Little Miss Clover was released from a puppy mill breeder in Missouri allegedly because she had a “slight” heart murmur and the breeder did not want to sell her, so she was offered to Rescue and Westie Rescue/Austin offered to take her. Clover was born on March 18, 2007. When she arrived in Texas, the “slight” heart murmur was very pronounced and a cardiologist was consulted.
After the sonogram showed an enlarged heart due to the failure of the patent duct to close at birth, it was determined that Clover had a very serious PDA defect that needed to be repaired or she would not live to see her first birthday. She was put on Lasix (a diuretic) for the latent congestive heart failure that was developing and scheduled for surgery on July 3, 2007. At three and half months old Clover had open-heart surgery. Her surgeon, Dr. Caplan, felt Clover had an excellent chance at full recovery and should live a full and active normal lifespan for the spunky little Westie that she is.
Chloe – WestieMed Recipient
We brought Clover home to her foster mom on July 5th, a subdued and quiet little Westie. She had been gaining weight this past month and is now at 7.2 pounds. She will need two weeks of quiet recovery before getting her stitches out of her side, and allowed to play again with her foster sister. But we know she will pull through. Clover was wagging her tail furiously when we went to pick her up and bring her home. Clover will have to follow up re-checks with the surgeon and with her cardiologist for the next six months before getting a clean bill of health, but both her doctors feel she will do fine. Clover will be available for adoption after that.
We are deeply grateful for WestieMed’s assistance with her major medical bills, that have exceeded $2100. so far. Without the support of WestieMed, Clover’s surgery might not have been able to take place. Thank you for being there.
Chloe – WestieMed Recipient
Update August 2007:
Chloe (formerly Clover) Gets a New Family and a New Name
Chloe (formerly Clover) is a little West Highland White Terrier that came into the world before her little heart was finished. She had what is known as a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). It happens in humans and can happen in puppies too. The surgery to correct it for a puppy is fully invasive open heart surgery. It is quite expensive and as you can imagine, for-profit puppy places are not in the business of saving every dog.
Thankfully there are kind people like Barbara Ott of Westie Rescue of Austin and groups like WestieMed who stand up and devote their time and money behind the scenes to save these precious little lives regardless of the bottom line.
As we were mourning the loss of our Lizzy, our nine-year-old Westie who passed suddenly within two weeks of learning something may be wrong, for the first time in our lives together we were living in our all-too-quiet and deathly still house without a little furbaby. It was not a joyful place to be. I certainly wasn’t yet thinking of another pet, but when my husband emailed me the Pet Finder picture and story of Clover (now Chloe), our heart just went out to that precious little ball of fur.
I just couldn’t imagine her having to go through full open-heart surgery. I was hoping to learn that she was all right. From seeing her sweet little pictures, I knew that if she survived the surgery there would be no shortage of homes for her, but I just had to know that she had survived the surgery.
I contacted Barbara Ott of Westie Rescue of Austin to check on Clover and one thing led to another and by late August we were so fortunate to be able to foster her in our home! Our home was joyful again! Her doctor’s orders were strict and we didn’t deviate…except for the part where a six-month-old puppy is to stay calm ALL the time. Well…we tried our best.
She was so quick to learn the rules of the house…even learned how to ring a bell on the front door to ask to go potty. She is truly a remarkable little girl with the sweetest disposition. The fact that she remains very open and trusting after all she has been through early in her life is a testament to the kind and gentle care she received with all of the good people involved.
She has continued to thrive and her little floppy ear even came up. (Although it was pretty darling the way it was.)
Chloe – WestieMed Recipient
Update November 2007:
On November 8, 2007 she was cleared by her cardiologist and we were incredibly thrilled to be able to formally adopt her!
Chloe has since been spayed and is up to date with her shots and has been micro-chipped. Her little coat is filling back in beautifully, which I should add, she insists on keeping quite clean. When she came to us we were told that she loved her little pool, so we got one for her and, yes, she loves it…although not as much as the shower. My husband has learned to be extremely careful not to leave the shower running with the door unsecured. If he so much as steps out for a new bar of soap, he returns to a blissfully happy puppy frolicking in the water. She is almost always very very clean.
She is thriving and is the busiest little girl with many many toys in her toy box. Initially I worried if she would be lonely with no other dogs to play with, but she makes challenging games for herself by always having one toy in her mouth while playing soccer with her balls. When she isn’t dancing and playing with us, she hops and pounces, and plays a mean game of keep away from herself using a racket ball under the round grate of the coffee table.
She isn’t a barker inside at all, but when her favorite racket ball gets trapped under a piece of furniture she gives us one announcing bark then sits beside it patiently until one of us comes to rescue it for her.
We have a house rule is that she is invisible when we are at the dinner table and consequently she does not ever beg or bother. Although the hardest part is for US not to acknowledge HER as we see her playing so sweetly and intently. She is s constant source of smiles. We are so fortunate to have her in our lives.
I just don’t know how she could be any sweeter.
We were told that we can expect Chloe to lead a full life. After all that this little girl has been through and the caring and diligent work everyone has done to make her survival possible, I certainly hope to do everything I can to make it a happy one. She is our little girl.
To Barbara Ott and WestieMed, thank you sooooo much for all you do. You really do make a difference far beyond just helping the furbabies.
Sincerely,
Holly Alario
Update May 2008:
Our little Chloe is doing so well. She doesn’t seem to have any problems at all. She has two speeds; Full-On-Boundless-Energy and Stop-I-Need-My-Beauty-Sleep. I feel very confident that the cardiologist will be pleased at her next check up.
Chloe is the sweetest little girl I can imagine…and smart too. My husband is convinced that she can tell the good guys from the bad guys on TV. Actually she does actually watch the television. (She’s the first of any of my furbabies to do this.) And oddly enough, while watching if she growls, most often it when an evil character is doing or saying something. I’d like to think she is a great judge of character, but I do fear that if we were burgled, she’d make fast friends with the person.
Her sleeping and relaxing abilities are second to none. She loves sleeping in the bed with us and loves to be the last one out of bed in the morning. (Our bed is too high for her to get into by herself so we’ve installed the “Chloe Climber”, a little step system next to the bed that gives her a little more autonomy.)
Chloe – WestieMed Recipient
hen it’s on the floor for her Yoga where she does her downward doggie stretch followed by the cutest “Zombie” stretch where she sits upright and pushes her little shoulders down, makes her neck stiff and lets out a little groan like a zombie. We love it every time.
And she’s actually turning into a little cuddler, which surprises me for a Westie, especially one so young. I guess now that we’re older we may be treating her more like a grandbaby. She receives an endless supply of hugs and “kisses” (actually Mwha sounds.) Just yesterday, I tested out a new “Chloe Call” and to my shock it worked. She was upstairs and I was down. So instead of calling her with “Chloe Come” I made two loud kissy sounds, like “Mwha Mwha” and instantly she came bounding down the stairs not wanting to miss out on any hugs and “kisses.” 🙂
She is a constant source of smiles and laughs and warm endearing feelings.
Thank you so much for doing what needed to be done to keep this little light of life shining.
Abbey came to Westie Rescue of Austin through another rescuer who found her in the Temple, Texas animal shelter in October 2006. Kathy placed her in a home but Abbey was returned due to an undiagnosed bladder infection that caused her to tinkle all the time. Once the UTI was cleared up, Abbey was fine. Kathy lived with Abbey on a farm with other animals, and Abbey persisted in chasing the chickens, so Kathy contacted Westie Rescue/Austin Thanksgiving weekend to take her and find her another permanent home. Abbey is about two years old.
Jim had been waiting as an approved adoptive home so when Abbey came into our program, Jim was thrilled to be given the opportunity to foster-to-adopt little Abbey. Abbey went into his home the next day, and within a few days, Jim noticed something terrible was wrong with Abbey. We took her to our vet for a check-up and it was discovered she had a heart murmur, which explained the funny feeling we could feel when we held her chest. She was also unable to go for long walks without becoming exhausted and collapsing.
Abbey was taken to a veterinarian cardiologist who diagnosed the murmur as patent ductus arteriosus, left to right shunting, with mitral regurgitation (mild) and left ventricular dilation (moderate), and felt she had a good chance of surviving open-heart surgery. Her prognosis with surgery was excellent. Without it, she would most likely develop congestive heart failure and not live a normal lifespan. The expense was more than the limited funds of Westie Rescue/Austin or Jim could afford so an appeal for help was sent to WestieMed for Abbey’s surgery. The WestieMed Board of Directors approved Abbey’s case (bless them) and the surgery was performed on 12/6/2006. Abbey came back home on the 8th and her recovery has been speedy and uneventful. She is returning to the perky, active, inquisitive Westie she was meant to be, and her brother, Murphy Lee (also two years old) is delighted to have a healthy sister to play with.
Our undying gratitude goes to WestieMed for giving this adorable little Westie girl, Abbey, a second chance at a wonderful long life. Thank you for being there for her.
Barbara Ott Westie Rescue/Austin
Abbey – WestieMed Recipient
Update January 2008:
Abbey is the best she has ever been, (not to the doctor for three weeks), with only one more dipping for mange in two weeks. She remains on Hills Science Diet CD and it has been determined she has a weak immune system so she will more than likely be “higher maintenance” for me forever. However, she is loved very much and keeps Murphy company while I am at work what is just what I planned.
She has learned what it is really like to be loved and have a nice big backyard to chase the squirrels in. She actually barks once in a while now too, something I think she never did much if at all before. Both the pups are spoiled and as you might suspect have ME trained pretty well. Thanks for everything!
Hi, my name is Joey. I was rescued by my new family. I was in a puppy mill and sold to another puppy mill for breeding. That puppy mill didn’t want me. They found out I have a heart murmur called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), which is very dangerous to puppies. I cough a lot, my heartbeat is really fast, and I’m very tired all the time. So, because they thought I wasn’t perfect, they didn’t want me anymore. They returned me to my first puppy mill.
My new mommy heard about me and told my new daddy that she was going to get me because I was going to be put to sleep. Mommy and my new brother, Matthew, took one look at me and told the puppy mill woman that she would love me and take care of me. So she gave me to my new mommy and brother to take home.
Mommy thinks I’m perfect. Just three pounds of puppy kisses and fluffy white hair. Mommy carries me everywhere when I’m tired. I like to help her when she loads the dishwasher. My brother, who is thirteen, plays with me, even though he has a broken arm. Daddy walks me outside so I can play and learn to potty. I never knew people were here to love and pet me. I’d never been petted before I had my new family. I’ve been with my new family since December 23rd.
Mommy took me to the Doctor on December 24th. She said I have worms really bad. Mommy asked the doctor what PDA was? The Doctor said my heart valve wasn’t working right. It was passed on to me at the puppy mill. This condition does not allow my little heart to work right. Mommy asked the Doctor how long could I live like that. The Doctor told her he didn’t know if it would be two days or two weeks or two months. The Doctor told Mommy surgery was very expensive.
Mommy was very worried about me when she left the Doctor. She knew that just love and a good home and food wouldn’t fix me up. So she went on the Internet to look up my family’s history about little-Westie doggies. The more she read about PDA the more she realized I needed help and very soon.
She e-mailed a nice lady at Heartland Westie and told her what was going on with me and my heart. The lady knew how much my new family loved me and she wanted to help me. So she told my Mommy about WestieMed. WestieMed e-mailed my family back quickly.
It was Christmas by now, and WestieMed had already given my family a call. We were so happy. We found someone else who loves me and cares what happens to sick puppies like me. WestieMed got me an appointment to see a nice surgeon Doctor named Susan. Dr. Susan was very nice to me. She held me and listened to my heart. It was beating so fast. Dr. Susan said I needed a picture of my heart to see what was going on. My appointment is Tuesday, January 6, 2004, for my heart picture.
WestieMed has been there for me and my family. WestieMed said they would pay for my surgery to help me live a long life and grow up to be a big strong dog. I’m very thankful for WestieMed and their wonderful staff, and Dr. Susan, and that nice lady named Anne at Heartland Westie Rescue, who have all helped me and my family.
Thank you very much. Love and puppy kisses! Joey
P.S. We’ll let you know how everything else goes.
Update: January 13, 2004:SURGERY DAY.
Joey is doing just fine so far. The next 10 days will be critical for him as he heals. He had 2 bad nights before his surgery. Dr. Streeter indicated that he would not have lasted much longer without the surgery as he had gotten worse.
Dr. Streeter found nothing that was not expected. The surgery went well and the prognosis is excellent. She said Joey woke up with his tail wagging. Trying to stand up and whining. However, he was so uncomfortable and could not settle down. So, they put Theresa’s (Mom) coat next to him and he snuggled right up to it and went to sleep. Theresa sat there with him while he slept. What a TRUE Westie Mom.
No one at the hospital was allowed to call Joey by his name so he wouldn’t get excited. For the next 10 days, he is on “bed rest.” Theresa has to carry him everywhere so he doesn’t get excited or want to play. More to come.
Joey – WestieMed Recipient
Update: January 14, 2004:
Hi, thought we would send you the first picture of Joey and me after surgery. The doctor and staff said Joey did extremely well. They say he is a definite fighter. They shaved Joey’s side and chest to insert a chest tube and shaved his arm for IV’s. He has about a two to three-inch incision with stitches and a small hole where the tube was removed. They gave him morphine for pain. The vet called me last night to come to visit him, he was very happy to see me. They said he was very hungry and thirsty after surgery.
Today Joey was released at 10:00 he was very happy to see me and eat. The doctor said she needs to see him in 14 days to take the stitches out. Then in three weeks after that Doctor Upten needs to do a follow-up ultrasound to evaluate the heart after surgery. Dr. Streeter was extremely impressed with his progress. The nurses fell in love with our little Joey.
Joey is resting fine tonight. He loves being held and rocked. The Doctor said he would have to restrict his activity for at least ten days. No running, jumping or playing. He needs to stay calm. The next 10 days are very important to his recovery. The Doctor said that dogs recover more quickly with their owners because they are happier.
We deeply appreciate Westiemed for their concern and love for Joey and the funds that were provided.
We live out in the Southwest in New Mexico where the popular breeds of dogs are medium to large such as chows, rottweilers, labs, Pitbulls, and shepherd mixes. Currently, we own a yellow lab and a Cairn terrier. My Cairn did not come from New Mexico as there are no breeders in this state. I love the breed and have really enjoyed the smaller terrier dog for many reasons. But in this part of the country, there are very few of these types of dogs available. The availability of Westies and Cairns are few and far in between.
I decided I wanted a rescued dog this time, either another Cairn or a Westie. I fell for the Westie breed the first time I saw one at the lighting store where I shop here in town. The owners have one that goes to the shop with them, and she was the cutest thing I ever saw. I knew one day I would have one.
So, I discover Petfinder.com on the Internet and start searching for my new dog. Mind you my husband told me he would leave me if I got another one. In addition to the two other dogs, we have a Bearded Dragon lizard, two goldfish, and three children. Every day I searched the Internet to find my “new” dog. This search started in late June of this year and continued through September.
And then one day there was “Glenda” as she appeared on Petfinder.com. She was located in another state, a rescued two-year-old female who had been a puppy mill-breeding dog. “Glenda” was beautiful and I said to myself, this is the one! I’ve got to have her!
So I contacted the rescue group which had her and told them I really wanted to adopt “Glenda” and the adoption process began. I made arrangements to fly from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Kansas City, Missouri, to pick up “Glenda”. Oh, by the way, neither my family nor I liked the name “Glenda” for her, so decided we were going to change her name to Kaycee, short for Kansas City.
I took my twelve-year-old daughter on this trip to get Kaycee as I wanted company and I thought it would be good for mom and daughter to share some time together. We got into Kansas City late on Friday, September 19, 2003, and were met at the hotel by Kaycee’s foster mom and Kaycee. Kaycee had been previously been checked out by a vet, spayed, and was also found to have a mild heart murmur, but the vet indicated it wasn’t anything we should worry about. Kaycee was also very thin, weighing only twelve pounds, but I didn’t think anything of it since I knew she came from a puppy mill and knew about the deplorable conditions in those places.
We flew Kaycee home the next day via two plane trips through Dallas. She was quiet as a bug the whole way home, not a peep on the plane. Actually, Kaycee is very quiet most of the time and very sweet. She has had to make so many adjustments to be a “pet” for the first time in her life. Kaycee gets spooked easily by noises and was not housebroken when I brought her home, but she has made significant improvements. First, she had to learn her name. I know these puppy mills don’t name their animals, and it was obvious that Kaycee didn’t respond to any name yet.
I took Kaycee to my vet for her first checkup and my vet immediately detected a “significant” heart murmur. She recommended we do an x-ray of her chest, which we did, and it revealed an enlarged heart. My vet told me the only way to tell what is going on is to have an ultrasound done on her heart, and she would have to go to this other clinic where the people who do it come down from Santa Fe once a week. They work for a Cardiologist Vet doctor who does consult only. In the meantime, I take Kaycee home feeling very saddened by what is happening.
I take Kaycee for her ultrasound and find out she has problems with the right side of her heart. There is a thickening of the valve, which is not allowing enough blood to go to her lungs to get oxygenated. There are two defects within her heart; the report comes back telling me she has Pulmonic Stenosis and tricuspid valve regurgitation. The changes are severe according to the medical report. This is a congenital heart defect which not only does she have, but was passed on to all the puppies she gave birth to at the puppy mill. What a disgrace. The breeders should have never allowed Kaycee to have puppies. But I think they knew she had heart problems and that is why they “retired” her. You can tell she gets tired easily and pants a lot when resting whereas my other two dogs don’t.
The medical recommendation for Kaycee is surgery and, either she will need balloon valvuloplasty (similar to angioplasty in humans), or if she has another type of pulmonary stenosis then it could be heart surgery where they do the incision in her chest.
The latter is harder on the dog than the balloon procedure, but both procedures will take about 4-5 hours in surgery. If she doesn’t receive the surgery, she will develop right-sided heart failure. After discussing everything with my vet, we felt that she is a good candidate for the surgery. The doctors have told me that this will certainly be an improvement in her life and allow her more years on this earth than if she doesn’t have the help. I felt that Kaycee’s first two years were so awful that she deserves a chance at living a nice, quiet, happy life at home with us and her sister and brother and family she now has.
The main obstacle in this whole situation is the fact that there is not a single veterinary doctor/surgeon in New Mexico who can perform this specialized surgery. The closest place that can do this surgery is in Fort Collins, Colorado, at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. They have a special cardiac unit with cardiology specialists in small animal care and they have the expertise and state of the art facility to do heart surgery.
Thanks to the caring, generous people and their donors at WestieMed, Kaycee will be able to have her surgery. I just could not afford this kind of expense (plus the cost of traveling) to Colorado for 4 days was making things tough on me. WestieMed is a wonderful group of people and I hope to meet some of them one day soon to thank them.
So, as of today (October 29, 2003), I have made my plane reservation for next Tuesday, November 4th to fly Kaycee and myself up to Denver and drive about an hour north to Fort Collins (it’s supposed to snow while I’m there!) for the surgery. On Tuesday, November 4th, Kaycee has her exam with the surgeon and pre-surgery tests, and on Wednesday, November 5th is her surgery. We won’t know which procedure the doctors will do on Kaycee until they examine her. I will stay up there through Friday just in case they have to do the “heart” surgery since that requires Kaycee to spend an extra day in the hospital for recuperating. Then we will fly home. The following week on November 14th, I will have surgery on my broken foot (which was delayed to take care of Kaycee’s needs), and Kaycee and I will be recuperating together, watching movies, lying around the house doing very little.
We will keep you posted. Donna
Update, November 6, 2003:
I went to see Kaycee today at the hospital and she is doing wonderfully. I had her on my lap for about one and a half hours. She had to be bandaged all around her body since the incision is in her lower groin and was leaking blood earlier last night. But that has stopped and she has a large hematoma there so it doesn’t look pretty but the blood and its nutrients will be reabsorbed into her body as I was told. She has been eating and is not messing with the incision (yet) and is alert and the good news I was told is that her abdomen is no longer distended from fluid!!! The fluid is gone so the doctors believe that they think they did more to improve her situation than previously thought. This is a good sign since that fluid was at a moderate level when we got here and was the beginning of congestive heart failure. I am really happy that she is such a trooper and such a good girl. Kaycee has really meant a lot to the fourth-year medical student who has been caring for her and she was in the surgery with Kaycee too. Even the women at the hotel Sleep Inn have been overwhelmed by Kaycee, they just love her. Anyway, she is staying tonite at the hospital, and we go home tomorrow. I get her early in the morning. She will be on anti-inflammatory and blood pressure meds. Blood pressure meds for a long time. Gotta go will talk later
Hugs to all Donna
Kaycee – WestieMed Recipient
Update, November 7, 2003:
Pictured to the right is Donna and Kaycee checking out of the hospital and heading home!
Update, November 13, 2003:
Kaycee woke up this morning with labored breathing and her color pale and not looking well. I gave her her medicine (atenolol which is for blood pressure). I just took her to the vet and they have her there while they do some blood tests and chest x-ray. She was doing wonderfully through yesterday so this is a surprise. The vet said she had a little fluid in her abdomen and they are checking for internal bleeding either around her heart, the valve area, or elsewhere. I will let you know as soon as I find out from her doctor.
Update, November 14, 2003:
Kaycee is staying in the hospital. I took her to the vets this morning and had to take her to a larger hospital so they could do an ultrasound on her heart. I had to take her there with an IV in her leg to keep the fluids going in her. The hospital Vet Dr is trying to get hold of Dr. Bright (Kaycee’s surgeon in CO) because it is hard to tell what is happening with her. Her heart for some reason is enlarged more and she had very labored breathing and turning pale today. It isn’t fluid around her heart as they first thought. It might be a blood clot that got loose but this is hard to tell. This was thought by the other cardiologist specialist in Colorado that spoke to the Vet here. They did another ultrasound on Kaycee today. In the meantime, she has been put into an oxygenated cage to give her more oxygen. They did an EKG on her and that was normal. It is perplexing as to what is happening but if it is a blood clot then it could be bad. They are going to give her some low dose heparin injections for potential blood clots but they have to be very careful as it causes bleeding so they are being very cautious. Kaycee is stable for now. I have to go back to the hospital tonite to give them her medicine (Atenolol). I will certainly know more about what is wrong by tomorrow when Dr.Bright gets in touch with the Dr here in Albuquerque. She will most definitely want to know what is going on with Kaycee and have some ideas. I thought Kaycee was over the hump but apparently not.
Update, November 15, 2003:
Kaycee is still in the hospital. It is Saturday and she is making some improvement but not quite out of the woods yet. But it looks better than yesterday morning. I got the call from the vet at the hospital here right before I had my surgery and she had turned blue in the oxygen cage and had labored breathing. That was yesterday morning. Since then, The vet here in Albq spoke with Dr. Bright/Colorado yesterday and they seem to agree that a blood clot did get loose in Kaycee and went into her lungs. Dr. Bright said she has never had a patient that this has happened to and she has done many of these operations and is an expert at the balloon valvuloplasty procedure so she would know. This is very unusual. But the good thing is since yesterday Kaycee has been holding steady and hasn’t had any setbacks since yesterday morning. And she is eating well, some color improvement since yesterday so I keep praying she beats this. The vet will call me tonite with another update since late this afternoon. They will be increasing the Heparin medication for blood clots as well.
Update, November 18, 2003:
Kaycee came home tonight finally after 6 days n the hospital. She looks much better and is taking it very very easy. I have to keep her calm and not very active for a while. She is getting Heparin injections three times daily for a few days along with taking Warfarin tablet (half a day) and half baby aspirin per day along with her atenolol two times a day. Dr. Bright said that until the area they did surgery on in the arteries (where they had to use three different size balloons) heals in about 3-4 weeks then blood clots can develop. That is why she must be on the blood-thinning meds. And once a week, I believe, I will need to take her to my vet to have blood tests to determine her bleeding rate. So at least she is home, what an improvement. She seems pretty tired out and has been resting in her bed in a pen in the kitchen. Her stitches from her heart surgery came out yesterday and that area looks so much better. Hematoma is gone. Now she is on the mends. The hard part is keeping her from running around and keeping her separated from my other two dogs. I will let you know how Kaycee’s doing little by little. But the doctors said she was doing very well, so I am happy.
Update, January 10, 2004:
Kaycee is such a doll. She is very, very lively and happy and has some piss and vinegar in her too. I notice that she tries to be the dominant female with my yellow lab who is also female. It is quite funny to watch her get her feathers ruffled with the lab and starts to bark at her when she comes into the house at the end of the day (the lab stays outside during the day in her pen and comes in late in the day).
Anyhow, Kaycee has done a miraculous comeback after the heart surgery and subsequent blood clot. I think it also made a big difference that I was home with her full-time during November and December (due to my surgery and holiday vacation time off from work). I know that without the heart surgery she received, she probably wouldn’t be with us today. Her health was declining rapidly and if you saw her now you would not have any idea that she had been so sick. She runs around the house like a crazy Westie along with her pal Cosmo who’s my Cairn terrier. The two terrors.
Kaycee was weighed at the vets yesterday and weighed 14.2 lbs. She finally got some meat on her bones and no longer looks scrawny like she did when she first came to our home. She has done very well with housebreaking, although she’s not 100% yet, she mostly is. She follows the other dogs outside where they do their business now and she finally gets it and has her favorite spot. At first, she didn’t understand this process.
Kaycee – WestieMed Recipient
Kaycee sleeps on my bed along with the Cairn who likes to go under the blankets while Kaycee is on top of them. She’s a love bug. Truly. I cannot imagine how she lived in the puppy mill before this. She wouldn’t trade places for anything. She is quite content at being a spoiled poochy. She also enjoyed her first Christmas and got lots of goodies and toys under the tree along with my other two dogs.
Attached is a picture taken recently.
Regards, Donna
Update, February 4, 2004:
I thought you could use a current update on Kaycee. She is doing wonderful. She is extremely happy and active and you would never know this dog had heart surgery a few months ago. Although early last week she had me concerned by her breathing as it seemed a bit strained for a few days. I adjusted her blood thinner medication (the doctor had just increased her dose) so that it is now given two times a day instead of all at once in the morning. She hasn’t had any problems since I made the change. Compared to when I first got Kaycee she used to have breathing problems that became so difficult for her. She was always panting as though she had just run a race. Now she isn’t breathing that way and I can see the difference the surgery has done for her. She is such a sweet, loving dog who has gotten sooo spoiled and loves the company of the other two dogs here at home. She enjoys sleeping on the bed with us at night and runs around the house like a maniac at times playing with my Cairn terrier. Kaycee goes to the vets for blood tests every other week, for now, to monitor her bleeding rate since she is on blood thinners. She must take Warfarin (blood thinner) full tablet once a day as well as baby aspirin and atenolol for her blood pressure.
Kaycee has made a marvelous adjustment to life here at home with us. Her house training is not quite 100% but she has made significant improvement. She occasionally pees submissively if you go to pick her up and she sometimes gets scared still. Other than that she has been very good in the house. She does have her normal routine in the morning and throughout the day along with the other dogs here. She has also become quite the watchdog along with the Cairn terrier. They make such a racket when someone comes to the door. It would be impossible for anyone to break into the house and no one would hear it!
Well enough for now. Kaycee says hi and so do I. Donna P.
Update, April 2004:
I’ve been thinking of you all and how Kaycee wouldn’t be here with us today without your help. Kaycee is doing terrific. Right now she is sound asleep on the futon couch next to me along with Cosmo my Cairn terrier and Tara the lab; all very tuckered out after a busy day. Kaycee and Cosmo got to go to the Canine Country Club, up the street from my house because I am having some landscaping done in the backyard today and tomorrow and my little dogs go crazy barking their heads off (esp my Cairn) when strangers come to the house. So today they got to go stay at a very upscale kennel near our home (we take our dogs there when we go on vacations) and they get doggie daycare during the day and lots of neat treats and spoiled rotten.
Kaycee has adapted very well to life here in New Mexico. She is truly the sweetest little girl who has such an easy-going personality. She will sit on your lap for hours and I even take her to my son’s little league baseball games and she just sits and watches everything, and of course, small children have to come up and pet her. She has never displayed any mean or snippy behavior with anyone, except Tara my lab who is also female. The two of them can get into it sometimes but they will keep their distance just enough. But the snarling and growling and chasing each other you would think one of them would get hurt by now by the sounds of it.
Kaycee sleeps next to me every night in our bed and she follows me wherever I go through all hours of the nite. If I go upstairs and then back down, there’s Kaycee at my side. I guess when I first found her on the internet last year, I just knew she was going to be my new baby and it was fate, I guess. She’s a very lucky girl, and I am too to have her. She is very loved by all of us (my husband is very attached to her and he was the one who didn’t want another dog!!).
Regards from the Land of Enchantment Donna, Kaycee and family
A Very Sad Update, June 2004:
This is not the kind of update I wanted to give all of you regarding Kaycee. Kaycee passed away sometime during the night of June 5th or Sunday morning June 6th. Unfortunately, I will never know. We were returning from a weeklong trip to California and Kaycee was with our Cairn, Cosmo, at a boarding kennel at home. We stopped Saturday overnight in Phoenix before returning to Albuquerque on Sunday. I received a phone call from my sister-in-law that the kennel called her informing her about Kaycee at 6 a.m. Sunday and she immediately called me. Kaycee was doing wonderfully before we left for California, so I didn’t have any hesitancy to leave. She had been well all this year with no health problems since her hospitalization last November, and I was so pleased with her recovery. So you can imagine how shocked I was to get this horrible news. There hasn’t been a day that goes by that I don’t constantly think about her and how sorry I am that I wasn’t there with Kaycee. My Kaycee was an amazing Westie, and a total love bug who had such a tremendous impact on my family and me for the short time we were together. She was only two and a half years old and I felt she deserved more time to be with us in a happy place here but it wasn’t meant to be. At least she got some quality time outside of the puppy mill where she came from and left in September 2003. My Cosmo greatly misses her as well, and it’s obvious there is a void there. She will be greatly missed.
I want to thank WestieMed and all those who contribute to WestieMed for the amazing things they make happen with their love and generosity.
I received a call from a man in southern LA who said he had adopted a Westie from a local shelter. He went on to explain that after taking her to the vet and learning of her health problems he could not keep her and wanted to turn her over to rescue. Dave and Mary Shipman went to pick her up at the vet’s office and brought her along on a rescue transport to me. I was told that she had a bladder stone but had no idea how severe her condition was until Mary and Dave filled me in. The poor baby was completely incontinent and had to wear a diaper when indoors. She arrived on Sunday and we were at my vet’s door Monday morning. Surgery was done that afternoon and a two-inch stone was removed from her bladder. She had also been diagnosed as having a level three heart murmur, my vet could not find anything that serious and felt like it was a level one at most. No surgery required! She came home with me and the change was amazing, what a little sweetheart she is!
But Lilly’s troubles were not over, she is heartworm positive and began her treatment on 7-22-02. She is doing great so far and I expect a complete recovery!
I have no idea what circumstances led Lilly to that shelter… I can not see any behavior problems at all, she gets along well with my other Westies and loves to play. Now she has a family in her future that truly loves her, I am looking for that family now. 🙂
I have to say that without this help I would not have been able to continue with rescue until I raised additional funds somehow. Once again Westie Med has kept me afloat and I can not thank you all enough!!!
Laura Louisiana Westie Rescue
Update September 2, 2002:
Lilly was declared all clear of those nasty heartworms last week and was adopted this weekend. They are previous Westie owners, it was love at first sight!
Lilly – WestieMed Recipient
Update February 2003:
Lilly is doing great. She has fit in very well with our family, except for the cats of course. She has had no further medical problems except she favors her left rear leg. She loves to be the center of attention and doesn’t eat unless she is in the room with us. She sleeps at the end of our bed and has proven to be a good watchdog, although we haven’t found what she is barking at. She is also a skilled hunter with a heart. One day my wife let her in from the backyard with what looked like leaves in her mouth. It turned out to be a small bird that appeared to have no physical trauma though it was in shock.
We love Lilly and are very thankful for your assistance.
Sincerely, Bob and Gayla
Update June 2003:
Miss Lilly is doing great and has been a wonderful part of our family. She remains heartworm free. Gayla has really spoiled her. She loves to drink her water with ice in it and she thinks it is a real treat to drink out of a handheld cup. She eats special food supplied by our vet so that bladder infections can be avoided. She loves the attention that we give her. She does tend to be obsessive-compulsive especially where our cats are concerned. We keep them separated, not knowing who would be the winner in a confrontation. She has been such a blessing to us and we thank you so much for helping us find her.
Dudley was found in an alley. He was deaf and blind and obviously in pain. Despite his condition, he was completely docile and was taken directly to the Emergency Vet.
Dudley’s eyes were covered with blackened, stiff, infection-caked fur. At first, we thought his eyes had been gouged out. His ears were entirely filled with something that had hardened; it felt as if he had a big thick cigar in each ear. The emergency vet said that apparently, he had been standing in his urine in a cage for some time because his paws were stained yellow. His coat and skin smelled awful and his skin was full of scabs. After about two hours at the vet, they washed him and shaved and cleaned his face and ears, and dispensed one mg of Azium and 100 mg Polyflux, Clavamox 125 mg. for fourteen days, Panalog ointment fifteen ml, Triple antibiotic OO. We were told that one of the technicians was so disheartened at seeing his condition, she cried.
A couple of days later, we took him to our vet where they kept him for observation for the day. He has cataracts and his eyes still discharge gunk. Our vet told us he has a heart murmur and that we need to take him to a cardiologist. She said he also needs an ophthalmologic workup and a dermatological consult. A few days later, we brought him in for a follow-up check-up and he seemed to be progressing. A few days following that, he started limping, refusing to step on his left front paw. The vet dispensed Synotic w/Linc/Banamin and Baytril 68 mg. He’s now walking better, but his paw is still swollen.
Dudley’s recommended course of treatment is a cardiac workup due to heart murmur; ophthalmic workup due to eye discharge, cornea problems, and blindness; and dermatology consult due to pododermatitis, seborrheaoleosa, alopecia. allergies.
Update – May 2002:
Please accept and extend to the board of WestieMed, our heartfelt gratitude for the financial aid that made Dudley’s medical rehabilitation possible. I honestly don’t know what we would have done with this little stray Westie, had you not been there for him and us.
Each day Dudley gets better and better… and feistier. This past Sunday, he made his debut at a neighborhood sixty-family garage sale. He was quite the celebrity as he amazed neighbors who had seen him on that fateful day when he landed in our alley. They were astounded at how much healthier he appeared. When garage sale customers inquired if Dudley was available, they were told in no uncertain terms that they could take husband Tom, but never Dudley!
While Dudley continues to need work on his ears, eyes, paws, allergies, and teeth, we’re thrilled with the progress he has made. His Westie spirit and determination are inspirational.
We cannot thank you enough for your generosity and compassion.
Gratefully, Dudley, Tom and Linda Leahy
Dudley – WestieMed Recipient
Update – June 2002:
Just wanted to send a new “after” picture of Dudley to show the improvement from his “before” picture taken in March. Again, thank you and WestieMed for all your amazing help.
Linda
Update – October 2002:
Dudley has definitely settled in with us and has managed to successfully train both Tom and me.
We cannot thank all of you enough at WestieMed for your financial and emotional support in helping Dudley move forward. I don’t know what we would have done had you not been there for him.
On the health front, Dudley’s eyes are coming along. We administer three meds three times a day. His ears are not faring as well in that the cartilage continues to harden. We’re hoping that he won’t need to undergo surgery, but it looks likely. We’ll learn the verdict this Saturday from his dermatologist Dr. Karen Kuhl.
On the behavioral front, we went through a period when if Dudley was sitting on the bed or sofa with Linda, and Tom would enter the room he would snarl and lunge at Tom. This protective (or so we guessed) behavior made us think he might have spent time in bed with a sick or dying person prior to his abandonment. When we realize how little he can see and hear, it’s amazing he doesn’t snarl more to changes in his environment. The good news is that he no longer snarls at Tom.
Our only challenge is his bladder control. He can’t seem to go for any length of time without urinating. During the day, we manage to get him out frequently. At night it’s a different story. We would really appreciate any advice you might be able too offer. We take him out between 11.00 and 11:30 p.m. and then he happily saunters into his crate next to our bed. He awakens at 4:00 a.m. and howls non-stop to go out. This incites our other dog Baka who is crated on the other side of our bed. They then make it a ceaseless doggy duet. If we don’t crate Dudley at night, we have several accidents. Any suggestions?
Please know how much we treasure all that you’ve done to help us.
Gratefully, Tom and Linda Leahy Dudley’s Devoted Humans
Update – March 2003:
It is approaching a year since Dudley came into our lives. We will celebrate his arrival–aka birthday–on March 17. Thanks to WestieMed, he is healthy and thriving.
Although his eyes and ears still operate at about 50%, he has learned to sit and stay. His vocabulary includes “dinner,” “go get Daddy,” “let’s go out,” “it’s time for bed,” and “do you want to go for a walk?”
Once again, we can’t thank you enough at WestieMed for helping Dudley and us.
