One of our volunteers contacted me about a Westie-mix in a small, rural shelter. The shelter was filled beyond capacity and it was feared the boy would be euthanized for space if no one showed up for him. One of the peace officers in that town had come upon him roaming and looking lost, so they picked him up and took him in. They described him as “the absolute sweetest and most tolerant boy” and were eager to find help for him, so readily assisted in meeting one of our volunteers to get him into Westie and Scottie Rescue.
We aren’t certain of Sedrick’s age… the shelter estimated him to be around 10 years old, but he clearly was not well cared for so his condition is not really a good benchmark. His coat was very thin and his body swollen from inflammation. His jaw had been broken and healed in the wrong position, so he is missing many teeth and his tongue slips out the side of his mouth. He has dry eye and a condition called entropion, where his eyelashes turn in and brush against his eyes. He also has eyelashes growing on the inside of his eyelids, which is very painful but will require a procedure by an ophthalmologist, but the specialists will not do anything until Sedrick is cleared from heartworm treatment. Yes, this sweet, tolerant boy has heartworm disease.
At WSRH, we are no strangers to heartworm treatment, typically treating a dozen or more in any given year. Our vets did a full assessment of Sedrick and prescribed treatment according to the American Heartworm Society, starting with a dose of preventative and a month of doxycycline to kill larvae and weaken the adult heartworms. A month after completing the course of doxycycline, Sedrick was doing well and received his first injection to kill the adult heartworms. It is very important to minimize activity and stress for dogs going through heartworm treatment, and that was easy for Sedrick because he is a very happy dog, but we know not to take anything for granted. Almost a week after his first injection, Sedrick started coughing and we know this can be a bad sign in heartworm treatment, so we took him in to see the vet and get rechecked. Sedrick was still his happy self, wagging his tail constantly and accepting pets from everyone. The vet took x-rays and stated they showed a lot of inflammation, but determined it was likely from the heartworm infection and sent him home with additional steroids. Two days later, Sedrick took a sudden, drastic turn for the worse and immediately went back to the vet. After examining him and doing additional chest x-rays, the vet told us Sedrick had pneumonia and recommended we take him directly to a specialty hospital where he could receive oxygen therapy. He also had a severe kidney infection, which would need to be treated there as well. Even as sick and weak as he was, Sedrick still wagged his tail.
Sedrick spent four days in ICU at the specialty hospital, receiving oxygen, IV antibiotics, and various diagnostics to help direct the care. It was not looking good after the first 48 hours, so we discussed options with the vets and continued his care with a change of antibiotics. 24 hours later, the vet on duty called with excitement in her voice – Sedrick had turned the corner and was improving. They would start the process of weaning him from oxygen therapy and closely monitor him, but thought he could probably go home the next day.
Sedrick is back in his foster home now on a strict protocol including rest and medications. He will see his primary vet this week for a recheck and to decide plans on the next step of heartworm treatment. Through it all, he remains the sweetest, most tolerant good boy.
Sedrick was named for “Sedrick the Seal,” a children’s educational character who is a role model for kindness… “Sedrick the Seal embodies the importance of being kind and caring, helping children learn that small acts of kindness can make a big difference in the world around them. Whether it’s sharing with a friend, offering a helping hand, or using kind words, modeling kindness will help children of all ages to embrace kindness in their daily lives. One of the key messages Sedrick uses to teach is that kindness isn’t just about words – it’s about actions. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are important but so is comforting a friend who is feeling sad, helping a teacher clean up, or including someone who feels left out. These small but powerful gestures can create a lasting impact on a child’s social and emotional growth.” (Children’s Lighthouse Early Learning School).
We are so very grateful to be able to show kindness to this sweet boy, kindness the world had not previously shown him. And we are especially grateful to WestieMed for funding to help us be here for pups like him!
Maggie Escriva
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston (WSRH)
