with such a warm and loving dog such as Buddy, and I thank the WestieMed organization for all their kindness and support they have giving me during this time. Buddy is a lucky dog to have survived, but I am the lucky one to have acquired such a good friend and companion. And yes, he is the lapdog of lapdogs and we love every minute of it!!
Sincerely, Paulette
Update December 31, 2009
Thank you so much and thank all the wonderful people for the check I received from WestieMed! I appreciate it so much and so does Buddy! This organization is so wonderful and so quick to respond!
Buddy is going back to the vet this morning for his checkup and they wanted to monitor his progress since he had so much damage. He’s doing quite well and is walking on one back leg, although he can move faster on just the 2 front legs… I have to hold him back using the harness so he can put some weight on the back legs to strengthen them. He is so quick though that it’s hard to keep him still, I guess that’s the Westie in him! What an attitude he has!! So loving!
Again, thank you for everything, Paulette
Update June 9, 2010
I just wanted to give you an update on Buddy who you have helped in 2009. He is doing so well! I took him to his last and final visit to the vet last week 6/3/2010 and the vet was reluctant to say that he didn’t need to see him any longer to monitor his progress. He is doing that well! They just loved him so much and took such good care of him there and Buddy just enjoyed seeing them every month for his visit.
It’s been six months since his accident and he has recovered beyond belief! Again, thank you so much for all you have done to help us. It is so nice to know you are there not only for financial support but for moral support!
Paulette
Update July 5, 2010
Buddy – WestieMed Recipient
I finally got to take some pictures of Buddy after he had a bath and a summer hair cut of course…he loves to play with his best friend Sadie, my yellow lab who is another rescue dog. Yes I know, she’s very well fed and eats like every meal is like her last one!
Buddy is doing great! He always walks on four legs and never picks that back left one up that I’ve seen for the past two weeks or so. It is a little shorter than the right one as you can see in the close-up. The pad of his foot doesn’t flatten out like the other, but that doesn’t seem to hinder him in any way, and he found out he can jump back up on the sofa and sit with me.
Buddy – WestieMed Recipient
Although, he’ll still turn around for me to pick him up the way he used to when he was injured.
It tickles me because he doesn’t want to give up that coddling that he got, and so I still hold him as I used to and he looks at me with those big eyes like he’s saying “don’t forget, I’m still your baby!”
What a doll, what can I say, he’s the best!
Thanks again for all you have done. Paulette and Buddy Wright
Update April 12, 2011
Thank you so much for inquiring about Buddy! He’s is just the joy in my life! I tell everyone he’s my $5,500 dog. Their jaw drops but he was worth every penny. I can now see how the accident happened. When he runs, he’s looking behind at who’s chasing him and not where he’s going. I’ve seen him run into walls, doors, and my other dogs…I’ve got to keep an eye on that guy…LOL. I love the way he talks!
He’s doing very well and you wouldn’t know that anything happened to him at all except his little left leg is a bit shorter, but that doesn’t slow him down at all! I will send you pictures although he hates to get his picture taken. When he sees the camera pointing at him he moves away…It’s so funny how they can sense things.
Lucy was a puppy mill dog for about the first seven years of her life and was in an “off the ground” cage north of Buffalo, NY. When she was about seven she was rescued, along with several other dogs by someone with enough money to get them. This person apparently placed Lucy with someone that bred her again. The story goes, that Lucy ignored her last litter. She was probably very tired and was then placed in another new home.
I was contacted by a woman that lives about an hour from me and said she got my name from the Beverly Rescue Group. Her name is Linda. This rescue group works with all kinds of dogs and cats and I gave them my name and number several years ago.
Linda explained that she had a friend that was in and out of the hospital and would be permanently in the hospital. She said that Lucy had been living alone in a mobile home since last February (ten months) and the owner was in the hospital more than home. There were also two cats in the trailer.
The SPCA was contacted and they would throw a bag of cheap food in the trailer every week, one for Lucy and one for the cats. Linda lived about twenty minutes away and was going over every two to three days to check on Lucy and give them water. Linda has five dogs of her own and was truly concerned about the situation. I made arrangements for the release of Lucy through Linda and went to the trailer to pick her up and give her foster care.
Immediately when I walked into the mobile home I could not believe the conditions this dog and two cats had been living in. The bags of food were broken open on the floor and there had been no one cleaning this place. Lucy was infested with fleas, no hair on her hindquarters and the top of her head. I broke open an Advantix that I brought with me (Pam and I have two male Westies) and put it on Lucy. I thanked Linda for her perseverance and drove Lucy directly to our Veterinarian, where she was diagnosed with a flea infestation, worms, bad bronchitis, and ear infections. With medication, she is now doing very well.
Additionally, she will be spayed and has a tumor on her mammary gland that will be removed and also needs extensive dental work.
It is a joy to see her progress and she actually goes up and downstairs now, she could not two weeks ago. She sleeps well and is not scratching herself anymore. Lucy gets excited and hops up and down …it’s the craziest thing.
It is so good to see her progress and how happy she is now. We have a few qualified families that may adopt her after she is through her medical issues. Her life will be great now and she deserves it.
Thanks to WestieMed. Thanks again for your help with Lucy. She is a perfect little girl.
John
Update December 31, 2009
WestieMed, thank you very much for your help with Lucy!
We “all” very much appreciate everything you have done. Lucy is now going to physical therapy to learn stairs and she is a lot better…she would not have made it through winter without all of us.
You guys are great, John and Pam Peck
Update June 28, 2010
Lucy is doing terrific and now looks like a normal Westie since her hair grew back in. She can even run now despite COPD from living with cats in the trailer! My wife has photos to send you when she returns from a trip next week. Lucy lives in a great home with our niece and her family. They love her and attend to the Queen’s every need. Please stay in touch and thank you for the financial help again, it was put to good use! John
Update April 13, 2011
Lucy had the best last year of her life with our niece Annie. Lucy was doing very well and then succumbed to cancer, without pain, dying in her “moms” lap. When she was buried, they placed a little crown on her head. She was a very sweet little dog with many medical problems including COPD. The whole family is still very sad. I also asked Anna to send you a message, I am sure she can tell you more about Lucy.
Thanks for your interest and I am sorry to be the bearer of the sad news. John
Update April 18, 2011
Lucy – WestieMed Recipient
This is Anna Wing (John Peck’s niece and Lucy’s owner). I am writing to update you with the sad news that Lucy is no longer with us.
Around the beginning of October, we noticed that Lucy was seeming to regress in progress. Up to that point, she had been doing amazingly well; she was going on mile-long walks, climbing full flights of stairs, and running around in the backyard like a puppy– all of which she was nowhere near able to do after she was first rescued. After some tests, the vet diagnosed Lucy with liver cancer, which she may have had the beginnings of when we got her, only there was no way to know until symptoms started showing up. Lucy only lasted a few weeks from the diagnosis, but she went very peacefully surrounded by her family.
I am glad to say that Lucy lived the last year of her life as the ultimate princess in our house. She enjoyed sleeping on her pink, fluffy “princess bed” in front of our fireplace, getting as many treats as she wanted, and getting to actually run around free in a real backyard. One of her favorite things to do was go exploring along the beach at our camp on the lake, where she could get into all kinds of new smells. Her instincts from being neglected were always still prevalent, and she was notorious for getting into and eating almost ANYTHING, especially the garbage!
I cannot thank WestieMed enough for allowing Lucy this final year to experience life as a loved dog should. Without your help, she never would have been able to overcome the terrible condition that she was in when John first rescued her from that trailer she was living in. We will always remember her as one of the sweetest and most appreciative dogs we have ever known.
Lilly is a one-year-old, unspayed, Westie who was born in a puppy mill situation (we believe) in a town called Sudbury, which is in northern Ontario.
She was originally going to be used for breeding however she got ill so the “breeder” advertised her in a local paper as “take her or we will put her down” A young girl, approximately 25 years old, and her father answered the ad and took Lilly when she was approximately four to five months old. The young girl was, we suspect, mentally challenged so was very unprepared and unequipped for the financial and emotional responsibility of taking care of an ill Westie, and felt the best solution was to keep her crated all day, for about six months and did not get her any Veterinary care.
Lilly’s skin and condition got worse and worse until the young girl could no longer cope and placed an ad on a website with her pitiful picture, offering her to anyone who wanted her. Very luckily, one of our Westie lovers saw the ad, contacted us and Westies in Need called the owner right away and offered assistance.
A Westies in Need family who have adopted two of our Westies (one puppy mill girl named Molly and a blind Westie named Tara) offered to make the four and half hour drive (one way) to get her for us and then turned around and drove right back to our waiting arms. We took her to our Vet that same day and her treatments began.
She is a tiny, sweet, fragile, sick little girl who has had a hard start to life, but we will make sure she gets the very best care possible from this moment on.
Westies in Need would like to thank WestieMed for all they do and for their very generous donation for Lilly’s care.
With love and thanks, Corrie Yeoman Kim McLean Directors, Westies in Need
Update January 6, 2010
To all of the wonderful folks at WestieMed, Just a quick e-mail to say thanks and thanks again for the generous donation you made to our rescue for our girl Lilly! It is so very much appreciated…we will keep you updated on her progress. Thanks!!
Corrie Director, Westies in Need
Update February 4, 2010
Lily – WestieMed Recipient
Well, it has been about six weeks now since our Lilly came into our Westies in Need rescue program and I wanted to send you all a follow-up picture and update.
When Lilly arrived she was so very sick and she was about seven pounds At the next Vet visit she went up to about seven and a half and at her last visit she was now almost eight pounds…slow but steady and we would love to see her gain a bit more.
Her fur is coming along…again slow…but a bit more every day! She was bathed three times a day for the first two weeks, then twice a day, then once a day and is now down to a bath every other day. The first few weeks she just stood there and did not move when you bathed her…now she hears the water run and she is gone!!! Too funny!!!
The biggest change we have seen (and I mean HUGE!!!!) is in her attitude. When I first got Lilly she slept about eighteen hours a day, would not run or play at all and had no life her eyes at all….well…she is now a little spitball!
This young lady has Westie-tude to spare! She barks at me if I am not quick enough with her supper, runs up and down our hall chasing my Charlotte like she is in the Indy 500, eats like there is no tomorrow, plays for hours on end with toys and is an absolute joy!
She is the sweetest, most loving and cuddly Westie I have ever known…if you let her she would live her life snuggled on your lap playing with your fingers or trying to chase your eyelashes!!! What a joy she is!
I will keep you all updated on her progress. I want to thank you all once again for your love, your support and your donations for this little girl. She had a rough start to life, but she is certainly making up for it now.
With love and thanks, Corrie Westies in Need
Update June 25, 2010
Lilly, as you know, came into the rescue on December 10th and at that time she was a mess, but she became stronger and stronger as the months went on and was even starting to grow some hair and not smelling as bad.!
Lily – WestieMed Recipient
THEN…April came and she had a small sore on her head one day (the size of my little fingernail) …in two and half days it covered almost half of her head (picture is attached) and was oozing and pussy. I thought for a moment she had flesh-eating disease….needless to say, we were off to the Vet in a minute and she was diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection that her current antibiotic was doing nothing for and Demodex Mange.
So from April till now it has been a long haul and we have kinda had to start at the beginning…she lost all her hair (damn!!!) and had, I would say, sixty small, open sores on her body from the mange.
Lily – WestieMed Recipient
She is now seeing her regular Vet as well as Steven Waisglass, a Canine Dermatologist. She went immediately on a different antibiotic and is now also on Ivermectin for the mange. She was also found to have a problem with her Thyroid (I sent all her blood work off to Jean Dodds) so she is currently on Thyroid medication as well.
I have attached some pictures for you to see…I need to take some more of her now as she is starting to improve. She is back to wearing little clothes all the time and she has to wear her back boots again as well so she does not rip her skin when she scratches.
We are back to a bath every other day with the Dermabens shampoo and then another shampoo with the Nizoral and then an oatmeal rinse and I have a Derma cool spray that I can spray on her in bad, itch spots.
Lily – WestieMed Recipient
Through all this, she is still eating and pooping well and is still the sweetest little thing. In April when she was VERY sick she was back to sleeping most of the day and very lethargic, but she has improved since then…does not sleep too much during the day and is back to playing with toys and trying very hard to play with my Charlotte, who still wants absolutely NOTHING to do with her. So funny!!! She was only 3.4 kg when she arrived in our rescue and is currently 5.6 KG now, so a good and steady improvement with her weight.
We appreciate WestieMed more than you know. Corrie and her little Westies, Charlotte and Miss Lilly
Update April 12, 2011
Lily – WestieMed Recipient
My Lilly is doing better…still not 100% which is disappointing but she is looking better. Her skin is still an issue and will probably be for all her life.
She is now seeing a holistic Vet in Toronto…she saw the canine dermatologist for months but I was unhappy as he just wanted to continue her treatment with additional drugs, so I am now on the holistic approach.
She has been on a RAW diet for a month now as well, but I have seen no improvement at all as far as her skin. Here is a picture I took of her in December! Corrie
Update January 9, 2012
I want to send you a follow-up regarding our Lilly. She was a little Westie who WestieMed helped over two years ago now. You helped me so much as well as Bette, answering all my questions – you are so knowledgeable and I could not begin to thank you enough!
Lilly continues to do well, not 100% but I doubt that she will ever be…but she is happy and a whole lot better than she was when she arrived in our rescue.
Last month we had 19 Westies come into our rescue – a very busy month but all are doing great!
A few days before Thanksgiving 2009, I received an email asking if I could help a stray that had shown up on a porch in southern Missouri. The woman requesting the help was 100% positive the dog was a wheaten Scottie but in very bad shape. She was concerned he might not make it through the night.
I requested pictures to help identity and upon receipt, I still wasn’t sure it was a Scottie but thought it was possible. One of our foster moms and I made the two-hour trip to pick up the dog, and upon arrival found an emaciated and matted Westie boy. He could barely walk; he had no upper front teeth and his front bottom teeth were worn down to loose nubs. He was scratching and underneath the mats, his skin was almost completely bare. The mats on his hind legs were so huge and barely attached that it looked like he was wearing “chaps”. With heavy hearts, we put him in the car, thinking that we were bringing him home to be euthanized.
Back in St. Louis, I backed out of the driveway after dropping the foster mom at home and looked in my rearview mirror where I saw Ralph (we had named him during the trip back) standing up, wagging his tail. With tears in my eyes, I headed to the vet’s office, dreading what might come next.
Ralph’s examination determined that he had a major bacterial infection, a possible heart murmur, luxating patellas in both back legs, slight cloudiness in both eyes, and the sweetest disposition. As the vet looked in Ralph’s eyes, Ralph rested his chin in the vet’s hand…I knew we had to do everything possible to get him healthy again.
The mats were removed, antibiotics started, shot given to control the itchiness, and Ralph went to his new foster home. On the vet’s recommendation, the heartworm testing was delayed until Ralph had some time to recuperate.
It didn’t take long to find out that Ralph had been someone’s pet at some time. He is housebroken, loves car rides, begs for food, and has decided the best place to sleep is on top of the back of the couch. He enjoys walks with his foster Scottie sister. He has gained weight, his hair is growing back, and since he was showing overall improvement, he went back to the vet’s office for his heartworm test. To our dismay, he tested positive for heartworms.
After considering the alternatives, it was decided to wait a month for Ralph to get in better health and then begin the preliminary testing to see if he could withstand the heartworm treatment. We hope to begin his treatment in January 2010.
Ralph has snuck his way into our hearts. His name has changed to Ralph Henry. We call him RH for short but then refer to him as HRH (His Royal Highness). His age is estimated at nine to ten years old and he deserves to live the rest of his life in a loving home.
He will remain in foster care until the treatment is done, and we are hoping that a door will open to a perfect “furever” home.
Many thanks to WestieMed for their help with Ralph’s veterinary bills! Vicki Frazier St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue
Update January 7, 2010
Ralph – WestieMed Recipient
I wanted to give a quick update on Ralph. Took him in today for blood work. We will find out tomorrow or Friday if we can proceed with the heartworm treatment. His hair is growing in pretty well. He still has an aggravated spot at the base of his tail but the vet was overall pleased with his progress. We were able to get him trimmed up (especially on his head) today and think he looks very dapper. Thanks again for your assistance,
Vicki Frazier St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue
Update June 26, 2010
We lost Ralph Henry on 3/9/2010. I had been to the foster mom’s home that morning and he greeted me as usual – happy and smiling. He was fine in the afternoon and greeted his foster mom the same way when she got back home from running errands. Just a little later, he threw up blood, etc……his foster mom grabbed him in her arms and ran a block up the street to her vet’s office. He passed shortly after.
He had finished the worst part of the HW treatment; received the final treatment for the baby heartworms and we thought we were home free. We were both devastated. When the foster mom called me hysterically, I drove to the vet’s office and said my goodbyes.
He truly enriched our lives and we are grateful to WestieMed for the financial aid. We console ourselves in the knowledge that he was happy and loved in the too-short time he was with us.
I received a call asking for help in fostering a group of Westies arriving from a puppy mill auction in northeast Ohio. I agreed to take one of the females. I already had two Westies at home, Tyler, eight, and Nikko, eight, also a rescue from a puppy mill in Missouri about three years ago.
As traumatized and almost catatonic as Nikko was upon his arrival three years ago, in comparison, Misty seemed alert and frightened but overall in better shape. She soon proved me wrong. I do not know what they do to these dogs in the puppy mills but it goes far beyond neglect and poor living conditions. Misty was terrified of everything and most of all people. Food was not a motivator, only safety, which can be a hard thing to use for training. Misty had delivered numerous litters and was not even four years old. She was very skinny and shaved to resemble a rat. She slowly began to relax but it has been and still is a very slow road. She is the most damaged little dog I have ever met. She always felt safest when she was up high, like on the couch or the bed. For some reason, the floor was a very terrifying place to be. With very slow and quiet movements on my part, Misty has finally begun to relax a bit. She has the cutest little run which appears more and more all the time. She runs somewhat stiff-legged as if she is a newborn colt. It is a joy to see her bounce about with that tail finally up in the air!
In October she vomited three days in a row. I was keeping a very close eye on her as their little systems dehydrate so quickly. She was still eating and drinking so I was just vigilant at that point. On the third day, I came home from work to discover she had vomited whole food again. That was followed quickly by clear liquid. Upon wiping that up I saw specks of blood. I immediately got her to my vet where he gave her something for the upset stomach and re-hydrated her. I then placed her on a bland diet. Three days later on a Saturday morning, I woke up and she vomited four times in a row, all containing blood. As my vet was out of town I went to Eastgate Animal Hospital. They were wonderful there and recommended she be admitted to their on-site hospital so they could monitor her. She only weighed eighteen pounds and had lost a whole pound in three days, very concerning.
They gave her fluids, x-rayed her and ended up doing an endoscopy and a biopsy on her. They discovered a somewhat healed over spot in her bowels that was the source of the blood. Their concern was they would find cancer or pancreatic issues. After several long days, Misty’s biopsy results came back. Everything seemed to be OK in that it appeared to be just an extremely sensitive system. Misty is now on a special, very bland diet without any other food or treats. She has regained her weight and other than an upset stomach twice seems to be doing well. She lives with only myself and my two other Westies so it is a pretty quiet and dog-friendly environment. My hope is that if it is partly nerves she will continue to relax and stay healthy!
I am so grateful to the WestieMed organization for their assistance in her medical bills. She has been a very expensive foster to rehabilitate and while I wish I could do more my resources are limited. I have never met a sweeter, more gentle soul in Misty. Westie Med has helped to ease the burden of caring for her. Thank you WestieMed for all the wonderful things you do to support the Westies out there who need us all so much!
Sincerely, Anne Huddleston
Update February 15, 2010
Misty is doing great and has gained weight and seems to be maintaining very well (she had bleeding in her intestines). Thanks again for all you do!
Anne Huddleston
Update March 5, 2010
Misty is doing great! She is thriving on her food, has packed on a few pounds and is really starting to enjoy life! She still seems to be quite damaged psychologically but is slowly learning to trust. For instance, the sofa and the bed are safe but the living room floor is a scary place and only used as a necessary and evidentially very dangerous means of travel from the sofa to my bed. So much so that she can work herself into a real panic scrambling for the sofa. If she should miss the jump the first time up onto the sofa she kind of freaks out and you would think alligators are nipping at her butt! Slow and steady wins the race… It is OK if I am on the floor but otherwise it is just a very scary place. Who knows…
She has reached that stage where she is getting a tiny bit cocky outside…sort of testing the waters. She now runs out in front of me (we are in a gated dog park) with my other little girl Tyler. They run side by side like the wind and with such abandon! My little boy Nikko slowly brings up the rear (can’t miss sniffing a thing!). It is so much fun to watch them run and play.
Anne Huddleston
Update June 30, 2010
Misty is great! I have decided to adopt her (another foster failure!). She is coming along beautifully but still a very scared little girl (she was a severe casualty of a puppy mill). She finally held my eyes while wagging her tail the other day…great progress! (We were getting ready for a walk).
She is occasionally playing with my other two and is starting to act just a little bit like a normal, trusting, content dog. It is getting better all the time, slowly but surely.
She is such a sweet, tender little soul. Just adorable little girl. She is still not ready to be adopted out (still way too scared and afraid to trust) and I think it would set her back a great deal. Since I have fallen in love with her she is now joining my pack. Heaven help me. Is this how it starts? How these rescuers end up with 14 or more???? : )
She has to stay on a special diet of horribly expensive dry and wet food ($76.00 for an #18 bag!!!) but she is responding well and has not had any more vomiting issues so fingers crossed.
I will send pics as soon as I can. She is blossoming a bit more every day. Thank you so much for your kind assistance and for caring enough to check on her.
Anne
Update April 18, 2011
It has been a long road for Misty, mostly psychologically but she is turning the bend. She remains on her very expensive diet which seems to keep her intestinal issues at peace. She eats more than the other two of my Westies yet is the skinniest, but not overly so. She has finally reached a point where she can look me in the eyes, if only for a few seconds, and has almost rolled all the way over – still not quite onto her back – for a belly rub. Trust is a very big issue with her. She becomes more secure every day and she loves nothing better than to run free in a field of grass –preferably when no one else is around but her immediate family. I believe she finally has accepted that this is her furever home and she is safe – at least with me and her brother and sister. I am still working on her feeling secure with other people although she gets lots of socialization, women remain the easiest for her to accept but a few men have actually been able to approach and pet her. She has tracheal collapse which we are controlling for the present but it worries me. She is the sweetest little girl and a joy to love!
My name is now Linnie because I am loved. I used to be just a number and the only love I got was from my puppies. Despite the fact that I have always lived in a small cage, I loved people and attention. I am a licker and a tail-wagger and when my jailers in Missouri decided I had to go, my rescuers from Westie Rescue Indiana brought me and a lot of my friends here to live a normal life.
My trip to the vet discovered a number of things wrong with me but the most major thing was that I had a bladder stone the size of a hen’s egg that was blocking my urethra so that I was miserable and peeing small amounts of blood mixed with urine. I also got an x-ray to see if I was pregnant. I wasn’t so I got spayed along with my bladder surgery and antibiotics to keep me from getting an infection. I have to always eat special urinary food so I don’t ever get these bladder stones again.
Well, that is about it except that I am waiting for my forever home. Thank you WestieMed for helping with some of my medical bills.
Linnie
Update April 29, 2010: Linnie is now named Lynn.
Linnie, or Lynn as she is now called, has a great home with her new owner. She is well-loved. I will try to get some pictures.
Carla
Update October 22, 2010
Linnie – WestieMed Recipient
Linnie has a perfect home with a wonderful nurse named Judy for her mother. She even has her own nanny who walks her during the day so she never has to be alone.
She loves chasing squirrels and birds (even caught one once), taking walks around the neighborhood and even cons her mom to carry her when she gets “tired”.
She has lost all the ugly brown stains from the cage that she called home for so many years in the puppy mill in Missouri.
She has a light in her eyes that weren’t there before and she lives life to the fullest thanks to WestieMed’s help.
We received a call from the Olympia Animal Shelter in June 2009. An elderly woman surrendered her Westie because she had sadly lost her home in a spring flood and she had never been able to recover after the insurance and the FEMA assistance and she had to give up her dog. She could not feed herself let alone feed or vet her dog, so she left it at the shelter. Sugar had an ear infection and some fleas, and the shelter asked for us to come and get her. We took her to the vet, and lo and behold poor “Sug” had a plethora of medical issues. She had a heart arrhythmia, heart murmur, she had arthritis in both back legs and her hip, she had a bad disk in her spine and an infection in her ears. We did x-rays, sonograms, called in a cardiologist, and cha-ching our bill hit $900 and that was ½ off for rescue price (original bill was $1800). Alas we sent her to foster care, where she was a bit grumpy, not too affectionate, and her mission in life was hunting and her goal was to kill a cat. Unfortunately, the foster mom had six cats, and Sugar had to be relocated.
We eventually found an adopter for her. Nice elderly lady who loved Westies. Sugar lasted fourteen days and they returned her because she wasn’t affectionate, felt bored, wouldn’t listen, she was very stubborn and very unmanageable and cranky… so off she went back to foster home to chase cats. In August we found another adopter and she kept Sugar for about four days, and found her to be difficult, unaffectionate, stubborn, and as she politely put it … challenging! Off she went off to yet another foster care.
At this point I was worried and the new foster mom called and said she seems to have something wrong with her vulva, and she is now peeing in the house and poo-ing in the house and licking nonstop. Off we went back to the Vet. This time we had to go to a new Vet as the original Vet stopped giving us a discount and was 100 miles the other direction. The new vet said she had an infection but it seemed she had been on and off antibiotics and she wanted to do a culture to see what this infection was resistant to. Her urine was too dilute to get a reading for any kind of bacteria. The Vet also voiced her concern that she could have kidney stones or bladder stones.
The culture came back with E-Coli infection, she was prescribed antibiotics, and she had to come back in three weeks for a recheck. After the three weeks, she returned to uncover an underlying Staph infection and off again was the culture (at this point we are at another $800) and she was prescribed antibiotics again and we did a radiograph for stones. We found none.
By October we were teetering at $1600 worth of bills (after the discount) and a dog who was challenging and no one was “enamored with“ as an adoption option. Sugar was not very affectionate, she liked to be with other dogs, she didn’t engage with them. No one was interested in adopting an eight-year old Westie with a heart condition, bad legs, arthritis and a disk problem, and to boot, not an overly affectionate dog. Sugar’s idea of humans was mostly that they were put on this earth to serve her food, and she loved to be naughty. She did have a great sense of humor if you liked a smarty pants attitude. Numerous times her new foster mom just burst out laughing. Sugar liked mischief, and if you tried to get her stuff, she would challenge you like the “she-devil”. She would also like to grab your stuff, and run with gay abandon through the house on a wonderful gleeful chase.
Five months into rescue I thought – now what? I have adopters who only want a dog as a companion who will play with their dog, like kids, go for walks, or is a cuddle bug and wants to be loved. Sugar met none of the qualifications. Five months later, and $1800 worth of bills I was very stressed and asked WestieMed for help to offset our cost. They graciously helped us.
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
The sun finally shined through the clouds and Sugar is now adopted out on a temporary basis with a former applicant of ours who has adopted a Scottie and two Westies from us over the years. She has three other dogs, and Sugar is in heaven. She is in the group, does her own thing, and the owner has a lot of fun chuckling with her humorous escapades. Her comment is that she keeps the yard free from cats, and squirrels and she takes her job seriously. Our adopter graciously took Sugar into her home at no adoption fee, to give her a chance at life. We have no idea how long Sugar’s heart will hold out, but at last, she has found a place to land, and is having a bang up time patrolling the back yard. Here is a photo of Sugar and her new Mom taken November 2009
Karin Parish Seattle Rescue Rep. Seattle, WA
Update April 14, 2010
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
Sugar is just fine and happy! She lives in a cottage by the sea with wonderful gardens. She has 2 brothers and a little sister. The attached photo is, left to right: Ferguson, AnnieBelle, Sugar and Henry, on one of their weekly bath days!
When I acquired Sugar, I was told she was a “special needs dog”, but no one ever told her that! Despite her arthritic hips, she chases Ferguson around the house until HE gives up, and he’s several years younger. Suggie has quite a personality, and she’s actually quite funny, although grumpy in the morning when she doesn’t want to get out of bed and I have to go to work.
Suggie is currently on no medications (she did have her teeth cleaned last week tho).
Thanks for doing what you do, helping these little lost souls to have a better chance in life.
Suzanne
Update September 29, 2010
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
Suggie is just fine. She’s got Ferguson, Henry & Annie as mates. She has a wonderful life: food, mates, a safe dry, warm house, a beautiful garden to play in and a Mommie who loves her!
Although Ferguson is about five years her junior, she chases him around and tuckers him out. He entices a match, she goes for it, he gets tired first.
Suggie may walk funny & have a lop ear, but she doesn’t believe she has any special needs! I get a kick out of her and I wish she could speak to me, because I also think she’s a very funny dog.
Suzanne
Sugar’s care was funded by a grant from The Pedigree Foundation.
Morgan, age seven years, was surrendered to Westie Rescue of Austin because the family had just been told he was diabetic and would need lifelong care, insulin shots, and careful diet. With two small children in the family to deal with, the mother felt she could not handle the added stress, so they contacted us and brought him to our program. We got him to our vet the following Monday and started the insulin injections, working gradually to establish the dosage level most appropriate.
Morgan had dropped from 26 pounds to 19 pounds in the three months before we got him. He was in serious condition, but with the implementation of the insulin, he responded quickly and became stable. However, within the first two weeks, he developed cataracts in both eyes and literally went blind over a weekend. I finally realized what had happened because he kept bumping into me to follow me – he could not see!!
Our vet referred us to an animal ophthalmologist who said Morgan was a good candidate for cataract surgery. His cataracts were well-formed and should be easy to remove. But the surgery was going to run approximately $1500 per eye. A new lens would be inserted to allow for better depth perception and restore his sight to almost normal.
His first cataract, in the left eye, was removed in early June and the change was dramatic! For the first couple of days, Morgan was not sure that he could really see, but once the eye settled, he was thrilled! We had to restrain him from jumping for a week, but he did not mind, and the healing went smoothly.
We are planning on having the other cataract remove in the fall, so he can see again with both eyes and have better depth perception. Morgan is such a loving and delightful Westie! He is a big gun but thinks he is still lap-dog size. He has bonded nicely to his foster family and will make a wonderful companion for a new family.
We are grateful for the assistance that WestieMed is providing so that Morgan can have normal vision again.
Update September 30, 2009
Morgan’s surgery is scheduled for October 16th for the removal of the second cataract, and he should come through with flying colors the vet said. I will send you another update after he recovers.
Thank you again so very much for WestieMed’s wonderful assistance for Morgan!!
Barbara Ott Westie Rescue, Austin
Update March 2, 2010
Morgan is doing fine. He had his second lens replacement in Oct. and it also was a success. He can see beautifully. We had a set back toward the end of the year when we were notified that Vetsulin was no longer available, and that is what he was on. So we made the transition over to human insulin, went through several more glucose curves until we could establish a level of units that seem to stabilize him. Now that he is on Humulin N, he actually has better curves than he did on Vetsulin.
Due to his diabetes, he got a few inquiries, but no serious potential adopters, even though his eyes were seeing again, and he was fairly stable on his insulin. I was also preparing to retire from my day job at the end of December and making plans to move to Tennesse in February. I felt that sending him to another foster home would be stressful for him, so I decided to bring him with me along with my own two Westies to our new home in Tenn.
Morgan has made the adjustment to our new home very well. He was confused the first couple of weeks, and would not let me out of his sight. Now that we have been here a month, he has relaxed and is settling in with our new routines. I am home nearly all day now, and he still stays close but is content to lie on a doggie bed near me. My own two Westies have also gone through the same adjustments, and my husband laughs now – he can find me anywhere as there are three little white dogs with their noses pointing to the closed bathroom door……
It looks like Morgan is now a member of our family. He is happy and playful, and stable on twelve units twice a day. I am still unpacking boxes, and as soon as I find my camera (it’s in a box somewhere….) I will send you some current photos.
My heartfelt thanks to the assistance we received from WestieMed for Morgan’s care and eye surgery. He is such a happy Westie and very comfortable with us. I love him to pieces.
Barb Ott Retired from Westie Rescue Austin
PS – Westie Rescue/Austin is still alive and well. One of my foster moms, Linda Duncan, stepped up to take the reins and has been busy rescuing and adopting Westies already. She is doing a great job.
Update July 29, 2010
Morgan – WestieMed Recipient
Morgan is doing great. He can see about as much as 85% as a normal dog, being restricted only because he cannot focus all that well with his artificial lens in each eye. But he gets along great and is a happy camper.
I retired from rescue work after the first of the year and we moved from Texas to Tennesse. During that time Morgan never got any interest in being adopted, primarily due to being diabetic and his age, so we adopted him and he came to Tennesse with our three other dogs, and he has adapted beautifully to his new home, here with us. He will turn ten on Christmas Day, and I cannot imagine not ever having him as part of our family now.
Morgan’s diabetes is stable and he has regained his lost weight. He is a sweet, gentle loving Westie, and so eager to please. He is my shadow, lying at my feet right now as I type and sleeping beside my side of the bed at night. His eyes have healed beautifully and the new lens has given him back his life. We are eternally grateful for the help WestieMed gave Morgan toward the huge cost of his cataract surgeries, which came to nearly $3500 with the follow-ups and meds.
I have attached a photo taken of Morgan in our new home in Lawrenceburg, TN. Isn’t he handsome!!
