Yesterday, a good friend called me and said she had a situation she needed help with. At first I thought she was going to tell me about a cat in need of rescue, but as it turned out the rescue involved a dog.
This poor dog had lost her owner unexpectedly when the woman died on Mother’s Day and for whatever reason, the dog was stuck inside the home all by herself for 8 weeks! Neighbors who were supposed to be feeding and caring for her, fell short of their responsibility and now, no one in the family wanted the dog. Midge asked me if we could take her. Without hesitation, I said yes and later that day Trista arrived.
This poor dog is an pile of issues. She is so traumatized at the loss of her owner (poodles are extremely bonded to usually one person) She shakes, she pants, she drools. She acts completely terrified of me but thankfully she is bonding with Mike. She is 8 years old, she has cherry eye- she won’t eat and although she will lay next to me, if I move she flinches and she trembles the entire time. I can’t even begin to imagine what she has been through- 8 weeks all by herself inside the house- from what I have heard she wrecked the joint and pooped everywhere.
She completely ignores the cats but that may change once she adjusts to her new life. She is really a cute girl and I hope she will calm down soon and start eating. I went out and bought her a thunder shirt and a calming collar to help her get through all the changes. She has no leash manners and when we do go for a walk (she is quite overweight) the owner used to feed her from the table all the time) she keeps trying to jump into my arms like “Lady carry me please?” They have not been long walks, so I just tell her no and we just keep going. I don’t think she led a normal dog life- acts like she has never been anywhere out of the trailer where she was found. I feel really sorry for her- her world has been completely rocked.
How could anyone be so cruel as to ignore a dog for two months? If anyone can bring her around to loving people again, it’ll be you and Mike.
MARY ANNE ASKED ME TO POST THIS ON HER BEHALF; YOU’LL KNOW WHY WHEN YOU READ IT.
Hey guys, it’s Mary Anne. My computer has suffered a major malfunction and even with two computer experts in the family- My husband who builds them and his youngest son who is an IT- it may be sometime before I am live again.
Yesterday, someone pounded on my door and when I opened it, there were a group of young people all looking flustered and unhappy. They were hikers by their outfits and they told me they had been extreme training up in the Cascade Mountains when they noticed a gunny sack duct taped shut and the sack was moving! They ran over and cautiously opened the bag and discovered a mom and 5 babies! Mom “Cassie” is now recovering from extreme dehydration and starvation. Her kittens are fine, but they must have sucked her dry in that confined space. They are 7 weeks old and tuxedos. Please pray for them and for me- this puts us with 13 kittens right now- I have mom and babies outside in the deck enclosure. I really can’t stand people sometimes! Their arrival also bumped up my vet debt. Anything sent will help- if you send it PayPal it won’t get recovered until I am live again.
MARY ANNE IS STILL WITHOUT A COMPUTER, BUT WANTED THIS MESSAGE PASSED ALONG. (DONATIONS SENT BY ‘DIRECT MAIL’ ARE REACHING HER.)
Right now, it is a sad rescue day. Cassie, the queen stuffed in the gunny sack and dumped off high in the Cascades has not recovered from the stress and shock this caused her. She went back to the vet today where they are trying the last ditch effort of another antibiotic and some benebac to see if she can recover herself. It is frustrating, because she is eating and drinking, caring for her family but the fevers will not break. If the new drugs do not do the trick, we will just have to let her go. Her kittens are doing well. The family is in the deck enclosure and I am watching them carefully and hoping for the best.
Tangie, the kitten whose mom was killed by a pit bull is failing as well. They suspect FIP but they are trying Benebac on her as well. Her timeline is 3 days from now. Her fever stays constant at 103.6 but her eyes are bright- yet she is lethargic and spends the majority of the day just lying around. My vet says she smells of chemicals? I have a bad cold (morphed into walking pnueumonia) so I can’t smell anything. Her two brothers- Bud and Hobbit are perfectly fine. Adding to the puzzle is the fact that she is losing a great deal of her hair on her stomach and rump and back legs- and yes, she was flea treated at the vet’s office. I am praying she pulls through and my heart weeps when I hold her she is so hot and nothing is cooling her off- not cooling fluids, alchohol rubs or even lukewarm baths. Another symptom of FIP Her bulge on the one side of her stomach is suspected to be the cause, they aspirated it this morning and she screamed but it came up empty. No evil yellow fluid withdrawn. The vet did not try again. Just said, give her three days on the drugs and probiotics and see what happens. You do this so much, you just know in your heart when the battle you are waging isn’t going to work.
I am grateful for those of you who saw Hughe’s postings and sent money. Our vet debt is once again over $1,000.00 and I am so tired of digging graves. The last one was for Taylor- Mike’s kitty- she was 21 years old when I let her go- it was the hardest grave of all to dig. I kept her alive as long as I humanely could but she was starting to suffer, she had megacolon and even the special food we bought for her didn’t gain her but a few more months with us. Watching an animal suffer doesn’t play in my book. Please pray for Tangie and Cassie- both of these cats deserve to live and go on and find their forever home, but that is slipping away on a daily basis.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July