Irritable Bowl Disease

Isabel

May 1, 2017December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Our friend and companion Nigel, a male Westie, died 5/28/16 after a year-long illness. We got him as an eight week old and we were together at home, showroom, and visits to family and friends. He had a big outgoing personality, noisy and friendly to just about everyone except other small non-Westies. I really loved the guy and mourned his passing.

I never thought I would find and accept another Westie until I saw an ad in Pet Finder and saw a picture and description of Izzy also stating what type of home Garden State Westie Rescue was seeking for her. She rang all the right bells for me, and after speaking to Lisa Curry of Garden State, we both agreed that this would be a good fit for all. We adopted her mid-January 2017 and spent the next three weeks learning about each other. We found her a charming, polite, somewhat stubborn dog who really wanted to be part of our lives. We did note that she never finished any of her meals and wanted to go out every few hours. She also became somewhat lethargic after three weeks with us and began to vomit frequently, symptoms not observed by the rescue or her prior home.

We took Isabel to a veterinary hospital, who over the course of two weeks gave her infusions for her dehydration, took blood samples and diagnosed Addison’s disease and we were given appropriate meds and a diet change to a medical soft diet.

All went well, she stopped vomiting, began to eat and appeared to be recovering. She wasn’t. Over the next three weeks, Izzy started to have the same complications as before but this time more severe. A visit to a different emergency hospital, some fluids, blood tests, and ultrasound indicated that Isabel had Cushing’s disease. This hospital has many specialists and we made an appointment the next day to see Dr. Ward, a Gastro specialist. We left Izzy overnight to be infused again for dehydration and receive an endoscope for a better look at her digestive system. The final diagnosis was Irritable Bowel Disease, which is treatable with a daily dose of Budesonide, Pepcid and a diet of boiled chicken and rice. I was taught to give her daily infusions until she began to drink again.

Izzy is a month free of symptoms, has her med and Pepcid every day and really enjoys chicken and rice. I want to thank Lisa Curry for her referral to WestieMed, Dr. Ward of North Star Veterinary Hospital for the diagnosis and recipe for Izzy’s recovery, and Lucy Ryley of WestieMed for her help in recovering a large portion of Izzy’s medical bills. I’m glad to tell Isabel’s story because it has a happy ending. As seniors ourselves we look forward to whatever years Izzy, Lois and I have to be together.

Mitchell and Lois Cohen
Mount Laurel NJ

Snowflake

December 1, 2015December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Snowflake is a senior Westie male who came into North Atlantic Westie Rescue’s program under tragic circumstances. One typical afternoon, Snowflake and his Havanese fur brother were waiting for their owner to come back from routine surgery. But instead, a stranger came and brought them to a shelter. Their owner had passed away and her family asked the shelter to take the dogs. Snowflake’s world changed, even more, when his fur brother died shortly thereafter due to diabetes complications.

The shelter staff knew Snowflake needed experienced help to ensure Snowflake would live the rest of his life in a loving home. So off went Rita and Tim, two of North Atlantic’s volunteers. Within a day or two, Rita noticed Snowflake was very lethargic, had diarrhea that just would not get better, and he vomited a few times. A trip to the vet revealed Snowflake’s abdomen was full of fluid, and his blood work showed elevated liver values. In order to better get a handle on Snowflake’s condition, North Atlantic authorized the vet to perform an ultrasound and aspirate some of the fluid from Snowflake’s belly. The ultrasound did not reveal anything conclusive about why there was so much fluid in Snowflake’s belly. With each passing day, more fluid-filled in his abdomen. The vet recommended endoscopy be performed urgently, as further fluid buildup could lead to pulmonary and heart problems.

With a generous grant from WestieMed, Snowflake had his surgery. The endoscopy revealed severe irritable bowel disease, but no cancer as we had feared. The doctor noted his intestine looked like “cobblestones!” We suspect that Snowflake has been suffering from IBS for a long time, so the vet prescribed a very specific set of medicines to begin healing Snowflake’s gut. Snowflake, now in his adoptive home in Vermont, is improving every day. With a consistent special diet and regular veterinary care. Snowflake’s prognosis is excellent!

North Atlantic Westie Rescue thanks the WestieMed board for enabling timely diagnosis of Snowflake’s condition. We also want to thank Rita and Tim for being vigilant and getting Snowflake the care he needed when he started to show signs something was wrong. He has begun his new life is his forever home with a solid treatment plan and a family with much love to give him for many years to come!

Rachel Scott
Director
North Atlantic Westie Rescue, Inc.

Update October 3, 2016

Thank you again for your help with Snowflake. Snowflake ended up having cancer and he passed away about four months after we worked with your team.

Thank you,

Rachel

Abby

August 1, 2014December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Little Abby’s Journey: She was rescued by Westie Rescue Indiana (Kentucky & Ohio) from a puppy mill in March 2014. She was living a sad life and used as a breeding machine for seven years. WRI had her vetted and spayed and she was given all of her vaccinations. Abby also had her first real bath and was pampered & groomed. Abby was ready for her new life. Within a few weeks of having her spayed, Abby began to lose weight. She was only eighteen pounds, to begin with at the time of her rescue. But, over the next several weeks she began to lose weight for no apparent reason.

Abby continued to drop weight and muscle mass and quickly dropped to nine pounds. She under the care of an experienced veterinarian who was very concerned about Abby’s overall health. Since she was getting weaker and lame she started a high calorie/protein type of food. Over the next few two weeks, she remained under a watchful eye – medicine & special recovery food. Abby was eating and getting fluids from the special diet, but still not gaining any weight back. With a continued visit to the vet’s office & monitoring her blood, stool and eating habits it was the process of elimination to see if we could find out what was wrong with this little Westie. It was recommended that we may need to monitor her digestive path with an x-ray to see if her food was moving. The x-rays discovered “masses” causing blockage which was not allowing her to digest food or get the nutrition she so desperately needs. More extensive test was needed.

Abby’s next step was to be evaluated at a Specialty Veterinary facility in Louisville, were further tests could be done to see if it could be determined what was causing her such problems. The specialist diagnosed Abby with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Which can be managed and treatment started immediately. We had feared the worse for this little girl, but now with special food & medication and several months of patience, Abby is expected to make a full recovery.

Since being diagnosed — it’s been over a month and her treatments are slowly helping. She gained a whopping four ounces which brings her to nine pounds four ounces. She is diagnosed with Lymphoplasmacytic Inflammatory Bowel Disease and decreased Cobalamin levels. This is a treatable medical condition & with a special diet (Gastrointestinal Health Hills i/d) and she has to stay on this food forever. Abby has a long recovery period, WRI is committed to helping this tiny lady.

Today Abby is initiating play, loves to take walks around the yard and is getting stronger each day. Her appetite is still low, but her Foster Mom is keeping her on the prescribed strict diet and slowly weaning her off the medications (steroid) – she is on her way to enjoy a normal life. Her Foster Mom bakes her special treats from her prescribed dog food.

Abby is a special dog. Her tender heart, her elegant dainty lady-like composure reminds you of Aubrey Hepburn or Jackie Onassis. But underneath that, she is a fighter, a survivor, a Westie who is ready to chase squirrels through the yard. Her strength to survive has been a miracle in itself and the determination she has taught us a lesson of never giving up.

Thank you WestieMed, Inc. for helping WRI help Abby and providing financial support for medical needs to amazing Westies like Abby.

Update July 12, 2015

Sadly to say, little Abby did not survive. All efforts were made to save her but her little body had been pushed to the limit. She quit eating and continued losing weight. Had no quality of life. She knew love and was kept comfortable. I am the one that fostered her through it all and I was with her at the end.

Thank you WestieMed for all of your help and support.

Johndra Sanders
WRI
KY Rescue Coordinator

Shandy

July 1, 2013December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

The Toss Away Dog

Shandy is a poster child for, and the definition of a toss away dog. Her life story started out as a happy one, with Shandy being loved by her senior caregiver for the first eleven years of her life; however, shortly after his death, she found herself discarded time and time again, by people who were supposed to love her, care for her, and protect her for the remainder of her life. But, thanks to the help of WestieMed, Shandys’ future is going to have a happy ending: One where she is healthy, and surrounded by a family, who will always be there for her with loving, open arms.

In the early spring of 2012, as Shandy was grieving the loss of her master, she found herself living in a crate at a local Orlando groomer. According to the son of the deceased owner, who had inherited Shandy, he was a “cat person, and not a dog person”, so he simply made a decision to discard her. At this time, she was circulated through all the local rescue channels, but due to her description of having a leaky bladder, and considering her age, most felt she would be a hard placement and declined to accept her into their rescue.

Luckily for Shandy, one of the rescues did offer to courtesy post her and her situation and even had glamorous photographs taken of her to use in the posting, which did generate an adopter. The adopter, however, did not take Shandy to a vet to address the leaky bladder issues, and then wanted to return her after only two weeks. Once again, she found herself facing an uncertain future.

It was at this time, my husband and I were contacted to retrieve Shandy. Once in our care, she was immediately vetted and discovered to have Giardia, as well as a bladder infection of unknown causes, which was the reason for her leaky bladder. So, after several months of healing, as well as pampering, she was placed up for adoption. In May of 2013, via a courtesy posting of a breed-specific rescue for our State, we all thought Shandy had found the perfect home, with a Westie knowledgeable family. But after seven weeks in this home, she became ill, and was once again, surrendered by her caregivers.

Upon hearing how sick Shandy was, my husband and I, along with the aid of two rescue groups, went into overdrive to save her life. She was presented to our family’s personal vet near death: exhibiting dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, elevated WBC, Low Protein and anorexia. After spending six days in critical condition, the decision was made to transfer her to a specialty hospital, where she was hospitalized for an additional nine days. After being poked, probed, and scanned, she was ultimately diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). She is now on the mend and expected to make a full recovery.

However, there was an enormous debt incurred to save Shandy’s life. So, we reached out to WestieMed for assistance, and through a quick review process of all the details associated with her illness, they approved her for a very generous grant. Like us, they feel that she deserves a chance to live out her Golden Years in good health, surrounded by people that truly love her. Considering all this fur-angel has been through and how much she has touched and imprinted on our personal lives, neither my husband nor I could stand the thought of her suffering any more than she already has. We realized that Shandy has found her permanent home: It is with us.

We can never express our gratitude enough to the board of directors of WestieMed, as well as to the donors who support their mission, for helping Shandy have an opportunity to have her happily ever after story.

Mina Johnson

Update September 21, 2013

Our beloved Miss Shandy left her earthly existence.

Although I write this with much sadness, I also write it in celebration of the happy memories of her sunbathing and going to outings to her favorite park, activities which she enjoyed for many months due to the generosity of the donors who support WestieMed.

Most importantly, Shandy did not pass away feeling abandoned. She left this earth belonging to a family who wanted her and cherished her. We miss her very much but realize only her physical body has left, as she will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

Mina Johnson