The mission of Rainbow Rescues, Inc., in Casper, Wyoming, is to visit kill shelters in hopes of saving dogs that are about to be euthanized usually due to lack of space. One day a very small creature appeared, huddled in the back corner of a kennel. He was very dirty, yellow, shivering, and frightened beyond words – to the point of nipping when approached. Who knows “Bach’s” history? He was found at a waste treatment plant. Very difficult to get to for the little one; it did seem that he had been dumped. Fortunately, the shelter impounded him, cared for him the required seven day period for strays, and was willing to release him to rescue.
Bach – WestieMed Recipient
We went directly to the vet, mostly to see if he was closer to life or death. Good news: with a couple of baths, Bach magically became a white “swan.” He was determined to be about seven to eight years old and generally in good health. But he had been sorely neglected for years. Bach had four vet stays, three for surgeries. His teeth were cleaned (none had to be extracted,) a baseball-sized hernia was repaired and four to five small tumors were removed. Then several large warts were removed, one from his eyelid. Finally, two more tumors were removed. He had a complete health exam, blood screening, and many medicated baths which he quite enjoys. Bach’s coat is extremely thin, nonexistent in many places. There is no hair on his tail, back legs, or neck. He takes a couple of medications to encourage skin/coat health. Good food regularly and a sense of security have helped too.
Through all of this, Bach never nipped again. He certainly knows that he is no longer alone, out in the cold Wyoming weather. He has recovered nicely. After a couple of months of care and TLC, Bach turned out to be a doll. He loves basking in the sunshine, going for walks, eating, and more eating. And he is beginning to cuddle; it took a long time for him to be comfortable with that. He does sit up to win hearts – and it is very effective! All of his incisions have healed and some are even covered with hair! He is now housetrained, crate trained loves to ride on a pillow looking out the side window, and is very obedient and well mannered.
The donation from WestieMed to help with his medical expenses made it possible for Bach to be completely rehabilitated, physically and emotionally. He will be forever grateful for their compassion and generosity. According to the vet’s last comment, “he is making great progress and should have several years of healthy life ahead.” Bach may be enjoying the Utah sunshine for the rest of his life. He has a very positive forever home currently being evaluated.
Sincere appreciation for your assistance.
Rainbow Rescues, Inc. Bach, Valued Rescue Dog Jan Dodson, Director
I am a one-year-old spunky little fellow, although I kinda hit a brick wall for my early years. You see, I was just recently in the hospital and they told me I have this Addison’s disease. I was bummed to say the least, but at that time, at least I was being taken care of by some really wonderful folks at Pet Pavilion emergency in Olympia Washington.
It all started when I was only 8 months old. Up until that time I was growing like a weed, eating everything in sight and having a grand old time exploring the world from my puppy point of view. I started to get more tired every day and just didn’t feel like my old puppy self. I didn’t want to play with my good pal- a twelve-year-old Scottie named Emma- she had actually been my mom as I was growing up. I just didn’t understand- especially when I started not feeling hungry, then I started vomiting even though I hadn’t eaten anything. Plus I started shaking like I was cold and getting very wobbly on my puppy legs. Not at all like my old self.
My then mom and family took me into my Doc, who said he couldn’t find anything wrong and sent me home again. Well about a week later the same thing happened although this time it was worse- I was not eating at all and shaking and sleeping a whole lot. I didn’t even feel like playing at all.
At the end of February- things got really bad, I just couldn’t make it anymore- my tremors had gotten really bad, I was not eating anything so I had lost almost half my weight and I was a really sick fellow. My then family decided I had to go to the emergency room. Boy, I was glad they took me in, ’cause the Docs took one look at me and threw me on some IV Fluids. I was in shock and my heart was not functioning properly. I was so weak I couldn’t even stand anymore, and I couldn’t stop shaking.
Those nice folks kept me alive with the fluids and started giving me all these tests. They were smart Docs- they figured out right away that I probably had something they kept calling “Addison’s” I wasn’t sure what they were talking about since I was sleeping a whole bunch and felt really, really horrible. The Docs at the emergency room told my then family I was really sick and would need care for the rest of my doggie life. They were really upset. My then family really loved me but had a new baby, a new house, and lots of expenses so they would have a hard time affording my medicines and care. The emergency room bills were a lot anyway, plus having to give me medications.
But they were really upset and wanted to find me a good forever home, so they called the Westie rescue foundation to see if there was anybody who could take me instead of having to put me to sleep. I was sleeping a lot, but that kind of sleep was different. The Westie rescue folks knew of this nice lady named Anne who had been looking for another Westie to adopt to be a companion to her then “big brother” Westie Macduff, who is two years old. She got a call at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26th, the lady at Westie Rescue of Missouri and Illinois who told her my story and asked her if she wanted to adopt me.
Well, my new forever mom is a Vet Tech, so she knew right away how serious my condition was and what kind of care I would need. But she was not afraid of my being sick, so she called the hospital and my family right away to make arrangements to come and pick me up and adopt me. She knew I would need to be closely monitored because my family had to take me out of the emergency care facility sooner than I should have because they couldn’t afford it. My new forever mom knew I was still a pretty sick boy. She arranged to drive an hour and a half down to Tacoma from her home in Carnation to pick me up on Sunday the 27th of February. I met her on Sunday and immediately crawled into her lap; I knew she was a good forever mom right away.
I didn’t meet my new big brother MacDuff until I got to my new home. My new home is on a beautiful lake that faces these big mountains. We have a big yard that goes down to the water, which I love to play in.
My new forever mom kept me really quiet and let me rest in my Crate for the first few days. I had my first Doc appointment after she got the final results from the ACTH tests done at the emergency clinic. They knew then that I had this Addison’s thing. Well, my new forever mom knows about all that stuff, so she made appointments with her Vets and took me in right away to get me started on my maintenance meds. I am now on those, I take Flurocortisone Acetate tablets and Prednisone. Big names for such a little guy! I am eating like a horse, my mom is trying to put my weight back on so she is giving me roasted chicken meat with my dinner every night and boy do I go crazy for that!
I know I look kinda scrawny here- but I have gained four pounds since the above picture was taken!
I get to go for a hike every day and now that I can run again, it feels so good to have a big brother to chase and show me the ropes! I was an indoor dog before, so the woods are new and there is all kind of smells which are new to me.
My new forever mom had a time of it through the first two weeks. The meds made me go outside every half an hour for the first week. I had a lot of accidents. But mom was patient with me because she knew I couldn’t control it until my muscles got stronger again. Then it slowed down to every hour-even at night, so we didn’t get much rest. But now I can sleep through the night, and I quit shaking finally so my legs are getting stronger every day.
My new forever mom is really strict about making me take my medicine on time every day, but I know it is making me feel better, so I do it for her. She is letting me sleep on the bed now with big Brother MacDuff and I feel really, really lucky to have found this new forever home and be getting my strength back!
I am still not out of the woods yet though and my forever mom thinks I may have something wrong with my left back leg,,,,,,but she tells me just to take one day at a time and we’ll get there!
Shelby – WestieMed Recipient
I know it will still take a few months before I feel completely like my old self- but I trust my new forever mom, she really knows how to take care of me! And my new Big Brother is so nice and patient with me- even when I steal his food or toys. Here’s a picture of me with my Big brother MacDuff on the left- he is letting me share his favorite chair with him!
So thanks WestieMed for finding me my new forever Mom and big brother! I am one lucky Westie dog!
Shelby
Update May 2005:
Well hello all you Westie lovers!
Shelby’s my name and getting’ healthy is my game!
I have been living with my new family, Mom, older brother Mac Duff and a really BIG cat named Comet (who I like to hassle a lot) for about four months now! I was rescued and kept alive from certain mortality at the beginning of February 2005, after I was in the hospital and diagnosed with life-threatening Addison’s disease. Since then my Mom and my great Doc, Dr. Longley have been taking really great care of me and monitoring my electrolyte balance, and increasing my meds three times! My Ratio of Sodium to Potassium is now at about thirty, which is a really HUGE improvement! And WestieMed is helping my mom out with my treatments!
My life is so great now- I get to go out and run and hike every day. Now I can even out-run my older brother Mac Duff and boy, does that make me feel good! My muscles are really starting to come in and fill out. And my hair is growing back thick and healthy. When I was really sick before I was rescued, my muscles had atrophied so badly I could hardly stand, and my hair was falling out all over the place! And you know what- since I am getting calcium in my body now- my bones have grown and I have gotten bigger! Mom has also been feeding me cooked chicken as a diet supplement and BOY do I LOVE chicken!
Shelby – WestieMed Recipient
Here are some updated pics so you can see how handsome I am and how well I am doing.
Pretty soon I will he hairier and bigger than Mac Duff! I am happy ’cause I am really starting to enjoy life, and not being sick all the time is really, really great! Here’s a picture of me and big bother Duff. I’m the guy on the right. I think I am starting to look more like a Westie–right?
Shelby – WestieMed Recipient
And here’s one of me smellin’ the chicken dinner cooking! See the hair re-growing in on my legs–and LOOK how big my paws are! What more could a Westie want–right!
Thanks again WestieMed- it is so great to feel healthy again!
Shelby
Update November 15, 2019:
It is with a very sad heart I am writing this final chapter to Shelby’s story. He sadly left me and went over the Rainbow Bridge last Friday, November 8th, 2019.
Shelby not only survived and lived well his whole life with his Addison’s disease, but he also BEAT cancer! He has diagnosed in 2015 with Stage five Lymphoma, went through Chemo, and was also given the new monoclonal antibody treatments for lymphoma. He was still in remission when he passed away.
He was a force to be reckoned with.
He had such a “Joi de Vivre”! He was a wonderful, happy go lucky fellow who LOVED to chase chipmunks with his big brother Duff, who sadly preceded him.
But he just couldn’t beat the Monster KIDNEY failure. He gave it his all, was such a joy in my life and he will always be loved and missed every day of my life.
Thank you WestieMed for bringing this loving, wonderful boy into our lives and for all the help and wonderful years you all made possible for us to enjoy together.
A commercial dog breeder contacted me and said he had a Westie pup with a deformed leg and asked if I could take her into my rescue. I took her to my vet who examined her and took X-rays. Her left rear leg bent at the hip only, but she was able to use it and it didn’t seem to hinder or hurt her any. The vet had never seen anything like it and was at a loss as to what to do, but thought it would cause problems as she grew. He suggested amputating it.
I didn’t want to have the leg amputated, so I contacted a lady I knew who was involved in Westie rescue to see if she might know what was wrong with the pup that I was now calling Baby Girl, as she was a tiny little five-week old baby girl. She e-mailed some other Westie rescuers and they all recommended that I take her to a vet school where she would be examined by specialists with state-of-the-art facilities.
Baby Girl – WestieMed Recipient
One of the Westie rescuers recommended that I contact WestieMed for financial assistance. I did and they were eager to help this precious little angel, so I arranged for her to go to a vet school six hours from here. The vets there said her leg had been broken and had healed and her quadriceps was just scar tissue. There was nothing that could be done for her, but the leg shouldn’t cause her any problems unless she scraped her toes or pads when she walked – in which case they suggested a bootie or sock, etc. to protect her foot.
Baby Girl is now fourteen weeks old now up for adoption.
This precious little Baby Girl came into our lives the weekend before Easter in March of this year all the way from Arkansas to Lexington, Kentucky all in one day. Marge and Tom who you read about in this section were so nice and helped to transport this little one and we met them in Paducah. We named her Miss Mckenzie Starbucks as our first stop when we got home was Starbucks and we found out she LOVES all coffee!!!!!
Miss Mckenzie is a joy to have around. She has a ball with her Westie sister, Jasmine, who is six years old, and her Westie brother, Baxter, a rescue who is four and half years old. Jasmine and Mckenzie play for hours and when they get too wild Baxter acts as the referee. She loves to be outside and loves to go around the fence line looking for the black Labs next door or the mixed breed on the other side next door. She is very affectionate along with being quite a character. Everyone loves her personality. She is very confident and is not afraid of anyone or anything except maybe the firecrackers she heard last night!!!! She has become the Alpha of the house taking nylabones right out of Baxter and Jasmine’s mouths. She is very sneaky and a riot to watch. She is also very intelligent and keeps us all on our toes.
Her bad hind leg does not cause her ANY problems or slow her down at all. She keeps up with the other two and you would never tell she had a problem. She is always a happy pup and has just recently become a water dog. We bought an eleven-foot pool and put milk crates upside down in the water to make a platform. She loves the water and will jump off the platform and then dog paddle to us. It is amazing to see her. She has no fear and just LOVES the water.
We want to thank Pat at Small K-9 Rescue and Westie ed for giving her the chance to live a normal life. We are so glad they did not have to amputate her leg. Thank you again for letting us give Mckenzie her forever home and for sending this precious angel to us.
Cutie got his name from the office manager at my vet’s office. I had just gotten him from his breeder the night before and hadn’t been told his name, so she quickly named him for the records.
Cutie was surrendered to me because I run a small dog rescue, and he had a huge hernia in is the groin. While my vet gives me a very generous discount for my rescued dogs, he estimated Cutie’s surgery to repair this hernia would run $200 – $400. Since adoption fees are my only source of income for my rescue organization, and an eight-year-old retired stud dog wasn’t going to bring anywhere near that much money for his adoption fee, I turned to WestieMed for financial assistance, and they agreed to fund his vet bill.
He’ll have the surgery next week, as well as dental work and he’ll be neutered, and will then be available for adoption. He’s a very good, very sweet, mild-mannered boy and will make a wonderful companion for some lucky person.
Cutie had his surgery today. it was a hernia…a huge inguinal hernia and the testicle on that side had become infected too. H also had to have a lot of teeth pulled. The vet said in a few weeks he’ll feel like a new dog…and that he had to have been in a tremendous amount of pain for a very long time ;-(
Pat
Cutie – WestieMed Recipient
Update: May 29, 2005:
Here is Woody. He is doing so well. This is the cutest, funniest little dog you can imagine. He is totally mellow about everything. He’s super affectionate, gentle, and fun-loving. We have now had him about three and half months, he is mostly housetrained and just a delight to live with. He will be getting his first haircut in about two weeks. We’re looking forward to his new image. He is healthy, active, and just great. He gets along well with our other Westie rescue, Muffy. She is a nine-year-old female from a puppy mill near Kansas City. We have had her for two and a half years. His “zipper” on his belly healed beautifully. It is difficult to find it now. We put his dog food through the food processor because he has so few teeth, but he LOVES to eat. We are feeding them Eagle Pack, which was recommended to us by a dog groomer. They really like it. His coat is thick and healthy. He almost never scratches, doesn’t seem to have allergy problems at all. This is a great dog! Thanks so much for letting us be his forever family.
I run a small dog rescue and a commercial dog breeder asked me if I would take Penny, a fivee-year-old Westie female in his kennel because her health was deteriorating for unknown reasons. Her hair was falling out and she was losing weight. I took her to my vet who gave her a thorough exam and did blood work, all of which was inconclusive. He suspected food allergies and put her on a special diet, Science Diet Z/D ($52 for 18 lbs!).
Another possible cause for her condition could have been uterine infection or disease, so the next step was to spay her. He didn’t see anything unusual about her uterus or ovaries, so he did a liver biopsy when he spayed her. While waiting on the results, she starting looking better, and while the results indicated that she was producing excessive steroids that could be due to diseased adrenal glands, it is possible that a tumor in her ovaries or uterus could have been what was causing the excessive hormones.
Penny’s breeder/owner told me that Penny had become increasingly agitated about being confined and that he had to take extra precautions to prevent her from escaping her whelping quarters and roaming the neighborhood. My vet said that history supported his theory that a tumor in her reproductive tract was producing excessive testosterone, so we will wait two weeks to see is her condition improves. If it does, then the problem was probably in her reproductive tract. If not, the problem is in her adrenal glands and she’ll have to start treatment for that. As a precaution, we will also keep her on the special diet for now as she could also have food allergies as well.
Needless to say, the vet bills were mounting!! I’m an independent rescuer whose only source of income for the rescue is adoption fees, and Penny’s vet bills would far exceed her adoption fee, so I turned to WestieMed for assistance and they came to the rescue, covering her vet bills.
Lacey came to Westie/Cairn Terrier Rescue when she was thirteen years old. She had been owned by the same family since she was a puppy and they had taken very good care of her. They had her spayed, kept her shots and heartworm up to date and did some very expensive surgery on her back knees.
Lacey had a history of bladder infections and this family had her ultrasound and it was discovered that her kidneys were smaller than they were supposed to be. The left kidney has dilated collecting ducts and is slightly smaller than normal and this may be what is precipitating the infections. She gets blood in her urine when this happens and she strains to urinate.
Lacey’s luck turned bad when the family made the decision to get a Boxer puppy and the two of them would get into fights. Instead of finding a home for the Boxer, the kids made the decision that they had to keep the pup and that Lacey (even though she had always lived with this family) would have to be the one to go.
So, at thirteen years of age, she came into rescue, and after a few months, a home was found with an older lady who vowed to give little Lacey a forever home. She kept Lacey about a year and a half and then got sick and had to move in with her son. Again, Lacey was sent packing back to rescue. She had another bladder infection and had blood in her urine and was put on Baytril. She seems to get better, and then a few weeks later, the blood reappears, and she strains to urinate.
I decided to get to the problem and had Dr. Kristine Rabb do a urinalysis, complete bloodwork, and an x-ray. Her bloodwork came back normal and her x-ray didn’t show any stones or abnormalities and the only thing her urinalysis showed were clumps of white cells attacking the infection. Lacey was put on Clavamox for fourteen days and C/D dogfood and for now the blood has gone away.
Thank you WestieMed for helping me with some of the bills accumulated for Lacey. I am caring for fifteen rescue dogs, and your help comes at a time when finances are tight.
Lacey is available for adoption, and if someone can give this sweet, little girl a loving home for the last of her years, she (and I) would be so grateful.
Carla Smith
Update, June 2005:
Lacey is still with rescue and her chances of getting a forever home are slim-to-none as no one wants a 16-year-old. She continues to have bladder infections, and I continue to medicate her. She will stay with me until it is time for her to go to the Rainbow Bridge.
I thank you WestieMed for helping with some of her vet bills, and if she does get a home, I will be sure and tell you. You provide a wonderful service to those of us with little Westies that are hardship cases. I will always be in your debt, as will little Lacey.
Carla Smith Westie/Cairn Terrier Rescue
Lacey – WestieMed Recipient
Update, November 2005:
On November 29th, little Lacey went to the Rainbow Bridge. She quit eating a couple of days ago and seemed to be genuinely uncomfortable with the way she was laying. Her tumor had progressed to golf-ball size, and the cancer was finally becoming unbearable to her, so we made the sad trip to the vet where she went peacefully to sleep.
Austin was in essence abandoned at my home. I had originally volunteered to baby-sit Austin over the Thanksgiving holiday, 2004, while his owners went out of town to relatives for the holiday.
Austin is seven years old and he has Addison’s disease. He came to my home in an emaciated condition. Every bone in his body was protruding, and his head was sunken in the space above his eyes and between his ears. The rear half of his body was primarily pink and black skin. The hair that was left in his rear quarters was mostly a dark red color. His family told me they were going to have him put to sleep that day (Wednesday the 23rd even though they had arranged for me to sit for him), but Austin’s eleven-year-old boy had been so devastated for weeks about it that they decided to put it off until they returned.
It was a very difficult weekend for me simply because Holidays can be that way and I was caring for a sick dog. We already have three dogs in our house, and I was looking forward to Austin’s family’s return.
But…Austin the Westie was such a sweet boy and being the soft heart for all animals, I vowed to put some meat on his bones before he had to go home. Could I do it in four days? I cooked fresh chicken (two Chickens) and Rice to feed to him, and enough to send home with him. It was my goal to make him look and feel better so his family would keep him for his boy’s sake. Austin ate not only chicken and rice but the dog food that I give my own dogs ate. He ate as if he couldn’t get enough. I bathed him, removed his fleas, and clipped his nails that were so long that they clicked loudly on the wood floors.
He was taking Prednisone and drank an extreme amount of water. I truly think it was coming out faster than his body could put it to any use at all. So this meant at least three trips outside during the night, and I had to go with him because he would just look at me when I opened the door. Maybe because he was used to being attached to a leash to go out. He had many accidents in the house during his first few days.
Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, and the day before Austin was to leave, his family called and said they had gotten a new puppy for Austin’s boy. I knew in my heart what this meant for Austin…that he had been replaced. Instantly I was saddened and I told my husband that I couldn’t let Austin get put to sleep during the holidays. I knew that Austin’s eleven-year-old boy’s heart would be broken. I had begun to fall in love with Austin and my heart was broken too as soon as I knew he had been replaced. They returned on Sunday to pick up Austin. His boy started crying as soon as he walked in the door and saw Austin. His mother told me she was having him put to sleep the next day because of his health and the expenses. By this time, even though Austin still looked very sick, his temperament had improved drastically. He had become friendlier with my dogs and bounced around like he wasn’t sick. I knew I could improve his health and his looks. It only required my patience, love, consistent medication, good food, and basic care.
The additional veterinary expenses, additional to my other pets, were a primary worry. At this point, I started looking into Addison’s Disease for symptoms and if there were any alternative care to the steroids the disease required. Then I started searching for places where I could buy the medicines he required. I didn’t come up with anything reasonable. Austin ran out of medication within maybe two weeks after his arrival. He went into an adrenal crisis. He shook constantly and wouldn’t eat or drink. His family said he wouldn’t be issued another prescription without blood work and the prescription was quite expensive for my family to deal with. I called his vet and talked her into one more prescription without all the blood work, and she conceded since he was in a crisis. She said that this was “the last one” she would issue without blood work. His crisis lasted about three days. It was crazy! I found myself on the floor pretending I was lapping water, dipping my finger in and placing drops in his mouth to get him to take a lick of it. I coaxed him with primarily cooked chicken for food. He took in enough to get him through this bad time. Fortunately, he had added a little weight before this happened. He lost most of what he had gained previously, during this crisis. Slowly he became himself again. I continued to love and give Austin the care he desperately needed and continued to search the Internet for possible help.
I came across WestieMed, and I applied for help for Austin. By this time, I had around 6 days of medication left. WestieMed responded very quickly and, though, in a professional manner, you could tell they actually cared. Arrangements were made, and Austin was taken to the vet on a Monday. He would have run out of his medication that Wednesday, and I was faced with having him euthanized myself due to the medical expenses he required. In trying to help, I had put myself and Austin in this situation again. By this time Austin had become our wild, wild Westie. He was so loving, active, and playful. It broke my heart even more.
WestieMed came through and Austin’s life was saved for another time.
Austin is still at my home today, almost exactly two months later. He has gotten most of his hair back and actually had gained almost six pounds by the time he got his veterinary visit. Little did I know that he had only weighed eleven pounds (according to his vet records) and maybe a little less. He was feather-light. Now he weighs almost seventeen pounds. His ears are even starting to get a little fuzzy. He’s starting to look like a healthy, happy Westie.
Due to his constant veterinary bills, and even though he has become part of my family, it is for Austin’s sake that I need to give my iddy biddy Westie to Westie Rescue. They will maintain his health and find an adoptive home for him with someone who can afford to take care of his health needs. I am learning about these rescue services and didn’t know they existed. I am confident they will ensure Austin has a secure loving home. He will be leaving us tomorrow for Michigan, pending the weather coming into our area tonight.
Attached is a picture of Austin with my son. This is a day or two after I applied for WestieMed help for Austin.
Thank You WestieMed and Michigan Westie Rescue.
Linda Brown
Austin March 2005 – WestieMed Recipient
Update, April 2005:
Austin has been adopted and now lives in a home with two other Westies (one who also had Addison’s) and two kitties. He is doing very well.
Austin – WestieMed Recipient
Update, May 9, 2005:
This is an update on Scoorie (formerly known as Austin to you). He is doing quite well and has even had the experience of being groomed (see attached picture) and who would have thought that possible seeing his previous picture. He has two westie companions, Misty and Keddy and though he is the oldest, he keeps them going. Thanks so much for the wonderful assistance you provided him. He is truly a pleasure.
Sincerely, Pam
Update, July 2005:
Scoorie is doing just fine. He has adjusted well to sharing my attention with two other westies who preceded him. My interest in Scoorie was due to my original westie having Addison’s disease and I felt I could handle another dog and why not one with Addison’s? His AD is well controlled with monthly injections and daily meds. His coat is just wonderful, he has been groomed twice since coming to me in March. No signs of allergies, fleas, etc.
Your organization has my sincere thanks for what you did for Scoorie. He is a delightful companion, always following me around every time I move. If I can ever be of help to your organization (and I hope to be able to send monies) please let me know. I firmly believe in rescue, having taken Scoorie, and also believe that dogs with problems can become wonderful pets with the right placement.
