September 2006:
Little is known about Payten’s early life or even how old he is. The vet’s and I predict he is about two years old. I came to know Payten after my three-year-old Yorkie died of a herniated disk and I felt a burned desire to help dogs in need of love and attention. I searched the web looking for rescue organizations and decided on another Westie because I already had one and knew I loved the breed so much. Since we live in Kansas, I contacted Westie Rescue of Missouri, which sponsors MO, KS, AR, and IL. Once all the paperwork and home visits were completed, the rescue volunteer told me she knew of a lady in Arkansas that was a foster parent and she might have just the dog I was looking for. Since I am originally from the very area were Karen, the foster parent, lived it would not be a stretch for me to go visit and make a decision.
I had originally told the volunteer that I wanted a female and one that was younger than my current dog who was seven and a half at the time. When Karen contacted me she told me about the female she was fostering but she was actually older than I wanted but I was still considering it. During our conversation comparing notes about how we both loved Westies and how Karen knew the breeder that I had gotten my Westie from, she finally mentioned that she had just received a young male dog if I might be interested in a male instead of a female. I had read that you shouldn’t get two dogs of the same breed and same-sex because it could cause fighting if they both want to be the Alpha so I was reluctant. However, since I was going to Arkansas in a couple of weeks to visit my family, Karen and I decided to meet up so that my Westie, Baylea, and I could see Payten.
In that first conversation, Karen had told me that she had only had Payten, who she was calling Malco, a couple of days. A young woman who had found him in a Malco theatre parking lot brought him to her. The young woman thought he might get hit so she scooped him up and took him to her apartment for a couple of days while she asked around about his owner and placed fliers around the area. She also contacted several vets in the area and called the humane society to see if anyone had called asking about a missing Westie. Since she couldn’t have animals at her apartment, she knew about the Westie Rescue and turned him over to Karen with what little information she knew. Karen called the Humane Society as well and was told that another Westie was found in the same area and was brought to them. Karen asked what their plans were for that dog and they indicated that they would keep him for two weeks and if no owner came to claim him then he would be adopted out. They said there was already a woman who worked at the society that wanted theirs so he would be placed quickly. Karen stayed in contact with the society and when the two weeks passed with no word from an owner she and the humane society decided to find the dogs new homes.
Karen called me that Friday night in February and said since no one had come forward she would let me take Payten if I decided he would work for us. She said when he was found he had a collar on, looked like he had recently been groomed, and was already neutered so she couldn’t imagine what his story was. Since they didn’t know anything about his veterinary care she decided to give him a round of shots, have his teeth cleaned and give him a bath. She said he was such a good boy through all of it and was a very affectionate little guy. He seemed to get along well with her other dogs but he did have trouble with her cat. Other than that Payten seemed well mannered and was housebroken and knew some basic commands already. We kept wondering what could have been the problem for someone to dump such a wonderful dog.
When we finally meet Payten that cool day in mid-February, we fell in love with him and quickly decided we needed to help him. I told Karen that since it seemed someone had been caring for him, we should continue to look for the owner for a couple more months. But as each day went by with no word, it became clear whoever had been his family didn’t want him anymore so Karen said I could keep Payten if it was working out.
Payten and Baylea have adjusted to one another very well now. At first, it must have been confusing for both of them and they didn’t always agree. Payten was more aggressive than Baylea had ever been but I knew they just needed to work out their differences and since their bickering wasn’t violent I usually let them be. Baylea is more of a feet on the floor let me run type of guy whereas Payten is more of a let me sit beside you and you can pet me type of guy. That works perfectly for me. The most frustrating part of having Payten was the anxiety he was suffering during the transition which resulted in him marking territory in the house. We quickly made some adjustments to help him and bought a very good carpet cleaner and now he is much better. A few other things we have learned about Payten are that he has bad teeth and we have to clean them often and that he has a sensitive stomach so we have to be careful changing foods. Also, Payten is somewhat clumsy and was always running too fast and spraining his ankles. However, recently it has gotten worse and we have had him at the vet several times due to excessive weakness in his front limbs. Payten has also been experiencing seizures, which ended up landing us in the specialist’s office. The specialist thinks Payten may have inflation in his brain or spine causing the weakness and knuckling in his front paws. Payten is currently on Prednisone to help reduce the pressure and inflammation and will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks to see if further testing is needed. It was suggested that he might have vertebral disk disease but that is yet unknown.
Many thanks to WestieMed for their financial support as we strive to give this abandoned little boy a better life.
Subrina, Baylea and Payten
Update as of November 8, 2006:
Payten underwent a spinal tap on October 17, 2006, which revealed an elevated nucleated cell count in the sample. According to the neurologist, this confirmed the presents of infection causing the inflammation in Payten’s spinal column and brain. The sample was sent off to a veterinary pathologist for further testing to determine the nature of the infection. The pathologist reported finding erythrocytes presents as well as 14% neutrophils, 60% lymphocytes, and 26% monocytes. The neurologists explained that the path report narrowed the problem down to a protozoa infection such as Toxoplasmosis or Neospora caninum. He suggested we start Payten on a four-week treatment of clindamycin along with the doses of prednisone. Payten has responded very well to the treatment and is almost back to normal. Again I would like to extend special thanks to WestieMed for their continued support for Payten.