Sunday, January 21, 2007

Spa Day!

The weather finally cooperated a little, with daytime temperatures actually above 50, it finally seemed reasonable to give Sparky a bath. We were afraid his thick undercoat just wouldn't dry without Mother Nature's help (plus our trusty blow dryer). He and Luna both had hypoallergenic baths with cream rinse, nail trim and ear cleaning too. Luna supervised as Sparky was brushed and dried, both pictured above with the "tools of torture" (brush, blow dryer, towel, nail clippers, & muzzle). He needs to wear a muzzle for grooming, it seems he doesn't feel like it's necessary to be brushed when he's already so handsome!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

His New Name...

is Sparky! We thought long and hard about a name that would reflect his special spirit, & Sparky won. This is a picture of him out in the backyard, next to one of Melody's "caverns," enjoying the afternoon sun and breeze. He continues to improve daily, taking part in more and more activities with the other dogs, walking and moving slowly but steadily. He's on medication for hypothyroidism now, plus liver support, joint support and Rimadyl as needed. He has quite an assortment of medication, but it's okay, these are his golden years, right?

Monday, January 15, 2007

Buddha On Ice

In San Diego, we certainly can't complain about the weather, our extremes are nothing like those across the country. Our ponds froze over yesterday morning, and Buddha was frozen inside! The goats and the horses patiently waited for the ice to be broken out of their water tanks, and the geese were wondering where the sun was too. 15 & 20 degree temperatures are not letting us live up to our sunny southern California reputation!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Hey Fella, Nice Hat!


The lab results are in for our New Guy, who's still awaiting his new name. His bloodwork was pretty good overall, though his liver has been stressed (which could have been all the medication he was on at the shelter) and his thyroid is a little low, which should probably be supplemented.


He's starting to feel much perkier, Luna & I have been taking him on short walks, and it seems like the more he moves around the better he feels. He's hoping to slim down in time for summer swimwear!

Friday, January 12, 2007

Vet Day!

Today was vet day for some of the sanctuary residents. Our primary care veterinarian, Dr. Booman, came out to see everyone (much easier than asking 12 cats, 2 dogs to ride in the car!)

So much was accomplished in 3 hours ~

~ 7 kitties received their Rabies & FVRCP vaccines. We do vaccinate every 3 years, per the American Association of Feline Practitioners and American Animal Hospital Association's guidelines, those who aren't immune compromised, as so many of our residents come straight from the shelter to us.

~ Melody had the lump on her hip checked. It's a sebaceous cyst, which isn't a medical problem, just a cosmetic one. We'll watch it & remove it if needed.

~ Poppy had a steroid injection, since his IBD is beginning to flare again. I'm not able to find a can or dry cat food that meets his basic beef/potato requirements, so it looks like I'm home cookin' for him for quite a while! (And maybe he needs to quit getting into the trash can!)

~ Ballou had a urinalysis done as part of his exam. He has a low-grade kidney infection, so he's on antibiotics for the next couple of weeks.

~ Austin's exam revealed that he's not 5 - 6 years old as the rescue group was told. The iris atrophy in both eyes is consistent with a cat over 10 years old!

~ Pepper was told she'll need a dental unless she lets me brush her teeth. I'm hoping she agrees, since she doesn't need to floss.

~ The "New Guy" had an exam and bloodwork done. His ears have chronic infections, which will need medication for at least a month. He was treated for tapeworms & fleas; I'm hoping his chronic skin problems are tied into the fleas & will heal over time. His dental tartar isn't bad enough to warrant a dental at this point - I'll start brushing his teeth too. The changes in his eyes put him well over 10 years old, more like 13-14; his elbows, shoulders, hips and hocks are all arthritic. He's started Adequan injections, a medication to increase synovial joint fluid. It will take at least 4 weeks to see any improvement. He was a very brave boy, he even let us trim his toenails, which should help him walk better too. His weight loss program for now will be increased exercise (he follows the other dogs everywhere) and a good quality food (Natural Balance). We'll give him at least a month to see if he's dropped weight before initiating more drastic changes like prescription diet food.

Looking at it all in writing, no wonder everyone wants to go to bed early tonight, including me!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

A Second Chance...

Really came to this handsome elder gentleman. The kind folks at the SD South County Animal Shelter plus the hard work of Penny Adams at the Foundation for the Care of Indigent Animals saved his life today.

Known as "Scooter" at the shelter (a new name's coming his way), this old-timer started 2007 off with tragedy in his life. He and his previous animal family found themselves in the shelter after their owner committed suicide. Scooter's huge list of medical problems unfortunately ranked him high on the euthanasia list, low on the adoptability list. His time was up, but Penny pleaded for an extra day; late last night she & I talked, and I agreed to go down to the shelter to meet him this afternoon.

So stiff he could barely get up, he greeted me with a half-hearted tail wag. His ears were oily due to the ear medication he's receiving, his eyes are cloudy, his teeth have some tartar, he's grossly overweight (a whopping 98lbs.!), and he has pressure sores on his hindquarters and his elbows. He also needs assistance getting up due to severe arthritis. How could I say no? If there was ever anyone who deserves a soft bed at the sanctuary....

He enjoyed a meal tonight of Natural Balance canned chicken, as he has difficulty chewing kibble. Introductions with the other dogs went very well, and he's learning about life indoors. It's 7:30pm, and he's already crawled into a bed for the night! He'll have an exam and blood work done on Friday with our veterinarian Dr. Booman, and we'll post the results here.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you and your family a festive but safe New Year!
We look forward to sharing more stories about the sanctuary animals in 2007!