westiemed – Page 6

Journey

March 1, 2020February 26, 2021 by westiemed in Stories

March 2020

My beloved 14-year-old Westie Baxter passed on Christmas Eve, 2019. He was my first Westie and he fought a long hard battle with Westie Lung Disease. It was a devastating loss for me. Baxter was the last of my three dogs. Lexie was a Corgi and my first, then along came Wiley a mixed breed, and finally, Baxter came into my life. Both Lexie and Wiley passed away in 2016 leaving just Baxter and myself and we bonded very closely for the next 4 years. Christmas was very hard and to wake up without my faithful friend Baxter was so hard to get through. It was the first time in 15 years I didn’t have dogs around me and it was an extremely empty feeling. Christmas came and went and each day that passed was harder and harder without Baxter. I determined that although each person is different in how much time they need to process and accept a loss, I determined for me personally I needed a dog sooner rather than later and so many are in need of help.

I learned from my good friend Michele that a little white Westie was found in Kansas, wondering alone and out in the middle of nowhere near an Indian Reservation. He was in bad shape and covered in yeast and mange. He we very underweight. The person who found him brought him to the nearest Animal shelter many miles away. He underwent emergency evaluation and care. They helped him get stabilized and attempted to locate his owners. They even advertised that he had been found. No one claimed him. Many shelters can only give dogs so much time before they must make room others. Luckily, the shelter knew a true a Westie Warrior based in Kansas named Penny Reames of Northern New England Westie Rescue. They called her and told her about this amazing Westie that was found. Penny went directly there and took one look at him and knew she had to take him to her rescue which helps Westies from Kansas area out of bad situations like auctions and puppy mills then transports them to New England for permanent homes. Michele and Penney are friends and through them I was presented with the opportunity to have an amazing Westie that was named Journey! Penny named him that as no one knew what this little dog’s actual journey was. He was feisty like my Lexie. Found wondering covered in mange, like my Wiley, and he had a sweet loving spark in his eyes like my Baxter. After seeing Journey’s picture, I knew I had to have him and to help him. I felt very good vibes and signs from all of my three dogs that Journey should be mine.

Journey came into my life on February 10, 2020 and I picked him up in New Hampshire after his transport from Kansas. I entered the rescue with Michele with me and Journey ran right past her and everyone else and jumped right into my arms and couldn’t get enough of me! Everyone was shocked as it was like our destiny was sealed. When Journey entered my house it felt like my 3 dogs had a divine conversation with him prior to his arrival. He knew where everything was, jumped right up on the sofa with a toy and made himself right at home as if he had been living with me all along. He was so well mannered and housebroken but just a little rough around the edges in his play which was a bit rough. He quickly picked up on what was acceptable and not. Prior to Journey’s arrival I purchased probiotics and immunity boosters and omega 3 oils to help work on his skin and coat. I immediately brought him to my veterinarian for evaluation and skin scrap, blood work and special shampoos. His ears had yeast in them as well and needed to have a good teeth cleaning with a few extractions. It was determined after testing that he also suffers from KCS as his eyes were not producing tears.

Today Journey is showing much improvement with dips twice a week as his hair is starting to grow in. His eyes are now producing tears but he will need lifelong medication to help with that. He loves to go on hikes and long walks and is a very playful and happy little guy. So thankful to Northern New England Westie Rescue for saving Journey and bring him into my life. I am beyond grateful to WestieMed for their generous help towards the much needed care that Journey needed and will continue to need. We thank all the great people at WestieMed for their dedication, love and support for this amazing breed.

Dan

Update February 22, 2021:

I appreciate this group so much but it’s been a long crazy year. Journey just celebrated his 5th birthday , well I am calling him 5 no one really knows his age but most are in agreement 4-6 range. He is doing for the most part really well. I do have him now at a dermatologist and we have created an immunotherapy allergy protocol for him which he just started. It’s pretty expensive but I am determined to do my best for him. I did allergy blood testing and he is allergic to 13 items common to New England. The immunotherapy should help but can take awhile to start to see improvement. He is very itchy at times. Other than that he is doing well, full of Westie energy and happy. I will enclose a few pics. In July I took another rescue named Willy, he a 14 year old Westie with not much hair, they asked if I would give him a good retirement and since no one wanted him , I couldn’t say no, he is a really great Westie just like Journey. I hope all is well at WestieMed and thank you all so much for what you do. I will keep you posted on Journey’s progress.

Photo is from his Birthday, which was also the first day he came to me a year ago!

Take Care,

Dan

Baylee

February 1, 2020February 13, 2021 by westiemed in Stories

February 2020

Hi, my name is Baylee. This is my story, at least what I can remember.

Last summer my littermate and I found ourselves in a shelter in NY after our Mommy, who had been sick for a long time went to the hospital and didn’t come back home. We were both very sick and one morning my sister went to Heaven to be with Mommy; she was too weak to fight anymore. The shelter people found me laying close to her and crying when they came in to check on us during the morning rounds. We hadn’t been fed very well, or been to the vet for a long time because Mommy wasn’t well and didn’t have much money and there was no one to help us. After my sister left me, I was very scared and lonely at the place because I was alone and in a cage with no one to love me. A lady at the shelter decided that I needed more care than they could provide when she saw that I was getting weaker and sicker. The staff was only there a few hours a day and I was alone most of the time, so they contacted Westie Central and asked for help. The very next day a nice lady named Bonney came and got me out of the shelter. I stayed with her for a few hours and then a man and his daughter took me on a long trip to a new place where I met my foster Momma, Denise. She was very kind to me and held me and cried and promised to take very good care of me. She fed me some good food, and gave me a bath and the next morning we went to see the doctor who gave me an exam and some medications and special things for my baths. I got a lot of baths and went to see the doctor a lot, but I started to feel better except for my ears.

After I got to my new foster mom’s home in July, I had to have surgery on one of my ears, they called it a TECA. They cleaned everything and then sealed it closed so it wouldn’t make me sick anymore. I was supposed to have both ears done but my blood pressure got very low and the doctor got scared and woke me up as soon as she got the worst ear finished (it had a real angry growth on it that needed to be removed also). I still needed the other ear fixed up. A few months ago in November, Momma took me back to the doctor and she fixed my other ear. Now I don’t hurt anymore and I am much happier, but I still get a lot of baths and now I eat a special food to help with my skin and take some herbs and medicines to help me not go potty in the house and to make my skin better. I am feeling much better and don’t get ashamed because I hardly ever have an accident anymore and my skin is not so itchy and my ears don’t hurt anymore. I can’t hear anything, but my foster mom has had dogs like me before and she understands me and know how to communicate with me too!

Over the last few months, I’ve had to go for laser treatments on my knees every week, or two weeks where they use a warm light to help them feel better. That doctor said I probably needed my ACL’s fixed a long time ago but now because they weren’t addressed, I have lots of scar tissue and cartilage issues so I can’t run much and even walking can be tough sometimes because they hurt when I have trouble my mom carries me. The laser helps and for therapy, Momma and I walk to Auntie’s house every day, (it’s just two houses away), it’s just the right distance and Auntie always has a treat for me! Ok, two treats!

Mom says that’s not all, I have lots of other stuff going on still. Due to my skin issues, my body has an excess of keratin. This is causing calluses on my paw pads (one has what looks like a nail trying to grow out of my paw pad). Doctor says hopefully when the baths fix my skin, this will get better too! I also do a funny snorting noise when I breathe so she says the doctor needs to do a special scan to make sure there’s nothing blocking my nose. One day, mom gave me a big hug and found a funny squishy thing on my chest that wasn’t there before. I’m not sure what it is but it made my mom cry and hug me real tight! The doctor looked at it the next week when she checked to see how good my skin looks – it’s only a fatty growth of some sort! I’m not sure what all of these things mean, because I’m a really happy girl! I love to play with my toys (I have lots of toys!) and momma takes really good care of me. She takes me to work with her sometimes and I get lots of visits from people there. She gives me yummy, healthy food and special Chinese herbs that have started to help me not have accidents during the day or when I take naps (I had so many UTI’s for so many years that momma says my bladder is very weak). She never yells at me when I have an accident, she just hugs me and says it’s ok baby girl – then she puts new blankets on everything and gets the washer monster to clean everything real good!

Now I have some things growing on me. They itch and hurt and bleed and the ones on my paw and ear are really uncomfortable. The doctor is concerned because the one that I had removed on my ear last July came back again and she is worried that they could be something bad, but they need to go away anyhow to help keep me safe. They will look at them after they are removed and make sure that they do whatever they need to do if they are yucky.

I love my new home and my foster mommy but she needs help with my vet bills. She told me that you are Earth Angels and that you will help me get the help we need for me to get even better. Thank you everypawdy!

Love,
Baylee

Update March 18, 2020:

Baylee had her growths removed and a couple of punch biopsies done. Sadly, the test results came back positive for Epitheliotropic Lymphoma, skin cancer.

We decided to proceed with a middle of the road chemo treatment which could give her many more months, possibly years of quality time to be loved! She started her first round of chemo on 3/11/2020. So far she has not gotten sick from treatment and it seems to be having a great result so far! After three nights of not initiating her fun time after dinner (playing with her toys) (prior to treatment), the night after her first treatment “playtime” reconvened! Also, a few new masses that had started to show during her recovery from surgery also got smaller or went away after just a few days.

Baylee will have five treatments at intervals of approximately every 3 weeks and will need regular blood work to check her blood cell counts.

We are continuing our fundraising efforts to cover the costs of this treatment which we were told would run between $2650 – $3000.Thank you for helping with Baylee’s surgery.

Josie Myers-Smith
Founder & Executive Director
Westie Central, Inc.

Update February 11, 2021:

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, Baylee sadly transitioned to the Rainbow Bridge. Your help, however, did make her last weeks much more comfortable and we greatly appreciate your help

Again, our deepest gratiitude.

Sincerely,
Josie Myers-Smith
Founder & Executive Director
Westie Central, Inc.

How You Can Help

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 by westiemed in Uncategorized

There are a number of ways and opportunities you can help WestieMed raise the quality of life and adoptability of rescued Westies in need of medical attention. We appreciate your support!

MAKE A DONATION

Mail a check or money order donation to:

WestieMed, Inc.
13 Spire View Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877

Make a secure online credit card donation.
Make an automatic monthly subscription donation.
Donate Westie treasures for WestieMed’s online Auctions.
Make a Planned Gift consisting of such items as stocks, bonds, cash, personal property, bequests, trusts, life insurance and IRAs.
Make a donation with your company’s Matching Gift Program.
Donate your artistic Westie designs for fundraising purposes through our Artists To The Rescue program.

MAKE A PURCHASE

Obtain “ever-burning” online Tribute and Memorial Virtual Candles from the Paws and Remember program on the WestieMed website.
Shop in the online WestieMed Gift Shop for unique Westie items.
Shop with WestieMed’s Affiliate Companies and a donation will be made to help us help rescued Westies.
Shop in WestieMed’s online Auctions.
Shop at our Cafe Press Store – the WestieMed Cafe featuring Westie designs by many talented artists.

VOLUNTEER

Help organize a Fundraising event or a Westie Walk for the benefit of WestieMed.
Man a table at a local pet event to bring awareness about WestieMed.
Offer your talents and time for a WestieMed project.
Get WestieMed news and updates through our email list on our home page.
Join the WestieMed group on Facebook.
Share our Facebook posts with your friends.
Talk to your local rescue group about WestieMed.
Help spread the word about WestieMed.
Follow this link for more Volunteer Opportunities!

Molly

January 1, 2020December 25, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

January 2020

On March 2nd I was looking at the Next Door App on my phone when I saw a listing for a sweet girl who needed a new home due to the death of her owner. The listing stated she rescued about six years ago, and at that time her age was approximately two years of age. The listing didn’t mention what breed of dog Molly was, but she was definitely a Westie.

I immediately contacted the family member who had Molly and arranged to meet her the following morning at a park near our homes. We had two Westie’s, (Finley and Moxie) and wanted to make sure that the dogs all got along. All three dogs got along well during their initial meet and greet.

There was another individual who had expressed interest in Molly and would be meeting her later that same day. Later that evening we received a call that we were chosen to be Molly’s new family. Arrangements were made to pickup Molly the following morning and take her to our vet for a physical.

When we first met Molly, we were told that her age was closer to 10 years. We were also told that she had an abnormal toe on her right front toe and hoped that we still wanted her. Molly was also on the larger size, close to twenty-two pounds. We told her of course, we still wanted Molly, and her toe issue appeared to have been present for many years due to the fact that the entire toe tail had grown out abnormally thick.

Molly came to us with a packet of her records and personal items. The records indicated that she initially was found with a male Westie in Missouri. She had been rescued together with the male Westie, Mac, and they both moved to Phoenix Arizona many years later.

Our Veterinarian examined Molly and then her abnormal toe. He told us that the toe growth had been there for quite a while, due to the changes in the joint and nail. Molly didn’t appear to have any pain in the joint and the skin was intact and didn’t show any signs that she licked or chewed at it. He provided us with an estimate to amputate the toe if there were any changes to this toe.

Molly adjusted well into our family. She is a very sweet girl. She likes to talk to us in a very low voice. She also gets down low to the ground and crawls to us when she’s happy.

Late November of 2019, Molly started limping and not putting any weight on her right rear leg. Our regular veterinarian diagnosed her with a torn cruciate ligament, and referred us to an orthopedic specialist.

The orthopedic specialist confirmed that Molly had completely torn her right cruciate ligament. I asked the specialist to look at Molly’s abnormal right front toe. The orthopedic specialist recommended x-rays of both Molly’s right knee, and right front foot. After the x-rays were taken, the doctor was very concerned about the x-ray of Molly’s foot and toe. The x-ray showed extensive destruction to the joint of Molly’s toe, and could possibly be a type of cancer. Molly’s toe needed to be amputated before we could proceed on treatment of her torn cruciate ligament.

Molly had her toe amputated in early December. She did amazing after the surgery and the surgery site has healed perfectly. The pathology came back as a benign cyst! The Vet even called and spoke to the pathologist two times to make sure due to the x-ray and the destructive nature of the growth.

We have decided to treat Molly’s torn cruciate ligament with physical therapy, and pain management.

My Story

Molly is the sixth Westie that I have had the privilege of welcoming into my home. The first Westie I got when I was in college!

I can’t say that I own a Westie, because they definitely own me!

I am a member of many different groups for Westie Lovers on Facebook and initially learned about WestieMed through a fundraising auction on one of the Westie Pages. I have bought auction items that supported Westie Med. I never thought that I would be the one in need, but my husband lost his job over two years ago and our finances have been extremely tight.

I am grateful that WestieMed has helped with Molly’s amputation surgery. And that they are there to help other rescued and or adopted Westie’s that are in similar situations.

Trish

Update June 30, 2020

Molly is doing great!!
She’s such a lovely senior Westie!
After her surgery, the amputation site healed perfectly.
Molly loves car rides and treats, too.
Hoping to see if she like to swim in our pool this summer.

Trish

Update December 1, 2020

Molly is thriving!! Such a sweet senior girl.
Molly is on the left in the picture.
Thanks again for helping us in her time of need.

Trish Duque

McDuff

January 1, 2020December 25, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

January 2020

On November 24, 2019, a severely neglected white dog, tinged with brown fur from the filth and grime of the elements, was found by animal control, wandering as a stray, in the streets of Orlando, Florida. Upon intake into Orange County Animal Services, a high kill shelter, the county vet was unable to perform the necessary examination of him, due to severe matting, so the shelter groomer was tasked with completing a total shave down of him. It was at this time, the shelter staff became aware of the oozing golf ball-sized tumors he has on his head and back, along with about thirty other smaller tumors, of various sizes all over his body. Sadly, he was still put on the general floor for adoption, even in this poor condition; and, to add insult to injury, none of the shelter staff was aware this little guy was a Westie! After being at the shelter, for twelve days, the rescue coordinator finally released him for rescue, at which point a local rescue accepted him under their rescue umbrella, with my husband and I being contacted requesting us to accept and care for him, as a foster.

On December 6, 2019, he exited the shelter as a happy, alert dog, with severe kennel cough, which proceeded to pneumonia. After almost forty-five days of continuous care for the pneumonia, he is almost completely recovered, and we finally are seeing him have a zest for life, wanting to play with his foster brother and sisters, with a tail that seems to almost always be wagging. Since his arrival to our home, he has been under constant vet care, with us becoming aware that he is aged closer to ten years, versus the six years that the county vet had estimated him to be. Per labs, he has elevated liver enzymes, but thankfully he does not have Cushings. As we are unsure of the nature of the tumors, as well as to the cause of the elevation to his liver enzymes, we are not sure if he will be a candidate for adoption; however, my husband and I have committed to him, for the duration of his life, for however long that may be.

Thanks to the assistance of WestieMed, and its supporters, he can have the surgery to remove the tumors, as well as for a dental with extractions. Additionally, he will be seen by a specialist for an ultrasound of his liver and gallbladder, as well as for a bile acids test, and a complete liver profile. His allergy issues will also be addressed.

We have named him McDuff and are calling him “Duffy”. McDuff is very much loved by my husband and me, and even by his Scottish Terrier foster brothers, Hamish and Bruce; his Scottish Terrier foster sister, Zoey; and, even by the resident cat, Timothy (although their bonding is more characterized as a love/hate relationship).

We know each rescue dog has a story to tell, and we are hopeful that the ending chapters to McDuff’s book will be full of only happy memories, with the sense of security that comes from having a family that loves him unconditionally, and from being blessed to have caring people, like those of WestieMed, offer their kindness and support in his time of need.
Mina

Update February 6, 2020

Just wanted to let you know that McDuff had the tumor on the top of his head removed yesterday, under local anesthesia. The decision to use local versus general was sole because of the recovery period needed for his lungs after getting over pneumonia; however, since the tumor kept getting infected it becomes imperative that it be removed as soon as possible. Already, he feels so much better. Now comes the wait to find out the pathology results. Fingers crossed it is non-cancerous!

He is such a sweet boy that I want to be able to watch him chase the squirrels for many springs to come; to run the beaches in the summer months; and, to chase the lure on the dogs monthly outings to the lure line events.

This was for sure a major life changing event in his life: One we could never have accomplished without the assistance of WestieMed! We are so appreciative of your groups help in giving McDuff this chance to finally have all his medicals addressed.

Next major event for him is March 23, 2020, when he will have the dental with extractions, as well as more tumors removed – all those will be done under general anesthesia. Oh, and I wanted to let you know that he is now known as McDuff Johnson! We could not imagine sending him back to the rescue that pulled him, for many reasons, but the main one being that we love him!

Hugs to you!
Mina

Update February 20, 2020

I have some wonderful news to share with you on McDuff. The tumor on his head is NON-cancerous — we are so happy! It ended up being a Basal Cell Tumor (trichoblastoma).

So, end of next month he has the dental and hopefully the rest of all these tumors removed. The one on the back is back to draining. But, he was paid a huge complement today by someone that could not believe he is the same dog. He is so happy, and very energetic now.

Only other issue is his breathing, which we hope will continue to improve over the next month.

We are not having wheezing, just some coughing when pressure from the harness is present. He also is a snorer.

Mina

Update July 3, 2020

McDuff has had a long road to recovery due to having pneumonia. He has undergone one surgery for the removal of a tumor on his head, as well as just a second surgery for a dental and tumor removal. He will hopefully be available for adoption soon, under the care of our state’s breed-specific rescue: Sunshine State Westie Rescue, which he has been transferred from me to them to ensure he goes to a Westie specific household.

Sincerely, Mina Johnson

McDuff was transferred to us from Mina Johnson, on May 26, 2020. One June 22, he went into surgery to have the dental done and two growths removed. We are currently screening applications for his placement. I needed to wait for the biopsy results to come back before we actually make any choice. The great news we got is that the mass that was the biggest concern that was on his back, was benign and the second mass was on/in his ear. He is recovering well from the procedures. He’s a funny and sweet boy and I don’t think there will be any problem finding him a great home.

Aggie Latyak,
Sunshine State Westie Rescue

Update December 1, 2020

McDuff was transferred to us from Mina Johnson, on May 26, 2020. On June 22, he went into surgery to have the dental done and two growths removed. We are currently screening applications for his placement. I needed to wait for the biopsy results to come back before we actually make any choice. The great news we got is that the mass that was the biggest concern that was on his back, was benign and the second mass was on/in his ear. He is recovering well from the procedures. He’s a funny and sweet boy and I don’t think there will be any problem finding him a great home.

I wish I had a better update for you. McDuff was given serious medical care, including another $1000 we put in on top of your generous $2500 for his medical care. We had an ugly tumor removed and another suspicious one also and biopsied to be sure it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. They were negative and he was ready for his new home. He was adopted by an amazing couple who loved him unconditionally. Unfortunately, two weeks into his adoption, he suddenly became very ill. After all the tests the vet believed he had a blockage of some kind. He went into emergency surgery and what they found was that he had a tumor in his stomach and it had metastasized into other organs. He showed no signs and lived a great life right up until the last couple of days. When they were advised by the vet how bad it was, they decided he should not, could not suffer. He went to the bridge on July 31, 20. Sorry for the bad news.

Aggie Latyak
Sunshine State Westie Rescue

Trooper

November 1, 2019December 23, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Before Trooper

My son, now eleven, has been asking for a dog of his own since he was around five years old. I work at the same elementary school my son attends and during school breaks we would house and pet sit. Being a single mom with a small child it wasn’t the right time to have our own pet. But, we had so many pets to love, play with, and care for in and around our neighborhood. Less than a year ago, a client referred me to a friend of theirs who needed a pet sitter for their two purebred Westie puppies – brother and sister. It was love at first sight! From then on the only dog my son would ask for is a West Highland White Terrier. I started shifting my no to a maybe. When school let out last summer, I made a deal with my son: if he helped me with feeding, walking/running, grooming, playing, etc. with pets – without complaint – during the summer to show he’s up for the responsibility of a dog we would adopt one. He stuck to it… and it was a busy summer! End of July we started researching breeds that would best fit our lives and Westies were on the list. Yay!!

We Meet Trooper

The 3rd visit at Bradshaw Shelter we saw him. He was in a little room overcrowded with other small dogs. We stared at him and he was staring at us. He wasn’t ready, though, since he was a stray and the shelter had to do their due diligence. Aug 6th was his available date and I was there before the shelter opened, my son was visiting family out of town. The volunteer announced his number and asked if anyone else was there to meet him. A few raised hands. There was a lottery…and I WON! I go meet him, and I knew the moment he came in: he was our dog. I knew it was going to be a rough road at first. He was matted all over, flea dirt all over, paws were raw, and you could feel every bone in his body he was so skinny. And, he was at least 5 years old and not neutered. We picked him up Friday, Aug 9th, the day he was neutered. We barely slept that weekend and the following week, and many more nights to follow. Poor guy was so hungry but would throw up after he ate, had diarrhea all day. He was in pain from surgery (it took about three weeks to heal), had kennel cough and had to take antibiotics. The antibiotics also helped with his paws, but they were still a bit raw. To try to prevent further infection, he received a shot of Cytopoint in hopes he wouldn’t be so itchy and stop chewing on his paws. It helped very much, and his paws look so much better! The diarrhea continued for weeks. Then, when it stopped, he was extremely constipated. He would moan and couldn’t get comfortable. Couldn’t sleep, licked his sides, and wasn’t himself. After normal blood tests, x-rays, meds, and fluids I decided to have the vet administer an enema to give him some relief. He was so happy. Now he is eating better, but still has a ways to go. Food and environmental allergies are a focus as well. Judging by the length of his matted fur when we met, he was probably homeless for a long time. I love seeing him happy, and I cannot imagine life without him. He is on his way to living his best life!

M. McClain

Hettie

November 1, 2019December 23, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

On June 30, 2019, our little girl to be was found in a rural part of Tennessee where dogs are often dumped. She was found by a friend of Westie Rescue Tennessee and handed over to them. She was in bad shape; matted, filthy, and full of ticks. They just knew she was more than likely heartworm positive and pregnant. Whisked off to the vet for evaluation, she was heartworm negative and already spayed!

The DVM for the rescue group and staff cleaned her up and kept her for the next several days for evaluation while rescue reached out to find a family with Westie experience to foster. We stepped up to “foster to adopt.” We met her for the first time on July 7th and fell in love with her and took her to her forever home to adjust to us and our Westie pack.

Bringing her home, we knew she’d need her own time and space to bond with our three other Westies. On her first full day with us, I noticed she was deaf. She was also having very small seizures and both were a real concern. Off to our vet, we went and they agreed she was deaf and were unsure about the tremors.

Over the next few days, her seizures increased dramatically and our vet thought she had White Shaker Syndrome. Medicine controlled it for about another week or so, then they came back with a vengeance! She was now having over thirty seizures a day. Over the next several weeks we visited specialists in Atlanta where the diagnosis was changed to Sick Sinus Syndrome and we were referred to the University of Georgia Vet School’s Cardiology Dept.

Hettie - WestieMed recipient — Hettie – WestieMed Recipient

At UGA, Hettie saw an incredible team of cardiologists. She was fitted with a vest to capture her heart rhythms. She was to wear the vest for one week UNLESS she had a seizure and then we were to send the vest back immediately. Within the first day at home wearing the vest, she had multiple seizures and the vest was sent back pronto.

The cardiologists at UGA read the results and contacted us that she was on emergency status. Her heart was stopping between nine-twelve seconds at a time and she was in danger! Emergency pacemaker surgery was needed and the cardiologists cleared their busy schedules just for her!

Now Hettie is home and on twelve weeks of bed rest and she is going on week three of doctor’s orders. (That’s a challenge to keep a Westie on bedrest!)

Our sweet little girl now has a new lease on life because of the pacemaker. Once her twelve weeks of healing are behind her, we know she’ll have many hours of playing with her new Westie and human family.

Thank you WestieMed for your help. We love our little Hettie. Her new life has begun.

Peggy McCall

Update January 24, 2020

Hettie had a three-month checkup at UGA after her pacemaker surgery. Without this surgery, Hettie would not have survived. The doctors at UGA reported how well her pacemaker is working and now she can finally have a life after three months of bed rest. (We called it house arrest.)

She came home yesterday from Athens after her checkup as a different and happy dog. Thankful for Westie Rescue Tennessee and WestieMed. You all saved her life and we hope she will finally enjoy the life she deserves. You answered our prayers. When I watch her play with her Westie brother and sister, my eyes leak happy tears.

Bless You all,
Peggy and Darrell

Update December 3, 2020

We are dedicated to Hettie and thanks to WestieMed, she did get her pacemaker and gave us hope. She has had a hard knock life and we will love her until the end.

Peggy and Darrell McCall

Update December 19, 2020

Hettie lost her battle and went to the Rainbow Bridge on Dec 16, 2020. WestieMed had provided assistance for Hettie this summer. She received a pacemaker and was recovering when she recently was diagnosed with Lymphoma. My husband and I are heartbroken. Yet grateful for the help and encouragement received from WestieMed.

Peggy

Sammi

November 1, 2019December 23, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Sammi’s life from the beginning was bleak. He came from a pet store and his new owners probably didn’t know anything about his breed but did know that he was a cute snowball and they wanted him. They taught him cute tricks like sitting up and begging but he never saw a veterinarian for three years. He started his itching and biting at himself until his belly was a thick gooey black yeasty mess and he didn’t smell very good so he ended up being tied outside for a good majority of his short little life getting worse and worse with no protection from fleas or mosquitos.

Luckily, a neighbor and a dog lover saw his plight and asked the owners if they could take him in. They bathed him and tried to fix his itching but he continued to bite at himself and lick his paws raw. They didn’t know what to do for him so they contacted Westie/Cairn Terrier Rescue of SW OH who took him in. He had the worst case of Malassezia Dermatitis I had ever seen and he had what looked like a mass next to his sheath. This was going to become expensive and he wasn’t neutered to boot.

Carla

Stella

September 1, 2019December 23, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Stella’s story starts in early February 2019 when her owners surrendered her to their vet. Stella who was known as Lulu at the time was in pretty rough shape. She was admitted to an Animal Hospital on February 5, 2019, suffering from severe allergies that caused hair loss and also damaged her skin, ear infections, she weighed twelve pounds and overall was just looking for some TLC. While at the hospital Stella started receiving the care she needed-medicated baths, prescription diet food, ear care, eye cleansing, her skin started to heal, grew some hair back all the while she stayed a loving playful Westie.

On February 20th Stella was released into the care of Garden State Westie Rescue and Lisa Curry who continued Stella’s treatment. While scrolling through Westie sites on Facebook I came across a post from Garden State Westie Rescue stating Stella’s condition and that she was gentle and loving with people and other animals and she was up for adoption. My wife and I talked it over, we contacted the rescue and on March 25, 2019 we became the new parents to Stella.

One of the first things we did was take her to our vet for a thorough checkup. We had her microchipped and had a blood test to determine what allergies she has and how to go about treating them. Since our first checkup, Stella has had numerous visits to the vet to control her itching and ear infections. Cytopoint seems to work along with her medicated baths but she has a long road ahead of her. The ear infections will also be part of her life due to her allergies. In the six months we have had her Stella is now at a more healthy weight of eighteen pounds, is a hearty eater and a playful, cuddling, loving puppy.

She has brought some life to our thirteen soon-to-be fourteen-year-old Westie girl Bailey with her antics. Stella is just a treasure to be part of our family. We want to thank WestieMed for their generous financial help. We can hopefully get Stella’s allergies under control.

Sincerely yours,
Bernie and Barbara Dougherty

Abby

September 1, 2019December 30, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Abby was picked by the shelter as a stray. She was listed as “code yellow” which means she was not available to the public, only to rescue. The shelter called WROC as a last resort and, of course, we took her. She had three large bladder stones, each the size of a handball. She went directly to our vet and was operated on the next day. Her bladder walls were weak and did not hold the stitches from the first surgery, so she had a second surgery to repair and replace the stitches.

We took her home and she would not eat or drink for almost a week. We went back to the vet for fluids and medicine. X-rays and bloodwork showed that she was recovering, but it took her quite some time to come around. Then one evening, she started wagging her tail and cleaned her bowl. She is a very sweet girl and we are really happy that we were able to save her. She is still recovering and will be available for adoption in a few weeks.

Thank you for your assistance.

Kay DeLoach
Westie Rescue of Orange County & Beyond

Update May 2, 2020

Abby was happily adopted by Melodee, a retired registered nurse. Melodee had been looking for a companion for some time and discovered Abby on our website.

Thanks to WestieMed who provided financial assistance for her bladder stone surgeries, WROC was able to give Melodee a healthy and happy Abby. We sincerely appreciate all that WestieMed has done for us over the years. Attached is a picture of Abby’s favorite place in her new home.

Please let everyone at WestieMed know how grateful we are!!

Kay DeLoach
www.WestieRescueOC.com
Westie Rescue of OC & Beyond

Update September 3, 2020

We really appreciate WestieMed’s support of WROC over the years. Abby and her Mom Melodee are doing just great. Here is what Melodee wrote: “Abby and I are fine! I feel so blessed to have her with me during this crazy time. Abby passed all her vet checks with flying colors. She is wonderful!!”

Thank you so much for a very happy ever after for Abby!
Kay DeLoach