Sunday, August 28, 2005

The Dog Days Of Summer...

Our dogs are wondering where that phrase came from, as the temperatures over the last few days are well over 100 degrees which cool off to a balmy 85 at night! Our older cats have been receiving daily subcutaneous fluids to help them stay well hydrated, as they often don't drink enough to compensate for the warm temperatures. The dogs down ice cubes to stay cool and stretch out for long naps ~ they're thinking that these are the hot dog days of summer (and the cats aren't surprised that dogs are to blame!)

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Buddy's Home!


Buddy's home and recovering now. He has to stay in a sling for at least 3 weeks while his hip heals, and in Buddy's opinion, that's an eternity. Just 19 days left to go, and I'm sure he's counting every minute! He will have weekly rechecks to make sure that everything stays in place and that he's healing well.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Buddy Gets A Vacation


The sanctuary has both two- and four-legged staff members who work with the animals. Buddy, one of our retired search & rescue dogs, now spends his retirement days teaching newcomers the daily routine. At 14 3/4 years old himself (we hate to say 15 - he's not quite there!) even he is dealing with the trials and tribulations of aging. He fell and dislocated his hip Sunday afternoon. Today was surgery day, and we opted to put it back in its socket and bandage it in place without open surgery. He suffers from degenerative myelopathy, which complicates recovery especially when coupled with his age. He's resting comfortably tonight, and will be coming home to recover tomorrow, with a well-earned vacation waiting for him!

Friday, August 19, 2005

Great News For Melody!







Melody had a great visit at our Internist today - her mammary cancer has not spread, so at this point, she has a good chance for quality retirement years once the tumors are removed. As soon as her skin has healed, we'll be scheduling her surgery ~ it shouldn't be too long, as she's looking much better now. The current recommendation is to spay her and remove all tumors on both sides of her mammary glands at the same time. In the meantime, she's decided the meals are pretty good here, and the other dogs make great wrestling partners!

Saturday, August 13, 2005

There's A New Goldie In Town!

A beautiful Golden Retriever has come to live with us at the sanctuary today. "Melody" came from a shelter north of us. She's been described best as looking like an opossum right now. She suffered from such a heavy flea load that her back, legs, belly and tail are hairless. She appears to have been a breeding animal, and as many over bred dogs, has several mammary tumors.
The worst part of the situation ~ the folks at the shelter felt that the people who turned her in as a "stray" were actually her owners based on her behavior when they left her behind. As a result, we're trying to help her overcome her separation anxiety when we leave, as well as the aggressive behavior she exhibits toward the other dogs. We're hoping that with time, love, and the assistance of flower essences, she'll work through it.
She'll be receiving medicated baths every other day and antibiotics for her skin. She's also severely underweight, at a whopping 43lbs, she should be around 55lbs.; she now has great meals and plenty of treats in her future. She'll be seeing our Internist next week to make sure that her mammary cancer hasn't spread to any other organs, and confirm that she's a good candidate for surgery to spay her and remove them. We'll keep you posted and add pictures soon!

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Scooter Gets A Buddy!


We were contacted in mid-July by a shelter in Kentucky who had a stray kitten with Manx syndrome. They were concerned he was first on the euthanasia list due to his handicap; his sister was normal and stood a good chance of finding a home. We said “sure” he was welcome to come live at the sanctuary. With the help of incredible volunteers (including my Dad!) Shiloh traveled by car, logging over 2,000 miles on his adventure. He's touched many hearts already in his young life, and has quickly become Scooter's best buddy. Please read more about Shiloh's adventure here.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Welcome!



Welcome to our journal!
We hope to give you a glimpse into the daily happenings here at the sanctuary. Please check in often!