A Very Busy Week (Or Two!)

It's been pretty busy here lately, so here's one large blog to give you an update to everything!
~ April 28 we welcomed MeiLi, an elderly Siamese from New Beginnings for Animals in Orange County, here into her own room at the sanctuary.

~ My dad has been out to visit and help with projects. He brought his 3 young adult Labs with him; they enjoyed a vacation filled with digging in the dirt and wrestling, while dad's mechanic and construction skills were put to good use! Thanks dad!

~ May 1st was Scooter's 1 year birthday. Happy birthday little one!

~ Yesterday brought exams at the internist for Leonard and MeiLi. Leonard's heart is responding to his medication, so he'll stay at his current dose and have a recheck in 3 months. MeiLi also had an exam. She came to us with a lung cancer diagnosis, so we asked Dr. Slusser to review her records; he wanted to test her for Cryptococcus, a fungal infection to rule it out too.

~ Today we received MeiLi's blood results, which were negative. She's scheduled to have anesthesia next Thursday to have fine needle aspirates and cytology done.

~ Today Luna had an exam and urinalysis. She's started losing bladder control while lying down. She doesn't have a bladder infection, but does have at least 3 vertebrae along her spine which are causing discomfort. She'll have an x-ray next week to see if these are arthritic changes or something more serious. In the meantime, she's taking Rimadyl as an anti-inflammatory medication.

~ Friday through Sunday brings the wonderful opportunity to attend a Level 2 Healing Touch for Animals course in Tucson. This leaves the sanctuary critters in Steve's capable hands. Next week I will have pictures of MeiLi, the Tucson course, and more from the sanctuary!

Leonard Gets His Results

Leonard returned from his cardiac ultrasound appointment today with a diagnosis and some medication! He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. His heart has to work harder than it used to; there is no cure, but the condition can be managed with medications designed to help ease the heart's workload. Leonard is starting a medication called Atenolol, which is a beta blocker (just like humans with heart disease!)
Dr. Slusser will be rechecking him every 2 weeks until we get his medication adjusted correctly. It's a good thing Leonard doesn't mind car rides!

Leonard Gets A Check-Up

Today, Leonard saw Dr. Booman for a routine senior check-up (though he doesn't consider himself a senior). He thinks he's just "Sweet 16". He's lost a little weight and he'll need to have his teeth brushed too as he has some gingivitis. His heart rate was slightly elevated even when he was relaxed, plus he had a murmur which was new. So, we decided to run some lab work that includes a thyroid level too. As wonderful as he is, he kept his good nature even during the blood draw, purring the entire time!

Older cats are prone to a couple of disease processes that have an elevated heart rate as one of the symptoms. Hyperthyroidism is very common, as is primary heart disease; the murmur can be a symptom or can be as a result of an elevated heart rate. He has an appointment next Friday with our internist Dr. Slusser for a cardiac ultrasound.

We're hoping for a condition that can be controlled with medication. As you can see in the photo above, he just doesn't have time for much more than that, it would cramp his style! When we got home, he really wanted to patrol the yard and make sure everything was okay, but had to settle for checking all the beds and food bowls inside as it was raining (and rather hard too!) If all goes well and his health is good, we will continue working with him on his pet therapy certification.

Shop, Shop, Shop!

You can now help support the animals and spread the word about the sanctuary with our Golden Hearts gear!

CafePress both produces the items and handles the ordering, payment and shipping process. There's no cost to us, and, for every item sold, the sanctuary makes about $2.

You can find:
~T-shirts
~Sweatshirts
~Dog t-shirts
~Teddy bears
~Tote bags
~Coffee mugs
~and more to come!

Here's the link:
http://www.cafepress.com/ghas

A New Name!

Well finally, we have a new name for the new guy. Thank you for all of your suggestions! We've decided to call him "Bob". He answers with a hearty "baaa" when we're outside and say "Where's Bob?" He's pictured above on a walk stopping to munch on some weeds. He walks on a lead better than many dogs!

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....

Jim Leaves Us...

The "Head Kitty in Charge of All Things Feline" passed away last night. Though he had lost quite a bit of weight during his battle with intestinal lymphoma, he continued to eat pretty well and still spent his days watching "his boys" (Rocky and HotRod) play in the yard. On Saturday, he was even outside taking a dirt bath.

Sunday found him spending his entire day inside at the top of the cat tree, still purring but only licking at the Fancy Feast juice. That night, I gave him the usual medications and some subcutaneous fluids, as I had been doing daily to keep him hydrated. In my heart I knew that he was nearing the final hours of his time here with us, so he and I used HTA (Healing Touch For Animals) and flower essences from Shining Spirits to keep him comfortable. He passed away surrounded by our love and in his favorite place, with his friends. I wouldn't have it any other way for him....

Super-Duper Scooter Neuter!

Today was the big surgery day for Scooter ~ known around here as the "Super-Duper Scooter Neuter" Day (try saying that 3 times fast!) Scooter is finally 6lbs and as healthy as he can be. He only had one testicle drop like it was supposed to, and the other one is up in his abdomen. We waited a long time to see if the second one would also drop, so he could have a normal surgery, but it wasn't to be. In the perfect world, he would have an abdominal exploratory to locate the second one, but concerns about his anesthesia tolerance dictate that's not to be. We have to wait and see for sure if the remaining one is producing hormones, but for now, we're willing to take that chance when the alternative could have serious consequences.

Tonight, Scooter's running laps through the house like nothing ever happened, though he is careful not to jump up on anything. I'm sure that with some extra treats, he will heal in no time!

Eye Surgery For Luna

Luna had minor surgery today to remove a tumor on her eyelid. She had one in the past which was removed from the same location ~ her left upper eyelid. They're benign growths, but annoying, because once there's one, more seem to follow. This particular growth really bothered her ~ she's rubbed the hair out around that eye entirely. The change in her body condition over the last few months allowed the eyelid to roll in, so it and the growth rubbed on her eye itself. She had immediate relief as it was removed under a local anesthetic.

I'm happy to report that she's doing great in spite of having to wear an Elizabethan collar for a couple of days so she leaves it alone. I'm not sure that she absolutely hates the collar, as it makes it easier for her to carry several toys at once ~ she uses it as a big scoop!

Morning Conference

I couldn't resist the opportunity to share a rare moment when both Aussie staff members are quietly hanging out together. Maverick (in the foreground) and Buddy help keep things running here ~ they're in charge of the dogs (Fidelity's in charge of cats). They make sure daily exercise, including wrestling matches are carried out, and team up to make sure meals are fed in a timely manner. Buddy has been training Maverick to uphold his high standards, as he's slowed down considerably these days. Maverick has so much energy, I hope Buddy encourages him to switch to decaf so I can keep up with him!

Thinking "Outside the Box"...

Can be a daily occurance when dealing with special needs animals. Creativity is always helpful when deciding many things. There's everything from the "how best to move an 80lb. dog with back trouble" situation, to the "I think the cat ate the bedsheet" situation.

Today brought the need for creative thinking for Marci. She seemed to be having more difficulty breathing than ususal. We're always watching her, looking for distress that signals an emergency, but today's episode wasn't critical, just different. Our daily routine includes twice daily litter box cleaning, and I noticed in the afternoon the box was empty. As I started thinking about her and her condition, many of her organs (including her colon) are sitting in her chest. If her colon's a little full, there's that much less room for her lungs to expand.

So what's our remedy for breathing difficulty for Marci? Adding more canned pumpkin (for fiber) and a drug called Lactulose to her diet. It draws moisture into the stool so it's softer and easier to pass. I'm happy to report that a few doses of Lactulose remedied the situation, and Marci is back to her old self. She will remain on it life-long, along with Scooter, so everything continues to work well.

The Verdict Is In

Luna's lab work is all finally back. The titer that checks for Myasthenia Gravis was negative (we decided it's good to double-check). Her CBC showed that she's anemic and her chemistry panel shows she's hypothyroid.

Hypothyroidism in dogs can cause many symptoms ranging from weight gain and sluggishness to poor hair coat to, in some cases, anemia.

After consulting with both our regular vet Dr. Booman and our internist Dr. Slusser, Luna will be starting on Soloxine, a thyroid medication, then we'll recheck her blood values in a couple of weeks to see if they've improved. Lucky girl, pills mean extra treats!