Mia

by westiemed in Stories

Mia Grace Arroyo began her life as Mary. She was one of several Westies in a loving home in New York. Her owners were active in the show dog community. Her dad was a well renowned Westie judge and her mama was once the president of The Chesapeake Bay West Highland White terrier club. Her owners have since passed away.
A very kind and generous caregiver for the last five years of her owners lives inherited Mary. Mary was stricken with a very severe case of pyometra. Her new owner, being retired and on a limited income, could not afford the $6500 surgery to save Mary’s life so she signed her over to Maryland Westie Rescue to have the surgery and almost $3000 worth of aftercare follow up visits.
Out of respect for her new owner and former owners, I fostered Mary and cared for her. Because Mary is nine years old and has lost her original parents and, unfortunately lost her second owner due to financial circumstances, I did not feel that it was fair for her to go to a new environment where no one knew her. My husband and I decided to adopt her.
Mia means Mary in the Bible and because she started a semi new life with us, I decided to give her a new name. She became Mia Grace Arroyo. She took to the name very quickly without missing a beat. That’s how I knew I had made the right decision in keeping her, renaming her and welcoming her to our little pack of two Westies, now three.
Mary has suffered ear infection, her whole life that went unnoticed because it was not coupled with the regular symptoms of food allergies so her food was never changed. Her ears were just constantly treated. It has since been discovered that her ear Is causing her extreme pain. It is not able to be treated any longer because the ear canal is so tight that medication and ear wash is just being trapped in the ear and hence she needs to get surgery. Without the surgery she could die a very slow and painful death.
She is an absolutely delightful little dog with a big personality and strong spirit and will.  She fits in very nicely at our home. Unfortunately, due to the current political environment, I have lost my federal job of 20 years and I am unable to afford the surgery to correct Mia’s ear condition and so I reached out to WestieMed for help.
Lynn

Maggie

by westiemed in Stories

This sweet lady lost her human and as a result lost her home.  She was living in an assisted living facility, and unfortunately, her health was deteriorating and no one stepped in.  Her human passed away so the family contacted us.  Maggie is 12.8  years old and is currently being treated for her yeasty skin, fungal and bacterial infections.  Her ears are infected as well and she has a 4/6 heart murmur.  She is receiving medicated baths and had a full work up with our vet last week.  She also had a cardio work up because there was some concern with her going under anesthesia for an upcoming dental but her results came in pretty darn good for a gal her age.  Just one year ago, Maggie was 22 lbs and came to us at 14 lbs.  She is grossly underweight but we’ve already managed to get her to gain 2 lbs!  She will need time in foster care to get her back to her beautiful self. She is a perfect girl for her baths and loves to go on short walks despite her very arthritic knees.  Considering all she’s been through, she is a very sweet dog that wants to please.

Karen Simondet, WROC

Lila

by westiemed in Stories

Lila’s rescue story goes back a few years. In 2022 Lila’s owner lost her job and contacted Westie Rescue of Missouri (WRM) and stated she had lost her job the year before, and she was unable to find a new job. Lila’s dry eye issues had been diagnosed a couple years earlier and she had provided the prescription drops her vet recommendation but was unable to afford her meds. She was also unable to afford food for Lila. She wanted to release Lila to WRM. The owner was truly distraught, and she had been doing her best to care for her.

At WRM we always try and work with owners who really love their Westie, and we try to offer suggestions on what they can do to try and keep their pet. Suggested to Lila’s owner that many food pantries will also provide people with dog food. Could she afford Lila’s eye drops if she didn’t have the expense of food? She said yes, she could. We followed up a few weeks later and she stated she was able to get dog food from the local food pantry and thanked us for WRM help. About a year later Lilia’s owner contacted us again and said the local pantry no longer had dog food to give. We suggested she could home cook but must follow a well-balanced veterinarian approved diet. We supplied her with such a recipe, and she said she could do that and was still able to afford Lila’s eye drops.

About 6 months later she contacted us and said she didn’t have the right ingredients to make the balanced diet given by the vet and had been feeding Lila just tuna she got from food pantry. We agreed to take Lila immediately into rescue but then she refused to answer or calls and text messages. A few months later she called again heartbroken, but she knew releasing Lila’s was in her best interest. We set a time and date to pick Lila up immediately but when we arrived she again had changed her mind she couldn’t bare to let her go. We tried to reason with her and asked that she please reconsider. She would not.

About 6 months later she contacted us again this time saying she was still feeding Lila 1 can tuna a day and admitted she had not been giving Lila her prescription drops and was using an OTC. We moved immediately on it to get Lila but she again changed her mind to release her when we arrived.

A couple months later another call same story. WRM dropped everything and went directly to her home immediately to pick Lila up before owner changed her mind again. I volunteer for WRM for 13 years and was looking for an older Westie to adopt. The owner told me she needed to be an only dog and would fight other dogs. I could not keep her as I have 2 other rescued Westies who are old now so I took her to another WRM volunteer to foster.

After a few days I got a call from Lila’s foster mom telling me how sweet she was, and she got along very well with her other fosters. I picked Lila up from her foster home the next day and she is the sweetest Westie ever not a bad bone in her she gets along perfectly with my old Westies.

I feel bad for Lila’s owner as she loved her, and it was just terrible hard to let her go.

When I got Lila, her eyes were severe from years of not having the correct medication and her health itself wasn’t good from eating a diet of just one can of tuna a day. We love her so much we are thrilled to have Lila as a part of our family, and she has the most beautiful personality and Westie woo-woo ever.

Sue Alley

Hailey

by westiemed in Stories

Hailey’s family of 8 1/2 years noticed she had been limping for several weeks and was not getting any better so they took her to their vet to be examined.  The vet took radiographs of her leg and determined she had a torn CCL (cranial cruciate ligament).  The CCL is a connective tissue in the knee that connects and stabilizes the lower leg to the upper leg.  Hailey would need surgery to correct the limp.

Three weeks later the owner returned to the vet and requested Hailey be euthanized as they were not able to afford the surgery.  Thankfully, the vet did not feel comfortable euthanizing her and knew with the surgery, she would be able to have many more good quality years of life. Hailey’s owner surrendered her and a vet tech at the clinic began looking for ways to help her.  The tech reached out to Lone Star Westie Rescue (LSWR) to inquire if LSWR could take her into their rescue program and give her the surgery she needed.

LSWR took her and in late September, she had surgery to correct her torn CCL! After a 12-week recovery period, she came through the surgery with an excellent prognosis and now is back to going for walks in the neighborhood and playing with other pups!

Thanks to WestieMed’s help, LSWR received financial assistance to offset this very expensive surgery.  Without this help, a huge financial strain would have been put on LSWR’s funds to help other Westies in need.  Lone Star Westie Rescue is forever grateful for WestieMed!

Angel

by westiemed in Stories

 

Angel’s previous owners reached out to WSRH, asking us to take her in because they no longer have time for her. At 12 years old, they were not surprised that she slept much of the time, but they wanted her to get more attention.

Our vet’s initial exam revealed bradycardia, meaning Angel’s heart beats at a slow rate which could account for her lethargy. Further testing showed that Angel had Chagas Disease, an infection transmitted by the bite of a “kissing bug.” Chagas can affect the heart, so the cardiologists wanted to make sure the infection was no longer active before determining the next step for her.

While Angel is being assessed for a possible pacemaker, she is on heart medication and living a Westie’s dream life in her foster home. Angel already has more energy, thanks to the good care she is receiving. We are hopeful we can continue to make her life better.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer

Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston

 

 

Goldie

by westiemed in Stories

WSRH was notified in mid-June about a Westie seen living on the street. When our volunteer went to get her, the finder said they had seen her in this one area for over a week and that she did not move much so they were worried something was wrong with her. We immediately took her to one of our vets, where we developed a list of issues to address.

Goldie seemed weak, which might have been due to living outside on hot pavement for weeks, and she had a bad skin infection. She has a wheezing cough, symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome, and what appeared to be a mass on her inner thigh. Dogtors ran a battery of tests, including an echocardiogram and ultrasound which revealed that the mass on her leg was actually a hernia with tissue trapped inside. It also showed a small mass on her adrenal gland, which is causing her Cushing’s symptoms.

We have been taking care of Goldie’s skin and cough while assessing the other issues, and now the dogtors feel we can address the hernia and adrenal tumor and improve her quality of life. Goldie will have surgery in the new year to remove the adrenal gland and tumor and repair the hernia.

We look forward to giving Goldie the opportunity to feel better and enjoy the new year.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer

Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston

Gyuszi

by westiemed in Stories

We received a phone call from a veterinary clinic that they had a Westie that had been dropped off by his owner to be put down. Within hours we were there to pick him up and give him a second chance.

Gyuszi, 8 years old, came to the vet with suspected pancreatitis, emaciation, dehydration and high blood sugar, but his owners did not want to spend any more money on him because their baby was born.

With the notice of abandonment in hand, we immediately drove to Budapest, to the University of Veterinary Medicine, where we had made an appointment by phone, and they were waiting for him.

Gyuszi could barely walk, he was exhausted, but he endured the tests peacefully. He was in intensive care, barely eating, but his condition was stable. He spent 5 days in hospital and underwent many tests.

He was transferred from the hospital to a temporary family with experience of caring for diabetic dogs.

Our main task was to normalize his blood sugar levels.

Providing the prescribed amount of exercise, feeding a special diet and administering a digestive enzyme. Blood glucose measurements every day at 6-8 specified times, feeding to the gram and insulin every 12 hours. These values were accurately recorded in a table and discussed with the doctor every few days. Gyuszi adapted very quickly to the daily routine and was very cooperative.

Meanwhile, Gyuszi has settled into the pack and is starting to show his true Westie self, but is very well behaved, loves to play ball and go for long walks. He seeks human companionship and is eager to cuddle.

In October he was neutered. The surgery, due to Gyuszi’s diabetes, took place at the University of Veterinary Medicine with the help of an experienced team. There were no complications, and he recovered quickly.

He received his missing vaccinations after the stitches were removed.

As his bodyweight was considered a little low and we couldn’t get him to put on weight with the food he was given, we tried again using a different formula.

We are now at the stage of adjusting the new food and the amount of insulin, in consultation with the vet, every 3 days.

We will soon be looking for a forever home for him, which unfortunately will not be an easy task with his medical condition. We are in no hurry; he is with a great family, and we are looking for the perfect owner.

As we have many other dogs in the care of Westie Rescue Hungary besides Gyuszi, and his examinations and treatment have been a strain on our financial resources, we are very grateful for WestieMed’s support to help not only Gyuszi but also the other rescue dogs.

Westie Rescue Hungary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whitzy

by westiemed in Stories

 

This past fall, we received a message through our rescue’s Facebook page from a heartbroken woman who needed to make the difficult decision to surrender her beloved 12-year-old Westie, Whitzy. Life’s challenges, including a landlord no longer allowing pets, left her searching for a safe and loving new home for her Westie girl.

It was clear from the start how much love Whitzy’s mom had for her. After a heartfelt discussion, she trusted Preston’s Care Network to take Whitzy in and find her the perfect new family. We couldn’t wait to meet this special little girl with the unique name! Whitzy, was named after her former owner’s son’s favorite childhood book “Suzy’s Zoo” which had a duck in it named Whitzy. She even had an adorable nickname: Whitzy Woo!

As we do with all our rescues, Whitzy was taken to our vet for a thorough exam, updated vaccinations, and a microchip. It didn’t take long for us to notice something was amiss—Whitzy had very bad breath, a classic “tell-tail” sign of dental issues. After closer inspection, we learned her teeth were in terrible shape. She was already missing ten teeth, and her mouth needed urgent care.

When Whitzy went in for her dental cleaning, the news was more severe than we anticipated. Multiple teeth had to be removed to relieve her discomfort and prevent further health issues. In total, eight teeth were extracted, leaving just one troublesome tooth that the vet couldn’t remove during the procedure because her heart rate began to drop after being under anesthesia for so long. That last tooth will be taken care of when she undergoes another procedure in the future.

Thanks to the incredible support of WestieMed, Whitzy received the life-changing dental procedure she so desperately needed.

Once Whitzy recovered, she was like a brand-new pup! Her playful energy returned, her discomfort was gone, and her kisses—which she loves to share—became much more enjoyable thanks to her fresh breath.

Whitzy’s story is a testament to the power of love, community, and organizations like WestieMed that step in to help these dogs in need. She’s now happier and healthier, and we know her journey to finding a new forever home will have the happiest ending.

Thank you, WestieMed, for giving sweet Whitzy Woo the chance to thrive and keep spreading her love (and kisses)!

Preston’s Care Network

 

Misty

by westiemed in Stories

I would like to start by thanking you for the opportunity in being considered and the gift you now have offered to help in Misty’s care.  She is very special to us and truly she is more than our service dog she is our family.  Any time we are in an anxious way she is right there laying on our chest or lap trying to comfort.  She is incredible in her way of loving us.  And now she needs our help.  I write this to explain how our Misty came into our lives. But I have to say this little dog changed our lives much more than we changed hers. She is our little miracle.

Misty is a small {25 lbs.} terrier mix that we recused. When we got her she was a physical and emotional mess. It was obvious she had been sorely abused and was covered in mud, gum and stickers. She was so  afraid of any human contact, mainly men. If we reached to gently pet her she would automatically crouch down hard against the ground and pee, frightened to death. It has taken time for her to trust again, even now she can still act timid when some people approach her.  

Our oldest daughter, Lisi, was the first one in our family that saw Misty. Lisi is much like my wife who can not stand seeing animals that are suffering.  One day while visiting her in-laws she saw Misty running the streets near her in-laws home.  Lisi asked her mother-in-law who that little dog’s owner was.  She responded “no one”  and that Misty had been running the streets for months with two other dogs, one a little Chihuahua.  But this day Lisi saw her alone, filthy and scared, and tried to make contact.  After a while, talking to her and offering food, Misty finally took that step toward her new life, and came to Lisi.

Lisi brought Misty to our house. This little dog was the most traumatized little girl I’ve ever seen. Our hearts were broken for her.  But Misty is a survivor.  We put up flyers around that neighborhood, just to see if there was an owner that lost her and had been looking for her all these months. However we were also worried about all this trauma this little dog had already suffered and who was the one that mistreated her.  But no one responded.  Seeing the shape Misty was in my wife and I decided to take on this beautiful little dog.

She has taken to my wife in a special way and is now a happy member of our family. Misty had been running the streets for months with a couple other small dogs scared of life and now she is laying on her back exposing her belly while my wife loves on her. I call that a miracle.

On a vet visit we were exploring her dental needs and had an x-ray taken.  That x-ray showed us she has a wire on her mandible. That wire was an old broken jaw repair that must have happened before she came to us. Then later she had an exploratory x-ray for a hacking cough and serious pain that had no obvious explanation.  We discovered she had a piece of wire logged in her neck near her larynx.  We were told by the her primary Veterinarian about this metal wire and it was assumed it broke from her mandible repair and has migrated through her neck and logged in her larynx and is now causing her pain and a choke/hack each time she barks.  The Vet also said this wire needs to come out.  It is in a bad area near large blood supplies.

So we began our search to find a surgeon. That led us to UC Davis small animal hospital. Their exam reached the same conclusion.  UC Davis has taken on Misty and the surgery that is so badly needed.  They put together a cost breakdown and we found out it was more than we could ever afford.  UC Davis took a close look at our situation and Misty’s needs and put together a care fund  for our Misty. This pending surgery is set up as we tried to raise the additional funds that would allow us to help her medically. We are considered very low income.  I am 70 years old and we live on SS.  And it now seems the help Misty needs to get this surgery, to remove this migrating wire in her neck is getting close. We are afraid this wire could hit a major blood supply and it could have a grave outcome.

Even after the UC Davis gift we still had a long way from being able to get this badly needed procedure until now.  Until you all from WestieMed accepted Misty under your wing.  We are so thankful to you for what you do to help these beautiful little family members.  Because of your help surgery has been scheduled for mid-January.

Thank you,

Robert and Lissette Ausmus  

Charlie

by westiemed in Stories

Hello friends, my name is Charlie. I know that you’re my friends, because I love everyone I meet. Here is my story.…..

I lived my whole life in the same home. In August 2024 without warning, I was dropped off at a shelter in Easton, CT. The Animal Control officer realized that I was older — and likely needing special care — he thoughtfully reached out to Westie Rescue of New England who immediately went into action.  The next day my foster mom Darlene arrived at the shelter to take me home.

I was confused with all of the changes but I knew I was in a good place. I received the first of many medicated baths to help heal my skin along with lots of good food and cuddle time. Two days later, I went to see the vet. They checked me from top to bottom, taking lots of blood tests.

I had two badly infected ears, skin problems, very bad teeth and they were most concerned about a large, painful mass I had on my foot.

They scheduled me for surgery and I came through it like a champ!  My bad teeth were removed, my ears have been treated and are so much better and best of all the scary tumor on my foot was benign!  My future is bright now and at 11 years young I am feeling great!

My foster moms, Darlene and Hester, could not resist my charm and are now “Failed Fosters”. I personally think that is the best kind of foster. Today, I live with my two, loving moms and my adorable and very busy one-year-old Westie sister, Agnes. I have already been on two, fun-filled family vacations. I love to travel, and I am living my best life — a life I could have only dreamed of!

Thank you, WestieMed, for all your support and for helping Westie Rescue of New England to help me. My golden years will surely be the best ever!