Curtis

by westiemed in Stories

While browsing online postings of dogs in shelters, I noticed a shaggy Westie in a small community shelter and reached out to the director. They told me that he was on hold for his owner, who was known to shelter staff because the dog had been in their care several times before. Ten days later, the director reached out to me to ask if we would still be able to help the dog… they had contacted his owner multiple times, but the owner never came to get him.

We wasted no time in sending a volunteer to pick him up and getting him started at our vet, where we learned he was heartworm positive and has a heart murmur. He badly needed a good grooming, although he was missing hair and had crusty skin due to infection and fleas, and his nails were so long that they curled up like the toes on an elf. Both of his ears were infected and sensitive to touch, and he had severe tartar buildup on his teeth.

Curtis took everything in stride… he has been very friendly to vet staff and volunteers and happily greets everyone with a wagging tail. We started treating his skin and ear infections and scheduled an appointment with the cardiologist before planning his neuter and dental cleaning. When the cardiologist gave the go-ahead, Curtis was neutered and had some masses removed as well as his teeth cleaned. We also started pretreatment for the heart worm and scheduled full adulticide treatment to get rid of them.

Now that he has finished heartworm treatment, Curtis is ready for adoption to his furever home. His fosters have fallen in love with him (and him with them!) so he will be finalizing his adoption and staying home for Christmas. Turns out his owner not reclaiming him was the start of the best life for him!

Thank you, WestieMed, for helping us make his new life possible.

Kind regards,

Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More “Curtis” →

Colleen

by westiemed in Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colleen’s former family reached out to Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston when they decided they had their hands full. They told us that they had been struggling with Colleen’s allergy issues, but now they had a new baby and were overwhelmed. They loved Colleen and wanted the best for her, and they realized that turning her over to someone else to help her would be the best thing to do.

When our volunteers picked Colleen up, they described her as stinky and scabby, with black crusty skin and missing hair. We immediately assessed everything she was being fed and all the medications she was taking. We initially changed Colleen’s diet to the grain-free, chicken-free formula we feed most of the Westies who come into our care and, along with frequent medicated baths, she began to improve over the next few months, but she still had itchy skin. Another visit to the vet included doing a skin culture to determine whether different medications were needed. The vet also recommended doing a diet trial with a hydrolyzed diet. We knew that her previous owners had fed her a traditional hydrolyzed diet made with soy and that her skin worsened on it, so we started Colleen on Hydrolyzed Salmon diet recommended by a veterinary dermatologist for another dog in our program. When the skin culture results came back, they showed that the bacteria on Colleen’s skin was resistant to the antibiotics she had been prescribed, so we started her on a course of a new antibiotic that the bacteria was sensitive to. Meanwhile, we scheduled an echocardiogram with a cardiologist because the vet had noted hearing an unusual heart murmur, and we had bloodwork done because she had been on some of the medications a long time and we wanted to make sure they were not causing damage to her organs. Both the echocardiogram and bloodwork showed normal results, so the vets said they had no issues resuming focus on treating Colleen’s skin.

Colleen has been on the Hydrolyzed Salmon diet for about a month now and is showing major improvements. Her skin is getting soft and pink and she is growing hair on her neck and legs, which previously had thick, black, scaly skin. The plan is to keep Colleen on this diet for the foreseeable future and reassess as needed. When she is adopted, her furever home will need to commit to maintaining her special diet.

Thank you for helping us help Colleen get comfortable in her own skin!

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer, Intake Coordinator

Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Sedrick

by westiemed in Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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)

Update December 1, 2025:

When Sedrick came to Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston, we had no idea what a journey we were in for with this little guy. We were prepared to take care of his bad skin and even to tackle his heartworms, but the subsequent aspirate pneumonia was not foreseen. After he recovered from pneumonia, Sedrick was able to continue his heartworm treatment.

Sedrick continues to fight ear infections while he recuperates in his foster home. He loves to follow his foster mom throughout the house, sniff around the yard while she is gardening, and nap on his favorite bed between mom and dad’s recliners. We also learned that Sedrick is no longer able to eat solid foods after his pneumonia, so his foster mom carefully prepares all his meals as soups to aid in digestion.  Sedrick gets multiple eyedrops several times each day due to his eyelashes scraping his eyes.  

The next specialist appointment is with the eye dogtor in December, when Sedrick will learn when he can have surgery to correct his eyelids and remove the painful lashes. Many people have given up on dogs like Sedrick but not WSRH and not WestieMed! Thank you for sticking by us and helping us be here for him.

Kind regards,
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston 

 

 

 

 

Angel (now called Girdee)

by westiemed in Stories

 

Angel’s previous owners reached out to WSRH, asking us to take her in because they no longer have time for her. At 12 years old, they were not surprised that she slept much of the time, but they wanted her to get more attention.

Our vet’s initial exam revealed bradycardia, meaning Angel’s heart beats at a slow rate which could account for her lethargy. Further testing showed that Angel had Chagas Disease, an infection transmitted by the bite of a “kissing bug.” Chagas can affect the heart, so the cardiologists wanted to make sure the infection was no longer active before determining the next step for her.

While Angel is being assessed for a possible pacemaker, she is on heart medication and living a Westie’s dream life in her foster home. Angel already has more energy, thanks to the good care she is receiving. We are hopeful we can continue to make her life better.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer

Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston

Update September 3, 2015:

Life has changed a lot for Angel since coming to Wescue. She no longer sleeps all day. Now known as Girdee, here is what her furever mama has to say:

“Girdee’s life was basically a hot mess until she scored the ultimate upgrade by being taken in by WSRH. This little furball had a laundry list of health issues, including a heart condition and Chagas Disease from a kissing bug bite – talk about a bad date. But now, she’s living her best life, busting out bunny hops, senior zoomies, and launching herself off the couch like a tiny, adorable ninja. Her days are packed with all sorts of shenanigans, like helping out with farm chores and hanging with the horses, pygmy goats, turkeys, chickens, and barn cats. After a long day of causing chaos, she unwinds with her four Westie siblings, basking in the joy of her new, ridiculously amazing life.”

Getting Angel/Girdee checked out by the cardiologists at Texas A&M changed everything! Now that she is on medication for her heart, she has the energy to live life to the fullest and we are reminded of the refrain from many vets: Age is not a disease. Thank you to WestieMed for helping us get Girdee/Angel the help she needed!

Kind regards,
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update December 1, 2025:
We wonder if Girdee’s previous family would recognize her… not because she grows hair like there’s no tomorrow, but because she is no longer the fulltime couch potato. Don’t get us wrong – Girdee does love a good nap, especially if it includes a snuggle with one of her brothers (pictured with Goose). But Girdee doesn’t sleep all the time like she used to. Her naps are scattered between zoomies and supervising her mama’s farm chores.
We remain grateful to WestieMed for helping us help Girdee thrive.
Kind regards,
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Goldie

by westiemed in Stories

WSRH was notified in mid-June about a Westie seen living on the street. When our volunteer went to get her, the finder said they had seen her in this one area for over a week and that she did not move much so they were worried something was wrong with her. We immediately took her to one of our vets, where we developed a list of issues to address.

Goldie seemed weak, which might have been due to living outside on hot pavement for weeks, and she had a bad skin infection. She has a wheezing cough, symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome, and what appeared to be a mass on her inner thigh. Dogtors ran a battery of tests, including an echocardiogram and ultrasound which revealed that the mass on her leg was actually a hernia with tissue trapped inside. It also showed a small mass on her adrenal gland, which is causing her Cushing’s symptoms.

We have been taking care of Goldie’s skin and cough while assessing the other issues, and now the dogtors feel we can address the hernia and adrenal tumor and improve her quality of life. Goldie will have surgery in the new year to remove the adrenal gland and tumor and repair the hernia.

We look forward to giving Goldie the opportunity to feel better and enjoy the new year.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Volunteer

Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston

Update September 3, 2025:



Goldie has had many, many dogtors’ visits and has seen lots of specialists. She had surgery at BluePearl Pet Hospital in January to remove the adrenal gland with a tumor and fix her hernia. It was discovered that the tissue trapped in the hernia was her uterus, so she was spayed at the same time. Due to the issues with her lungs, Goldie was kept in hospital on oxygen for several days following surgery and every team member who worked with her raved about what a sweetheart she is. After she was released and had a chance to heal, Goldie moved in with her new foster pawrents, who will be her furever home, and continued specialist appointments.

Removing the affected adrenal gland also removed all symptoms of Cushing’s Disease, which on its own was a great blessing. Goldie was then referred to an internist who started her on a new regimen of medications for her heart and lungs. She also visited an ophthalmologist to assess her eyes, as she has a cataract, and was prescribed eye drops to keep the eye healthy. Through all of this, Goldie has had an abscessed tooth which none of the vets or specialists felt comfortable taking care of due to her lungs, so she was on a “pulsed” schedule of antibiotics, but it was still very uncomfortable. Earlier this month, Goldie’s foster pawrents took her to the small animal hospital at Texas A&M, where they decided she was finally strong enough to undergo anesthesia again and, following full assessment, they removed eight teeth and cleaned all the rest.

Goldie is living a wonderful life with her furever pawrents. Here is what they have to say about her:

“Goldie is such a sweet and engaging girl. She has settled into her place and role as a Milner Girl with her sisters Sadie and Bella. Goldie is the second senior Westie girl we have adopted. She loves to play with our Yorkie girl Bella. They play chase and they chase butterflies, birds, and squirrels together. It took her awhile to walk out in our backyard to potty, but she is all in now. And she loves giving us a huge scratch out when she is finished.

“We take very good care of her, making sure she receives all her scheduled medicine in the peanut butter pill pockets. She loves them. She loves to go on car rides. We try to take our girls on a car ride almost every evening. If she hears ‘who wants to go on a car ride,’ she runs to the garage door with her sisters jumping and barking. She also loves to let her old bones soak in the sun on our outdoor kitchen.

“She is also an excellent eater (of everything) lol. We feed them grilled organic turkey or chicken, baked organic sweet potatoes, and all natural salmon kibble for seniors. She is a good supervisor – she follows us to the refrigerator to get the organic meat and sweet potatoes and then to the dog room and sits patiently supervising while we place their bowls on the dog table and prepare their bowls. Then she leads the way to her spot in the breakfast room to eat. She knows exactly her spot. She also is a great helper in the kitchen if you drop carrots, potatoes, green beans, and almost anything else on the floor. She also loves a little spoon a vanilla Haagen Daz ice cream at night Shhhh don’t tell mommy. 😊

“She is perfect when hears let’s get ready for night night time. She runs to the dog room for us to wipe her down, clean her bottom and brush her few teeth. She loves her eye drops. Then gets her organic joint treatment and her CBD. Then she heads to our bedroom and snuggles in to one of her three arthritic foam beds with a snuggly Dennis Basso faux fur blanket. She’s funny, she moves from bed to bed, night to night.

“We were hesitant to adopt another senior girl after losing 3 in the past 3 years due to illnesses. But we are super happy we let Maggie talk us into fostering her ‘wink wink.’ We don’t want to think about what our life would be without her as a Milner Girl.”

Thank you, WestieMed, for being there to help this sweet girl live the life she deserves!

Kind regards,
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update December 1, 2025:
Goldie is doing great! She has a new leash on life now that her longtime medical issues have been addressed. She has medications that she will need to take for the rest of her life but she doesn’t mind (especially since meds mean more treats!)
Goldie spends her days supervising her mom and dad as they work from home, making sure they take breaks to scratch her head. She pushes her big round bed all over the house to make sure she has a good vantage point for supervising what everyone is doing. And when it’s time for cooking, Goldie will be right there at her mommy’s feet to be taste tester/sous chef.
Thank you, WestieMed, for your grant toward Goldie’s medical care.
Kind regards,
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Molly

by westiemed in Stories
Molly

Molly is an 8 year old diabetic Westie. She came to Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston when her person made the decision to surrender Molly due to her recent diabetes diagnosis.

Before coming to Rescue, Molly lived in an apartment with her person. This worked well because she is OK as an only dog. Morning and evening walks were fine with her. When her person began working from home, Molly got more walks during the day.

Then her person noticed Molly was having incontinence issues during the day and was unable to keep her bedding dry. Molly was diagnosed as diabetic and prescribed daily insulin injections and this is when her life changed. Her person had to return to the office and found Molly’s medication schedule was hard to follow with her work schedule. Molly began going to different in-home doggy daycare that were given instructions on how to administer insulin. She continued to be incontinent as insulin was not being given on schedule, if at all.

Since Molly arrived at Rescue, she has had two glucose curves and her insulin dosage has been increased. She is on a consistent daily food and medication schedule which has shown great results. She is no longer wetting her bed and has more energy for her daily walks. She alerts her foster mom when needs to go out and uses a dog door.

She does have some loss of vision and is seeing a specialist to determine what treatment is appropriate. Molly likes people but does not seem to care about other dogs in her environment. She is a good companion dog.

Cathy Norris, Molly’s Foster Mom, Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update August 16, 2023:

When Molly arrived at WSRH, she was incontinent due to uncontrolled diabetes and fluctuating glucose levels. She immediately moved in with an experienced foster mom who knew that she needed specific testing and maintenance to get her diabetes under control. Thanks to help from WestieMed, we were able to do testing to get her on the correct insulin dose and diet, with follow up testing to make sure her dosage stayed right.  Now that Molly is on a consistent food and medication routine, she’s much healthier and happier. She is now able to keep her bedding dry all night and needs to go out fewer times during the day. She has adjusted well to her food and medication schedule.

Molly is blind from cataracts and has been to the eye dogtor, who says she may be a candidate for surgery now that her diabetes is under control. Her foster mom will be taking her back for further assessment and help Molly make plans for her future. She is available for adoption and still hoping for her perfect furever home.

Kind regards,
Maggie Escriva
Volunteer
Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Orbison

by westiemed in Stories

Orbison was taken to the vet by his previous owners with a request to put him down due to his skin condition. The family was moving and said they did not know what else to do. The vet saw that Orbison had a lot of living to do so requested that he be released to them and then reached out Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston for help. We immediately made changes to Orbison’s diet and medical regimen and his skin was improving but we noticed this sweet boy was having trouble navigating the elements of his foster home. A trip to the eye specialist showed that Orbison had cataracts in both eyes and was an excellent candidate for surgery. Orbison is spunky and loves to play with toys. We knew surgery would greatly improve his quality of life where he could enjoy many more years of toys and squirrel chasing.

Orbison had successful cataract-removal surgery on Thursday, June 23 (his 9th birthday!)  There have been some concerns with his eye pressure post-surgery which has required additional monitoring, drops, and vet visits but Orbison doesn’t seem to mind.  He is a patient little conehead who willingly takes his many eye drops throughout the day and is nothing but smiles at the dogtor’s office for his follow-ups. Orbison has a few more follow-up appointments to go but looks forward to playing with toys, chasing squirrels, and wrestling with his furry friends in his foster home and in his furever home very soon!

Thank you again for your grant to help him.

Update November 6, 2022:

Orbison now treats every day as a new day as he visually explores the world around him. His squirrel chasing game has improved greatly and he now jumps for excitement when you grab his leash. He carefully examines everything inside and out and happily jumps in the car to watch the world pass by his window.

It’s been almost 6 months since Orbison’s cataract removal surgery. While he had some initial concerns post surgery, Orbison has since healed and is enjoying life in his furever home!

We are grateful for the help WestieMed provided to allow us to give Orbison the gift of full vision and improve this goofy boy’s quality of life. Thank you!


Kristen Dohle

Volunteer and Orbison’s Foster Mom

Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston

Update August 15, 2023:

Orbison is thriving is his furever home! He was adopted a year ago, in August 2022, and is the king of his house and still enjoys playing with toys and hunting for squirrels. Thank you to WestieMed for helping our sweet and spunky Orbie see again so he can enjoy his happily ever after! 

Kind regards,

Maggie Escriva

Volunteer

Westie and Scottie Rescue Houston