The shelter’s rescue liaison sent us a plea for a ten year old white mix breed that was in need of major medical attention. Apparently, someone found him on the side of the road so they took him to the shelter. His intake photo resembled a schnauzer, but taking no chances, we high tailed it to South Los Angeles. Out comes this BIG, BEAUTIFUL senior Westie boy that in reality is 14 or more years old. The obvious issues were that he is overweight, pot-bellied, severe dental disease, missing most teeth, constantly licks the roof of his mouth and shakes his head, opacities in both eyes and a very stiff gait. He appeared very 9uncomfortable.
So we started at the top. We ran bloodwork, urinalysis, and x-rays. His bloodwork indicated that he could have Addison’s so we added a resting cortisol test. When that came back negative, we tested him for Cushing’s. We needed to address these issues before addressing his mouth and also had an ultrasound performed as there was some concern about possible prostate cancer due to his prostate being abnormally large. Thankfully, that was ruled out and believed to be due to late life neutering. The ultrasound indicated sludge in his gallbladder but the good news is that no mucus seal has formed. We have started him on Ursodiol as a preventative measure. Chase’s test came back positive for Cushing’s, which was really no surprise given his symptoms. Cortisol is produced and stored by the adrenals, two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys and is one of the body’s natural steroids and that a normal amount of cortisol helps the body adapt in times of stress. Cortisol also helps regulate proper body weight, tissue structure, skin condition, and other features of good health but too much cortisol weakens the immune system leaving the body vulnerable to other diseases and infections. There are two common types of Cushing’s disease, either pituitary-dependent or adrenal-dependent. About 80-85 percent of Cushing’s is pituitary-dependent, meaning it’s triggered by a tumor on the pituitary, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. Because we did an ultrasound, we know his Cushing’s is pituitary-dependent.
Considered a lifelong condition, the disease usually can be managed with medications. Chase will retest after he’s been on medication for two full weeks and continue to have regular blood tests to monitor his response to treatment and help determine the right dose which may need to be adjusted periodically. Treating Cushing’s is a balancing act, but dogs with the disease can live a good quality life as long as they are monitored closely by a veterinarian.
He received the long awaited dental. Chase is 100% sweetness and is a happy and content senior gentleman. He follows us wherever we go. He is fondly referred to as “our little big shadow”. He is such a good save! His diagnostics and treatment has been very costly,but thanks to WestieMed, Chase is getting all of his needs met.
Karen Simondet Westie Rescue of Orange County (WROC)
Update August 31, 2023:
WestieMed has been informed that Chase is now at Rainbow Bridge.
In mid-February, we were contacted by a kind Samaritan in a very rural part of Middle Tennessee. An elderly co-worker of hers (and nearby resident) had found two little dogs who were either lost or had been turned out. She found a rescue to take the other little dog, and we agreed to take in Piper after this gal exhausted all efforts to find Piper’s home. She kept her for several weeks, bathing her almost daily to try to get her clean and cared for; this while working full-time, taking care of a toddler and another young child and her own animals!
Piper was in a TERRIBLE mess, but the sweet gal had given her yet another bath the morning before she brought her to us at the vet clinic. She came to us with a severe ear infection…for starters. One ear has so badly affected that the ear could no longer stand up. The infection in both ears was so bad that the vet opted to just clean them as thoroughly as she could without hurting her further, then thoroughly clean while she was under sedation for another severe issue…her mouth, gums and teeth. We lucked out as she only had to have four teeth pulled, and her mouth must have felt so much better after the dental surgery!
The ears continued to improve slowly, but little Piper was soon diagnosed with an even worse situation…a severe bladder infection that didn’t seem to resolve with numerous trips to the vet and various antibiotics. She was also producing blood in her urine. We were afraid of what might be going on with this precious girl! The vet wanted to send in and grow a culture to see if Piper was resistant to a certain (or numerous) antibiotics. While we were waiting for the culture results to come back, we agreed to have the vet run an ultrasound and radiographs to rule out any masses or other problems. At this point, it was determined she had a number of EXTREMELY large bladder stones. This poor girl had been through the ringer with obviously NO CARE from the previous owner then just turned out to fend for herself. There was no idea how long she had these stones and if they had done permanent damage to the bladder wall, so time was of the essence to get her scheduled for surgery right away. She was obviously in pain and felt the need to urinate constantly. We also were not able to identify a spay scar, but the decision was made that if she still had a uterus when the Cystotomy surgery was performed, that the vet would spay her at the same time (which ended up being the case).
The surgery went very well, and the vet communicated with us several times throughout the day with updates. EIGHT stones were removed (of which FIVE were very large) from this petite Westie girl, which were taking up 90% of her little bladder!!! Thankfully, the bladder wall did not appear “angry,” and we were SO thankful for that. The other good news was that her ears were doing better on the antibiotic pack treatments.
Piper stayed in ICU care overnight, with fluids and pain meds. She started urinating properly almost immediately and got to return to her foster home the next day. This has been the most precious little angel of a dog. Even with all of the horrible things wrong with her and all of the severe pain she has endured for God knows how long, she has been the sweetest girl and as compliant as can be! The vet staff were all instantly smitten with her!
She promptly went home with her new prescription urinary health food and ate dinner like a champ, followed by a really good potty break! She is being well-loved by one of our former adopters and her other rescue Westie pup, Avery. We were just alerted officially yesterday that Piper has found her furever home with her foster mom, Elizabeth. We couldn’t be MORE thrilled as she will have a nice quiet home with a lovely Terrier-enriched backyard with a mom and sister home with her most all the time.
We really don’t have any idea how old this little gal is, but the vet seems to think between seven and eight years old.
We cannot express our gratitude to WestieMed enough for helping us with funding the final large invoice for her abdominal surgeries! Even though she was a VERY expensive LWD (little white dog), she is worth every penny of it! Happy Trails to Piper in her new life going forward!
~The Officers of Westie Rescue of TN/AL
Update March 12, 2024:
Again, we can’t thank you enough for your generous support with Piper’s medical bills. She is doing great, and I hear from her mom on a regular basis! I still can’t believe how sweet and resilient that little gal was considering all the pain she was in before her surgeries and follow-up care. Just proves what we’ve always been told in that animals don’t often let us know when they are in pain. 🙁 I will ask Elizabeth for some new pictures. Thanks again, and have a great week!
Tilly is a small Westie mix that was found at the East Valley Animal Shelter with an upper respiratory infection. She was incredibly scared of everything around her and was always looking for an exit. She was lethargic, wouldn’t eat and moaned quite a lot. We thought she may possibly be in heat cycle because of the discharge and enlarged nipples. We tried everything type of food trying to entice her appetite but she refused and just wanted to sleep. We knew something wasn’t right, aside from the URI Upper Respiratory Infection so we scheduled her spay appointment 14 days out from the start of antibiotics.
Tilly had her surgery and it was discovered that her uterus was thickened and she had early pyometra which is an infection of the uterus. Infection in the lining of the uterus is established as a result of hormonal changes. Following estrus (“heat”), progesterone levels remain elevated for eight to ten weeks and thicken the lining of the uterus in preparation for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur for several estrus cycles, the lining continues to increase in thickness until cysts form within it. The thickened, cystic lining secretes fluids that create an ideal environment in which bacteria can grow. Additionally, high progesterone levels inhibit the ability of the muscles in the wall of the uterus to contract.
Now that she has recovered, a completely new dog has emerged. Tilly’s energy came back and she very much acts like the puppy that she is. She loves to play with the other dogs, and her people too, and has taken a new interest in toys. Now, she is the first one done eating and will steal food from the other dogs if given the chance.
This once little shy and scared girl is no more.
Thank you WestieMed for sponsoring this little girl. Because of you, she has a bright future coming!
Karen Simondet
Westie Rescue of Orange County (WROC)
Update February 8, 2024:
Our darling Tilly recovered beautifully from pyometra and her upper respiratory infection. This once scared little girl is a completely different dog today! Tilly was being fostered along with Benny and the duo became fast friends in foster care. Tilly’s adopters came for one dog, but left with two! This dynamic duo have strong personalities and their adopters say they are a blast to have with them. They have both become very social on their neighborhood walks and off leash puppy play group. They were also enrolled in puppy training classes and are doing great!
Thank you WestieMed for helping Tilly get the care she needed!
Elsa was born in May 2022. She was purchased by a “breeder” from another “breeder” for the sole purpose of producing puppies. In February 2023 she was taken for a routine exam so she could be declared fit so that her owner could start breeding her. During the exam, the veterinarian diagnosed a heart murmur. Her owner now considered her useless and did not want to bother following up with a specialist. However, her owner did reach out to a group in Kansas that helps dogs get to rescue to surrender her. This group (Friends of Animals) reached out to us having worked with All About Paws in the past knowing we will always help special needs dogs. We of course said yes, bring her to us. We will absolutely help.
Elsa was transported to our rescue in St. Louis Missouri in early March. Not knowing the exact extent of her heart issues, we immediately scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist. During that appointment, Elsa was diagnosed with PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus). This is a common congenital heart defect in dogs and basically means the blood is not flowing how it should through the heart. For most dogs if this is not fixed it can lead to cardiac heart failure- basically a death sentence. Elsa’s cardiologist felt surgery needed to be performed soon so this can be avoided. Elsa has been an absolute delight in her foster home and we believe she deserves the chance to live a full, happy, and healthy life in a loving home.
After her surgery, Elsa was medically cleared and then we had her spayed. All About Paws is incredibly thankful to WestieMed for helping us help Elsa live her life to the fullest.
All About Paws Rescue St. Louis, Missouri
Update April 18, 2023:
Elsa arrived bright and early on April 17, 2023 at VSS for her rescheduled appointment with Dr. Marshall. We were notified several hours later that the surgery was a success. Elsa remained at VSS overnight for monitoring. Dr. Marshall informed All About Paws when we went to get her that Elsa was being a little naughty as she just wants to play play play. Of course we had to keep her calm and relaxed so she could heal. She returned to VSS two week later for suture removal.
Update May 13, 2023:
Elsa’s surgery and recovery were a complete success. Her surgeon gave the OK for her to have her spay surgery and the hunt for her fur-ever home began. Lots of folks were interested in Elsa and she got lots of wonderful applications. All About Paws received a fantastic application that checked all the boxes we wanted for Elsa and today she got her happily ever after. Elsa joins a family where she has two fantastic dads, Richard and Mike, and gets a Westie brother named Belin. Happy “Tails” Elsa. All About Paws sends their gratitude to WestieMed for helping us help Elsa.
Molly is an 8 year old diabetic Westie. She came to Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston when her person made the decision to surrender Molly due to her recent diabetes diagnosis.
Before coming to Rescue, Molly lived in an apartment with her person. This worked well because she is OK as an only dog. Morning and evening walks were fine with her. When her person began working from home, Molly got more walks during the day.
Then her person noticed Molly was having incontinence issues during the day and was unable to keep her bedding dry. Molly was diagnosed as diabetic and prescribed daily insulin injections and this is when her life changed. Her person had to return to the office and found Molly’s medication schedule was hard to follow with her work schedule. Molly began going to different in-home doggy daycare that were given instructions on how to administer insulin. She continued to be incontinent as insulin was not being given on schedule, if at all.
Since Molly arrived at Rescue, she has had two glucose curves and her insulin dosage has been increased. She is on a consistent daily food and medication schedule which has shown great results. She is no longer wetting her bed and has more energy for her daily walks. She alerts her foster mom when needs to go out and uses a dog door.
She does have some loss of vision and is seeing a specialist to determine what treatment is appropriate. Molly likes people but does not seem to care about other dogs in her environment. She is a good companion dog.
Cathy Norris, Molly’s Foster Mom, Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston
Update August 16, 2023:
When Molly arrived at WSRH, she was incontinent due to uncontrolled diabetes and fluctuating glucose levels. She immediately moved in with an experienced foster mom who knew that she needed specific testing and maintenance to get her diabetes under control. Thanks to help from WestieMed, we were able to do testing to get her on the correct insulin dose and diet, with follow up testing to make sure her dosage stayed right. Now that Molly is on a consistent food and medication routine, she’s much healthier and happier. She is now able to keep her bedding dry all night and needs to go out fewer times during the day. She has adjusted well to her food and medication schedule.
Molly is blind from cataracts and has been to the eye dogtor, who says she may be a candidate for surgery now that her diabetes is under control. Her foster mom will be taking her back for further assessment and help Molly make plans for her future. She is available for adoption and still hoping for her perfect furever home.
Kind regards, Maggie Escriva Volunteer Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston
11 year old Kandy was ill and her family couldn’t afford her vet care. Their plan was to have her euthanized because they couldn’t help her. They had never spayed her or, it seems, done any meaningful medical care throughout her lifetime, so she needed a lot of vet care which would be expensive. Kandy had been a service dog to help her previous owners them with their anxieties. Thankfully, their son couldn’t bear to have her die without the opportunity for treatment and reached out to North Atlantic Westie Rescue (NAWR) to see if there was anything they could do. They had a volunteer pick her up at her home in New Jersey, just outside New York City. She showed all the signs of having been sick for a long time: extremely dehydrated, not eating, her rib and hip bones sticking out and loss of much of her muscle, as well.
She spent her first night in foster and by the morning, she was vomiting and unable to stand, obviously very sick. In an effort to get her to a local vet immediately, NAWR contacted Scottish Terrier Club of Greater New York Rescue nearby, who they have worked with many times in New Jersey, they carried Kady into a specialty vet with an Emergency Clinic that they used frequently. She was examined and admitted for emergency care and observation. After doing a myriad of tests, we were informed that she was a totally unregulated diabetic, seriously dehydrated and was in critical condition. Approving her care and hospitalization, the vet went ahead and got her on IV fluids and antibiotics to try to stabilize her condition. The next hurdle was to try to regulate her diabetes, so she was started on IV insulin once she was better hydrated. She was monitored every two hours throughout the night. The second day in the hospital, she stayed on IV and was weaned onto insulin shots. Her blood sugar which had been over 600 upon arrival was steadily coming down in the right direction. As she became fully rehydrated, she started feeling better than she must have felt for a very long time. By late that evening, Scottie Rescue was notified that she could be picked up and her insulin shots, prescription diet, and the remainder of her medications could be maintained at home. She spent a few more days with them and although weak, she was definitely recovering, getting stronger, and showing more of her bouncy Westie personality.
In early January 2023, she was transferred to North Atlantic Westie Rescue (NAWR) in Delaware and is doing very well. She’s running around, beating up lots of toys, barking when her meals aren’t ready fast enough, and just being a happy little Westie girl. She still looks and acts like a puppy, so we feel she still has years ahead of her to enjoy her second chance at life. Kandy’s NAWR foster family renamed her Chloe because they embrace their dogs’ Scottish heritage by giving all of their pups Scottish names. Chloe is an adorable and sweet, spirited, petite Westie with a big personality, and so worth it to give her another chance at life.
Erica Cerny
Scottish Terrier Club of Greater New York Rescue
Update April 2023:
In late April 2023, as soon as Chloe was out of her heat cycle and her vet agreed that her diabetes was stable and she was strong enough to have her spay surgery, her NAWR foster family scheduled the procedures. This sweet little girl also had a walnut sized anal gland tumor that had to be removed. Her surgeries were successful! In just one week since her surgery Chloe is back to her playful self. She loves to boss her packmates around and tends to run the household kitchen with excited barks at mealtimes if her meal isn’t prepared fast enough for her!
We’re very grateful to WestieMed for agreeing with us and paying for this life-saving medical care for Chloe!
With great appreciation, Vicki Fuchs North Atlantic Westie Rescue
Update June 15, 2023:
I am the foster mom of Chloe. She has recovered from her surgeries very well. The tumor in her anal gland was malignant so we are just praying the vet got clean margins and that she has beat the cancer!
She is a spunky little girl. She tends to boss the two male Westies that we have in the house, and they don’t mind it one bit! We have noticed over the past few days that her skin issue has returned so I plan to call our vet in the morning to discuss this. In the past we have given her an antibiotic injection, Convivia, along with Ketoconazole orally. It acts like Malassezia so we bathe her with an antifungal shampoo also. Fingers crossed we can get her some itch relief tomorrow. Otherwise she is doing well.
Thanks so much for all your help with this sweet littile girl!
Kind regards, Vicki Fuchs
Update February 8, 2024:
Chloe is a fiesty little lady! She continues to have skin issues which require twice weekly baths with Micoseb shampoo. We also give her benadryl at night to help her get some relief so we can all sleep. We have removed anything from her diet that may be causing the irritation so that she only gets homemade food now. She hasn’t been on ketoconazole since late November, but we are planning a visit to the vet soon. Of major concern, she has difficulty geting her rear legs to work at times. She will be walking or running when one leg or the other just won’t move forward for her. She sits down and waits a bit then tries again.
She still loves to go for our walks alongside her pack mates Angus and MacKenzie so we take a stroller along for her when she gets too tired. She remains a very loving, sweet and playful little dog!
Tolley the senior westie – His story didn’t start so well. He was found by a Good Samaritan that discovered him tied with a rope around his neck in a vacant lot, out in the cold with no protection. She cut the rope and immediately took him to the shelter. Because he was a stray he was kept at the shelter for two weeks. Unfortunately, while there he developed an upper respiratory infection. He was put on antibiotics by the shelter veterinarian. During his stay at the shelter the employees commented on what a sweet boy he was while there. We know how stressful and scary a shelter can be for Westies and it is amazing how sweet he was the entire time.
Once we were contacted about him being we sprung into action and with the help of several volunteers Tolley made a four hour journey to his new foster home.
Unfortunately, after less than 24 hrs he ended up at the vet. He stayed for a few days but wasn’t getting better and was transferred to the Veterinary specialist hospital to be admitted for more aggressive treatment. He was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and he was struggling.
It has been an ordeal and it’s not over yet. It has been over week and he is still hospitalized. It has been discovered he has a heart murmur that will need further evaluation once he can get over this pneumonia.
Every doctor and technician we speak to starts each conversation with how amazing this pup is. He has the will to survive with everything he has endured all while wagging his tail and wiggling his entire body when he sees people walk into his room. This little senior boy deserves to live out the rest of his days happy and loved. We are so happy so many people are stepping up to give this pup what he needs.
Susan D. Massey
Director, Westie Rescue SouthEast
Update January4, 2023:
Tolley is perkier, eating very well (once I started to feed good ole kibble) and taking his meds which are pretty high powered. I had a long talk with my regular vet, who saw him FIRST. So next Monday he will do another Xray and exam. Since he has the ORIGINAL XRAY to compare to also!!! Please pray that those lungs are clearing. I am also doing Courtage (percussion) and added cool humidity to the small powder room he is in. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. This is a long process I am finding out.
Thank you for your support!!
Susie
Update August 14, 2023:
This update is from Tolley’s adoptive family.
Following the mass removal at MedVet on March 10, 2023 and a dental and growth removal also at MedVet on May 4, 2023…he is doing great. He has been identified with Westie Lung Disease.
Cinda
Update March 9, 2024:
Tolley is doing well after his Thyroid surgery (50% was removed with tumor) in December and now we have the Thyroid medicine regulated. His Westie Lung Disease is not showing any symptoms currently. Some days he is perkier than others and the food obsession is still very strong. He is loved and is slowly bonding with his sister, Lily Maybelle (13 years old).
The Westie Club of the South received Bella on March 25, 2022 at the age of 3 months. Her breeder surrendered her because of a disorder involving an ectopic ureter. We were advised by the University of Georgia (UGA) Veterinary Hospital that surgery was the only option for improving Bella’s condition. She underwent the procedure which was originally done with a scope in hopes the issue could be corrected without making an incision. Unfortunately, one of the ureters was not attached and was below the actual bladder and more surgery was needed.
The Vet at UGA said he has performed the procedure Bella had hundreds of times and has only seen Bella’s additional issues less than 10 times. Shortly after the second surgery, Bella developed a hernia due the wrong size of stitches used and the hernia would continue to grow if not surgically treated. The cost to repair the hernia if treated at UGA would be another $3,000. Bella’s foster caregiver urgently texted her own Vet, Dr. Shannon, after hours to discuss Bella’s situation and Dr. Shannon performed surgery the next day at a significantly reduced cost. Bella’s incontinence issues remained but worse were constant urinary tract infections. The rescue consulted a specialty vet in Greenville, SC and the recommendation was to perform a Vulvoplasty to fix the issue causing the infections. Dr. Shannon once again offered to perform the recommended surgery at a reduced cost.
Bella has gone through so much in a short time. She is doing great…very independent, but loving and sweet. She still has a “leakage” issue which more than likely will result in her continuing to be in diapers. We humbly thank WestieMed for their support of our organization and sweet young Bella who will now have a bright future bringing joy to others.
Update May 25, 2023:
Bella is a happy, sassy Westie. She has gained weight and has had no issues with Urinary Tract infections until recently. She plays outside most of the day with her Westie sister Maggie. Bella keeps our family entertained and on our toes.
To WestieMed, thank you for providing assistance with Bella. We love her very much
Carl was wandering the streets of LA and was picked up by Animal Control. He was in pretty bad shape. His coat was matted, he had painful foxtails imbedded in between his toes, ear infection, skin infection and a horrible upper respiratory infection. The shelter did what they could for Carl with medication, shaved his coat and removed the foxtails. However, there was no public interest to adopt Carl because he needed an expensive hip surgery.
Carl’s only chance of exiting the shelter was if rescue came for him and when we found out that Carl had been lingering there for several months, we knew we were his only chance. Oddly enough, when we arrived at the shelter, there was a person in line ahead of us there for Carl, but again, Carl was turned down because of the cost of surgery.
Carl needed time to recover from his upper respiratory infection and once he did, he had his surgery. He also had a dental at the same time and thankfully he did because foxtails were found imbedded in between his teeth! Overall, he did well only losing a few teeth, but had he not been on antibiotics for his upper respiratory infection, his mouth could have been much worse.
Carl has several weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him. We are doing range of motion exercises and short walks to aid his recovery. He is now using that leg and walking on all fours which is something he hasn’t done since coming to rescue.
Living on the streets and shelter life took a toll on him, but thanks to WestieMed, Carl has a new lease on life! This incredibly sweet and playful boy will now live pain free thanks to the surgery. This is something that he probably hasn’t had in a very long time.
Thank you WestieMed!
Karen Simondet – WROC
Update May 25, 2023:
Rehabbing Carl had to be the easiest rehab of any dog we’ve fostered, hands down. He is such a calm and well behaved dog that is happiest being with his person. Our precious little man was adopted just a few days before Christmas, making this his best a Christmas ever! Carl has fully recovered from his hip surgery and is now enjoying life at the beach in Santa Barbara with his new mom and dad, Karen and Bill.
With WestieMed’s help, another deserving dog will never be neglected again.
Karen S.
Update February 8, 2024:
Is been a little over a year since Carl was adopted and he continues to do great! He is a very happy dog that loves his walks at the beach and his hip no longer bothers him. His adopters continue to successfully manage his skin allergies and overall, he is doing fantastic. He has quite a few friends in the neighborhood and for being the smallest kid on the block, he has the biggest personality and is sure everyone knows he is the boss!
Thank you WestieMed for giving Carl a second chance!
Those of you reading this know the loss of a pet is heartbreaking. Anyone who loves dogs knows they are members of our family…irreplaceable and unforgettable. This story starts out with the loss of our Westie-terrier mix Buddy. We had found him as a stray on the road all matted and dirty. No one eventually claimed him so he became a member of our family. For two and half years he gave us joy. We lost him this summer due to inoperable adrenal gland tumors. We were devastated, but despite the loss, we as a family knew that we needed to rescue another Westie or Westie-mix in the name of Buddy. That is when I saw a picture of Charlie on the rescue’s page. We knew that he was the one! One problem, he was at a rescue in Arizona. There was only one thing to do and that was to drive to Arizona to get this little guy. (People thought we were crazy, but look at him – that face!) The whole trip took about six days and instead of just coming home with one dog, we came home with two. Charlie and his brother CJ had been surrendered to the rescue by their owner. Charlie was being fostered with his bonded brother CJ (not biological brother). The rescue offered a two for one deal to keep them together and of course there was no question, we were now coming home with 2 dogs.
Even before we got home my husband purchased pet insurance on the little guys. As per the insurance there is a 14 day waiting period before illnesses are covered…we weren’t worried. Both CJ and Charlie seemed to have made the trip like champs. The only thing we knew we have to do was to work on their weight since both of them were overweight. Charlie was only with us a few days when we noticed he didn’t want to eat (which is VERY unlike Charlie). We got up the next morning and he didn’t want a treat, then we went outside and I was horrified to see him do his business and it was all bloody. We immediately took him in to see our primary vet. They were very concerned and diagnosed him with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, sudden onset of profused bloody diarrhea, (vets don’t really know what causes it). I had no idea what that was and had never seen anything like that before. They immediately sent us to an emergency vet since apparently this can be a serious life threatening illness if not treated right away. I was so scared and didn’t know what I would do if we lost Charlie so soon. Charlie was admitted for hospitalization which was going to be a significant expense. We knew that he needed to be there and of course we were going to get him the help he needed, but remember the pet insurance…well all of this happened three days before the insurance kicked in. We had no idea how we were going to afford his lifesaving care. Then I saw the website for WestieMed. I applied for assistance with them and told them Charlie’s story. He obviously stole their hearts too since they decided to help us. Thanks to WestieMed, Charlie is now back home with his furever family. He is on the road to recovery and starting to transition back to normal food. We are so grateful to WestieMed and their support because having Charlie home and feeling better is a gift.
We lost our beloved Westie-mix Buddy and went to rescue Charlie, but he really rescued us. We feel the loss of Buddy, but every day with Charlie and the unconditional love this little guy gives us is priceless and we know just how lucky we are to have him in our lives.
Thank you WestieMed for being there to help Westies and their families in need like you did for us!
Garnet and Loren
Update May 25, 2023:
We will never forget the name given to the illness that our new boy, Charlie, was diagnosed with right after we rescued him from Arizona – Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. We had no idea what that was. All we knew is that we could lose our sweet, sweet boy before he even got to know us. The hospital bills added up and all we wanted was to take our little guy home to start his life with us. What we never expected during one of the scariest times of our lives was the kindness shown to us by WestieMed. All we wanted to do was love and take care of our little guy and WestieMed made that easier through their financial support during our family’s time of need.
Update on Charlie: Welcome to Charlie’s new life!!! Since Charlie found his forever home in Minnesota, he has blossomed into a cute, funny, extremely happy dog! His favorite things are cuddling with his two humans, playing in the yard, and of course getting a treat! Charlie discovered that if one of his brothers or sisters needs to go outside, he is right there too because when he comes in, he gets a treat! Even if he went out ten minutes before, he will do a little dance, look at you with his beautiful eyes and run right to the closet where the treats are stored and will stay there until he gets one. He has learned to catch them and if anyone misses, he is right there for an “extra”.
Charlie is now just one of the family. It seems as if he has always been here. He brings joy to us everyday and is so cute and well mannered. He loves sleeping right next to his humans. He cuddles right up to them and loves getting petted. He also gets along well with the rest of the dogs and the cats in the house. He is a constant joy to have and has made our lives full of smiles to watch him.
We feel deep gratitude to WestieMed for helping so much with his vet bills when he first came to us. He has recovered nicely and is a very happy fellow. We are forever in your debt. Thank you for all your group does for these dogs and for helping the owners give them the best life possible. We are truly grateful for WestieMed and Charlie’s new life is proof of the impact of your generosity.
Thank you again, Loren Lemke and Garnet Towne
Update February 18, 2024:
Well, if you didn’t know our story before, here is a quick recap…went to Arizona to rescue one dog – Charlie…came home with two dogs – Charlie and CJ (bonded pair). On the 3 day trip home we learned that CJ is a great car rider, but Charlie is not a good car rider. Needless to say that due to the stress of the trip, we believe he developed hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. It is a horrible illness that causes the dog to have bloody diarrhea. It can be deadly. We always insure our pets, but Charlie’s insurance hadn’t kicked in yet and his treatment was costly. That was when WestieMed came to our rescue. With their financial help, Charlie was back to himself in about a week. The fear we felt during that time was only lessened due to the fact that we knew someone else cared for Charlie and other dogs like him as much as we did – WestieMed.
Now a year and a half later, Charlie is king of his castle. At times, he does something that he is so proud of and struts around the house with that terrier style. When he is not wrestling with a pillow, dancing for treats, laying on the couch in the sun or enjoying his favorite part of the day – mealtime, Charlie is curled up next to us. We love this little guy and Charlie loves his family and his life here with us. He has 5 brothers and sisters that he plays with constantly and has even adopted one of our cats as his own couch buddy. He has a big fenced in backyard that he owns and protects from all those crazy squirrels that dare enter. He hasn’t caught any yet – luckily, but he makes his presence known. Every day he makes us laugh and brings smiles to our faces. We look forward to many more years of smiles with Charlie.
Thank you WestieMed for all you did for our family and all the other Westies you have helped!
