Wordless Wednesday PUPPIES! February 19, 2014

Puppy Wednesday!

The latest arrival from Black Dogs & Company Rescue

Luke

Storm

Willy, Storm, Blizzard, Toby

Toby

Blake, who hitched a ride from the Kentucky shelter this family came from.
He is about 2-3 months old and all affection!

Buttercup, their mom.

If you are interested in helping the rescue save more dogs, please contact them on their Facebook page

For those of you who love pets, care for them, or who just want to be a part of the pet place that is designed to help pets all over the world for free, come join us at Pawbly.com. We are all about pets and we would love to share your pets stories, photos, and pet care with us!

You can also find me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

Frozen Fury. The plight of the outdoor pets and severe weather.

FaceBook post for Jarrettsville Vet for January 6, 2013

It's going to be record breaking cold tonight! If you have outside pets, please bring them in out of the cold, into a garage or provide them with shelter & some straw, hay or blankets for warmth. 
In a combined effort: Jarrettsville Vet Center, Animal Rescue, Inc, Black Dogs & Company Rescue & No Kill Harford, we will help provide assistance for your pets! If you need help with providing straw, a crate or bedding/food, please contact the clinic. 410-692-6171

Please CALL JVC front desk for assistance at 410-692-6171. Open until 8pm tonight. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST! Please talk to neighbors and friends with outside pets so we can save lives tonight! — with No Kill Harford.

Please CALL JVC front desk for assistance at 410-692-6171. Open until 8pm tonight. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST! Please talk to neighbors and friends with outside pets so we can save lives tonight! — with No Kill Harford.

The news has been dominated by the polar vortex (my new favorite term!) that has swept through the US and frozen everything from Canada to the gulf.

Repeated continual warnings about "record lows expected," "concerns about fatalities for anyone without adequate shelter, heat, and clothing," and "remember to check on neighbors and bring pets inside," have been echoed by every news, radio station, Facebook page and person we meet.

For us in Maryland the low/high (its hard to know what to call it?) is 2 degrees Fahrenheit, add the wind chill and we are talking negative digits. That is cold, and that will kill.

At the clinic we have put up repeated postings of warnings of the weather, reminding people about their outside pets and pleading with them to bring them inside. The dilemma? Well, my clients who care about their pets already have them inside everyday of the year. My clients who still think that their dog is "just a dog" probably don't follow us on Facebook, and probably don't think that our pleadings have any merit.

It was with this in mind, and after I passed the third chained out dog on my way to work, that I decided to try something other than begging on deaf ears.

Phone in hand I called my friends at Animal Rescue, Inc., Black Dogs Rescue, and No Kill Harford.

"If Jarrettsville Vet donates the funds from our Rescue Fund to buy straw, and we coordinate our extra carriers, blankets and bedding would you all spread the word and act as pick up centers?"

Without debate or hesitation they all agreed to help.

Of course, everyone agreed that we would still try to convince people to bring their pets inside, but for those that won't we could at least be able offer some relief to those pets.

And so began the social media whirlwind over four counties. It is almost 7 pm and over 2,200 people have seen the post and over 60 people have shared it. We had clients call and offer straw from their farms and others who offered to drive and deliver the needed items. The outpouring of help was truly awesome.

As I pondered on my drive back home I noticed those same three chained out dogs lay in their small dog houses, noses barely visible, on a fresh bed of straw. I know these dogs. I look for them every time I pass. They have been to the clinic to see me for the accidents and illnesses that waiting has not cured. Every time I meet them they are exuberant to be off chain, finally able to meet a new person, kiss a new face, and over reactive to each tiny nuance of freedom. And every time their owners remind me that "they are outside dogs. They only receive (the state required) rabies." There is no changing their minds, there is no elevating their dogs status.

I called the clinic and asked the receptionist to "call their home, and offer free boarding overnight."

"But, they are overdue on all of their vaccines?" the  receptionist replied.

"I know, but what choice do we have? And what will we do tomorrow if they are brought in for frostbite? or freezing to death?"

She called and left a message.

At the end of the day no one took us up our offers.

We will try again at the next cold snap.

All I can do is try, and when that isn't enough we have to hope.

Maybe there will be a day when chaining isn't permitted?

Magpie prepping for bad weather.

The puppies demonstrating cuddling to conserve body heat.

Savannah nose to radiator and warm under her blanket.

I will go to bed with a little prayer in my head for all of those that are not as fortunate as our kids. My you all be safe, warm, and with the ones you love.

If you have any pet related questions you can find me at the clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, or at our free pet question site Pawbly.com or on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

The Iditarod Family

What do you think happens to you when you spend your quiet evenings at home surfing the high kill shelter sites for the next days list of euthanasia's?

Well, if you are a rescue group who tries to save as many dogs as you can, you find yourself hitting the "adopt me" button.

This family of five black lab mixes were in a West Virginia high kill shelter. They, like so many dogs, were underweight, abandoned or relinquished and awaiting the fate of mankind.

Lucky for them they were ALL saved by a rescue here in Harford County, Maryland.

Mom, is about two years old. She was slated to be euthanized and her puppies were then going to be sent out to be adopted.

Why? Why would such a horrid thing happen?

Because, puppies are an easier sell. A mom, an adult dog, not so easy. And when you are already over burdened with too many adult dogs that you cannot find homes for you take the easier road. It is the cold hard honest truth.

In honor of our newest veterinarian, Dr. Rogge, who was the official vet for the Iditarod race for many years, Black Dogs named the pups and mom around the famous Alaskan dog race.

Mom is Cordova, and her puppies are Palmer, Denali, Wasilla, and Juneau.

They all came to see me the same day they arrived in Maryland.

I am in love with them all!

They were a bit tired from their trip.

A good snooze spot? The crevice in the back of the waiting area seat.

My very good friend came in to say hello, and left with one of the puppies.

They are that adorable and irresistible!

Mom laying in the sun.

Those eyes!

This is little Palmer. In foster with my friends..she is so precious!

A happy snuggly baby.

Next to a pile of puppies..

If you know of someone looking for an exceptional dog, or puppy, there are two males, a female, (and my favorite), mom left looking for a home.

They will all be about 30-40 pounds. They have been examined by me, de-wormed, microchipped, and vaccinated. For more information on them please visit Black Dogs and Company Rescue.

These dogs will change your life! I promise!

If you have any pet questions you can find me at Pawbly.com, or Twitter. I am happy to help you and your pet live a long happy and healthy life!

And please adopt a pet. You really are saving a life.

Tied to a Tree and Forgotten. Sam's Story.

Another phone call from Cindy at the rescue came in.. "I just brought home a dog that was found grown into the grass and chained to a post."

OK, what do I reply to this plea?

"We had to shave her out of the grass to get her free." She finished.

I supposed it was my turn to respond.."OK, I'll see you both tomorrow."

She came to see me the next day with her latest acquisition. She had shaved him down and named him Sam Adams.

Sam had a make shift collar on and stood beside her on a leash.

His coat was chopped and irregular. His undercoat was white with brown points. Even in his bag of bones depressed state he was the shadow of a purebred. We suspected he was an Old English Sheepdog, and hence Cindy, as the local sheepdog rescuer had been called.

She had gone out to collect him and was horrified to see his condition.

His long silken hair had been so neglected that it grew into the ground like dread locked tentacles anchoring him to terra firma.

She had done the clipping on site to break him free from his foundation.

Sam was emaciated.

There are degrees if emaciation that a veterinarian assigns. Sam's was the worst kind. His state was the most awful, shameful, heartbreaking, disturbing, cruel condition imaginable.

He had no muscle mass. This is certainly due to him not being fed. It is even more so because he has been tied to a post. He has not had any area to walk, or run, or play. If you do not get up and move your body will not feed your muscles, and very quickly they will atrophy.

As insidiously appalling as this is, it isn't the worst part of Sam's state.

Sam is broken. His spirit is fractured to the point that he doesn't react to people, or noises, or other animals. He has been so devoid of interacting with life that he no longer reacts.

He is fearful when approached and reacts without giving you any of the normal cues to warn you.

He has a very long list of medical  needs. To make it more difficult there is also a long list of unknowns to add.

Medically Sam needed a thorough examination, blood work, urinalysis, heartworm test, fecal, and a nutritional feeding plan. He also needs to be monitored very closely.

With emaciated patients we are not sure initially if it is a matter of not wanting to eat, not having good nutritionally complete food, not able to utilize the food once it is eaten, or is the food being sucked up by intestinal parasites? In many cases we send a client home with a specific food and feeding plan. Then we have the client return for serial weight checks. We also do our homework by checking blood, urine, and a fecal.

Sam stayed with the rescue for months. After two months we believed he was strong enough to survive his neuter. He was muzzled for all restraints and did well under anesthesia.

He needed a great deal of time, attention and medical assistance. He also needed to be genuinely loved. Like all living beings, love and trust is something one earns.
And much of life is about second chances, overcoming fear, and forgiveness.

Over the next few months with a team of caregivers assistance Sam began to put on weight, muscle mass, and find his own sense of self. He began to look like a normal healthy two year old. And we discovered that as his hair grew back and his body structure developed that he was indeed a Briard.

Sam remains shy, and tentative, but he looks around to assess his surroundings, wags his tail, and has bonded very closely with his foster family.

I expect he will live a long healthy life and be some lucky persons constant companion.

Sam's rescuers sent me this open letter and asked that I include it in his story.

To the breeder and past owner of Samuel Adams... I have your dog. You sold him to a very terrible owner. Was the money you made worth having a wonderful dog tied to a tree from the start? He had no love, no kindness no warm bed and no care. Is this want you want for the dogs you breed? I hope you sleep well at night because I have nightmares about this poor boy being tied to a tree in tall weeds and storms, cold and hot and other animals being able to get to him and he had no where to go...I do sleep better now knowiing he is finally cherished (as all dogs should be) and has learned how to play and is turning into a wonderful animal.God I hate cleaning up your uncaring BYB's messes. To the owner a farmer on the eastern shore. What were you thinking?? Did you think if you got a "sheep" dog he would automatically watch over your animals?? Did you research the breed and see what care he needed? What did you think a dog would become tied to a tree ? Alone in the dark, cold wind and rain?? He has a scar on his nose ..something attacked him, was it you? He was so afraid of everything , he was matted,stinky and starved. Would you want to live like this.? I know there is a special place in hell for people like you. This dog has a name now Samuel Adams, we call him Sammy He has learned to except the caress of a hand, he knows what a soft bed is He knows what it feels like to be loved. He is clean and healthy. He plays with toys. He still has a long way to go He will never know loneliness, cold or hunger again. I promised him an angry hand will never touch him again. God I hate cleaning up your mistakes. Now to the team of vets that helped me rehabilitate sammy. Thank goodness you are there. That you understand how scared a rescued dog can be. Thank you for your patience and caring hands. For discounting your services and sometimes even forgetting the bill. If it were not for practices like yours ,we would not be able to save the lives we do This practice is Jarrettsville Veterinary Center in jarrettsville Maryland A wonderful woman by the name of Krista Magnifico owns the practice. We balance each other and without her Black Dogs & Company Rescue would not exist. There is a special place for her at the rainbow bridge. Now there are wonderful folks out there that are willing to adopt a damaged dog. Bob!!! He is willing to pay an adoption fee to take a less than perfect dog!!! He will open his home and continue to help sammy become the dog he was meant to be! Unbelievable!!!!! Yes there are good people in this world. I as a rescue need to hang on to that! Don't let anyone tell you rescue is easy..I am a nurse by trade and doing rescue has been one of the hardest things I have ever done and the most rewarding. This has been one of those "rescues" I am so happy that he will have a home and that there are people out there that do care:) I have fallen in love with this breed Maybe one day I will have one:) Black Dogs & Company Rescue inc Black Dog, Big Dog, Old Dog any Dog. Just Adopt a Dog! Over the next few months with a team of caregivers assistance Sam began to put on weight, muscle mass, and find his own sense of self. This is Sam last week.  He is getting his last exam with me and departing for Washington state to live with his new family. We wish him the very best of luck. We are sure that with all of the misery his life began with he is sure to have nothing but a bright future ahead of him.

Sam remains shy, and tentative, but he looks around to assess his surroundings, wags his tail, and has bonded very closely with his foster family.

I expect he will live a long healthy life and be some lucky persons constant companion.

If you have any pet related questions please find me at Pawbly, on @FreePetAdvice, or @pawbly, or Google+

If you would like more information on Black Dogs & Company Rescue please visit their Facebook page.


Update, November 13, 2013, from Sammi's new family;

Since I met him at the KOA cabin, he has behaved defensively when he is lying down and someone he doesn’t trust approaches him. Knowing this, I have been careful to step around him since the beginning, whereas, my friend just stepped over him w/o thinking. Samuel made it known he did not like that. I immediately corrected him and sent him to his room.

It just goes to show you that he can be an angel, like on the plane and at the dog park, but then he can be unpredictable, when something triggers some “bad memory”. On balance, he has been much better behaved than my last two rescues: Foster & Steven. In fact, given that he is already playing with Dalai at the Dog Park, he is already, way beyond Steven, who not only would NOT play with Dalai, he could not get along with the other dogs at the Dog Park and had to be left home when the other two went to the Dog Park almost every day.

 

BTW, Samuel is enrolled in "Agility for Fun" Saturday mornings along with Dalai & Scraps and after two classes has learned to run through tunnels and to do 6" high jumps.  He is also enrolled in a special class called "Connecting w/your dog" which is designed to work on problem areas.  (He still crouches down and backs away when he is offered his food bowl.)

 

And from the President Of Black Dogs Rescue;

Krista 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the help with this poor dog and for all the help your staff has given us..Without you we could not possibly have helped these dogs ( oh and a few cats.....I hope NKH gets up and running again taking cats at least They are great!!!)

 

XOXOXO

 

cindy

A Limping Dog Or A Death Sentence?

This is Pogo.

He was found by my friend Cindy. Cindy was at the county humane shelter clipping matted dogs to try to make them more presentable to potential adopters when Pogo arrived. He was being surrendered by his family because his knee required surgery.

Now I am going to try very hard to not be harsh and judgmental but I have a very hard time thinking that someone would surrender their dog for this. Animals that are brought to the shelter with a problem are most often immediately euthanized. Why? because there are so many perfect pets up for adoption that are never adopted. At a shelter too many requires action to make more space. The broken pets go first.

Pogo was incredibly lucky to have been brought in when Cindy was there. 

Pogo came home with Cindy that day. He came to see me the next.

Sure enough he had a ruptured cruciate ligament. 

This is the same as an anterior cruciate ligament which is one of the more common human sports injuries seen. The cruciate ligaments hold the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (lower leg bone). They live right behind the knee cap. They act as restraining devices so the the bones remain in alignment, but they also allow the knee to bend. They are monumental in providing stability to the knee. When one or both rupture the pet will be lame due to the inability to have a firm landing of the foot due to the excessive motion in the knee joint. The leg will only regain stability with surgery or a brace. 

I see a lot of dogs with ruptured cranial cruciate ligaments (RCCL). BIG DISCLAIMER time: I am NOT a boarded surgeon! If this happened to us we would go to a boarded surgeon and they would discuss our surgical options to fix this. We would not go to our general practitioner and ask them to do it. BUT, a boarded surgeon is more expensive than I am, and unfortunately for many people they cannot afford the expert. When my own dog needed his cruciate repaired he went to a boarded surgeon. When the other vets at my own practice needed their dogs knees fixed they also went to a surgeon. Surgeons are experts, I always recommend clients go to them first and then come back to me only if they cannot or chose not to use a surgeon.

Due to Pogo's recent indigence status, he needed a very affordable option to treat his knee injury.

Pogo was scheduled for surgery with me the next week.

A note on braces. Everyone thinks that they are cheaper, you know avoid the anesthesia and surgery and you automatically think "it's got to be cheaper." In reality it is about $1,000 for a good one, and just like for us they are supposed to be specially fitted to each individual. A brace is usually only recommended when surgery is not an option for a patient. The long term result of a corrective orthopedic surgery is far better than trying to manage a brace forever. (For the record I also feel this way about a cast on a broken bone).

Four days later he began to cough. Diagnosis, kennel cough, likely from being at the shelter. Postpone surgery one week. Treatment plan: lots of rest, monitor for any change in behavior (like lethargy, decreased hunger, or any snottiness from eyes, nose, or worsening of cough, and/or productive coughing). 

One week later his cough worsened. He returned for x-rays.

Diagnosis pneumonia. Postpone surgery another week, change to a stronger antibiotic, fluid therapy. Watch very very closely. If he worsened at all he was to be admitted for i.v. fluids, i.v. antibiotics, and hospitalization.

One week later he was brought in for his surgery. Pre-surgical exam revealed a low red blood cell count, but clinically he was acting normally and feeling much better. Plan: postpone surgery again for another week to give his body more time to recover from his illness.

Pogo was feeling so much better that he refused to sit still for a picture.

Pogo returned yesterday. He was a bright, happy, jumpy, stubborn, opinionated, bossy, perfectly normal Jack Russell. He also had a normal red blood cell count.

He had his knee fixed using a technique that has been around and in use by veterinarians for many years, a Securos extra-capsular lateral fabella technique. There is a very good video of this here from Southpaws Specialty Veterinary Hospital.

Pogo was also neutered.

He is now officially looking for a home!

We wish him a speedy recovery and a happy healthy life in a home to call his own.

If you are interested in him please contact; Black Dogs & Company Rescue

If you have any questions or comments you can find me @Pawbly, or Pawbly.com, or at the clinic Jarrettsville Vet. 

Kane. One of the Lost Boys

 

It takes a village to raise a child. Two-or four-legged the saying still holds true.

At our clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, we have an extended network or people to help the pets that pass through our halls. Sometimes it is a good Samaritan ( just this week a very nice young girl stopped to pick up a large fluffy black dog wandering on the highway and brought him to us. He was microchipped but the information was not up to date so it took us a day to find his family), or a helpful neighbor pet sitting while the family goes on vacation, or the rescues who work tirelessly day after day trying to meet the short comings off humans and subsequent endless needs of a pet overlooked or cast-away by our society.

Some of the rescues we work with are big, well funded, very well organized, and established machines. Others are small fledgling mom and pop operations. But when you boil down all of the differences they are all dedicated passionate people who go above and beyond to help a pet. They are so inspiring that I never say no to them. They remind me everyday that the good always outnumbers the bad and that I am not alone in my attempts to save the animal world. 

To say that we do a great deal of work for them, and to remind you all of it is pro bono, is an understatement and a confirmation to my business partner and husband that he is a saint. 

Not one single veterinarian ever went into veterinary medicine to get rich. I am on the slow train to break even. But I love helping these pets and being surrounded by the same kind of people. 

I posted this blog today because I am counting the days to the end of July, and trying to come to terms with some troublesome hard decisions that I have to face in early August. So, in some pathetic attempt to not poison your eyes and ears with my debacle I decided to post for my friend Cindy.

Cindy heads Black Dogs and Company Rescue, here in Northern Maryland. She has a soft spot for Old English Sheepdogs and a terrible affliction of surfing the web for any dog in absolute dire straits. Every time I see her she has some new story about some new dog that had some horrific story that she couldn't walk away from. She is a magnet for homeless, abandoned, desperate, death row dogs. 

She has walked into our clinic with the worst disease ridden, depressed, lifeless beings and somehow revived their ability to heal and be reborn into a dog again.

Some of these guys have been so severely neglected, abused, or sick that their spirit has left them. They are painful to look at, and don't even have enough strength to be afraid, or elicit any normal response to a new place, person, or procedure. 

But for every sad case that walks in, a new soul is awakened. Do they all survive? No, but the huge majority do. And they not only survive they learn or remember what it is to be loved. That gift is the fuel that keeps every rescuer looking for the next life to re-awaken and reminds us all that a fat bank account isn't the way to a full and happy life.

This is Kane.

He has some grey in his muzzle but the vets think he is around 3, and no older than 5. 

He has been neutered, is up to date on vaccines, has had a heartworm and Lyme test and is on Heartguard for heartworm prevention and Frontline for fleas and ticks. He is microchipped, house broken and he goes in his crate to sleep with door open.

He loves to swim but he doesn't retrieve well. He runs with the ball, knows sit, speak, down, roll over, give me your paw, and give me your other paw.

He isn't used to being around cats and is not sure of small dogs. He also needs to get more comfortable in the car. 

But he is a love and deserves a nice home.

We here at Black Dogs and Company Rescue just don't seem to find him one. 

He is such a nice boy and I was sure someone would be looking for him but no one stepped up, even after we placed signs all over, on facebook, on craigs list and maryland lost dogs.

He seems to have spent time with someone as he is so obedient but no one has ever come forweard to claim him. He was found in Cecil County. We put a found dog report  in for Harford Co. also. 

All  of his vetting was done at Jarrettsville Vet Center. 

We are trying to find him a good home.

Please spread the word and share his pictures.

 

Thank you so much,

 

Cindy

Cindy also sent me some pictures of another other dog looking for a home. I included it in the hopes of our village being able to help one more citizen.

Pepper is a little party poodle. He is very small and a love. He is 8 years old (was a goner at the shelter) and housebroke if you take him out at regular intervals. He does not seem to ask to go out. He would make a wonderful companion to an older couple or person. Cindy.

 

For our part we still have three kittens that I am IN LOVE WITH waiting in the reception area for a home. They too are perfect and have all of their veterinary needs checked off.

Thank-You to all of the people in my world who love animals as much as I do, and thank-you to all of you out there being heroes even if no one else is watching. I know you are there.