Dilly’s story is a sure a strange one, but she ended up in the right place!
Dilly is not her original name…. we’re not sure what that was. She was called “Dilly” because she looked like an armadillo. When she was rescued, the poor girl had only a few tufts of hair. The rest of her skin was black and wrinkled. The skin on her front legs was so inflamed and swollen, it folded over onto itself. She was surrendered by people who could not take care of her. This was certainly evident. We were told Dilly was 10-12 years old.
Dilly came my way after she did not fit in with her foster home. All the attempts, adjustments, and tricks that we know didn’t allow for a peaceful household. She joined my crew of two male Westies in October 2021. I’m not going to say she fit right in…. but what female Westie does anything peacefully? It turns out she was not spayed, and to say she was boy crazy is an understatement. Luckily, within a month she was healthy enough to have the surgery.
Dilly had a bad case of atopic dermatitis, along with a heart murmur, fractured teeth, ear and eye infections, and did I mention she was boy crazy? Our first trip to a vet was very helpful. Within a few days she had stopped her constant scratching, which let her focus more on, well, boys.
We addressed each ailment in order of severity, all along giving many Nizoral baths and cold laser therapy treatments for her skin issues. (I love Westie Rescue of Orange County’s skin protocol, it’s worked wonders in the past). Within a month she was able to receive a rabies vaccine. The vet thought she was so medically compromised a vaccine would not be able to produce an immune response at all during the first visit.
She is a pistol. She is very smart and ornery. If she is 10-12 years old, she was a handful as a puppy. She is full of Westitude and very affectionate. We’re very grateful to WestieMed for help with her medical bills. Sometimes you don’t know what life will throw at you, but I’m very glad Dilly landed here.
Jen
Update December 14, 2021:
When Dilly was strong enough for surgery, two veterinarians both thought she was not spayed. No scar, no tattoos, (although her skin remained so dark and mottled, it was hard to tell). Spay surgery was a go until the docs found she had already been spayed. That surgery quickly became a dental checkup and Dilly had SEVEN teeth pulled. You would never know from her eating abilities before or after the extractions that anything was amiss. Her skin has settled down which means fewer baths. Throughout all her vet visits, her ears remained flat out “gooey”. We finally had the germs her ears cultured to find out exactly what kind of medicine would be best.
Dilly insists she is no ‘run of the mill’ Westie, and therefore apparently needs ‘special’ everything. As she healed, we moved down the hierarchy of medical needs. Next were her eyes. I knew she had poor vision, as she ran into things, but seemed to adapt quickly to her surroundings. For once, the ophthalmologist said there was hope her eyes would improve! Years of dry eyes had scarred the corneas, but with special drops (again…special) her vision should get better. She is sure patient to get 2 types of eyedrops twice a day. Did I mention special ear drops? And hypoallergenic food? Some would say high maintenance, but Dilly insists she’s just “special”. She sure is!
Jen
