Piper is a five and half year old Westie who is a little sweetie with a heart of gold but, unfortunately, that heart is not working as well as it should be at this time.
She was owner surrendered to Scottie Rescue at age five. She was spayed and updated on her vaccines and when she was ready for adoption, she was advertised as available. She went to a new home in Virginia with a Westie lover who already currently had two sweet Westies and wanted to share his home with another one who could benefit from all he had to offer. She’s fit in easily and has become one of the family over the last five months since her adoption.
Although she’d been evaluated at her original vet before her spay, and also been seen by her new dad’s vet after her adoption, oddly it wasn’t until a subsequent vet visit with another vet in the practice, that the heart murmur was detected. At that time, she was referred to a veterinary cardiac specialist in the area. This specialist did a full cardiac workup and advised that the two lower chambers of the heart were not working as well as they should be, and she should have a pacemaker implanted to correct this before it became an emergency. In the meantime, she was put on some medication to keep the pressure low and she’s responded well to that so far.
This was, of course, a big surprise to everyone who had been involved with her prior care. Scottie Rescue offered to take her back, but she had already become part of her new family and her new dad did not want to part with her.
He contacted WestieMed and applied for financial assistance to help offset the high cost of the pacemaker procedure, and thanks to their generosity, she will soon be able to have the surgery that will enable her to have a normal lifespan!!! Her new dad and her new Westie brother and sister hope to have many happy and healthy years together!!! Many thanks!
Piper is doing well at the moment. The doctor thought after her last checkup and scan, she would not need the pacemaker at this time. But could in the future.
As I was messing around on Facebook one night, I got a message and photo from my sister-in-law, Casey. The picture was of a little white dog at the Metro Nashville Animal Shelter for adoption. The little dog was pretty bedraggled and looked very small and afraid. She was female, spayed and not much other information was known about her.
Casey and I conversed a few minutes, and I told her I’d contact Westie Rescue AL/TN to see if they could get her released from the shelter and into a foster home.
I sent a Facebook message to one of the officers of Westie Rescue AL/TN and inquired about this little girl. She said she knew about this dog and a couple was going to the shelter to try to adopt her within the next few days, but it was not a definite situation. She said the Rescue did not have any foster homes available at that time and there wasn’t anything they could do unless a forever foster home could be found.
I talked to my husband about the little dog and showed him her picture. We were currently in the process of trying to help another Westie, and it didn’t look like that situation was going to work out. We both felt that this little dog at the shelter needed us more than the other dog, and maybe she was the reason the other situation wasn’t working out. I wrote the officer back and told her if she could get her out of the shelter, we would adopt her. She was overjoyed and said she would start working on it the next day.
Unfortunately, the shelter was closed until the following Tuesday. The officer was able to contact the shelter and go see this little Westie. When she got there, she discovered the dog was both deaf and blind. She called us to see if we could handle this situation since it was going to be more than we had anticipated. We decided we would still adopt her. I arranged to meet the officer to meet the little girl and met them early in the week before the adoption.
The little girl had been checked out by the vet at the shelter, and was found to be heartworm negative, blood work was all good, needed a dental cleaning, and had some skin issues. She was soon on the way to the Rescue’s veterinarian, with a quick stop to see me on the way.
This baby looked SO bad. She had a very thick, black crust underneath her left eye. She was very scraggly and dirty, and she smelled so bad there were flies around her. She was walking in circles at the end of the leash and confused. I picked her up and held her, and I could tell she was very sweet and needed a lot of love. She needed someone to trust to take care of her.
She had been found in a neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, by a woman who had called Metro Nashville Animal Control to come and pick her up. Her next-door neighbors had a Westie, so she knew she was the same breed. Apparently, they gave the shelter their contact information, because the Rescue officer was able to contact them. She had been at the shelter for almost a week when I saw her picture. After we adopted her, the officer told us the neighbors put a story about her in their neighborhood newsletter and collected a donation for Westie Rescue to help offset her vetting. The officer let them know that she had been adopted, that her name was now “Renni”, that her Irish name means “small, but mighty”, and she was going to a good home.
Renni was at the vet by this time. They did a thorough exam, found a slight heart murmur, gave her a dental cleaning and removed 5 teeth, bathed her and treated her skin issues, prescribed three types of eye drops for her eyes to be given twice/day. She had a follow-up visit for two weeks. After the follow-up visit, we could give her a bath.
We were able to pick Renni up and bring her home on Friday, June 17, 2016, four weeks ago today.
She does not like riding in the car. She fought like a little tiger until she wore herself out and went to sleep in my arms. We decided no more car trips until the follow-up vet visit. We got her home, introduced her to our other Westies: Duncan, age four; Connor, age three; and Brody, age one.
They are leery of her, and can tell she is ‘different’. They mostly avoid her whenever she gets near them, but they are slowly accepting her into the fold. They are ‘concerned’ when she gets upset, and come to check on her to satisfy themselves that she’s ok.
We suspect that Renni belonged to a gentleman, who possibly passed away. She became attached to my husband very quickly, and he became attached to her as well. We have no way of knowing how she ended up on the street, or how long she was on her own. It breaks our hearts to think of her alone, in the dark, in her own darkness and silence, not knowing where danger was lurking, trying to fend for herself to find a safe place to sleep and something to eat.
She is very thin, all the bones in her spine can be felt, as well as her hip bones. Her rib bones can also be felt. She is having a difficult time gaining weight because she walks so much.
The vet initially thought she had dementia, but we determined after her first night at our house, that she was ‘mapping’ her surroundings.
She walked the perimeter of our great room 30-50 times without stopping. The first several trips around, she bumped into everything. After several times, she was able to dodge more and more pieces of furniture, table legs, corners, etc. When she finally had navigated the room with no collisions, she rested. She learned where the food and water bowls were located and could find them easily. She learned where my husband was sitting and would pass by him for a quick rub, just to get her bearings.
The next morning, she was able to remember everything she had learned the previous night. Renni did not have dementia! Way too smart for that! She started learning the next room and moved on to the next and the next. She still has trouble with the dining room table and chairs…too many legs, too close together. That’s understandable.
She LOVES to be outside for potty breaks. She’s getting more comfortable being in her yard. Her first time in the backyard, she took off like a trooper and explored the whole fenced area.
She had a ball and didn’t want to come back to where we were. The other dogs were playing in the pool, but she couldn’t go in because she couldn’t get wet yet. We have tried her at swimming since the follow-up vet visit, but she doesn’t care much for it.
We are hoping after Renni’s cataract surgery, with her vision restored to 95%, she can enjoy being in the pool, will want to play with toys, will be able to get along with the other dogs, and navigate better in the yard. Balance is an issue for her without her sight on uneven ground.
We are anxious for her to see our faces as well, so she knows who is loving her, kissing her face, stroking her back, feeding her, etc.
With your generous help, all this will be possible for her after the cataract surgery. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU so much for all you have done to help this precious little girl.
She has been a huge blessing to us as we have learned how to communicate with her and help her adjust to her new life and surroundings.
Jeanne and Chris Blankenship
Update April 3, 2017
Sadly, WestieMed has received word that Renni passed away last year. Rest in peace sweet girl.
I rescued a three-month-old puppy (now five months) from the East Valley Animal Shelter in Feb. She and her sister had been abandoned in a backyard. We are guessing because Valentine (my dog) is missing one eye, and her sister only has three legs.
All adopted dogs are required to be spayed before you can even take them home but they called me to pick up Valentine early because they detected a heart murmur and it needed to be monitored during the surgery and they didn’t have the equipment to do that at their facilities. Upon taking Valentine to the Vet for her initial check-up we found out that the heart murmur was extremely high grade (6/6) and the odds weren’t too great for a puppy so small and blood work and an ultrasound needed to be done before we could find out what was wrong and what she needed.
Those are, unfortunately, very expensive tests. I spoke with the shelter and they said I could give her back and choose a new dog within thirty days but they didn’t say too much about the fate of Valentine. Even after a day, I was so in love with this sweet dog I couldn’t let her go. The vet recommended waiting a month to see if she grew out of the murmur, then getting the tests if she still needed them after that. The month passed, and the murmur was still there so we went ahead with the tests and discovered that Valentine has a PDA (patent ductus arteriosis) and all the extra work is enlarging her heart. Basically, when you are in utero, there is a valve that bypasses the lungs because you are getting oxygen from your mommy. It closes when you are born, but Valentine’s didn’t so her little heart was working extra hard and going all around trying to pump blood throughout her body. The good news is, that with the surgery, she should be a happy healthy puppy just like her sister!!!
Valentine is the most amazing dog, she has the most amazing personality! Even though I want to smother her with kisses she loves her “space” under the bed, she thinks she’s a big dog (and struts around like one too), and she is amazing with dog, cats, guinea pigs, and humans alike. She loves to give kisses and play! Sometimes she acts like she needs to go out to potty, but really she’s just trying to meet more dogs to play because when we go out she’s just looking around wagging her little tail, you can’t even be mad.
I am SO grateful to WestieMed and their generosity. With their help, my baby is going to be able to have the surgery she needs and the fabulous life she deserves.
Maisey, now renamed Faith, came to us when she was only nine weeks old. Faith weighed less than two pounds when we rescued her. She was lethargic, had a terrible case of diarrhea, and erratic breathing patterns, not only during waking hours but when she was asleep. Our first priority was to get Faith to our small-town veterinarian who had cared for our other rescued Westie and several other dogs for over nine years. In our town, we are lucky to have a veterinarian that sees patients five days a week. He has no after-hours coverage or answering service, and is not set up to care for animals on an emergency basis. He is dedicated but overwhelmed.
Our vet did a thorough exam, took this tiny little baby Westie to the back to have a vet-tech run several lab tests, and came in to chat with us. He informed us that Faith had a heart murmur, was dangerously underweight, was dehydrated, and probably had some type of intestinal parasite. He immediately handed us a brochure for a 24-hour emergency and critical care specialty clinic three hours from our hometown and admonished us to get Faith there as quickly as possible. He told us he was certain that she was going to need extensive treatment which he was incapable of providing in his small facility. We fueled up our car, called our neighbor and asked her to please feed our dogs and let them out periodically, and headed out.
The veterinarian who first saw Faith was a canine cardiologist. A cardiologist for dogs?? We never knew there was such a thing. His vet-tech spent about ten minutes simply listening to her chest. She was methodical and focused. Faith was so weak by this time that she could hardly stand up. The vet-tech told us she was going to take Faith to the back and start her on some oxygen, have the cardiologist exam her and that he would come in to talk to us “soon”. It seemed like forever, but the doctor eventually came in to talk with us. He wanted to do an echocardiogram and chest x-ray right away. Faith was critically ill. We were told these exams would take about an hour. That was the last time we saw Faith until she came home.
My husband and I went out to the waiting room, and the vet-tech called us back in to talk to the cardiologist about 45 minutes later. He reported that Faith did indeed have a heart murmur, a ventricular septal defect, a hole in her heart. He proceeded to draw diagrams for us showing exactly where the defect in her heart was. Surprisingly, he said that her heart murmur was “the least of his concerns”, and that while it was considered a very serious health issue it would likely resolve itself as she got older. What concerned him the most was the chest x-ray. Faith’s lungs were “over-inflated” from continuous prolonged heavy breathing. The cardiologist had asked for a consultation from the in-house internal medicine doctor who reviewed the x-rays and concluded that the over-inflated lungs were likely caused from bronchopneumonia, a condition that would require monitoring around the clock. Faith was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, hooked up to two IV catheters with two different antibiotics, and placed in an oxygen cage 24 hours a day which included nebulizer treatments. Numerous lab tests were run while they worked on resolving her severe diarrhea and dehydration. They hand-feed her one tablespoon of food at a time, every four hours around the clock.
We left the Intensive Care Unit weary and dazed for our three-hour trip back home. We were aware of the WestieMed organization through several rescue organizations we had been in contact with and supported over the years, but never thought we would ever be the recipients of their tremendous generosity. We contacted them the next day and their application coordinator Bette responded almost immediately. WestMed President Lucy Ryley contacted us the following day to gather more information and offer her support and best wishes.
Maisy – WestieMed Grant Recipient
We have always kept a “health savings fund” for our dogs to cover their maintenance needs for well-visits to the vet, immunizations, teeth cleaning and incidentals. The initial diagnostics for Faith alone completely depleted that savings account.
Faith is now home with us. When they released her they stated that she should be on “bed-rest”, if there is such a thing in the life of a Westie girl. While the doctors consider her condition greatly improved, they will need to monitor her with additional x-rays and review her clinical status over a period of time.
There are no words to describe the appreciation we have for the wonderful folks at WestieMed. Faith would likely not be alive today if it were not for their generosity and for their love of our Westie.
We will continue to provide updates as Faith improves.
Janet
Update February 13, 2013
Faith has gained a full twelve ounces since she came home. She is thriving and happy…and boy, is she a handful! I asked my husband if this is the same Westie girl that we took to the ICU. We could feel her ribs and bony little back and hips when we rescued her.
Janet
Update August 22, 2013
When we last corresponded with you Faith was about two lbs eight ounces. While she was “out of the woods” with her bronchopneumonia, we still had to monitor her condition and keep her on two antibiotics for the next two months. We had her back to the internal medicine doctors two more times. Faith was unable to receive any of her puppy shots, (while still on antibiotics) so taking her off of our property or into public places was not an option. While she continued to be on medication and recover, we spend her waking hours teaching her to walk on a lease and learn basic rules and commands. Thank goodness we live on a fully fenced acre with lots of areas for her to learn to dig like all happy healthy Westies. Our other Westie Miley and Bichon Maggie were allowed to play with her when she wasn’t sleeping.
Faith continued to do well and gained a whopping six more pounds. Around the 1st of April, she received her first set of puppy shots and three weeks later the last booster. At that point, Faith had learned to walk on a leash and the world just opened up for her. She was ready for walks with Maggie and Miley who go out twice daily for two-mile walks. For the first few weeks, we only took her on the morning walk, and sometimes I would carry her on the way back if she got winded. You see, not only did she have bronchopneumonia, she had a collapsed lung. The internal medicine doctor informed us that this likely happened when one of her litter-mats stepped on her when she was only days old. It will never inflate again and she will have to live with it for the rest of her life.
Maisy – WestieMed Grant Recipient
Don’t think for a minute that these chronic conditions have slowed her down…to the contrary. She only has one large lung lobe, and still has a loud heart murmur, but she is like every other happy healthy Westie and gives our other two dogs a run for their money. The vet told us that she will set her own pace. So far her pace if FULL SPEED ahead!! When its bedtime and she runs up the stairs with Maggie and Miley headed towards her kennel, we can hear her wheezing. She takes three breaths for every one breath Miley takes, so it appears that she is panting all the time. It’s not something we ever get used to. Our vet tells us that her life MAY be shortened by her ailments or she may live to a ripe old age. There is no way to tell.
What we do know is that had it not been for WestieMed and their love for Faith she would not be here at all. Thank you again for your support, for your love, and for your resources. We are deeply grateful to your organization.
Janet
Update January 13, 2014
Maisy – WestieMed Grant Recipient
Happy New Year to everyone at WestieMed!! We have an update for you regarding the progress of our sweet little Faith.
As you all know Faith, was near death around this time last year. She just celebrated her first birthday in early December. She is happy, healthy and getting into mischief. The vet tells us that she will always have to be monitored for pneumonia because of her collapsed lung lobe. She has adapted well and sets her own pace. She takes more naps than other pups her age, but we knew that would be the case, and believe me…we’re not complaining. LOL
She gets up every day with such a love for life. She “lives” for her early morning two-mile walk with our two other dogs. She is so loyal and we can feel her gratitude. It is almost like she is saying “thank you for saving my life…for giving me every chance to live”.
She just loves to dig. We have a full acre of land with a designated area where she can dig to her heart’s content. She comes over to me completely black up to her chin with the most clever look on her face. All I say is “did you have a good time”?
We are so grateful to the folks at WestieMed for helping us give her a second chance at LIFE. Thank you for giving us the gift of Faith’s life and for your love of all our Westies.
A few days before Thanksgiving 2009, I received an email asking if I could help a stray that had shown up on a porch in southern Missouri. The woman requesting the help was 100% positive the dog was a wheaten Scottie but in very bad shape. She was concerned he might not make it through the night.
I requested pictures to help identity and upon receipt, I still wasn’t sure it was a Scottie but thought it was possible. One of our foster moms and I made the two-hour trip to pick up the dog, and upon arrival found an emaciated and matted Westie boy. He could barely walk; he had no upper front teeth and his front bottom teeth were worn down to loose nubs. He was scratching and underneath the mats, his skin was almost completely bare. The mats on his hind legs were so huge and barely attached that it looked like he was wearing “chaps”. With heavy hearts, we put him in the car, thinking that we were bringing him home to be euthanized.
Back in St. Louis, I backed out of the driveway after dropping the foster mom at home and looked in my rearview mirror where I saw Ralph (we had named him during the trip back) standing up, wagging his tail. With tears in my eyes, I headed to the vet’s office, dreading what might come next.
Ralph’s examination determined that he had a major bacterial infection, a possible heart murmur, luxating patellas in both back legs, slight cloudiness in both eyes, and the sweetest disposition. As the vet looked in Ralph’s eyes, Ralph rested his chin in the vet’s hand…I knew we had to do everything possible to get him healthy again.
The mats were removed, antibiotics started, shot given to control the itchiness, and Ralph went to his new foster home. On the vet’s recommendation, the heartworm testing was delayed until Ralph had some time to recuperate.
It didn’t take long to find out that Ralph had been someone’s pet at some time. He is housebroken, loves car rides, begs for food, and has decided the best place to sleep is on top of the back of the couch. He enjoys walks with his foster Scottie sister. He has gained weight, his hair is growing back, and since he was showing overall improvement, he went back to the vet’s office for his heartworm test. To our dismay, he tested positive for heartworms.
After considering the alternatives, it was decided to wait a month for Ralph to get in better health and then begin the preliminary testing to see if he could withstand the heartworm treatment. We hope to begin his treatment in January 2010.
Ralph has snuck his way into our hearts. His name has changed to Ralph Henry. We call him RH for short but then refer to him as HRH (His Royal Highness). His age is estimated at nine to ten years old and he deserves to live the rest of his life in a loving home.
He will remain in foster care until the treatment is done, and we are hoping that a door will open to a perfect “furever” home.
Many thanks to WestieMed for their help with Ralph’s veterinary bills! Vicki Frazier St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue
Update January 7, 2010
Ralph – WestieMed Recipient
I wanted to give a quick update on Ralph. Took him in today for blood work. We will find out tomorrow or Friday if we can proceed with the heartworm treatment. His hair is growing in pretty well. He still has an aggravated spot at the base of his tail but the vet was overall pleased with his progress. We were able to get him trimmed up (especially on his head) today and think he looks very dapper. Thanks again for your assistance,
Vicki Frazier St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue
Update June 26, 2010
We lost Ralph Henry on 3/9/2010. I had been to the foster mom’s home that morning and he greeted me as usual – happy and smiling. He was fine in the afternoon and greeted his foster mom the same way when she got back home from running errands. Just a little later, he threw up blood, etc……his foster mom grabbed him in her arms and ran a block up the street to her vet’s office. He passed shortly after.
He had finished the worst part of the HW treatment; received the final treatment for the baby heartworms and we thought we were home free. We were both devastated. When the foster mom called me hysterically, I drove to the vet’s office and said my goodbyes.
He truly enriched our lives and we are grateful to WestieMed for the financial aid. We console ourselves in the knowledge that he was happy and loved in the too-short time he was with us.
We received a call from the Olympia Animal Shelter in June 2009. An elderly woman surrendered her Westie because she had sadly lost her home in a spring flood and she had never been able to recover after the insurance and the FEMA assistance and she had to give up her dog. She could not feed herself let alone feed or vet her dog, so she left it at the shelter. Sugar had an ear infection and some fleas, and the shelter asked for us to come and get her. We took her to the vet, and lo and behold poor “Sug” had a plethora of medical issues. She had a heart arrhythmia, heart murmur, she had arthritis in both back legs and her hip, she had a bad disk in her spine and an infection in her ears. We did x-rays, sonograms, called in a cardiologist, and cha-ching our bill hit $900 and that was ½ off for rescue price (original bill was $1800). Alas we sent her to foster care, where she was a bit grumpy, not too affectionate, and her mission in life was hunting and her goal was to kill a cat. Unfortunately, the foster mom had six cats, and Sugar had to be relocated.
We eventually found an adopter for her. Nice elderly lady who loved Westies. Sugar lasted fourteen days and they returned her because she wasn’t affectionate, felt bored, wouldn’t listen, she was very stubborn and very unmanageable and cranky… so off she went back to foster home to chase cats. In August we found another adopter and she kept Sugar for about four days, and found her to be difficult, unaffectionate, stubborn, and as she politely put it … challenging! Off she went off to yet another foster care.
At this point I was worried and the new foster mom called and said she seems to have something wrong with her vulva, and she is now peeing in the house and poo-ing in the house and licking nonstop. Off we went back to the Vet. This time we had to go to a new Vet as the original Vet stopped giving us a discount and was 100 miles the other direction. The new vet said she had an infection but it seemed she had been on and off antibiotics and she wanted to do a culture to see what this infection was resistant to. Her urine was too dilute to get a reading for any kind of bacteria. The Vet also voiced her concern that she could have kidney stones or bladder stones.
The culture came back with E-Coli infection, she was prescribed antibiotics, and she had to come back in three weeks for a recheck. After the three weeks, she returned to uncover an underlying Staph infection and off again was the culture (at this point we are at another $800) and she was prescribed antibiotics again and we did a radiograph for stones. We found none.
By October we were teetering at $1600 worth of bills (after the discount) and a dog who was challenging and no one was “enamored with“ as an adoption option. Sugar was not very affectionate, she liked to be with other dogs, she didn’t engage with them. No one was interested in adopting an eight-year old Westie with a heart condition, bad legs, arthritis and a disk problem, and to boot, not an overly affectionate dog. Sugar’s idea of humans was mostly that they were put on this earth to serve her food, and she loved to be naughty. She did have a great sense of humor if you liked a smarty pants attitude. Numerous times her new foster mom just burst out laughing. Sugar liked mischief, and if you tried to get her stuff, she would challenge you like the “she-devil”. She would also like to grab your stuff, and run with gay abandon through the house on a wonderful gleeful chase.
Five months into rescue I thought – now what? I have adopters who only want a dog as a companion who will play with their dog, like kids, go for walks, or is a cuddle bug and wants to be loved. Sugar met none of the qualifications. Five months later, and $1800 worth of bills I was very stressed and asked WestieMed for help to offset our cost. They graciously helped us.
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
The sun finally shined through the clouds and Sugar is now adopted out on a temporary basis with a former applicant of ours who has adopted a Scottie and two Westies from us over the years. She has three other dogs, and Sugar is in heaven. She is in the group, does her own thing, and the owner has a lot of fun chuckling with her humorous escapades. Her comment is that she keeps the yard free from cats, and squirrels and she takes her job seriously. Our adopter graciously took Sugar into her home at no adoption fee, to give her a chance at life. We have no idea how long Sugar’s heart will hold out, but at last, she has found a place to land, and is having a bang up time patrolling the back yard. Here is a photo of Sugar and her new Mom taken November 2009
Karin Parish Seattle Rescue Rep. Seattle, WA
Update April 14, 2010
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
Sugar is just fine and happy! She lives in a cottage by the sea with wonderful gardens. She has 2 brothers and a little sister. The attached photo is, left to right: Ferguson, AnnieBelle, Sugar and Henry, on one of their weekly bath days!
When I acquired Sugar, I was told she was a “special needs dog”, but no one ever told her that! Despite her arthritic hips, she chases Ferguson around the house until HE gives up, and he’s several years younger. Suggie has quite a personality, and she’s actually quite funny, although grumpy in the morning when she doesn’t want to get out of bed and I have to go to work.
Suggie is currently on no medications (she did have her teeth cleaned last week tho).
Thanks for doing what you do, helping these little lost souls to have a better chance in life.
Suzanne
Update September 29, 2010
Sugar – WestieMed Recipient
Suggie is just fine. She’s got Ferguson, Henry & Annie as mates. She has a wonderful life: food, mates, a safe dry, warm house, a beautiful garden to play in and a Mommie who loves her!
Although Ferguson is about five years her junior, she chases him around and tuckers him out. He entices a match, she goes for it, he gets tired first.
Suggie may walk funny & have a lop ear, but she doesn’t believe she has any special needs! I get a kick out of her and I wish she could speak to me, because I also think she’s a very funny dog.
Suzanne
Sugar’s care was funded by a grant from The Pedigree Foundation.
Gilley and Kenna were born on December 3, 2007, in a kennel in Kansas. Oklahoma Westie Rescue received them through another rescue group on June 28. It was readily apparent that there was something wrong. They were certainly frightened but were also more low key than most pups their age. When we picked them up, our fears were confirmed. When I placed my hand on Gilley’s chest, it felt like my hand was on a washing machine. He reached his little head up and gave me a kiss on the nose and I was instantly smitten. One of our volunteers, who is a paramedic, listened to their hearts and confirmed that both the pups and their mother, who was also released to us, had heart murmurs, though Mom’s was not near as bad as the pups.
Since my house was full, we sent Kenna to Edmond to be fostered by my co-president to lighten the load and hopefully to keep the pups calm. That Monday, we both took our respective pups to different vets and were both told that they highly suspected that they had PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus), or holes in their hearts that should have closed shortly after they were born.
Our vets referred us to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. We made appointments for them and took them together for echocardiograms and a complete physical. The pups had lab work done, chest x-rays, to make sure that they didn’t have any other congenital anomalies. The echocardiograms confirmed that they had profound PDA, with no other congenital defects. We were also told that, without the surgery, they would likely not make it to their first birthday.
When we received that news Kenna was on Theresa’s lap and Gilley was on mine. Almost at once, they both looked up at us with adoring eyes and we knew that we had to try to save them.
They are undergoing surgery July 22 and, if all goes well, they will be in ICU for two to three and be released to come home to the loving care of one of ours retired volunteers, who can devote copious quantities of attention on them both and nurse them back to health.
Once recovered, their prognosis for a long and happy life is excellent.
Thank you, WestieMed for considering our application for aid and for helping these two adorable Little White Dogs!
Meredith Butcher and Theresa Stewart Co-Presidents Oklahoma Westie Rescue
Update July 23, 2008
A quick update on the pups. Meredith and I sat on pins and needles most of the day yesterday waiting to hear from the hospital. OSU finally contacted us twice, once at 2:30 p.m. to let us know that Kenna made it through her surgery and was in recovery and again at about 6:00 p.m. to let us know that Gilley had made it through his surgery. Both dogs are now recovering and if all goes well we hope to bring them home by the end of the week. They aren’t out of the woods yet but each day that goes by is a step in the right direction. We will keep you posted on their progress and we will take more pictures to send as they recover.
Update July 26, 2008
Kenne and Gilley – WestieMed Recipient
Good news everyone!
Kenna and Gilley are home from the hospital and recovering nicely. They will be confined to their crate for an entire month and that is going to be hard on them as they are already wanting to run and play. We have to keep them very still and not allow them to run, jump and play during their recovery. They are going to be two bored pups!!!! LOL
Attached is a picture of Kenna and Gilley and their surgical team. On the right is Kenna with her student vet, Hannah who took care of her in ICU and on left is Gilley with his student vet, Cara who took care of him in ICU, in the middle is the surgeon that performed their surgeries, Dr. Ricker and on the far left is Natalie, another one of the cardio dept vets who helped with their care.
Kenne and Gilley – WestieMed Recipient
This picture is Kenna and Gilley’s recovery crate at Maureen’s house, not their favorite place to be!! LOL
We will provide more updates next week!
Thanks, everyone for your support for these two little ones!!
Westie Hugs!
Theresa and Meredith Oklahoma Westie Rescue
Update July 31, 2008
Kenne and Gilley – WestieMed Recipient
Both pups are doing well. They are really bored so I had stopped by PetsMart and bought them Kongs and peanut butter to go in them. Hopefully, that will keep them occupied for a while.
Gilley wants desperately to be out and about and he loves to be held. While you hold him he loves to nibble on your ears!
Kenna is still somewhat subdued but coming around pretty quickly. She is still quiet but you can tell she is ready to be out of those crates as well. She too loves to be held. Picking them up and holding is somewhat tricky as you have to be very careful to avoid their incisions and they don’t exactly wait for you to get them in the proper places before they try to race off to go do something fun.
One week from tomorrow, their staples come out and two weeks after that they will no longer be crate confined. We are all counting down the days.
Above is a picture of Gilley and their foster Mom, Maureen.
Update August 27, 2008
As of last week, Kenna and Gilley were released from their crates. They haven’t stopped running yet!! Since they were so sick as pups they didn’t play much but NOW my goodness!! They have about eight months of their puppy life they are now trying to cram into their days. They run, play, jump in the kiddie pool and run and play some more.
Gilley is vocal, he would prefer to be inside with people and he barks to let you know what he wants in or to tell you that you aren’t paying enough attention to him. He will stand up on his hind legs to tell you that he wants to be picked up. As soon as you pick him up he immediately snuggles and licks your ears.
Kenna is a little bit more bashful, she prefers to play with Gilley and is forever jumping on him, grabbing his paws, biting his ears and whatever else she can do to annoy her brother. She too is loving but is rather bashful about it. She comes up to you quite shyly and is a little bit timid until you start petting her.
Their spay/neuter appointment is tomorrow and if all goes well they will be available for adoption next week. Both dogs will be adopted together as we won’t separate them at this point. They both should live normal happy lives just like any other Westie. Thanks, WestieMed for helping us give these little ones their lives back!
Theresa Stewart Meredith Butcher Oklahoma Westie Rescue
Update February 11, 2009
Kenna and Gilley now called Bonnie and Clyde “The Heartbreak Kids”
Kenne and Gilley – WestieMed Recipient
We have been thoroughly enjoying our new lives with these dogs. They are very engaging, active, and have distinct personalities. They have learned how to go up four steps, go through their dog door and then down four steps to go out to the backyard. Bonnie often goes down balanced on her front feet with her back feet in the air.
Bonnie definitely has a more independent personality and she is very intelligent. We have had to get a crate with a different type of latch because she figured out how to open the spring-loaded type and slip out. She also has learned to climb over a 20-inch freestanding gate and a 27-inch gate. Now, if I’m gone for several hours, I have to put the 20-inch gate inside the 27-inch and so far she hasn’t tried to go over them. With the gates up, they have access to our kitchen area, their food, and water, and can go outside at will.
Kenne and Gilley – WestieMed Recipient
At first, Bonnie did not want to walk. Now she will walk with Clyde if they are on a tandem leash. We go for two-mile walks some days. Bonnie definitely thinks of herself as a guard dog. At the least little noise, she is halfway out the dog door surveying the territory to make sure things are OK. Bonnie is very jealous when other dogs come to visit, but she is getting better at backing down quickly once she has let them know this is HER home.
Clyde is very mellow. He pretty much lets Bonnie do what she wants. He loves to play and they chase each other back and forth across our back yard at high speed. Clyde loves to meet new dogs and play. Our daughter has an 80-pound yellow lab and a 50-pound black lab. When they come into town, Clyde loves to play like he’s a big dog and they run for hours.
At night, if we are watching a movie, the dogs love to sit on our laps and nap. They enjoy a treat at bedtime when they go in their crate for the night. They still share a crate at night, though during the day they like their separate spaces. If I am working in my home office, Bonnie goes under the desk at my feet, and Clyde is right behind my chair. They are very good companions.
Though they have come to realize that Mom is their pack leader, they love to play on the floor with their Dad at night when he comes home from work.
They have been very healthy-we have only been to the vet for their initial welcome checkup. He was pleasantly surprised that he could not find evidence of a heart murmur in either of them after their surgeries.
We are very grateful to Oklahoma Westie Rescue and WestieMed for these little white dogs. They have enriched our empty nest in ways we did not anticipate.
Emma is a petite 5-month-old Westie girl who came to Canine Friends Foundation on 2/7/08 when she was eleven weeks old. She was relinquished to rescue by a commercial breeder who had taken her for a “well puppy” vet check where it was discovered she had a Grade II/VI heart murmur. Since she could not sell her, the breeder contacted me to see if I wanted to take her into rescue before she euthanized her. This breeder was aware that CFF rescued Robbie and Roy (both grateful Westie Med alumni) who were diagnosed with heart murmurs caused by pulmonic stenosis last year.
I picked Emma up the next day and was shocked by her small size and thin frame- she only weighed three pounds! Based on her poor condition, it was obvious that the breeder had just stuck her in a cage and neglected her after the diagnosis. However, that did nothing to stop this little girl’s sweet and spunky attitude and indomitable spirit! Upon her arrival at my house, she was welcomed with kisses and “let’s play” doggie bows by the resident Westies- Rowdy, Katie, Darby, and Robbie.
I immediately took Emma to my vet, Dr. Ted Foster, who agreed that a referral to VA Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Cardiology Dept headed up by Dr. Jonathan Abbott was in order. She was scheduled for a cardiac evaluation and echocardiogram for 4/7/08. Since the appointment w/Dr. Abbott was nearly two months into the future, we began working on Emma’s bodybuilding and weight gain program. Needless to say, she has certainly enjoyed all the playtime and scrumptious food and treats she has been allowed to have for the past several weeks, in addition to the countless hugs and kisses and constant attention!
Emma arrived at VA Tech VTH on 4/7/08 where she had a physical exam followed by an echocardiogram. It was found that her heart murmur had worsened to a Grade IV/VI and that she had pulmonic stenosis-narrowing of the outflow tract of the pulmonic valve on the right side of her heart caused by abnormal pulmonic valve development. Pulmonic stenosis makes her heart work too hard when it pushes blood from the right ventricle of her heart into her pulmonary artery. Her heart will gradually become enlarged from overuse and will progress into congestive heart failure and death without surgical intervention.
The severity of the pulmonic stenosis is determined by the pressure gradient between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. Balloon valvuloplasty is recommended for dogs w/pressure gradients greater than 80 mmHg-Emma’s gradient was 85-90mmHg-thus she needs to have the procedure done as soon as possible. Balloon valvuloplasty involves dilating Emma’s narrow pulmonic valve with a balloon, which will stretch and open it up, reducing the pressure gradient between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery and decreasing the amount of stress on her heart. The procedure has a good success rate and I am hoping that with the surgery, Emma can continue to grow up like any other healthy Westie and lead a long and happy life.
I am deeply grateful to Westie Med for providing the financial support needed to proceed w/scheduling Emma’s surgery and giving her a chance. She is currently scheduled for June 23, however, Dr. Abbott is working on getting that date moved up since Emma’s pressure gradient is already so high.
Emma has touched everyone she has met w/her outgoing, bubbly personality–she is absolutely beautiful both inside and out and quite the little charmer! Hugh and Colleen Pettis, a retired couple from Staunton, VA, and lifelong Westie lovers/owners, fell head over heels in love with Emma when we stopped by their home to visit them and their eight yr old Westie girl, Silver Lining-adopted from CFF and who had been rescued along w/Emma. They want to adopt her (of course) and they are praying for the success of Emma’s surgery so she can soon join their family and become their beloved and totally spoiled little Westie girl.
With many thanks and deepest appreciation to Westie Med, Susie Branham, Cofounder, Canine Friends Foundation and Emma
Update June 1, 2008
Emma – WestieMed Recipient
Emma returned to VA Tech’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital for her recommended pulmonic valvuloplasty on 5/28/08 after I received a call from Dr. Jessica Gentile, cardiac resident, that they had a procedure cancellation for 5/29. I was very relieved, as Emma had started coughing when she awoke in the morning and I was concerned she was going into the early stages of congestive heart failure.
Upon arrival, Emma and I were met by her senior veterinary student, Michael Hickey, who would be in charge of her care for the next two days. Emma’s outgoing personality and charm quickly won him over and they became fast friends. Dr. Gentile joined us, advising they planned to do an echocardiogram that afternoon to determine if there had been any change in Emma’s pressure gradients since her 4/7/08 appointment. The results of the echocardiogram showed the pressure gradient between the right ventricle of Emma’s heart and her pulmonary artery had worsened from 85-90 mmHg to 100 mmHg over the past seven weeks. This information confirmed Emma’s pulmonic stenosis was worsening and that she would eventually develop congestive heart failure and die without surgical intervention.
Emma’s surgery started at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, May 29. A catheter with a small inflatable balloon on the end was placed in Emma’s jugular vein through a small incision in her neck. The catheter was guided to the narrowed pulmonic valve and the balloon was then inflated several times, opening up the valve and decreasing the pressure gradient across it. This allows the oxygenated blood to pass more freely between the right ventricle of Emma’s heart and the pulmonary artery and means her heart no longer has to overwork itself to maintain the correct blood oxygen level for her to survive.
Emma – WestieMed Recipient
I waited all morning w/my heart in my throat, saying little prayers for Emma until Dr. Gentile called me at 11:40 a.m. to advise Emma’s surgery had been “textbook perfect” and she was just waking up. A call from Mike, senior vet student, later in the afternoon revealed Emma was awake, alert, hungry and ready to play!!
Emma’s post-surgical pressure gradient was evaluated Friday morning w/a repeat echocardiogram. Her pressure gradient was found to be 30mmHg and her heart murmur was reduced from Grade 4 to Grade 2-3/6, which is a dramatic improvement according to Dr. Gentile. Emma was her usual outgoing and happy self when she was discharged late that afternoon by Mike and Dr. Gentile, who was still elated by the overwhelming success of her surgery. Everyone who participated in her surgery came in to say goodbye before we departed and Emma distributed sweet Westie “thank you” kisses to all without reservation!
Emma must remain quiet while her neck incision heals. This is probably going to be the hardest part of the process since she feels so good. We will return to Blacksburg for another echocardiogram in three months to ensure the pulmonic valve remains open and her pressure gradient remains low since pulmonic stenosis can never be truly fixed, just reduced through stretching the narrowed valve with balloon valvuloplasty. Her chance at living a normal Westie lifespan has been dramatically increased w/this procedure. If her pressures are stable at her follow up appointment, she will be ready to go to her new adoptive home, where Hugh and Colleen Pettis and Silver Lining the Westie (now known as Cupcake) are eagerly anticipating her arrival.
Emma – WestieMed Recipient
Again, WestieMed has provided financial support and helped save the life of one of CFF’s precious rescued Westies. It is hard to believe that breeders routinely kill these little ones with heart murmurs without giving them a chance. Emma and her foster brother and best friend, Robbie, (Westie Med alumni March 2008), have brought much fun and laughter to this foster home and their antics and natural charm never cease to make me and all who meet them stop and smile!
I am deeply thankful to WestieMed and VA Tech’s cardiology department for their help in the effort to save the lives of sweet Emma and CFF’s other two pulmonic stenoses diagnosed Westies, Robbie, and Roy, this year. CFF would not have been able to fund these major surgeries without the assistance of WestieMed–THANK YOU for being there for these little ones!
Gratefully and joyfully from the bottom of our hearts, Susie Branham, Canine Friends Foundation, and Emma
Update March 1, 2010
Emma – WestieMed Recipient
Precious Ms. Emma has continued to do well since her pulmonic valvuloplasty which was done in late May 2008 (funded by WestieMed). She loves her life here at my house with the rest of the rescued K9 Friends dogs and has a special friend in Pup Pup, a miniature poodle who is usually her partner in crime!! (Emma loves to climb up my desk chair and grab anything she can off my desk including checkbooks, glasses, highlighters, dog collars).
Emma has been returning to VA Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital every six months and visiting with her friends Dr. Jonathan Abbott and Dr. Jessica Gentile and whatever senior vet student that is currently doing cardiology rounds. Emma was noted to have possible endocarditis (infection at the site of her surgery) at her August 2009 visit to Tech. She was started on antibiotics and we all held our breath hoping it would not develop into a more serious problem, but we had to wait three LONG months to find out.
Emma returned to Tech on 11/4/09 for repeat echocardiogram and assessment of her pulmonic stenosis and pulmonic valve endocarditis. Emma’s pressures remain at 39 mmHg which indicates mild pulmonic stenosis (unchanged after her pulmonic valvuloplasty 18 months ago–YAY!!) She did still have a small, smooth abnormality on her pulmonic valve leaflets but it appeared to be inactive and did not require further treatment.
Emma – WestieMed Recipient
Emma will continue to return to Tech for six months follow-ups for the rest of her life but she could care less. She is having a ball here playing with her Westie and Poodle friends–right now in the snow–and living life like any other Westie.
I can never say it enough, many thanks to WestieMed for giving Emma the chance to live the life of a normal Westie….she is lovin’ every minute of it and I am enjoying every minute of it!!!
With deepest appreciation, Susie Branham Canine Friends Rescue
Robbie is a sixteen-month-old Westie boy who came to Canine Friends Foundation (along w/his little brother, Roy) from a local commercial breeder on 5/11/07 after her vet diagnosed them both with Grade 3/6 heart murmurs during their puppy checkup. The breeder contacted me to see if CFF would take them into rescue since she had no use for the puppies and planned to euthanize them.
Robbie was found to have a Grade 5/6 heart murmur by my vet the following Monday when I took them in to be neutered. She and I decided to get the puppies to the VA Tech Teaching Hospital’s Dept of Cardiology ASAP for evaluation due to the severity of the murmurs. Robbie had an echocardiogram on 5/23/07 with the diagnosis of moderate valvular/subvalvular pulmonic stenosis (a deformity of the pulmonic valve leaflets which control blood flow from the right ventricle of the heart into the pulmonary artery). Pulmonic stenosis makes the heart work too hard and enlarge and it eventually progresses to congestive heart failure and death without intervention.
Due to the fact that Robbie was not showing signs of clinical heart failure at the time of the initial evaluation, it was recommended that he be allowed to grow up and be monitored closely for any changes in condition. Robbie has been living w/me as a foster and spends endless hours playing tag w/his favorite foster sister, two-year-old Katie Westie, and every stuffed animal he can grab!
Robbie was seen at VA Tech on 2/13/08 for re-evaluation and echocardiogram. It was found that his heart murmur has worsened to Grade 6/6 left-sided systolic murmur. His pulmonic stenosis has worsened to where his pressures are high enough to benefit from having balloon valvuloplasty performed. Balloon valvuloplasty will open up the stenosis, decreasing the pressure across the pulmonary valve and hopefully prevent Robbie from developing congestive heart failure and subsequent death. Although it does not have to be done immediately, Dr. Abbott, our cardiologist, has advised that the sooner it is done, the less damage will occur to Robbie’s already overworked heart and the more likely the surgery will be successful which will help him be able to live a long and normal life.
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
Thanks to assistance from Westie Med, Robbie is scheduled for pulmonic balloon valvuloplasty on 4/10/08 at VA Tech.
We will be looking forward to having Robbie’s surgery and his recovery, so this sweet and spunky little boy can then find his forever home with a wonderful Westie loving family. He will be hanging out here, playing with his Westie foster brother and sisters and enjoying the spring sunshine, until then.
Again, a big THANK YOU to WestieMed for giving Robbie the opportunity!!!!
With deepest appreciation, Susie Branham, Cofounder, Canine Friends Foundation Small Dog Rescue and Robbie
Update April 12, 2008
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
Robbie returned to VA Tech’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital on 4/9/08 in preparation for his scheduled pulmonic balloon valvuloplasty to be done on 4/10/08. He quickly made friends with Ashley Davis, his assigned senior vet student, and the hospital staff by asking for the thing he loves most in the world-tummy rubs. An echocardiogram was done that afternoon which confirmed that Robbie still had high pressures across his narrowed pulmonic valve and surgery was necessary to save his life.
Robbie’s surgery started early Thursday morning and a catheter with a small inflatable balloon on the end was inserted into his jugular vein. The balloon was passed through Robbie’s heart into the stenotic pulmonic valve and the balloon was inflated several times. This procedure widened the narrow valve and decreased the pressure across the pulmonic valve. With decreased pressure, Robbie’s heart does not have to overwork itself to get the oxygenated blood that it requires. Robbie was awake and in the recovery room by noon–I was the happiest person in the world when I got a call from Dr. Gentile, cardiology resident, advising that his surgery had gone very well and that he was alert and hungry!
Robbie’s pressure gradient was re-evaluated on Friday morning and it was found the pressure had come down even more from the previous day. Prior to surgery, the pressure gradient had been above 90mmHg; on Friday morning, his pressure gradient was 38mmHg. Decreasing the pressure gradient by more than 50% was the goal of the surgery, thus Dr. Abbott and Dr. Gentile consider Robbie’s surgery a complete success!!!
I picked Robbie up at the VTH yesterday afternoon and his tail still hasn’t stopped wagging! He was happy to see me and even happier to get home and see his Westie friends-Rowdy, Katie, Darby, and little Emma. Now, the biggest challenge is going to be keeping him quiet for the next week while his neck incisions heal-he is not supposed to run, jump, or play (all I can say is, we are trying….).
Although pulmonic stenosis cannot be truly “fixed”, Robbie now has a great chance at having a normal lifespan and the opportunity to be adopted into his forever home. He will return to Tech in mid-June for another echocardiogram and re-evaluation by the cardiologists. If his pressure gradient is stable at that time, he will be ready to be adopted into a Westie loving and owning family who will be required to live close to VA Tech (or other veterinary teaching hospital) and be financially able and willing to take him there on a regular basis to monitor his heart for the rest of his life.
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
I cannot begin to thank WestieMed enough for the financial help that allowed sweet Robbie to go ahead and have his surgery-he is such a good boy and so worth saving! I am eternally grateful and feel so lucky to have found them. CFF is a small rescue and we operate solely on our adoption fees and occasional donations-not enough to be able to pay for these big surgeries and continue w/the day to day cost of rescue (Robbie is our third heart surgery this year-one PDA repair and two pulmonic valvuloplasties).
The ability to have the surgery before his condition started deteriorating meant that Robbie went into surgery with significantly less heart damage and a much greater chance of survival and success-that was proven by his good result!! I will look forward to telling his ongoing story as he recovers and begins looking for his forever home in the near future. Meanwhile, the other Westies and I will continue to enjoy his company until his adoption day! WestieMed-you all are the best!
With great joy and sincere thanks, Susie Branham, Canine Friends Foundation and Robbie
Update June 26, 2008
Sweet Robbie returned to VA Tech’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital yesterday for re-evaluation and repeat echocardiogram to determine if the pulmonic valvuloplasty he had on 4/10/08 was truly successful. Robbie loved being able to have his foster mom all to himself for the hour and a half trip to Blacksburg, alternately playing with his favorite squeaky toy and then climbing in my lap to snuggle.
We were met by our good friend, Dr. Jessica Gentile, cardiology resident, and Robbie’s senior vet student, Steve Garnett. Robbie quickly made himself at home, giving kisses to everyone and then doing the “Robbie Rollover”, presenting his belly for all present to rub!
Robbie’s echocardiogram showed that his pressures have remained low (48 mmHg) and that means the surgery was successful in lowering the pressure gradient across the pulmonic valve. According to Dr. Gentile, Robbie’s pulmonic valve pressure should remain about 50 mmHg since it has been stable for the past two and half months. This means the procedure has been of long term benefit to Robbie’s quality and quantity of life!!! He will continue to be monitored by the VA Tech cardiologists every six to nine months in case any rare changes do occur.
I am so happy for Robbie and so grateful to WestieMed for helping to get us to this time and place. He is a wonderful little Westie boy who is just lovin’ life! The best news is that Robbie has been adopted and is going to his forever home tomorrow, June 27. His new mom, Lisa Morgan, actually came to look at Robbie to adopt last year prior to his diagnosis of severe pulmonic stenosis. The adoption was contingent on the cardiac eval, thus she ended up adopting a beautiful little pug mix puppy, Lola. Lisa and Lola are looking for a new family member and they have decided they want to share their lives w/Robbie after falling in love w/him for the second time during a visit to my house last weekend! They live only 1/2 hour away from VA Tech, so it will be easy for him to go back for his return visits to see Dr. Abbott and Dr. Gentile. I think it is the perfect match for Robbie, Lisa, and Lola!!
I cannot begin to express my gratitude to Westie Med for the support they have given CFF’s special “Heart Westies”-Robbie, Roy, and Emma- this year. Lisa will remain in close contact w/CFF so we can ensure that Robbie continues to do well w/his recovery and sees his friends at VA Tech VTH Cardiology Dept on a regular basis.
Robbie’s story is truly a wonderful, uplifting one-he is so deserving of the second chance given to him by the VT cardiologists with the help of WestieMed. I will continue to provide updates as he begins his new life w/Lola, the little diva, and new forever mom, Lisa. I am really going to miss Robbie-he is my little shadow-but I am so excited he is going to have a family of his own…
With the deepest of appreciation to WestieMed, Susie Branham, Canine Friends Foundation, and Robbie
Update June 27, 2008
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
I came home this afternoon and low and behold, Robbie was curled up in the metal water bowl that I keep out in the yard for the dogs to drink from…they usually do like to stand in it, but he had curled his little 14# body right into it and was enjoying a good soak!!
By the time I grabbed the camera, he had hit the bushes to dry off… He is celebrating his new life…and I know I am going to cry my eyes out when he leaves this evening…he is such a little love and has been my constant companion for the past thirteen months…this picture is Robbie being Robbie!!!!
Hugs, Susie and the pups
Update March 3, 2009
Robbie came back to my Canine Friends last week to spend a couple of days before going back to VA Tech’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital for his nine-month cardiology follow up. Since he was adopted in late June 2008, Robbie has been doing great and actively enjoying life with his new family. Lisa Morgan, his adoptive mom, dropped him off on Monday and he walked into my home like he had never been away. The resident Westies greeted him with kisses and “request to play” bows and then they all dashed out the doggie door for a big game of chase in the yard.
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
Robbie and I drove down to Blacksburg on Wednesday where we were greeted with open arms by our friends, Dr. Jonathan Abbott (cardiologist), Dr. Jessica Gentile (cardiology resident), and the cardiology staff. Robbie was his usual self, greeting everyone with exuberance, wiggles, and lots of Westie kisses.
Robbie was introduced to Tom Blaszek, the senior student who was assigned to him and was then whisked away for his exam and echocardiogram. Dr. Abbott and Tom met with Robbie and me after the exam and advised that Robbie is doing great–his echocardiogram was consistent with the one done in June 2008, which means his pressure gradient has remained in the acceptable range. Dr. Abbott also advised that Robbie’s ventricular septal defect has not progressed or altered the pressures in the ventricles. Bottom line–Robbie is doing GREAT almost one year after his pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty procedure. We were all THRILLED to receive this good news, as I always hold my breath when I return with one of my “heart puppies” for a re-check.
Robbie – WestieMed Recipient
Robbie will need to return to VA Tech VTH for re-evaluations and echocardiograms every six to nine months for the rest of his life. However, this is a small price to pay for him to have a normal life. AND, all of this would not have been possible without the financial assistance from WestieMed to help pay for his surgical procedure last spring.
To watch Robbie run (more like a big hop!!) through the yard, carrying a stuffed animal and turning to see if anyone is chasing him, is wonderful to watch, knowing his medical history and everything he has been through in the two years of his life. He is a very lucky boy!
Robbie is staying here with me for a few weeks while his mom cares for an ill family member. We all love having him back – he enjoys hanging out and playing with the resident Westies and we all enjoy his sweet presence and playful antics. My forever thanks to WestieMed for giving Robbie the true “gift of life” – he is certainly enjoying every minute of it!!!
With love and appreciation, Susie Branham, Canine Friends Rescue, and Robbie
Roy is a fourteen-month-old Westie boy who was rescued (along w/his brother, Robbie) by Canine Friends Foundation (CFF) from a small commercial and show breeder in on 5/11/07. The breeder had called me the day before advising that she had two six-month-old male Westie puppies that her vet had diagnosed with Grade III heart murmurs. She said she would not be able to sell them and was planning to euthanize them if I did not want to take them into rescue. Of course, I told her I would be there first thing in the morning!!!
“The Boys” went straight to my vet for further evaluation where they were diagnosed with Grade V (not Grade III) heart murmurs. Dr. Byrne and I decided to send them directly to VA Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Dept. of Cardiology in Blacksburg, Virginia for evaluation and echocardiograms to determine the cause of the murmurs. Roy’s diagnosis was severe pulmonic stenosis (a deformity of the pulmonic valve leaflets which control blood flow from the right ventricle of the heart into the pulmonary artery). Pulmonic stenosis makes the heart work too hard and enlarge and it eventually progresses to congestive heart failure and death without intervention.
Dr. Abbott (our wonderful cardiologist) recommended waiting for Roy to finish growing before we decided to proceed with any medical intervention since he was showing no signs of congestive heart failure at the time. Upon his return from Blacksburg, Roy went to live with one of CFF’s foster families, The Skelton’s, and their little dachshund, Frankie for the next seven months, where he learned how to be a member of a family.
Roy returned to VA Tech on 12/17/07 for repeat evaluation and echocardiogram which showed that his pulmonic stenosis had become more severe since his last visit in May. Dr. Abbott is recommending proceeding with balloon valvuloplasty which should “open up” the stenosis, decreasing the pressure across the pulmonary valve and preventing congestive heart failure and death. Roy is now back in my home, part of my small “herd” of foster and forever Westies and Westie mixes. With the help of WestieMed, we are looking forward to having his surgery done and helping sweet Roy on his way to finding a wonderful forever home and life!!!
Roy and Robbie were the only two puppies in their mom’s first litter. Dr. Abbott advised me to tell the breeder that she should spay the mom as pulmonic stenosis is a genetic problem. I am happy to say that the breeder did indeed spay the mom and place her in a (hopefully) loving pet home.
Thanks, Susie Branham and Roy Westie Co-founder, Canine Friends Foundation Small Dog Rescue
In a very loving memory of Duffy, CFF’s first rescued Westie puppy who died unexpectedly 2/1/06 while waiting to grow big enough for his heart surgery.
Update February 20, 2008
Roy – WestieMed Recipient
Roy Westie and I left home early this morning for the 85 mile trip to the VA Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg, VA in preparation for his balloon valvuloplasty which is scheduled for early tomorrow morning (2/21/08). The pictures show him checking out the car and then settling down for a snooze during the trip.
Roy was met by his “team”, Anna Barnes, senior vet student; Dr. Jessica Gentile, cardiology resident; and Dr. Jonathan Abbott, cardiologist. He greeted them with his usual sweet Westie kisses accompanied by plenty of tail wags. He had blood work and an echocardiogram done, followed by playtime, dinner, and an early bedtime. When I left, he was busy getting some serious belly rubs from Anna and Dr. Gentile.
Roy – WestieMed Recipient
Many thanks to Westie Med for providing the financial assistance needed for Roy to proceed with his surgery and have the chance for a long, healthy life with his own family. We could not have gotten there without your help!!!
With deep appreciation,
Susie Branham, Co-Founder, Canine Friends Foundation Small Dog Rescue, and Roy Westie
Update February 25, 2008
Roy went into surgery early last Thursday morning (2/21/08) with the hope of having his narrow heart valve (pulmonic stenosis) dilated by balloon valvuloplasty. Prior to surgery, an EKG detected an atrial septal defect in his heart that was allowing oxygen-depleted blood to bypass his lungs and be recycled, which results in keeping his oxygen levels lower than normal all the time. When the catheter was inserted for the ballooning, Roy’s blood pressure and oxygen levels dropped dangerously low and the catheter was removed. Roy’s blood pressure remained low and Dr. Abbott decided to halt the procedure rather than risk Roy’s life.
Roy spent the next twenty-four hours recovering and being coddled by his Senior vet student, Anna, and the hospital staff at VA Tech VTH. He was his lively self when I picked him up on Friday afternoon, where he was discharged to home amid lots of kisses and a few tears. One of his caretakers, Robin, was so touched by sweet Roy that she gave him a St Francis of Assisi medallion to wear on his collar for protection.
I am sad that Roy was unable to have the surgery that could have extended his life, however, I am very grateful to WestieMed for giving us the opportunity to try. Roy’s foster family is committed to loving and caring for him for the rest of his life and Canine Friends Foundation will continue to oversee his care and ensure he receives any and all medical care needed.
Roy was overjoyed to see his family and Doxie buddy, Frankie, on Saturday morning when they came to pick him up. For now, he is living life like any other happy fifteen-month-old Westie boy and we are going to do everything we can to make that last as long as possible…
Again, many thanks to Westie Med for caring about this wonderful little Westie!!
Gratefully,
Susie Branham, Co-Founder, Canine Friends Foundation and Roy Westie
Update July 7, 2008
I just spoke w/Jamie, Roy’s foster mom, and he is doing great! He is happy and playful w/no clinical signs of heart failure. They just returned from a ten-day camping trip to VA Beach where Roy was introduced to the ocean and loved the game called “Let’s Dig Up the Beach”! The Skeletons always thank me for “allowing” them to foster Roy and I always thank them for “allowing” him to become a beloved member of their family. They are a very special family and he is a very lucky boy!
I pray that Roy continues to do well and has many more days like the ones he is having this summer…sounds like he is having a blast! I will send pictures next time I stop by for a visit…
A big THANK YOU to Westie Med for caring about and helping Sweet Roy and the other CFF rescued Westies.
Susie Branham, Canine Friends Foundation Rescue, and Roy
