Silly Billie, our Favorite Hillbilly

Billie at the shelter

Billie, Day 1

This gorgeous stray Treeing Walker Coonhound girl came to us pre-named by her rescue group as "Aldie", which didn't really suit her personality. We ended up calling her Billie as a combination of all her quirk: her gangly and random "billy goat" ways, her "hillbilly" country roots being a hound from rural Georgia, and her ridiculous goofiness which had us always calling her "silly billy". I tried to figure out a way to make "Billie Jean" fit because of the spelling, but yeah, no. Anyhow, that's how Aldie came to be called Billie. Sorry, not sorry! I'm sort of big on names. ;-)

I was at the Hall County shelter with Perfect Pets Rescue shortly after we moved back to ATL, helping assess dogs for rescue commitment. Billie wasn't on their list to look at, but she caught my eye in her kennel as we walked by. I didn't take her out, didn't want to slow down their process or interject much in a situation where I was a ride-along, but for whatever reason Billie stuck in my head. I asked about her and expressed my interest, but that's about it. I just couldn't stop thinking about her...sometimes I wonder if at this point in the game I am innately drawn to those that are "my type" or "good saves". Who knows? All I know is that in a shelter full of dogs in need, when one jumps out at me through kennel bars and manages to make that much of an impression, that says something and is usually worth pursuing. Lucky for me - and Billie, of course - I got a message from the rescue that she'd become "urgent" and needed rescue a couple weeks after I'd seen her. She needed a foster while recovering from her spay and entropion surgery before heading up to NY for adoption. She needed to put on a good several pounds, too. We welcomed Billie home on November 8!

This. Dog. Is. Awesome. I fell in love immediately. Everything she did just tickled me: the way she ate her first dinner practically upside down, the way she dove head first into the couches with great enthusiasm for each impending nap, the way she loved to spend hours outside just staring up into the trees looking for squirrels and practicing her houndy ways, the way she tried out every possible sleeping surface in the house like Goldilocks and the three bears, the way she slept with her mouth open - just everything about her carried some sort of dopey adorableness that drove into my heart like a Mack truck. By the way, there's a photo included here that illustrates every single one of those quirky examples of her personality. Enjoy! I loved how anti-feminine she was, utterly oaf-like and completely uncoordinated. I think she had two accidents in the house and slept maybe 75% of the month she spent with us - talk about easy peasy! There's nothing we like better in a dog than 100% Genuine Lazy Bones...this girl's got it! It's like she knew she was born to lie on someone's big comfy couch for the rest of her days.

The Goat (see video below for a situational explanation of this nickname) endured her entropion surgery very well. Dr. Daniel at The Veterinary Clinic in Marietta reconstructed Billie's eyelids so that they droop properly instead of turning inward. Entropion causes inflammation and heightened risk of infection, so Billie felt immediately better post-surgery. I think of how obnoxious it is when I have a mere eyelash floating in my eye and imagine how it must feel like for these dogs whose eyelashes are constantly scratching away at their corneas...she only looked like a FrankenBillie for a few days before we could really see a drastic improvement. Fellow Perfect Pets Rescue foster moms, Lisa and Amy, kept Billie for us while we traveled home for Thanksgiving. By time we returned, she had fully recovered and we got her stitches out. A brand new Billie!

 

Our goodbye photo

On December 2nd, Billie boarded the transport van and headed off to New York. Perfect Pets is located up there and their GA dogs stay in local NY foster homes until adoption once they arrive. I always send a letter to the adopter with my transport dogs, including my contact info and musings about the dog. It's proven to be a great way to get updates and stay in touch once they've left, so here's hoping we get an update on Billie! This sweet girl has a great new life ahead of her and I'm so thankful to PPR for sponsoring her. She was a true pleasure to host! We're rooting for ya, sweet Billie Goat!

Happy Tail: Blue Belton Buck

This blog post is so overdue. Shortly after my last post, my grandmother passed away. She read my blog regularly and enjoyed hearing all the stories about our foster dogs. I didn't feel like writing for a while because I felt like no one was listening anymore without her there reading my posts. Of course, that's not true, but it took the wind out of my blogging sails for a bit. Next thing I knew, six months had gone by and I hadn't finished telling Buck's story. It's a wonderful story, a happy tail to top all happy endings, so I can't move forward without sharing it. So here we go, back on the blogging train. This one's for my Tutu, who made sure I was raised with dogs and supported my rescue efforts 100%.

Post enucleation

Bob & Buck

After determining Buck had lost his sight again and that the inflammation in his eye was not improving, we made the difficult decision to remove the right eye. We all agreed that Buck would be much better off without that irritated eye bothering him constantly. Dr. Burling did a fabulous job and Buck recovered from his enucleation beautifully. It was very quickly clear to us that he felt much more comfortable even just a couple days after the eye removal. We knew we'd made the right choice for Buck, even though it felt a bit defeating. With his head held high, Buck moved forward with life as we'd seen him do so many times already.

In this midst of all this, something amazing happened. We received a perfect adoption application for Buck from a wonderful man named Bob in New Mexico. Bob fell in love with Buck while searching for English Setters on Petfinder. He'd rescued a few other English Setters previously and missed their companionship after they passed. We were unsure about sending Buck so far away at first, but didn't write it off as a dealbreaker. After all, we've got dogs all up the Northeastern United States thanks to transport efforts. What's the difference? 

Livin' the life!

I had a lengthy, heartwarming, and exciting phone conversation with New Mexico Bob. Next thing we knew, he flew up to San Jose to meet Buck in person. They were a perfect match. Not least of all, Bob wasn't put off by Buck's health uncertainties. Bob met Buck before we knew his eye needed to be removed. We wanted to see him through the rest of his eye situation before adopting him out, which Bob understood. I kept him posted throughout Buck's surgery and recovery. He never wavered in his commitment to Buck. I'll never forget Bob's inspiring answer when I asked him if he'd be put off by Buck losing his eye: "Perhaps when I was younger and vainer I might have felt differently, but age has made me a more compassionate man and I want nothing but his comfort and well-being". I could not have scripted a more perfect response. This guy won me over with his patience, compassion, and dedication to a dog he'd barely met.

He's even got 2 Christmas stockings!

He loves his bed

On August 31, we sent Buck off on the road to forever. Bob flew up to San Jose, rented a car, and drove back to New Mexico with Buck alongside him. I didn't cry over Buck. This adoption was so incredibly happy, inspiring, and perfect. With all the obstacles Buck faced and the logistics Bob hurdled to adopt Buck, we felt nothing but joy and gratitude as we watched them pull out of our driveway. We knew Buck found the life he deserved. I get pupdates from New Mexico Bob every so often. Buck lives the life of a king, which is exactly as it should be. He goes to work with Bob every day, rests in orthopaedic beds cushier than any human mattress, naps in front of the fireplace, enjoys brunch at the club overlooking the golf course, goes for leisurely car rides on the weekends, and never leaves his daddy's side. Buck is comfortable, happy, and well-loved.

I can never thank all of Buck's fans enough for their amazing amounts of support and encouragement. Animal Eye Specialists, Dr. Burling, St. Francis APS, and many friends and neighbors rallied together for this old dog. Thank you. He is so very special and he's safe because of all of you. Most of all, thank you to New Mexico Bob for being an incredible human being and of course, to Buck, for growing our hearts just a couple sizes bigger. We love you, Schmuck! Happy forever, old boy.

Happy Tail Photo!

Pupdate on Buck: Complications

Let's start with the good news: Buck had a wonderful photo shoot done with the fantastic Renee Scott a couple weeks ago! Renee did a fabulous job capturing Buck's handsome features and personality, as she always does. Just look at how gorgeous our sweet old man looks! I always have such a hard time waiting to receive Renee's photos after our portrait sessions, but man I was SO excited to get Buck's pictures I almost couldn't stand it! As usual, the photos were well worth the wait. Renee outdid herself!

Now for the bad news: poor Buck is blind again, permanently. Last week, roughly three weeks after his cataract surgery, Buck began bumping into things and getting confused again. His retina in the right eye detached. Within 48 hours, Buck lost all sight. Although we could pursue retinal surgery to have a scleral buckle placed, we have decided to forgo any further surgeries and focus on Buck's comfort level instead. The retinal repair surgery is very complex, more expensive than the cataract surgery, and only carries about a 50% success rate. St. Francis, Drew, Dr. Burling, and I all think it's in Buck's best interest to just put together a management plan at this point. He is very uncomfortable in that right eye, but Dr. Burling isn't sure why. We are trying a few more tactics here for the next week: continuing his intensive eye drop regimen, adding oral prednisone, and hoping the steroid injection Dr. Burling gave him helps relieve the inflammation. If after this week Buck's right eye remains inflamed and painful, we will sit down with Dr. Burling and discuss our options. Yes, there is a chance that Buck's eye will have to be removed. No eye is better than a painful eye! Having said that, we will consider all viable alternatives before taking that route.

We want you all to know that we've got Buck's comfort and happiness at the very top of our priority list. He's technically available for adoption so that we can begin garnering interest and reviewing applications, but we will not let him leave us before we are confident that he's in good shape. Dr. Burling is committed to restoring his comfort, as are we. Although it's devastating after all Buck's been through, vision is no longer a goal. We just want him to feel good. As you can see in the picture to the right, Buck does his best to keep his head held high and enjoy life. Thanks to everyone for your support. Paws crossed for our sweet Buckle!

Blue Belton Buck: A Glimpse into the Future

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted! Our boy Buck had his eye surgery on June 17. All went very well; Dr. Burling removed the cataract from his right eye and replaced it with an artificial lens. To be honest, the first night was a bit anticlimactic. Buck was so drunk and disoriented from the anesthesia that he didn't really have much of an "I can see" moment. Regardless, we filmed his grand entrance post-surgery to share with everyone. You can hear Dr. Burling describe his immediate post-op vision as "a little funky" in the video. Here it is:

Day 2 was awful. Buck was uncomfortable, his eye was inflamed, and he required more assistance than he did before the surgery. Dr. Burling warned us this would be the case, so we weren't disheartened. Still, seeing him struggle so much was difficult. He barely opened his right eye at all. We went back for his first post-op re-check and Dr. Burling said everything looked fine, so home we went for more rest in hopes of a better Day 3.

Buck's right eye before & after

We didn't really see much improvement until Day 4. Buck's eye stayed open most of the time by this point and he felt much better. We could see how clear and beautiful his eye looked without the cloudy cataract (see the photo to the right for before & after). For the first 10 days after surgery, I gave Buck three different types of eye drops six times every day to reduce inflammation, exercise the pupil, and prevent scar tissue from forming. He's a trooper and doesn't mind the drops at all. Now we are down to three types of drops four times per day, but starting tomorrow we're dropping down to three times per day. Ultimately, Buck will only need one type of drop once per day. We'll get there!

Such a baby!

Last week we noticed some increased cloudiness, so Buck went back to Dr. Burling for a tissue plasminogen injection that dissolved the cobwebby fibers forming in his eye. No biggie! During this visit, Dr. Burling noticed a minor vitreous hemorrhage as well. This means there's a little bit of blood between the retina and the lens. Although this hemorrhage doesn't mean the retina definitely will detach, it's an indicator of heightened risk of detachment. It's something Dr. Burling will continue to re-check, but we can't guarantee that Buck will retain his vision indefinitely. She says that usually three-month post-surgery is the "out of the woods" marker for retinal detachment. So far, so good. Paws crossed for smooth sailing! Today marks two weeks since Buck's surgery and he's doing great. We've hit a couple minor bumps along the road, but overall Dr. Burling says everything looks pretty darn good. Buck had his third re-check yesterday and he'll go back for his fourth next week.

Buck & his Crinkly Cajun Croc!

We've seen a tremendous difference in Buck's quality of life since his surgery. He is happy all the time, gets excited about everything, and gets around with no trouble at all. He jumps up on the couch and cuddles up next to us while we watch TV. He doesn't cry and whimper when we leave the room anymore. He even jumped up into the truck all by himself to go to his check-up! Most exciting of all, Buck PLAYED with a TOY for the very first time since we've had him last night! It was such a cool thing to see. He'd never shown interest in toys before his surgery. Sometimes we could tell he was excited and wanted to play, but he didn't know how to play without being able to see. Well, Auntie Melissa sent me home with some new toys for my crew yesterday. On a whim, I introduced one of the new toys to Buck. Lo and behold, he chomped at it! Before I knew it, he was tossing it around and chewing on it like a champ. So awesome! THIS was truly a tremendous moment. Enjoy the video:

Buck also enjoys going for walks now much more than he did pre-surgery. He's a great loose-leash walker and he lets you know when he's ready to turn around and head home. To see how well he's navigating since his surgery and to get a glimpse of his spectacular leash manners, check out this video (sorry about the noisy wind!). That's all for now. Buck's walking into the next chapter of his life...never looking back!

Pupdate: Moving Forward with Buck's Cataract Surgery

Whew, sorry for all the dead-air time on this blog recently! We've been going 100 miles per hour with rescue around the clock it seems. I know many of you probably already know the latest report on Buck through his Facebook page, but I want to share it here as well.

Uncle Buckle had his ERG at the eye specialist last week. We received both good and bad news from it. The bad news is that the left eye, which houses the older cataract, experienced retinal detachment at some point. This means that there is no hope for Buck to regain sight in that eye, with or without cataract removal surgery. Thus, we will not do the surgery on that eye and will instead manage the inflammation caused by the cataract with prescription drops. Now for the good news: Buck's right eye passed the ERG and is a perfect candidate for cataract surgery! He is scheduled to go under the knife next Tuesday, June 17, and will regain all vision in that eye. Hurray!

I know it's a bummer that we can't salvage the left eye, but hey - one eye is way better than none! Although St. Francis is willing to pay whatever it takes to give Buck the gift of sight, only doing one eye will reduce our bill by a good bit. That's not what we're focused on here, but it's a silver lining for sure.

St. Francis is doing pretty well raising funds to cover Buck's eye care. We've applied for a grant through the Doris Day Foundation. We've received a good amount of private donations from folks via Facebook, adoption events, and the St. Francis website. We've got $500 in GAP funds pledged from the San Jose shelter where Buck came from and the eye specialist is giving us a 30% rescue discount on his procedures. Without the rescue discount, Buck's diagnostics and surgery would cost roughly $5,500. We are still hoping to raise a total of $4,000 to cover follow-up visits and prescriptions. Although only fixing the one eye does reduce the surgery cost, it doesn't knock off quite as much as you might think. We're still paying for the vet's time and expertise, the use of the hospital's highly specialized equipment, a full day hospitalization, and slightly less anesthesia than we'd need for two eyes. The major difference is that we're only paying for one artificial lens implant, which knocks about $500-700 off the bill. So that's the state of Buck's financials for those of you who are curious. He's very fortunate to have St. Francis's and his followers' support. Last time I posted we didn't have a designated sponsorship page set up for Buck yet. We do now! If you'd like to do a one-time donation or a recurring sponsorship, please click this link to visit Buck's page: http://stfrancisanimal.rescuegroups.org/animals/sponsor_this_pet?AnimalID=6895219

In other Buck-related news, he's been doing great overall. He's got some itchy allergies and minor tummy issues going on that we're working to resolve. No biggie - just the normal stuff for an old man! Buck attended several adoption events over the last couple weeks. He's not available yet, but he really enjoys car rides, walks, and outings in general. One of his favorite outings is going to the food trucks at Willow Glen Movable Feast every Friday evening. He wears his fabulous blue "adopt me" vest and catches everybody's eyes. Check out the video below to see how excited Buck gets when he hears his leash and collar jingle! That signals him that he's about to go for an adventure. Thanks for reading our latest update! Stay tuned to read how Buck's surgery goes next Tuesday...can't wait to share pictures and videos of that tremendous life-changing moment!

Pupdate: Buck's Eye Consultation

Dr. Burling checking out Buck's eyes

We just returned from Buck's consultation at Animal Eye Specialists. Dr. Burling and her tech, Julie, are awesome. For those of you just tuning in, Buck has advanced cataracts that completely obstruct his vision. He can't see a thing. Today's consultation basically served as an opportunity for the vet to examine the eyes, see how severe the cataracts are, and evaluate whether Buck is a good candidate for surgery. Cataract surgery is only performed if the eye is healthy and if sight can be restored. For these reasons, diagnostics have to be done before determining the next step.

Buck's exam went pretty well. Dr. Burling said the left cataract is chronic and older than the right one. She saw some scarring in the left eye, meaning that the cataract has shrunken and/or shifted with time and caused further irritation. The right cataract is less dense and a bit newer, which is good. Both eyes are irritated, but the pressure in both is normal so that's a big relief. We have to go back in a couple weeks for additional diagnostics (retina exam, etc.), but as of right now Dr. Burling believes Buck's right eye is prime for surgery. Assuming nothing unexpected is found during the retinal exam, Dr. Burling estimates with 95% certainty that Buck's vision can be restored to the right eye. The left eye is more complicated due to the cataract's age and severity. She's not as confident about the retinal health in the left eye. If the retina isn't in good shape, there's no point in removing the cataract. If the retina is healthy and we remove the left cataract, Buck will regain his vision in that eye barring complications.

So sleepy after his appointment

Obviously there are a lot of variables and "ifs" involved here, but how amazing! I learned so much from this consultation today and I'm super excited by the prognosis for Buck. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but I can't help but imagine how incredible it will be to bring him home after surgery when he can SEE again for the first time. Dr. Burling sent us home with special eye drops today to reduce the inflammation in Buck's eyes. We'll see what St. Francis wants to do and proceed from there. If we move forward, diagnostics and surgery could be only two short weeks away. Folks - this is a VERY expensive surgery. I don't want to ask for donations until we get the final go-ahead, but please be ready to share Buck's story. St. Francis is going to need all the support we can get in order to make this happen for Buck. PAWS UP for this step forward...and paws crossed for even more good news. If you haven't already, don't forget to check out Buck's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bluebeltonbuck 

PS - The mass Dr. Osterman removed from Buck's chin was benign! Hurray!!

Pupdate: Lucy's FHO Recovery

Incision 1 day post-FHO (left) vs. 1 week post-FHO (right)

Here's a quick pupdate on Miss Lucy, now nicknamed Lucille when we're feeling fancy. Her FHO was one week ago today and she's recovering beautifully. I am always amazed by how smoothly and quickly dogs recover from FHO. We've been doing the little physical therapy exercises with her for a few minutes each day. It's simple stuff: rotating the hip like she's riding a bicycle and gently shifting her balance so she puts weight on the healing leg. After her surgery, she kind of let her leg just dangle while standing or walking. Yesterday I saw her stand firmly on all four feet when she was outside. Hurray! She's beginning to put a little bit of weight on it when she walks now, too. So that's great news. The incision looks awesome; Liza wasn't kidding when she said Dr. Scherrer is a suture wizard. He didn't even have to use staples. Check out the picture of how great it looks. Her spay site looks great, too. Dr. Tyson's incisions are always SO TINY, it's completely nuts. Lucy's is no exception; it's practically invisible. So all's well on the post-op front. Here's the link to my post about her surgery if you haven't seen it already: http://ohfortheloveofdogs.blogspot.com/2014/04/behind-scenes-lucys-fho.html

  

As for everyday life with Lucy, things are going quite well. Lucy is very much a part of our pack at this point. She knows the routine and is gaining more confidence each day. You'll remember I mentioned Lucy had pretty intense separation anxiety. She's improving. Although we finally gave up on crating her overnight (she sleeps in our bed now with us and the other three dogs, oye), she is learning to become more independent little by little. She definitely still prefers to be snuggled up on top of me whenever possible, but she no longer totally freaks out if I walk around the corner. She'll run right outside with the other dogs now when it's time to potty, whereas she used to insist one of us went outside

Catching some rays with foster mom

first before she'd follow. Occasionally I'll find her curled up in a dog bed or on the rug across the room rather than right under my feet. That's major improvement. She's learning how to be a dog. I credit my three dogs with guiding her through a lot of this. I find it's very helpful to have other pack members show a new dog the ropes and help them fall into routine. The new dog draws security and comfort from the confidence of the established dogs. By emulating their routine, Lucy is feeling more comfortable with each passing day. We're super proud of her. She's going to be a really great little pup for someone. Keep up the good work, Lucy! You've got this in the bag!

Behind the Scenes: Lucy's FHO

**Warning: this post is graphic. If you're squeamish and don't want to see surgery photos, just know that Lucy had her surgery and did very well.**

Lucy's x-ray showing pelvic and FH fractures

Today was an exciting, long, tiring, major day for me and Lucy. Our little lady beagle went in for her FHO surgery this morning! Brief refresher: Lucy got hit by a car and fractured the ball joint (femoral head) of her hip. FHO is where they remove the ball joint entirely, leaving behind a smooth-edged free-floating femur. San Jose Animal Care Center (the shelter where Lucy's from and where I volunteer) has a great partnership with a local veterinary specialty center called SAGE. The shelter arranged for a SAGE specialist to perform Lucy's FHO in-house at SJACC and I got to watch. How cool is that?! For those of you who may be wondering, the shelter has a special medical fund set aside for SAGE procedures that covers specialty surgeries like Lucy's. This reserve is funded by the City, by private donations, and by a special resource called Maddie's Fund (http://www.maddiesfund.org/). What does this mean? St. Francis covers Lucy's post-op care. The surgery and all associated costs are taken care of. That is huge for rescue, just huge. I am so impressed by SJACC's resources and the smart decisions they make with their funding. It's absolutely amazing. These people are going to get tired of hearing my broken record spiel about how awesome they are, I'm sure, but I can't help it. I have truly landed on a different planet. Confused? Check out my blog post from a couple weeks ago: http://ohfortheloveofdogs.blogspot.com/2014/03/san-jose-animal-care-center-breath-of_20.html

All scrubbed up for FHO!

Although I spent a preliminary observation day in the vet clinic last week, today was my first day officially volunteering back there. I saw SO much stuff last week, it blew my mind. In a mere four hours, I watched 14 spays/neuters, an enucleation, ear tippings on feral cats, dental cleanings and extractions, a punch biopsy, removal of a surprise dead kidney during a routine spay, dental x-rays, and all kinds of other stuff. I'd never seen a surgery before, so this was a huge deal for me. I got lightheaded briefly during the first two spays, but was totally fine after that. It was weird to have a physiological response despite not feeling squeamish or bothered by any of it. Today was more hands-on for me. I drew rabies / bordatella / DHPP vaccinations, assisted with health check paperwork for dogs waiting in stray hold, learned how to set up and test all the tubing for the anesthesia/respiration machines, applied eye lubricant and clipped nails when dogs and cats went under, and of course observed Lucy's surgery. I had a freaking BLAST.

I brought Lucy in at 8AM. I took a few photos of the team prepping her for surgery (shown right). By noon, she was under for her spay with Dr. Tyson. Meanwhile, Dr. Scherrer and his RVT arrived from SAGE for the FHO. At 1:05, Dr. Scherrer made the first incision and it was go time. I had so much fun watching this procedure. Lucy did great. Fortunately, everything went smoothly as a straightforward FHO should. There are a few different techniques for removing the femoral head during FHO. One is to use a bone saw, another is to use a burr, and another yet is to use something called gigli wire (like a garrote). Dr. Scherrer opted to use the Stryker burr to remove Lucy's femoral head. The Stryker is basically a drill type instrument that has different attachments (think drill bits) on the end. You can also see the cauterizing tool he used to control the bleeding. In the video below, you can even see a decent sized puff emerge from the site. That's the cauterizer at work. Dr. Scherrer's RVT monitored Lucy very closely during the entire surgery (just shy of 2 hours!) and made sure she remained comfortable. She did great! Check out the removed femoral head (shown bottom right).

Lucy will stay overnight with Dr. Tyson tonight to be sure she gets through the critical part of her recovery. She's on a serious cocktail of drugs called an mlk drip: morphine, lidocaine, and ketamine. These are administered via IV drip before, during, and after surgery. She's also got a fentanyl pain management patch on her leg that will continue to keep her comfortable for the next few days once she's no longer on the mlk drip. On top of that, Lucy received a post-op metacam injection to control inflammation. Did I mention she got a hydromorphone injection before all of this? The girl is straight chillin, so don't worry! She's being kept as comfortable as possible.

All that fuss for one tiny bone

Lucy waking up post-op

Our lady beagle will come home tomorrow, take it easy, and in a few days begin some basic physical therapy exercises with me. In two short weeks, she'll be ready to use that leg like normal. The pelvic fracture will eventually heal on its own. Then miss Lucy will be ready for adoption! Huge thanks to St. Francis for sponsoring Lucy's rescue, to SJACC for allocating the resources to bring in SAGE, to Dr. Tyson and everyone at the shelter for spaying Lucy and keeping her comfortable, and of course to Dr. Scherrer and Liza for their mobile surgery skills today (and for letting me crash the OR with my camera!). All of these people are genuinely amazing and so devoted to what they do. It has been an absolute privilege to volunteer in the vet clinic and get to know such a wonderful team of people. Shelter medicine is definitely its own thing and it's totally what I want to do. I feel like a sponge; I'm learning so much and having so much fun along the way. Stay tuned for pupdates on Lucy's recovery and for more volunteer adventure in the vet clinic next Tuesday!

100th Blog Post Surprise: Meet Lucy!

Intake photo, volunteer photo, & FREEDOM RIDE PHOTO!

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 100th blog post than introducing our very first California foster! Meet Lucy, a ridiculously sweet 1 year-old beagle mix from San Jose Animal Care Center. Lucy came into the shelter on St. Patrick's Day. An officer picked her up as a stray on the 87 (a major freeway) right by our house. She has a fractured pelvis and femoral head, likely from being hit by a car. In addition to that, she's very underweight. It was love at first sight for Drew, despite her awful intake photo. We planned to take a break from fostering for a while, but Drew couldn't resist so I pulled the trigger. We sprung Lucy from the shelter Monday night courtesy of St. Francis Animal Protection Society, a fabulous local rescue group I've begun to get involved with.

Lucy's first evening with us

Miss Lucy is scheduled for FHO surgery on April 1. We didn't want her to sit in the shelter all that time, so St. Francis got us the go-ahead to bring her home and then take her back in next week for the procedure. The shelter is bringing in a surgeon from SAGE, a highly regarded veterinary specialty group in town. This is the same operation Cap'n Jack just had with us back in Atlanta, so we know pretty well what to expect. It's a quick and simple recovery, all things considered. With some easy physical therapy exercises, two weeks is the typical recovery time from an FHO. Remember, this is the surgery where they remove the round head of the femur bone that fits into the hip socket. The result is a free-floating femur, which sounds weird but is MUCH better than a splintered, fragmented, fractured bone that is painful and prone to infection. Lucy will adapt in no time flat. For more information on FHO surgery, check out the blog post I wrote when we went through this with Cap'n Jack: http://ohfortheloveofdogs.blogspot.com/2014/01/lefty-on-road-to-recovery.html

Somebody's a snuggle bug...

Unfortunately, FHO is not the only obstacle Lucy has to overcome. She's also got a fractured pelvis. The only thing that will help it is time, but pain meds and rest certainly don't hurt. Lucy is on Tramadol and Rimadyl for pain management. The Tramadol makes her a bit sleepy, so that also helps for healing. Basically, this poor girl's entire back end is a mess. We had an 18 hour window during which Lucy was off her medicines between leaving the shelter and visiting the vet St. Francis uses. The combination of no pain meds for broken bones plus the transitional stress made for a pretty rough night. Despite her severe pain and confusion about her new surroundings, Lucy integrated well with our pack. Normally we'd hold off on the introductions, but Lucy requires constant monitoring right now so this way is safer.

A handmade blankie, just for me!

On top of the stress and pain, Lucy's got significant separation anxiety. She had herself panicked into a frenzy in her crate, so Drew sleeps with her in the guest room to be sure she'd quiet down and not further injure herself. We'll continue this until she begins to feel more secure here, then we'll face the uphill battle of transitioning to crate sleeping. This is rather backward, but Drew gets up for work super early so sleep is sort of a must around here. Her anxiety should improve as she continues to settle in with us. After the vet, Lucy and I stopped by Miss Melissa's house to pick up a wonderful care package put together from St. Francis donations. Lucy wants to thank everyone who donated these items to St. Francis. She has some great supplies now, including a Thundershirt, Pet Naturals of Vermont calming chews, and a DAP collar to help with her anxiety. Someone even made her a super cozy fleece blankie! She's finding comfort in all of these items so far. Miss Melissa also included a shrimpy squeaky toy, tasty treats, a pretty pink harness / leash / collar, and glucosamine to help support her good leg while it endures extra strain. How awesome! So thank you, St. Francis folks, from the bottom of little Lucy's heart.

I think we have a Thundershirt model in the house!

Last but not least, we're slowly helping Lucy regain weight. She weighed a measly 11.7 pounds at the vet yesterday. That's less than what my [albeit porky] Chihuahua weighs. Although we see [and hear] a lot of beagle in Lucy, she's mixed with slighter framed breed. Whippet? Chi? Italian Greyhound? We'll never know for sure, but she really is cute with those long legs. So although she's not going to be as big as your average beagle, I'd like to see her hit 18-20 pounds. It's important that we help Lucy increase her weight gradually in order to avoid shocking her system. Her shelter paperwork has her recorded at 16.8 pounds when she arrived last Monday. That's five pounds lost in six days, probably due to extreme pain and stress. We've got her on Merrick Thanksgiving Dinner canned food, which is one of the highest calorie premium foods available. She eats four small meals per day, totaling one cup each day. She also gets a spoonful of Nutrical gel each day for some bonus easy-to-digest calories. This feeding regimen should start to make a difference before long. Then we'll be able to transition her to a normal meal schedule based on dry kibble. 

Lucy definitely had a home before she wound up at the shelter; she came in wearing a nice collar and remnants of pink toenail polish. I don't know which is more sad: the ones that had a family and lost them or the ones that never had anyone at all. Anyhow, she's been through a ton in a very short time. It will all get better for Lucy from here, thanks to St. Francis.

If you'd like to help St. Francis continue saving animals from SJACC in honor of Lucy, please follow the ensuing link. Their website provides options for paypal donations as well as an Amazon wish list: http://stfrancisanimal.rescuegroups.org/info/donate

Happy Tail: Cap'n Jack!

Straight off the bus and kisses already!

Ahoy, mateys! We've some great news to share with ye: Cap'n Jack found himself a couple o' jolly hearties who be offerin' him a poop cabin to call his own! The ole salt set sail for New York with Quartermasters Chrissy and Katharine on the FODA jollyboat a couple fortnights past. He be happy as a clam in cold waters! His new mateys say climbin' the riggin' n' unfurlin' the sails he was! No more swabbin' the decks for this cap'n...treats n' belly rubs be the only sight in his salty future.

Spoiled rotten, he be!

Ok, I can't keep that up for an entire post. Yes, Wacky Jacky settled in perfectly with his new family. His adoption was lined up long before he left on transport. His parents even had a skull n' crossbones collar waiting for him! He gets along swimmingly with his two canine siblings. Jack's parents are continuing the physical therapy for his hip, but you know he hasn't let it slow him down for a second. I'm super lucky that his mom and dad keep me updated with tons of photos and videos. They even speak fluent Piratese! Jacky couldn't have scored better. The little scruff munchkin steals the hearts of everyone he meets; mine is no exception. I miss his snorty mcsnort face and scrufftacular spirit, but I am so beyond thrilled for him and his forever family. Fair winds and smooth sailin' to ye, Cap'n!

PS: HUGE thanks to Auntie Kirsten for temp fostering Cap'n Jack TWICE during his stay in Georgia!

BONUS: Check out some pictures from the time between my last post about Jack and his adoption below for some over the top scruffaliciousness!