Seeking Sanctuary

We receive several requests weekly from people looking for help with animal situations, that is, until yesterday...

Our dogs began the "something is going on, you better get out here" bark yesterday afternoon. I made it outside in time to witness a dog push his way in at the front gate and trot up the driveway to the house. A beautiful male yellow Lab/Greyhound mix greeted me. I guess he'd heard rumors about the great toys and fine cuisine!

He and I walked our neighborhood, drove our neighborhood, and then posted "Found" signs. He had incredibly good leash manners, but was camera shy, so I didn't get a picture of him, doggone it! He had a hearty meal, then snuggled down on a comfy orthopedic bed with blankets for the night. We resumed our search for his family this morning.

The lesson here ~ microchipping works! The wonderful folks at TriCity Veterinary Clinic scanned him this afternoon and we found a chip that was registered with San Diego County Animal Services. So, after a little detective work, his family was found! It turns out that "Diego" walked over a mile before he decided to stop at our place, and he's wandered before.

A large part of what our organization does is educate the public about pet care, so here was a wonderful opportunity. Diego's reunion with his mom was the chance to offer ideas in keeping him home, reinforce the need for a collar and ID, and suggest registering the microchip. It was wonderful to see a very happy dog on his way home to his 4- and 6-year old kids!

The Downtown Kid

There's a new kid at the sanctuary, from downtown (L.A. that is!) He came from the LA county shelter in Carson. In the photo above, he's getting his first peek at his new home. I'm pretty sure there aren't many goats (or pastures) in the city limits, so the sanctuary was quite a surprise for him!

The information about him is scarce, we only know he was impounded. Our best guess is he was going to be the guest of honor at someone's upcoming Easter meal ~ agh! He's very well-socialized with people (and dogs) much more so than goats, and walks on a lead too. He may have lived tied out in someone's yard or in close quarters with people ~ only he knows for sure!

After he's neutered, we will introduce him to Billie and Violet. He's pretty handsome, so hopefully it will be love at first sight! And then, there's the hard part ~ any ideas for a name?

Quincy

I awoke to a big surprise this morning. Quincy, who is one of our 4-legged sanctuary staff members, suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself. He has been maintained very well on medication for the last year.

His disease is now flaring again, causing the inability to move his neck, or open his mouth more than the width of my finger. At least there's one bright side for Quincy ~ he gets canned food, and gets to be my velcro dog, with me at all times until he's feeling better. The down side ~ large doses of Prednisone and Chinese herbs, and more blood work.

Poor guy, what a way to welcome spring!

It's Never Easy To Say Goodbye...

But we had to once again today. Our wonderful Aussie, Buddy, lost his 3 year long battle with Degenerative Myelopathy. He was not only the caretaker of all incoming sanctuary residents, but also had a long career as a search and rescue dog, and introduced me to his dad! His charming personality and smile touched everyone he met. His stubborn streak, while helpful in search and rescue, would often drive us nuts when he was at home. He was a gentle, kind, wonderful boy and we will all miss him....

Phoenix

Sometimes the best intentions can still lead to trouble. Phoenix and her red raw skin have improved tremendously while eating her hypoallergenic rabbit and rice diet. But, having been on it for 2 months now, we were hoping to see her scratching stop. It's decreased, but still a large part of her daily routine, so we made the decision to change her diet to a different protein/carbohydrate source to see if that woud indeed solve the problem. A teaspoon of the new diet, duck/green pea, caused this poor sensitive girl 2 days of vomiting and diarrhea, and even more scratching! Agh!

The other kitties are not feeling too badly for her, after all, now they get to eat a new flavor of canned cat food! Phoenix is staying on rabbit/rice, with no more diet changes, however slight. Scratching aside, she's looking quite gorgeous these days ~ she'll be ready for her summer bikini in no time!

Just Another Day

One thing is for sure ~ most days are never dull around here! Scooter has added more to his daily diet regime. He had a rectal prolapse this afternoon, a big problem for a little guy! With some time and patience, we were able to correct the situation and he was on about his day! He'll have to stay on canned pumpkin, lactulose, and add laxatone too to keep everything moving through like it's supposed to.

Melody didn't want Scooter to be the only one needing extra attention. As she won't say what happened, I'm left to speculate. Somehow, probably in one of her many wrestling matches, she received quite an abrasion on one of her remaining mammary glands (ouch!). It's a raw, open sore that makes me cringe ~ but she was very accepting of the need to clip and clean around it, then apply antibiotic ointment. She will be sporting a t-shirt for a couple of days so she leaves it alone.

It's truly never boring!

Sun Bath, Quick!

Rocky decided to duck out between clouds today and take a quick sun bath. He, as do many of us southern Californians, worship the sun, and can't stand when it's gone for a couple of hours, let alone during an actual rainstorm! We'll all be very content when the rain has passed and we can once again enjoy bright sunny days!

It's (Not) Lonely At The Top!

This is the scene I found when I went out to feed the Cabana Kitties this morning. I ran back to get the camera, so on my return trip, Leonard thought he needed to get down to visit. He and Hot Rod were sleeping together in what is considered the best spot in the house. It has a view of everything ~ the doors, the food bowls. Who could ask for anything better (except a larger bed)?

Rainy Day Schedule

We've had a pretty dry winter so far this year, and all of the animals have been quite pleased! When actual rain clouds settled in over us, we knew "rainy day schedule" must be instituted, so kitties and dogs alike spend the day indoors ~ not nearly as fun as outside can be!

There is a series of storms that are finally reaching San Diego county, making the feeding and cleaning chores more difficult for me, and adding to the boredom of several restless animals. I wonder if any of them would be interested in watching Scooby Doo movies to pass the time....