The day before Easter, a shelter in southern-most New Jersey notified me that they had a Westie and wanted me to take him. I said yes, of course, and I got Whitey on Easter Sunday. The shelter told me that another Westie Rescue group had declined to help Whitey before they called me, so I was his last chance.
Whitey had a retained diseased testicle which was the source of most of his troubles. That testicle was grossly enlarged and resulted in a lump the size of an orange hanging off his belly in the groin area. His skin was covered with deep dime-sized open, oozing sores all over his body, legs, tail, and head. This was a result of the hormones from the abnormal testicle, and a staph infection had also taken over his poor body and his skin. He also seemed to feel sick and was lethargic and not eating well, he had a Malassezia condition, and a great deal of flaking and dry matter was coming off his skin. In addition, his dry eye had not been treated and his eyes were infected, and his sight is almost entirely gone (it seems like perhaps he can see shadows out of one eye). He had an infected ear as well, and his teeth were in bad shape; many were so rotten they would break off when gently touched. My veterinarian performed emergency surgery the day after Easter, removing the diseased testicle and the rotten teeth; the vet cleaned his remaining teeth, not for cosmetic purposes, but in hopes that this could spare him a need for future dental work.
Whitey remains on antibiotics and anti-yeast medication. His prognosis is excellent: his skin and his spirit are healing well. He is a friendly boy who likes people and other dogs; he also likes to go for (short) walks and is not intimidated by the fact that he cannot see. He is also housebroken. I hope to find him a home with a loving owner who will continue his health care regimen and give him a good long life.
Lisa Curry Garden State Westie Rescue
Update October 15, 2013
Whitey is doing well. He’s over his infections and he looks and feels better in all regards. He was adopted to a very loving home close to where I live so I get to see him sometimes.
I was contacted regarding a four-year-old, unspayed, Westie in dire need of medical attention. The callers conveyed to me that they commented on a photo of a Westie at a business location and the owner said that she didn’t look like that anymore. She said she was allergic to cats, and she needed a new home. She would be happy to let them have her.
On approximately October 24th, the above persons met the owner in a parking lot and found this poor female unsprayed Westie filthy and severe ear infection, loss of hair. They were horrified at her state. The owner cried and said she could no longer afford the dog and signed the dog over complete with vet bills and AKC papers. The owner sent her with a volume of vet bills up until May 2007
The good Samaritans looked through the vet bills and found that Sophie had cost about $2500 to date in vet bills. None of the bills dealt with her skin problems, but she was billed for a ton of unnecessary work which was covered under “pet insurance.”
The finder wrote: The woman told me Sophie’s health was okay until about a year ago when they got two Persian cats. She says the vet thinks she is allergic to cats and that her health would not improve until she was removed from that environment. True or not, the woman was obviously desperate so I brought Sophie home to try to find help. The paperwork she gave me from the vet doesn’t tell me a lot but does seem reasonably consistent with the timeframe.
October 29th – Contacted rescue – They kept her for two days and were very enchanted with her, but her health was so diminished that they felt with their jobs they had no time for her, and wanted her to have a good life, made a Vet appointment and the Vet shook his head and said – she is going to be a “major project”. (at that time this Vet also didn’t give Sophie any meds, this was apparently a “consultation” visit. He told the ‘Finders” the cost and dedication would be off the charts, and how much did they want to do this? After the consultation, they decided to turn her over to rescue. We made arrangements for the transfer.
October 30th a.m. – Transport: In the fog @ 8:30 am Mary Scott drove out to Coupeville and boarded the Keystone Ferry to Port Townsend. She was armed with a crate, and leash and she also had the release forms and was going to meet the “husband” at 11:30 at the ferry dock and do a turnaround and come and drop Sophie off at my house. Mary called me from the Ferry at noon and said “I’m heading back, and you aren’t going to believe it. She is worse than Shannon was. She is bleeding out of crevices of her skin, she is biting and itching and I think I am going to cry. “ I said, “MARY, don’t cry now, she is on the road to recovery, I have to call the vet and see if I can get her in today.” Mary said – “She’s a mess, a poor pitiful mess”. It was a four transport.
October 30th – I transferred Sophie from Mary’s car to my car crate, and she itched and bled in my crate as I drove down to the Bothell Animal Hospital. I was on the cell phone ten times with their staff, they probably were sick of hearing me. I left Sophie for the night so she could get bathed and all her testing done and do something about her comfort. She had to have massive steroid shots. I also wanted them to bathe her and medicate her as she was in a sorry state, and very cranky. I didn’t want her first day with me to be unpleasant, and I needed time to prepare my home for her and an introduction to my dogs.
Dr. Shannon Smith called at sevem pm and said they injected her with steroids to stop the itching, she is getting a medicated bath two times tonight and she has had her ears flushed, her eyes flushed, antibiotics, and starts her Ketoconozole when she gets home. I will also be stopping on the way down tomorrow to pick her up – and get some doggie PJs. She has several infections going on and Dr. Smith found flea dirt which just adds to the whole mess. We didn’t want to treat her for fleas until she heals more, the cracks and dry skin are not good. It’s going to be a long haul and she said we can’t spay her until her skin heals or else the incision can get a horrible infection. We are closing off the evening with Sophie safe and warm and not in pain, me exhausted, Mary exhausted and me playing musical chairs with the other fosters and working on getting funding for Sophie’s meds. Blood was drawn to see what caused all these allergies.
November 3, 2007 – Sophie is responding to the medicated baths and exfoliation. Her ears are finally returning to normal, and she is still very cold and shivering. She is wrapped in baby blankets, and pjs. She has baby blankets and receiving blankets lining her crate and she prefers being in front of the fire place. She is slowly responding. She seems to be a one owner dog, and has never really been socialized. She has deemed me her HUMAN, and so we have some jealousy issues to work on. Other than that, she is a very sweet dog and thankfully perfectly potty trained and crate trained.
Sophies Delight – WestieMed Recipient
November 9, 2007 – Daily baths with Malaseb are really making a difference. Her clothing is changed two times a day to keep her clean. I wipe her feet off w/baby wipes when she comes inside. She finally started playing with toys and is very affectionate. Her hair is growing back on her face and body, but her legs are still in disarray. She has stopped itching which I contribute to the bathing. Sophie also allowed me to scrape her teeth with a dentist metal scraper and she let me brush her teeth also. Her back teeth are in bad shape and she will need her teeth cleaned. She is currently on non-grain dry food only with yogurt and grain-free dog biscuits or apples.
November 14, 2007 – Vet appointment showed that her yeast is subsiding but she still has a raging Staph infection. Her allergy tests came back and the only thing she was allergic to on the food/airborne side was: lamb! She showed a level two on fleas. The outcome seemed to be that this minor allergy was neglected and caused her to get into this state. Fortunately for us, we can solve this issue with flea meds and a change of diet. It was sad to know all this was caused by something so preventable. We discussed her spaying and Dr. Smith said another month until her Staph infection is cleared up. Also to put her back on more antibiotics.
November 16, 2007 – I have decided to put Sophie in another foster home because she is getting to attached to me. I find that rotating the fosters out, help them evolve in their personality, teach them manners in other homes, and just open up a new experience in their life. It also helps the foster moms experience all the different rescue dogs we come across.
November 20, 2007 – Foster mom reported she is doing well. She is getting along with the other Westie. She is still cold and prefers sitting in front of the fireplace. She is eating well and is a stellar house guest. We anticipate her staying in this foster home for three more weeks and then we will make arrangements for spaying and dental care.
Our outlook is that Sophie will have a great life, and not a life of allergies. She has been a joy to foster, and cute as a button. I suspect she will be in foster care for another two months.
Karin Parish – Seattle Dog Rescue – Westies
Sophies Delight – WestieMed Recipient
December 2007:
Glad Tidings to all!
Sophie has made a come-back and full recovery. (two months in our great care!)
She is scheduled for spaying and dental on December 27th.
We want to thank you for making it possible to help save her.
Karin Parish – Westie Rescue
Sophies Delight – WestieMed Recipient
Update May 7, 2008:
Sophie was adopted to a first time Westie owner single woman in a condo, and its a great match.
She was in foster care four and half months. (It was a long HAUL).
Both the owner and Sophie have the same temperament. Sophie is the Diva and her owner treats her as a diva with a complete wardrobe and such.
They are both stay at home “gals” so they bring each other much comfort.
Sophie rides wonderfully in a car, so she is a joy to take places.
She is happier being an only dog, as she has more room to store her TIARA.
I received an email from a man about his five-year-old Westie. She had a severe skin problem and they didn’t want to deal with it. They had bought her expecting to have a show dog and to breed her a few times, and also as a family pet. She developed a skin problem and tore her hair out in patches all over her body. They bred her in spite of it. One puppy died, and she killed the other one, probably because she was so miserable. She had gotten an infection inside so bad that they had to do a complete hysterectomy. They said her personality changed after that and that she was sometimes a little nippy. They were afraid she might bite their nanny’s son, who is two years old. They had fought the skin problem for five years by shampooing her with Selsun Blue and didn’t want to keep trying. To be fair, they did feel that they were doing the right thing by giving her up to someone who might know more about how to help her. The man brought her to me, and I did see her nip towards him once, but she has never once tried to nip me in any way. She is a sweetheart.
Katie was diagnosed as having a Staph infection which could turn into Malassezia if not properly treated. She is now on the right road to recovery.
Thanks to Westie Med, her medical problems are being taken care of and she will soon be ready to be placed in a new loving home with a nurse who is willing to keep up with the treatments. I’m thrilled for Katie. I think she will finally know what ‘real’ love is.
Rebecca Dennett Westie Rescue Utah
Katie – WestieMed Recipient
Update June 2003:
You can see that Katie is growing hair back on her chest and looks great!!! She’s a very happy little girl and adores her new mom and dad.
Update November 2003:
You’ll be so glad to know that Katie is doing wonderful. Rory Litch took such good care of her when she first came into Rescue in Reno. I was so fortunate and blessed to be able to adopt Katie in January of 2003 and in the first three to four months, we still had problems with her allergies and licking of her back legs. In April, I finally did have a full allergy test done on her and now I know exactly what…food and environmental..she is allergic to. Even into April….maybe because of the spring allergies, she was still having licking problems…..and then she finally cleared up. She is on a duck and potato kibble and only carrots, bananas, and apples for snacks. She is doing wonderful. We walk together and this past winter, we even cross-country skied together. My husband and I adore her and we thank you for your help and services. She has made our life so happy.
