Bronchitis – WestieMed

Lucy was a puppy mill dog for about the first seven years of her life and was in an “off the ground” cage north of Buffalo, NY. When she was about seven she was rescued, along with several other dogs by someone with enough money to get them. This person apparently placed Lucy with someone that bred her again. The story goes, that Lucy ignored her last litter. She was probably very tired and was then placed in another new home.

I was contacted by a woman that lives about an hour from me and said she got my name from the Beverly Rescue Group. Her name is Linda. This rescue group works with all kinds of dogs and cats and I gave them my name and number several years ago.

Linda explained that she had a friend that was in and out of the hospital and would be permanently in the hospital. She said that Lucy had been living alone in a mobile home since last February (ten months) and the owner was in the hospital more than home. There were also two cats in the trailer.

The SPCA was contacted and they would throw a bag of cheap food in the trailer every week, one for Lucy and one for the cats. Linda lived about twenty minutes away and was going over every two to three days to check on Lucy and give them water. Linda has five dogs of her own and was truly concerned about the situation. I made arrangements for the release of Lucy through Linda and went to the trailer to pick her up and give her foster care.

Immediately when I walked into the mobile home I could not believe the conditions this dog and two cats had been living in. The bags of food were broken open on the floor and there had been no one cleaning this place. Lucy was infested with fleas, no hair on her hindquarters and the top of her head. I broke open an Advantix that I brought with me (Pam and I have two male Westies) and put it on Lucy. I thanked Linda for her perseverance and drove Lucy directly to our Veterinarian, where she was diagnosed with a flea infestation, worms, bad bronchitis, and ear infections. With medication, she is now doing very well.

Additionally, she will be spayed and has a tumor on her mammary gland that will be removed and also needs extensive dental work.

It is a joy to see her progress and she actually goes up and downstairs now, she could not two weeks ago. She sleeps well and is not scratching herself anymore. Lucy gets excited and hops up and down …it’s the craziest thing.

It is so good to see her progress and how happy she is now. We have a few qualified families that may adopt her after she is through her medical issues. Her life will be great now and she deserves it.

Thanks to WestieMed. Thanks again for your help with Lucy. She is a perfect little girl.

John

Update December 31, 2009

WestieMed, thank you very much for your help with Lucy!

We “all” very much appreciate everything you have done. Lucy is now going to physical therapy to learn stairs and she is a lot better…she would not have made it through winter without all of us.

You guys are great,
John and Pam Peck

Update June 28, 2010

Lucy is doing terrific and now looks like a normal Westie since her hair grew back in. She can even run now despite COPD from living with cats in the trailer! My wife has photos to send you when she returns from a trip next week. Lucy lives in a great home with our niece and her family. They love her and attend to the Queen’s every need. Please stay in touch and thank you for the financial help again, it was put to good use!
John

Update April 13, 2011

Lucy had the best last year of her life with our niece Annie. Lucy was doing very well and then succumbed to cancer, without pain, dying in her “moms” lap. When she was buried, they placed a little crown on her head. She was a very sweet little dog with many medical problems including COPD. The whole family is still very sad. I also asked Anna to send you a message, I am sure she can tell you more about Lucy.

Thanks for your interest and I am sorry to be the bearer of the sad news.
John

Update April 18, 2011

Lucy - WestieMed Recipient December 2009 — Lucy – WestieMed Recipient

This is Anna Wing (John Peck’s niece and Lucy’s owner). I am writing to update you with the sad news that Lucy is no longer with us.

Around the beginning of October, we noticed that Lucy was seeming to regress in progress. Up to that point, she had been doing amazingly well; she was going on mile-long walks, climbing full flights of stairs, and running around in the backyard like a puppy– all of which she was nowhere near able to do after she was first rescued. After some tests, the vet diagnosed Lucy with liver cancer, which she may have had the beginnings of when we got her, only there was no way to know until symptoms started showing up. Lucy only lasted a few weeks from the diagnosis, but she went very peacefully surrounded by her family.

I am glad to say that Lucy lived the last year of her life as the ultimate princess in our house. She enjoyed sleeping on her pink, fluffy “princess bed” in front of our fireplace, getting as many treats as she wanted, and getting to actually run around free in a real backyard. One of her favorite things to do was go exploring along the beach at our camp on the lake, where she could get into all kinds of new smells. Her instincts from being neglected were always still prevalent, and she was notorious for getting into and eating almost ANYTHING, especially the garbage!

I cannot thank WestieMed enough for allowing Lucy this final year to experience life as a loved dog should. Without your help, she never would have been able to overcome the terrible condition that she was in when John first rescued her from that trailer she was living in. We will always remember her as one of the sweetest and most appreciative dogs we have ever known.

Thank you,
Anna Wing

A young lady that worked in a pet store at the local mall had gone into the restaurant that a friend of mine worked in and asked her if she wanted or knew of someone who wanted a free puppy. She text messaged her mom and it so happened that I was over and she asked me if I was interested in a free puppy. Well at first I was hesitant in saying yes because first off a puppy is a lot of work and also my thoughts were “what’s wrong with him”? Fifteen minutes later she texts again saying it’s a West Highland Terrier…still with some doubt I said to tell her I want him but first to ask the girl what was wrong with him. Her reply was that he had a low immune system and that he was kept in the back away from the other puppies and that’s why they couldn’t sell him. So I figured ok a low immune system that’s something simple that can be taken care of.

When he came home with her that night he was interested in all of us but still not too sure. The little guy had a crusty nose and smelled. As he sat there taking in his new surroundings he started coughing this retched cough. And when I held him to comfort him I could hear he was wheezy. Right away I felt bad for this little guy and I was glad that I had taken him in and was going to love him. That night at home I decided to name him after a character in one of my favorite movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas, I figured Zero was a perfect name for a Westie.

The next day at the vet I told him the story of how they were giving him for free and how they told me he just had a low immune system. To make a long story short turned out the Zero more than likely came from a puppy mill, had surgery to fix his hernia and at the same time, he was neutered. The “low immune system” turned out to be two ear infections, which one ear was already yeasty, and the cough was already turning into pneumonia. Zero was treated with two different types of antibiotics and an ear ointment plus an ear wash every other day. While Zero was on the antibiotics his cough did settle down.

About two weeks had passed when one early morning he started up again and the runny crusty nose and the coughing at this point were back full force again. I took him back to the vet as soon as they opened. Turned out that Zero’s bronchitis was back and he was going to need a treatment that I wasn’t able to afford, so the vet gave us the option of putting him back on a stronger dose of antibiotics for seventeen days with weekly check-ups. The vet did say that if the cough came back I had no other choice but to do the recommended treatment for his lungs to get rid of the cough. And two weeks later his cough was back again with the snotty crusty nose. He was not able to run around like he does because starts to cough and at times causing him to throw up and depending on how he feels his breathing at night is very rapid.

I have only had Zero for a short time but during this short time he stolen my heart and I would be devastated if anything were to happen to him. That is why I am very thankful and blessed that I came across the wonderful people at WestieMed! Because of them, Zero will soon be able to sleep well at night and run around like I know he wants to without the need to stop because of a coughing spell.

Update June 25, 2009

Zero - WestieMed Recipient March 2009 — Zero – WestieMed Recipient

I just wanted to update you on Zero. Zero had his treatment the very next day we receive the check in the mail. The lab results had revealed that he had a really bad case of kennel cough and his vet prescribed a much stronger dose of antibiotics to clear him up of the infection.

Well, the antibiotics helped Zero while he was on them but once he was done with the medication his pesky cough came back along with the snotty nose. So Zero is taking antibiotics almost every day to keep the infection from getting worse.

His Vet said the next step is taking him to a specialist (which I know it is going to cost me money I don’t have) because it seems that his respiratory system isn’t functioning properly by “filtering” out the icky stuff he breaths in. He fears that it could possibly be the death of such a good pup like him. But Zero doesn’t let this bring him down! He still loves going out for walks to the dog park and play fetch or just crawl into my lap for a quick nap.

I want to thank you again for the help!
Ana & Zero

Update October 8, 2009

Zero still, of course, has his cough, but that will always be part of him. He currently is on a two week round of antibiotics since the weather change has had a little effect on him and just to be safe we decided to put him on antibiotics.

This time he went three months without any medications, thanks to his vet’s suggestion of giving him a children’s chewable vitamin C tablet every day to see if it helped to strengthen his immune system and it has helped him extremely!

We will keep you posted on his well being in a couple of weeks once he’s done with his antibiotics.

Meanwhile, enjoy a picture of him on his first birthday! What a milestone for him considering how he was when I first got him!

Thanks once again to you guys!!!
Ana

Update July 10, 2010

I just wanted to let you know Zero is doing great!

He had his second comprehensive vet exam a few months back and the vet said he was great!

Of course, he still has his little cough but that makes him special! He hasn’t had a need for a round of medication, so that’s good.

For now, here’s a picture of him getting out if the bath.

And we will be celebrating his second birthday next month, yay!!

Thanks!
Ana and Zero

Tag: Bronchitis

Lucy