Gideon

by westiemed in Stories

I rescued Gideon when we lost my Mom to cancer. He is 12 years young and still very energetic and full of spunk. He has Westie-tude to spare. 
His little body doesn’t process calcium properly resulting in calcium oxalate crystals or bladder stones. He has been on a special diet but the bladder stones come back. Unfortunately, he will soon be having his third procedure to remove the stones.
I cannot thank WestieMed enough for helping us with this. This pup is my entire world and I would be lost without him. Thank you all so much!
Rikki

 

Update October 11, 2024:

Gideon had surgery the first part of September, surgery went well. They removed 72 stones from his little bladder. Stitches came out 2 weeks later and he is doing great!

Thank you so much and thank WestieMed for the funds to help my little man get well!

Rikki and Gideon

 

Ivy

by westiemed in Stories

Ivy came to us possibly bred from a commercial breeder.  The initial exam and ultrasound did not detect any fetus so a spay surgery was scheduled.  During that spay surgery two fetus were discovered so the procedure was stopped.  When she gave birth to the puppies, one male and one female, the female developed an infection around the umbilical cord and despite being treated as soon as the problem was discovered by the foster mom, the female puppy died at the vet clinic.

Once the male puppy was weaned, Ivy was once again scheduled for her spay surgery which at that time, it was discovered that her abdomen was filled with blood from a ruptured spleen.  Our vet is not sure how or when this injury occurred but performed a splenectomy.

Ivy was kept overnight for fluids and observation and is now comfortably recovering in her foster home.

Respectfully,

Janeal Dominico, President

Wendy Tremaine, Secretary

Wag N Train Terrier Rescue  “Tender Loving Care for Terriers in Need”

Update December 31, 2024:

From her new furever family…

Ivy is doing amazing and we love her to bits! She has fit into our life perfectly and is an angel. She is loved by everyone. She is best friends with our senior cat.

From the rescue group…

Ivy is doing splendidly and is obviously VERY loved! We are all so thankful for the financial assistance provided by WestieMed which enabled Ivy and her family to “happily ever after”!

Janeal Dominico, President

Wendy Tremaine, Secretary

Wag N Train Terrier Rescue

Buddy

by westiemed in Stories

I lost the last of my Westies in July. I swore I would not get another dog but my house was so empty with no pets. Then I saw a picture of some Westies that were up for adoption. One in particular looked just like my previous Westies.

Buddy and seven other Westies were relinquished by a breeder who was supposedly retiring. The dogs were being kept in deplorable conditions, living in a shed behind the house. I contacted the rescue group and said I was interested in adopting one in particular. They normally do not adopt out of state but if they could make arrangements, I could adopt him. A rescue transport group was found and the adoption could go forward.

Initially, Buddy tested negative for heart worms. I was told I should have him retested in six months as the first test might have been done too early.

At the six-month juncture he was tested again. This time he was positive for heart worms.

Buddy will be finishing the first segment of his treatment then he will go to the next phase of three injections of Diroban to kill the adult worms. He will need to be confined for an extended period of time. No easy task for a Westie.

Update June 25, 2024:

My Buddy, who WestieMed funded for heart worm treatment, got his all clear report today. He came through it with no ill effects. It was a tough 3 months keeping him quiet, but we survived.
Update September 4, 2024:
Buddy has completed his heart worm treatment and has tested negative. All restrictions have been lifted and he is back to being a happy, healthy Westie, thanks to WestieMed for funding his treatment.

Jenny

by westiemed in Stories

Jenny came to WRSE (Westie Rescue Southeast) as the owner was asking to have her euthanized. As an 8 year old dog, the vet would not do so. One of our volunteers, (Also Jenny) picked her up, made a vet appointment for her and agreed to foster her. The vet visit resulted in finding she was in Ketoacidosis due to untreated Diabetes. She was immediately hospitalized to try and get her blood sugar normalized.

During the time she was in the hospital, WRSE was able to place her in a Westie-wise home with people who had experience with a diabetic dog. They lovingly took her in when she was stable enough to go home. She enjoyed her time with the family, but her illness returned and she had several visits to the ER in a short period of time. She needed an ultra-sound and was moved to a facility where they could accomplish this and care for her other needs. She had 2 nodules on her bladder. They were sent for tests and are yet to be determined.

Over the course of a few days she wasn’t eating, and had serious gastro-intestinal issues, along with complications of Diabetes and possible Cushing’s Syndrome. The hospital stayed in contact with us and kept us looped in at all times. On Friday, February 23, she took a turn for the worse. The Vets feared there really wasn’t much more that they could do for her. Her body was tired and worn out, which made recovery very difficult. She had been left untreated too long.

Despite the efforts of WRSE, many volunteers and supporters, we had to say goodbye and she is now healthy again at Rainbow Bridge. She knew she was loved, even if only for 6 days with her foster family.

Run free, sweet Jenny!

Penny

by westiemed in Stories

Penny is a 5 year old West Highland Terrier who was surrendered to our rescue, The Original Westies Rescued UK (TOWRUK) by her owner of 1 year, in September 2023. The reason he gave us was that Penny was too strong for him on walks and ‘pulled’ him over several times! Our transporter collected Penny and transported her to our lovely fosters, Kevin and Susan situated in North East England, who had not long ago lost their Westie Daisy.

Penny quickly settled in with Kevin and Susan and after a few days in foster care they noticed Penny was limping from her rear right knee so we booked her into our vets for a full health check. The vet on duty suggested Penny has x-rays to determine the cause of her limping and advised us, after her health check, that Penny was also suffering from Grade 4 dental disease and would require some tooth extractions. Penny’s previous owners vet confirmed that Penny’s leg and tooth conditions were previously diagnosed and recorded but not acted upon. To date Penny has settled in really well with our fosters and during our visits to see Penny she seems really happy. She has been spayed, had 9 teeth extracted plus a diseased bone removed as part of her dental procedure.

Penny’s completed x-rays have shown that Penny requires cruciate ligament surgery to her right back leg and possibly her left back leg in the future and was diagnosed with chronic arthritis in both of her back legs for which she will be put on recommended medication ‘Librela’ permanently.

We would like to very sincerely thank WestieMed for very kindly approving a grant to help with the costs of her veterinary surgery/treatment which she so desperately requires to help her to improve her quality of life. Her surgical procedure is planned for later this month.

Carol and Terry Riches

The Original Westies Rescued UK

Update March 3, 2024:

Penny has had her cruciate surgery to her back right leg and is recovering well, on the long road to full recovery. We will keep you updated on her progress. Her veterinary consultant is unfortunately confident her other back leg will require the same/similar surgery and will confirm after next x-rays after her recovery.

Kind regards,

Terry and Carol Riches, TOWRUK Officials

Update March 23, 2024:

Penny is recovering well from her cruciate surgery. The vets are very pleased with her healing. We will advise you when the consultant feels she is ready for the next x-rays to check internal healing and if her other leg requires any treatment/surgery.

Kind regards,

Terry Riches, TOWRUK Official

Update April 23, 2024:

Penny’s rear right leg cruciate ligament surgery went very well and following reviews of her recovery at her Vet Practice (Vets4Pets) and post op x-rays of both of her back legs the Orthopaedic Surgeon reports that the surgery was successful but unfortunately Penny will require Cruciate Ligament Surgery of her back left leg also. Penny seems happy in herself with improved mobility. There was evidence of wound infection so Penny was prescribed antibiotics and we agreed for the vet to take and send culture samples away for investigation. We have booked Penny in for surgery on the 7th May and will provide regular updates on her progress.

Very kind regards,

Terry and Carol Riches

Officials, The Original Westies Rescued UK (TOWRUK)

Update May 24, 2024:

Penny’s cruciate surgery went well and she is recovering well and her vets are happy with her progress to date.

Her mobility is improving and after the all clear from her consultant, we are planning treadmill/hydrotherapy to rebuild strength/muscle in her hind legs and will continue to update you on her progress.

Kind regards,

Terry Riches, Official TOWRUK

Update July 19, 2024:

Penny’s consultant is very pleased with Penny’s recovery. Recent x-rays have indicated surgery had a successful outcome and the next stage is for Penny to have rehabilitation therapy to strengthen muscle of both her rear legs via treadmill and hydrotherapy. Many thanks once again from us all at the Original Westies Rescued UK for your generous donation to help improve Penny’s health and well being.

Terry Riches, Official TOWRUK

Update September 3, 2024:

Penny’s mobility has improved immensely since her TPL surgery and rehabilitation.

Carol and I and our admin team at the Original Westies Rescued UK cannot thank you all at WestieMed for your very kind help and support towards giving Penny a much better quality of life than she would have had.

Very kind regards,

Terry and Carol Riches, Founders

The Original Westies Rescued UK

 

Kenzie

by westiemed in Stories

Kenzie was brought to the vet because she had not eaten in 5 days and she was vomiting and had diarrhea.  By the time she reached the animal hospital, she was in critical condition.  She was severely dehydrated, lifeless, and not knowing what was wrong, the initial estimate to treat Kenzie was much more than her owner was able to handle, therefore Kenzi’s owner was faced with euthanasia.  It was either luck or divine intervention, but the vet Kenzie was taken to happened to be my vet and she had never been treated there before.

On Monday, January 15, 2024 I received a phone call from my veterinarian asking if we could take Kenzie into rescue.   Kenzie was started on IV fluids, calcium, B12, antibiotics and a host of other medications.  Bloodwork indicated she had an infection, but within 24 hours, her numbers spiked dramatically and her electrolytes were dangerously low.

X-rays did not show anything unusual so my vet brought in an outside internist to perform an ultrasound which revealed many issues.  She has an infection of the gallbladder and evidence of acute pancreatitis.  The gallbladder is very thickened and there was a small amount of free fluid.  She showed evidence of vasculitis which is a reaction pattern characterized by an immune response directed toward the blood vessels.  Her GI track was thickened with inflammation which is evidence of acute pancreatitis and her liver is moderately enlarged.  We broadened the antibiotics and continued with supportive care and by day 5, her numbers started to improve.

We brought her home on Friday and we will continue oral medications.  She will need to be on antibiotics for 6 to 8 weeks.  Now that she is home, she is showing evidence of diabetes insipidus which we will address at her follow up appointment this week.  Her prognosis was “guarded” upon discharge from the hospital, but within just a few days she is acting like a normal Westie!  She is always first in line for meals and has taken up an interest in all things Westie.

Karen Simondet

WROC

Update August 14, 2024:

Kenzie passed away a month after she was adopted. Her eye started drooping and it was discovered that she had round cell sarcoma.

Karen

 

Molly

by westiemed in Stories

Molly was surrendered to WSRH a year ago, after she was diagnosed with diabetes at eight years old. Her owner had trouble keeping up with her food and insulin schedule, and poor Molly was suffering the side effects. Her experienced foster was able to get her on a schedule and on the road to feeling better. A grant from WestieMed helped Molly get the testing she needed to establish her insulin dose and stabilize her blood sugar levels.

Molly is almost completely blind from cataracts, and the eye dogtor said she would be a suitable candidate for surgery once her blood sugar was stabilized. We booked her for a much-needed dental with her primary vet, who was concerned by some of her bloodwork and requested an abdominal ultrasound. Molly has shown symptoms of Cushing’s, but so far testing has been normal. The ultrasound showed no irregularities.

Molly continues to do well in her foster home, receiving her food and medications on a fixed schedule, and getting her blood sugar under control. WSRH is grateful for WestieMed’s assistance in helping this beautiful Westie feel better.

Kind regards,

Maggie Escriva

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator  Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update January 12, 2024:

Molly died in her sleep last night.

Maggie

Jessie (now Maggie)

by westiemed in Stories

Jessie was surrendered to WSRH by a breeder who said they were retiring and wanted us to find homes for the remaining eight Westies on their property. We immediately sent volunteers to get the Westies so we could start evaluating and taking care of them. Happily, we did not waste any time in getting them because they were very sweet dogs living in deplorable conditions.

We run heartworm tests on all new dogs as part of their intake medical assessment and two year old Jessie tested heartworm positive. We started her preparatory treatment as recommended by the American Heartworm Society and took care of her spay and dental. Jessie has been a delight to all who meet her and has selected her furever home so they will foster her through treatment.

The grant from WestieMed will cover the costs of the split Heartworm treatment so Jessie can live a happy and healthy life with a furever family that loves her.

Kind regards,

Maggie Escriva

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator  Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update June 23, 2024:

Jessie (now named Maggie) has completed her heartworm treatment and finalized her adoption. Here is an update from her new family:

“Maggie is doing well.  Since we are retired she gets to enjoy a morning walk around our neighborhood every morning.  We go very early since summer began.  She has met several dogs in the neighborhood on her walks but does not show much interest in them.

“She is an indoor dog but she likes to lay in the sun on the hot sidewalk for a few minutes in the afternoon.  She comes indoors after about 10 minutes.  We have large oak trees with many squirrels and Maggie likes to sit under a tree and stare at the squirrels.  She chases them once in a while and she is developing hunting strategies even though she never gets close.  She runs after the egrets that we see after a lot of rain but they fly away of course.

“Maggie is very affectionate and the staff at our veterinary clinic all love her.  She is lying on the couch next to me as I write this.  

Thank you, WestieMed, for making it possible for Maggie/Jessie to have a rich, full life.

Kind regards,
Maggie 
Volunteer, Intake Coordinator

Westie Rescue Houston, also known as Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston
 
Update December 31, 2024:
 

 

Maggie is doing great. She had her annual checkup two months ago and tested negative for heartworms. She had her teeth cleaned and they had to extract one tooth. We have had her on a diet, and she is slimming down (crate rest and steroids from heartworm treatment do a number on a girl’s figure!)

She is finally getting to enjoy the yard more now that the hot weather is over. We have lots of squirrels but she seems to enjoy chasing lizards more. She is enjoying her morning walk now that the weather has cooled.

Thank you for helping us help this sweet girl!

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator

Emma

by westiemed in Stories

Emma is a delightful 7 year old Westie who came to WSRH because her previous owners could not manage her diabetes. She was incontinent and underweight when we received her, and we immediately placed her with a foster who is experienced with diabetic dogs.

Since she came to us, Emma has been placed on a set feeding and insulin schedule, and has had several checks at the vet. Each glucose curve or fructosamine test has indicated additional insulin needed, so her medication has been adjusted accordingly. While Emma’s blood sugar is still in the process of being stabilized, she has returned to a normal weight and no longer has issues of incontinence. We are grateful to WestieMed for helping us get her ready for her furever home.

Kind regards,

Maggie Escriva

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator  Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update June 23, 2024:

As we started looking for a furever home for sweet Emma, we received an inquiry that caught our attention:

“My family previously adopted a Westie that I cared for 14 years before she passed. My 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few years ago. It’s a challenging lifestyle but we understand it very well and the importance of a good schedule… I would really love to be able to care for her and it would be very special for my daughter as well.”

We encouraged this mom to fill out an application, which she did, and the family completed our application process with flying colors. Next, the family made a road trip to come meet Emma. Here is an update from them:

“Our family feels so lucky to have been able to adopt Emma. We are grateful for the good care she received while waiting for a forever home and that she had access to the supplies and medicine she needed while we transitioned her to our vet and got to know her better. 

“Emma knows her routine well and loves exploring the backyard, she enjoys neighborhood walks and going to our daughter’s soccer games. She has also motivated and comforted our oldest daughter who also has type 1 diabetes. 

“Emma had a good bill of health at her last vet appointment and she just got a puppy cut at the doggy spa to get her through this hot summer! She loves adventures and also stretching out in a comfy spot. We can’t remember what life was like before her. She is very settled in and is very much a part of our family.”

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator

Westie Rescue Houston, also known as Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston

Ivy

by westiemed in Stories

Westie Rescue Southeast (WRSE) has contacted many commercial/puppy mill Westie breeders offering a safe haven for any Westies in need. An Amish breeder contacted us about Ivy.

She had been kept in a pen inside of a barn with many other dogs. Her legs were atrophied from lack of the ability to move around, she had countless amounts of puppies in her four young years and her vocal chords had been cut. The rescues in her area were contacted but they were unable to take her, so we flew to Ohio to pick her up and drove eight hours back to her foster home.

When Ivy was having her spay surgery, it was discovered that she had pyometra. Unfortunately, this is common for females out of commercial breeding facilities as they are kept in filthy pens or cages so they have a much higher chance of getting these infections. This make the spay surgery more complicated and higher risk. The infection was so severe that the inside of her uterus had turned green. The vet was very concerned about the possibility that the infection could have spread . She is on multiple antibiotics to hopefully prevent any further infection issues. The vet also confirmed her vocal cords have been cut. This is a cruel practice done by these mills to keep the dogs quiet.

After a week or so after her spay surgery, she became little lethargic and had a very high
respiratory rate. Her X-rays show spots in her right lung and an enlarged heart on the right side. She ultimately saw a cardiologist and Internal Medicine Specialist. The echocardiogram confirmed the enlarged right side of her heart but all of the valves and function are completely normal. She had broken out in skin lesions which they believe was an allergy reaction to the antibiotics she was on after her surgery. When they did the cytology of them there was bacteria present so she will be on a antibiotic for skin (Simplicef). However, because she has some cloudiness in her lungs along with these skin eruptions she was tested for blastomycosis fungal infection as a precaution. It is very prevalent in the area where she came from. The internal medicine doctor along with the radiologist didn’t think her lung issue is bacterial, but possibly lung worm. She will be on panacur dewormer for 10 days. This can cause the inflammation, cloudiness and spots seen on her X-rays. She is on medication to help get the inflammation down in her lungs so she can breathe easier. Lastly, she tested positive for Lyme disease. They sent out her blood sample to test the antibody level. Some dogs immune system will fight it off and still test positive. A 30 day treatment of doxycycline will be given if the
immune system was not able to fight it off.

She has done extremely well. Her westietude is starting to emerge. Her foster family is so in love with her and will most likely foster fail.

Thank you to WestieMed for helping us so that other dogs may receive the help they need.

Susie Massey

Westie Rescue SouthEast

Update March 12, 2024:

Ivy is doing well! As you know, last fall she battled pyometra, lung worms, hook worms, and Lyme disease. She is still having some issues with her gut biome (overgrowth of clostridium bacteria in her gut, we are working on it with her vet and Kym!). Behaviorally, she has made huge progress with her potty training although she is still not at 100%, but she is probably at 90%! She is very happy and comfortable at home with us but she is still fearful of visitors who come into our home, but getting more brave every day! Her personality has really started to shine through and she has become “mildly mischievous” and will sometimes steal a sock etc  We have taken her on 4 trips to Deep Gap, Cashiers, Charleston and Asheville. She got to visit on the beach for the first time last weekend at Folly Beach! We are working on her tricks. She knows sit, lay, shake paw and kind of knows twirl. She is very sweet and very loving. She does still struggle with her luxating patellas on both back knees as well as some quirky behavior on walks so we are working on leash walks in the neighborhood.

Susan D. Massey

Update September 2, 2024:

Ivy has continued to enjoy her life here with us, acting as a resident dog host to two different fosters this summer through Westie Rescue Southeast. Ivy thrived hosting each foster and was happy to share her home, her beds, her toys and her humans with the Westies in need. She knows a few tricks now including sit, shake paw, lay down and twirl (spin). She accidentally got a little too spoiled and hit too high of a weight, so I’ve gotten her close to her goal weight (she’s lost 2.5 pounds but needs to lose 1 more pound, however we are doing it slowly). Keeping her at a lower weight is important due to her leg problems (luxating patella on both back legs and bad joints due to having Lyme disease). Ivy had struggled with diarrhea from an unbalanced gut biome which has greatly improved. We have her on Animal Biome fecal transplant protocol along with a couple other gut supplements from Animal Biome which has improved her harmful gut bacteria counts and helped control her diarrhea. She still occasionally has pee or poo accidents in the house but she is doing much better with this now. She unfortunately does have some lung problems going on. We are in the process of figuring out the next steps for her lung problems and have been very worried about that. She either has chronic bronchitis or a lung infection or lung worms (again?) or possibly the early stages of fibrosis which could be Westie lung disease. Not sure yet. We are considering doing a transtracheal lung wash however have received conflicting information as to whether or not this is the right next step for Ivy. Ivy has also developed a strange squeal occasionally which we are trying to determine if it is behavioral or if she is having some kind of pain. It has been a rough month trying to figure out her mysterious issues. That said, she is content and enjoys her life here sunbathing on the back deck, sleeping in her beds or on the couch, getting treats, etc. We hope to start traveling with her again this fall and work on her separation anxiety issue (we haven’t taken her on any trips since May as she struggles with some separation anxiety issues when she is in new places like a relative’s home or an Airbnb)

I hope to figure out her medical issues and treat them accordingly in the coming months, and I do hope to try to find her a long term companion (or us to get a 2nd dog so she has a buddy) maybe next year. She loves other dogs and she is much happier with a furry friend around.

Susan D. Massey

Director, Westie Rescue SouthEast