Winston came from a shelter in South Carolina in November 2001. Soon after arriving in rescue, he was treated for internal parasites and vaccinated, and he tested positive for heartworm. It was also determined that he was in a very weakened condition. His x-rays showed that he had an enlarged heart and a lot of fluid around the heart. Due to his weakened condition, the heartworm treatments would need to be spaced one month apart. His second heartworm treatment was received in December 2001. On January 15,2002, he was back in for a recheck and cough that had developed. Blood work revealed a secondary infection, and x-rays revealed his heart was still enlarged; however – he was clear of heartworms! Because of the continued heart enlargement, an echocardiogram was suggested for further diagnosis. This was performed on January 29, 2002. The echocardiogram showed that the right ventricular was thickened and there is a small amount of leaking. Additional x-rays are recommended in one month prior to anesthetic procedure for neutering. Winston will also need to take a baby aspirin every three days for the rest of his life, after the antibiotics are completed. Another echocardiogram is recommended again in six months. Since arriving, Winston has been kept confined with little to no activity as required for his care. Any exuberant exercise or activity could cause him to have an aneurysm. Winston should be able to lead a normal life once he has recovered, but he could be susceptible to congestive heart failure at a earlier age.
Update – August 2002:
Thanks for inquiring about Winston, my favorite subject! He is doing well. He was adopted on May 1, 2002, and now resides in West Virginia. His health has greatly improved. If you are planning to attend Montgomery County weekend this year (in October) you may have an opportunity to meet him at the parade of rescues. Thanks for caring about Winston.
Peter is expected to make a full recovery…but it will take a long, long time. It is possible that he will need a number of skin grafts. His wonderful foster mom, Barb Ott, and her wonderful vet’s office are tending to Peter’s wounds, ensuring that his dressings are changed regularly, and keeping him as comfortable as possible. Peter has that Westie spirit…he hasn’t given up. Please keep him in your thoughts in these crucial healing days ahead.
Mikki and Maude were picked up as strays and taken to the St. Tammany Parish Shelter in Abita Springs, Louisiana. Both were heartworm positive and would have been euthanized had they not have been taken in by Dawn Rescue. When found, they had no tags or other identification, they were in very poor condition, and there were signs of having been bred. Mikki and Maude have begun their heartworm treatment, and have experienced some side effects from it. We anticipate they will make a full recovery.
Mikki and Maude – WestieMed Recipient
July 2002 Update:
You will be happy to know that both Mikki and Maude have been adopted. Maude came through the heartworm treatment and spaying with flying colors and was adopted by some nice folks in northern Mississippi, who already had a Westie girlie. BTW her new name is Gracie.
Mikki was a whole ‘another story. She did not respond well, and we almost lost her during the treatment (that is the last time we will use the immiticide treatment). When the treatment was complete, she was coughing a lot and x-rays showed an enlarged heart. After much medication and a follow-up ultrasound, she was found to have had a build-up of heartworm detritus in her lungs. She will have chronic emphysema for the rest of her life. Fortunately, she was not an active little girl, so it will not change her lifestyle. One of our neighbors fell in love with her and adopted her about a month ago. We were really happy since we can keep an eye on her as well. Her new name is Gidget. Unfortunately, I don’t have an email for them but can get you one if you wish.
Mikki and Maude – WestieMed Recipient
We wish to thank Westie med for coming through for us and the girlies. Both the girlies were expensive to treat, but I’m sure their new families would say it was worth it.
Angus was brought to a vets office by his owner to be put to sleep. Angus’s “crime” was that he had lost most of his hair, and the owner didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
Angus came from an owner that was using him strictly for breeding. He was not current on his vaccinations, on no heartworm prevention, unneutered (of course), no flea/tick control, and no veterinary history whatsoever.
Despite his grim background, Angus is truly a wonderful little guy with a great temperament!
Unfortunately for Angus, he did test positive for heartworms. WestieMed is helping with the costs to get Angus through his heartworm treatments and to bring this sweet boy up to an adoptable condition. Please keep Angus in your thoughts as he continues to recover.
Angus was brought to a vets office by his owner to be put to sleep. Angus’s “crime” was that he had lost most of his hair, and the owner didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
Angus came from an owner that was using him strictly for breeding. He was not current on his vaccinations, on no heartworm prevention, unneutered (of course), no flea/tick control, and no veterinary history whatsoever.
Despite his grim background, Angus is truly a wonderful little guy with a great temperament!
Unfortunately for Angus, he did test positive for heartworms. WestieMed is helping with the costs to get Angus through his heartworm treatments and to bring this sweet boy up to an adoptable condition. Please keep Angus in your thoughts as he continues to recover.
Sebastian is a beautiful, sweet, funny, little five-year-old Westie who was turned over to rescue by his previous owners who divorced and neither one wanted him. He had not been kept current on his shots, heartworm medication, nor was he neutered. Westie Rescue promptly took care of those matters.
Brodie – WestieMed Recipient
On the evening of July 18, 2001, while in foster care, Sebastian went out in the yard to potty, came back ten minutes later, and collapsed. He was vomiting, defecating, and was unresponsive. He was immediately taken to the Emergency Room. It was thought that he had been poisoned and was in shock. The ER vet sent me home with instructions to call back for bloodwork. I called later that night and was told he had high levels of calcium in his blood which could only be caused by two things. Rat poison or cancer. The ER vet was not sure he would make it through the night, I was devastated. But he did, and I picked him up at seven a.m. the next morning and went straight to my vet. With tests, they were able to rule out the rat poisoning (which was a huge relief in itself, I thought someone had intentionally poisoned him, we do not have poisons in our home). X-rays showed a mass in the liver area but because Sebastian had another episode that afternoon, surgery had to be delayed. Again the vet did not think he would pull through, but he did! On July 24, 2001, he had a transfusion and exploratory surgery. No cancer was found, what appeared to be a mass was actually scar tissue – the colon adhered to the abdominal wall. My vet feels like Sebastian suffered some kind of traumatic injury during his life. (I have since contacted one of the previous owners and, of course, they deny this…) Sebastian was able to come home a few days later and has had no further incidents. My vet feels like we may never know what caused Sebastian to go into shock as he did.
Sebastian has since been adopted and has a wonderful new Mom and Westie sister!
Thank you WestieMed! Without your help with this major expense, my ability to help other rescue Westies would have been much more difficult.
Laura ArdoinLouisiana Westie Rescue
Brodie – WestieMed Recipient
Update July 2002:
Well it has almost been a year since my adoption of Brodie (Sebastian). We have moved into our house and finally, Brodie and Celtie have a backyard. Many times I have thought how lucky I am to have adopted a dog with such a wonderful temperament. He is a wonderful dog and I can’t thank you (WHWTCC Westie Rescue) enough for giving us this opportunity.
Hope things are going well with you, Amanda H. Celtie and Brodie too.
I guess Simon started his life like many puppies. From what I can determine he made the treck from a puppy mill in Kentucky to a pet store in Massachusetts. He was bought as a gift for someone who thought they were doing their friend a favor by giving them this cute little ball of fluff. He was four months old at the time. Simon’s new owner was ill and having personal problems and was unable to care for him, he spent much of his time alone in his crate longing for someone to love him. SOS dog rescue was contacted to see if a home could be found. He was put on the petfinder.com bulletin board and he was adopted out to a woman who had a small Cairn terrier at home already. The woman met Simon’s original owner at a rest stop where the transfer was made, apparently, the rescue felt this would be less traumatic for Simon than putting him in a foster home first. I’m not sure exactly how long he spent in his second home but he wound up back on petfinders.com again. The second owner said this eight-month-old pup was too rough on her Cairn who was getting upset and that he was somewhat of a wild child and she was not prepared for this. I applied to adopt Simon and after my application was accepted I made the two and a half hour trip to pick him up with my little boy Cairn in tow to meet his new brother. It was quite the trip I must say, we got into a hit and run accident on the way, had to go to the police station, etc. so our trip wound up being over four hours but we were determined (at least I was I can’t speak for my Cairn).
We arrived at Simon’s second home and were introduced to him. He seemed like a happy fellow but the first thing I noticed was a strong smell of urine. I wasn’t sure if it was his hygiene or what, but I packed him up and took him with me. I brought him to the vet the next day and found out he had a very bad urinary tract infection and had blood in his urine. He must have had it for a while for it to be this bad. The poor fellow couldn’t hold his urine in due to the frequency and discomfort, urine would just dribble out of him and he was constantly squatting. No wonder he was wild, he was sick and in pain. He was placed on antibiotics and was followed closely. It was also thought that he had stones because his urine had crystals in it but that eventually cleared and his x-ray came out ok in the end. Simon also had Giardia in his stool which is a bacterial infection that is highly contagious to humans and animals. He needed treatment for several weeks for this and my Cairn needed to be treated as well as the humans in the house!!!!!
It was over a month of treatment (which unfortunately included two catheterizations), and many hundreds of dollars later, that Simon was given a clean bill of health. He is now a happy go lucky Westie and has adjusted well to his new forever home and gets along well with his Cairn brother Fred. Just one look into those eyes of his and I know I did the right thing by bringing him home. All he needed was someone to love him and to get him healthy so he could grow up to be the beautiful boy he is. He will be 1 year old on August 20th, and as long as I have anything to do with it will spend all of his birthdays happy and healthy and basking in the love he deserves.
Thank you WestieMed for helping me with Simon’s medical bills!!!
Lisa McClafferty
Simon – WestieMed Recipient
Update August 2002
Simon is doing fine. He lives with us in Vermont now, we just moved and are running a B&B and he is an assistant innkeeper, in charge of entertainment!!! We love him dearly and are so happy you asked about him. I have attached a photo for you.
Goober was born on June 21, 2000, was brought to a vet’s office on August 4th, and stayed there until being released to me (his foster Mom) on November 15th, where he is in long-term foster care and being given lots of love and proper medical care.
Goober was born to a breeder in New Jersey who realized he had a medical problem at six weeks of age. The breeder asked his friend, a vet, to do a complete physical. At first it was thought that he had bloat, irritable bowel syndrome, and/or hypoglycemia. From the middle of August until the beginning of November, Goober was treated for irritable bowels (not knowing his problems had nothing to do with his bowels). Frustrated because Goober’s condition was not improving, the breeder turned Goober over to the vet’s office as he could no longer phyically care – or afford to care – for Goober. The staff at the vet’s office convinced the vet not to put Goober down, but rather to continue to treat him in an effort to save his life.
When he was four months old, the vet decided to have a small animal surgeon take a look at him, and it was determined that he has hemivertebrae, a condition which results from failure of a vertebral body to develop fully. Some dogs with this condition become totally paralyzed and is usually accompanied by compensatory changes in the shape of adjacent vertebrae. Disc spaces are preserved, although they may be misshapen and some ribs often appear crowded. If it is severe enough to cause clinical neurologic signs, surgery may be necessary.
Ultimately, the folks at WestieMed learned of Goober medical needs and his need for a “special” foster home to tend to his needs. WestieMed has kindly agreed to sponsor Goober and has made it possible for him to receive the best medical care for his condition. In order to determine the severity of his disorder, a myelogram or MRI must be performed, but the current specialist doesn’t want to perform the tests until Goober reaches at least ten months of age; it’s just too much of a risk at his young age.
Goober – WestieMed Recipient
Goober is now five months old and since being removed from the cage at the vet’s office, he has thrived in a loving home with two westie sisters and one brother (Maggie, Phoebe and Finnegan). Goober is not able to fully enjoy all fun puppy antics, but he does manage to fill his life with toys, shoelaces, and lots of TLC. Goober’s rear section doesn’t seem to work too well, but he doesn’t really know that. He is taking prednisone to help alleviate the pain associated with his condition.
When I picked up Goober, I was told he might have one day, one week or one month to live, no one could tell. I was told his condition is inoperable and nothing can be done for him, just bring him home and give him lots of love until it’s time for him to cross the Bridge.
Goober – WestieMed Recipient
Now we believe that Goober has a good chance of making it without a life of severe pain and total paralysis. We believe he will be one of the lucky ones to live with this condition and have a long and happy life. One look in his smiling eyes and we know we’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe and happy.
Kathy McNulty, Easton, Pennsylvania
UPDATE: February 15, 2001:
Goober had an emergency myelogram and surgery today due to his condition worsening in the past several days. The compression in his spine turned out to be much worse than originally thought; however, it was operable! Goober’s prognosis is not known at this point, but it may be at least six months before he regains the use of his rear legs. In the meantime, he will need physical therapy and lots of medical care and attention.
DON’T CRY, MOMMY Don’t cry, Mommy, I’m okay! The Angels came, I couldn’t stay. God brought me home, He loves me, too! He said that I can Watch over you. I know you love me, I love you, too. That’s why I’ll do My best for you. That’s my new job, To wait for you Until you come, Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll run and romp, And play with glee! (I’ll lift my leg, When I have to pee!) But most of all, I’ll guard you well. I’m up here watching, Can’t you tell? Think of me, I’ll hear your voice. And know you made a perfect choice. You saved me once, I’ll not forget! You took care of me, But better yet: You loved me. Jill P. Schlarb July 19, 2001
UPDATE: Tuesday, July 17, 2001:
To let you know Goober made it thru another surgery fine. His knee cap is now located on his knee and held in place with two pins. He is now also neutered. I’ll call in the morning to see how he’s doing and might be able to bring him home tomorrow afternoon. Goober’s never been able to lift his head to look up while standing, lift a leg to “wet a bush” or even go up or down steps or stairs. One of these days I envision him looking up at me and running out and in the door with his brother and sisters and not have to wait to be picked up and placed in the yard. One day he’ll run with the “big guys” and love every second of it. And, if wishes come true – one day he’ll even be able to wet that bush, too!
UPDATE: Thursday, July 19, 2001:
It is with deep sadness that I write that Goober went to the Rainbow Bridge early this morning. He took a turn for the worse yesterday and had to go to the Emergency Room. It seems he developed a quick infection and it got the best of him. His little body just couldn’t take it anymore.
Deepest thanks go out to everyone who gave Goober a second chance at life. He had a great 13 months, considering all of his problems. He touched and inspired so many people with his courage and will to live. He will live forever within our hearts.
On August 3, 2001, WestieMed established the Goober Memorial Fund. This Fund was established for the purpose of helping other rescued Westies with congenital orthopedic conditions. Donations in Goober’s memory can be directed to the Goober Memorial Fund.
I guess Simon started his life like many puppies. From what I can determine he made the trek from a puppy mill in Kentucky to a pet store in Massachusetts. He was bought as a gift for someone who thought they were doing their friend a favor by giving them this cute little ball of fluff. He was four months old at the time. Simon’s new owner was ill and having personal problems and was unable to care for him, he spent much of his time alone in his crate longing for someone to love him. SOS dog rescue was contacted to see if a home could be found. He was put on the petfinder.com bulletin board and he was adopted out to a woman who had a small Cairn terrier at home already. The woman met Simon’s original owner at a rest stop where the transfer was made, apparently, the rescue felt this would be less traumatic for Simon than putting him in a foster home first. I’m not sure exactly how long he spent in his second home but he wound up back on petfinders.com again. The second owner said this eight-month-old pup was too rough on her Cairn who was getting upset and that he was somewhat of a wild child and she was not prepared for this. I applied to adopt Simon and after my application was accepted I made the two and half hour trip to pick him up with my little boy Cairn in tow to meet his new brother. It was quite the trip I must say, we got into a hit and run accident on the way, had to go to the police station, etc. so our trip wound up being over 4 hours but we were determined (at least I was I can’t speak for my Cairn).
We arrived at Simons second home and were introduced to him. He seemed like a happy fellow but the first thing I noticed was a strong smell of urine. I wasnt sure if it was his hygiene or what, but I packed him up and took him with me. I brought him to the vet the next day and found out he had a very bad urinary tract infection and had blood in his urine. He must have had it for awhile for it to be this bad. The poor fellow couldnt hold his urine in due to the frequency and discomfort, urine would just dribble out of him and he was constantly squatting. No wonder he was wild, he was sick and in pain. He was placed on antibiotics and was followed closely. It was also thought that he had stones because his urine had crystals in it but that eventually cleared and his x-ray came out ok in the end. Simon also had Giardia in his stool which is a bacterial infection that is highly contagious to humans and animals. He needed treatment for several weeks for this and my Cairn needed to be treated as well as the humans in the house!!!!!
It was over a month of treatment (which unfortunately included two catheterizations), and many hundreds of dollars later, that Simon was given a clean bill of health. He is now a happy go lucky Westie and has adjusted well to his new forever home and gets along well with his Cairn brother Fred. Just one look into those eyes of his and I know I did the right thing by bringing him home. All he needed was someone to love him and to get him healthy so he could grow up to be the beautiful boy he is. He will be one year old on August 20th, and as long as I have anything to do with it will spend all of his birthdays happy and healthy and basking in the love he deserves.
Thank you WestieMed for helping me with Simon’s medical bills!!!
Lisa McClafferty
Simon – WestieMed Recipient
Update August 2002:
Simon is doing fine. He lives with us in Vermont now, we just moved and are running a B&B and he is assistant innkeeper, in charge of entertainment!!! We love him dearly and are so happy you asked about him. I have attached a photo for you.
On the morning of May 5, 2001, I got a call from the director of the Islip Town Animal Shelter saying they had a Westie they thought I should take a look at. He was picked up as a stray and they thought he might be around five years old. I was told he was in pretty bad shape but I was not prepared for what awaited me. When they brought him to me in the director’s office my first thought was that this dog had been set on fire. His skin was blackened with raw, red patches, sores oozing yellow and fur falling off in clumps. His eyes were two pools of yellow pus and his ears were so infected and swollen they were closed, causing him to be deaf. He was extremely thin and weak. Not able to lift his head he would rest his nose on the floor. I did not think this dog could be saved. Then he slowly, painfully walked to me and wagged his tail ever so slightly. I scooped him up and brought him to my vet.
Angus – WestieMed Recipient
Dr. Pollack worked on Buddy for two hours, cleaning eyes, ears and taking tests. Buddy was found to have severe Malassezia which developed into a fungus. The infection in his eyes was due to dry eye and his deafness because of a raging yeast infection. The test showed Buddy’s white blood count was dangerously high and his blood proteins were very low. He weighed in at just fourteen pounds and couldn’t keep any food down. We were in a fight for Buddy’s life.
That first day I was sent home with Optimmune Cyclosporine ointment, Triple Antibiotic HC ointment, Synotic, Maleseb shampoo, Keflex, Atarax, and Ketoconazole. Buddy needed to be bathed daily and have his eyes and ears flushed. He was fed small amounts of food until he could eat without vomiting and then we just let him eat as much as he could hold. The vet said puppy food would be best as it was higher in calories and Buddy needed to gain weight.
Dr. Pollack saw Buddy approximately every ten days to do a complete blood workup. In the first two weeks he didn’t gain any weight and his blood count was worse. Then gradually Buddy began to respond to treatment. His eyes cleared up and his ears started to open. He was gaining weight and his hearing was slowly returning. His skin wasn’t so raw and had started to heal. But his blood work continued to worry us. Dr. Pollack ordered some x-rays and found his liver was slightly enlarged but everything looked okay.
We continued to give Buddy his daily baths and medication. He started to act more like a Westie, bouncing around the yard, barking at rabbits and investigating everything he could get his nose into. The next round of tests gave us good news. Buddy’s blood work finally came back normal. He was up to nineteen pounds and the fungus was nearly all gone.
On June 25, 2001, Dr. Pollack gave us the go-ahead to have Buddy neutered. His appointment is set for June 30. Once he is recovered from surgery, Buddy will be going to the forever home that has been patiently waiting for him.
Thank you WestieMed for your assistance with Buddy’s enormous medical bills!
Renee Savaria New York Westie Rescue
Update August 2001
Angus has been bathed twice this week. he gets his pills in a ball of liverwurst and loves it. He is a good eater and also likes the dog biscuit treats we got for him. He takes turns following Gene and me around the house. He sits in my gym and watches us work out every day and runs right over to be petted, whenever either of us stops to rest for a few seconds.
It is hard to believe that he has been with us for just one week today, for he has become a full-time member of our family, sitting on the couch with us or lying in bed with us and getting scratched or petted constantly. He does not kiss us yet, but we make up for it by kissing him. He is happy and full of life, wagging his tail at lightning speed, playing with the tennis balls that I bought him. He immediately decided that if we roll them to him he can roll them back with his nose, paw or mouth. If he uses his mouth, he does it by clicking his teeth together and it can be heard throughout the adult community we live in. Our grandchildren adore him and the youngest, Jacqueline, informed everyone that he is happy because “he loves her so much.”
We have told the folks in the village about his background and he is now pointed out and viewed as a hero, which, indeed he is, cheerfully coming through his horrendous past. He was truly blessed by Westie Rescue and his “nurse” Renee Savaria and my wife and me are now blessed with Angus. His new name hasn’t caught on with him yet, but I told him, this morning, that he and I share our Celtic heritage and that is why God gave him to us. Thank you all for filling our home with happiness.
Ed and Gene McGrath
Update July 2002
Angus is healthy and extraordinarily happy, since the entire adult community where we live, Sunrise Village, love him, as well as our children and grandchildren. The grandchildren are more thrilled that Angus is coming to visit, than the fact that we are arriving at the same time. Our children have gotten dishes and food for him, at their homes. When we take him into the town of Sayville with us, he is surrounded by children and adults alike. It is difficult to get through the town with his fan club. When he meets new folks, we always tell them about Westie Rescue on line. However, his skin condition is constantly lurking in the background and will flare up at any moment. What surprises us is that it gets almost out of control within a few days, despite bathing, apple vinegar dips, and medication. We started to take him to our original veterinary but felt that they didn’t understand the urgency or severity of his allergies and so, we have returned to the Sayville vet. Everyone who has treated him there has been very caring and seem to be more knowledgeable about his condition. He is diagnosed with a dual problem. The first is the skin allergies to his environment, grass, etc., which we treat, along with his eyes and ears, on a daily basis. They feel we must get this controlled and then attack the virus, which they refer to as “elephant skin” or areas of dark, thick skin. We hope to get it all under control by the Fall. We love him and it is evident that he loves us and has made himself at home. By the way, he is incredibly well housebroken. He is just a good guy. Many thanks to you folks. By the way, he weighs 23 pounds and may have to lose a pound, to regain his svelte shape.
