Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A holiday request for two very special boys...

Meet Kanga and Roo...these sweet boys are looking for some special assistance this holiday season.  They are between 9 months and 1 year old, both are blind, Kanga has a slight disability with his front paws and Roo is missing most of his front legs.  But please don’t feel sorry for these pups – they don’t let their disabilities slow them down one bit!



They are playful, affectionate Goldens who don’t realize they aren’t quite like other dogs.  Their wishes for the holiday are to find a foster home and Roo would love to get a wheelchair or cart to help him get around better.  If you’d like to provide a temporary home for these guys please contact Sandy at diamondawgs@gmail.com.  If you’d like to make a donation towards Roo’s wheels and their care please use the button below.



Additional videos: 1 | 2






Monday, November 21, 2011

Margaux adopted!

Today was a very happy day for Margaux and her new parents. She has been adopted and is doing great in her recovery and healing. She's a happy, friendly girl that will have a great life. Thank you everyone for all your help and interest in her hospitalization, surgery and recovery.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Margaux doing well with water therapy

Margaux is doing so well in her water therapy. She's a true water dog and just loves retrieving her rubber chicken. They are working on the leg extension now and soon she will be ready to be put up for adoption. Thanks to The Total Dog Canine Swim and Fitness facility, she is receiving wonderful help with her water therapy. She goes there twice a week and as you can see from this video she is enjoying it. She will soon be ready for adoption. We have one more review in 2 weeks to make sure the bones are healed well. Then she will be on the Available Page. Thanks for caring and checking in to see how she is progressing in her rehab.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Update on Margaux's rehab

Today Margaux went for her second water therapy and is doing very good. We are all so proud of her and she is healing quite well. As soon as she is cleared for adoption, I will post and then start looking for her forever home.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Margaux in water therapy

Today was a special day for Margaux. She started her water therapy and did wonderfully. This girl is a swimmer and will soon be ready to be put on the adoption page as available for adoption to a home that will care for her and love her.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Margaux ready for rehab

Margaux is doing terrific and will be starting her water therapy this week. She has been going for walks with our volunteers and is such a happy, well-mannered girl. As you can see she is ready for rehab. She will then be ready for adoption.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Margaux update

Marguax is doing great after her surgery.  As you can see from this video she is now ready for her rehab part and then on to being made available for adoption.  She is still in search of a foster home.  Marguax is  great with other dogs, cats and loves everyone.  Rehab begins with water therapy the first week of October.  Thanks for caring about this little girl and continuing to follow her Shamrock updates.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mariel ready for adoption

Mariel is doing well in her recovery and as you can see she is now doing some water therapy at her foster home.   She's a great girl, loves other dogs and everyone she meets.   She will now be placed put on the available dog site. Thank you everyone for your support and for caring about both Mariel and her sister Margaux during their surgery and recovery.


Margaux 3 weeks post-op

Margaux, is now 3 weeks from her surgery and doing wonderful. She has had her stitches removed and, as you can see on this video, walking well without any assistance. She is an active, happy girl and still currently looking for a foster home to help her totally recover and do her rehab exercises. After this is completed, she will be available for adoption.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Margaux needs a foster home

Today I went to visit Margaux and this little girl has grown up before my eyes. She is such a beautiful girl and it's hard to keep her quiet to heal properly. She is doing wonderfully and the stitches have been removed from her surgery. She still has to be kept confined and has limited walks. I took her for a nice walk today and she did very well, sniffing at everything all along the way. She's a happy, spirited, friendly girl and will make a nice companion when she is available for adoption. Currently she is still looking for a foster home to get her thru her recuperation and start her rehab. Her muscle tone is excellent and she has had very little down time.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Margaux update

Today I went to see Margaux and take some photos after her surgery. She had the TPO surgery this past Tuesday, August 30, and is doing well. She is being restricted and when I went in they were applying cold compresses to reduce the swelling. A TPO surgery breaks the pelvis in several places and with the assistance of a plate, the surgeon is able to form a hip socket to help with her walking. I reviewed the x-rays and she looks so much better on them. Now will she be a dog that goes running and jogging, I don't think so because of her hips but she certainly will be able to go for a nice walk, play around and enjoy life with none of the pain she had previously. She will still require restricted movement and crate rest for some time now. They will recheck her xrays in several weeks to see how the bone is healing. After it has healed well and is strong again, then she will able to start her rehab to build up the muscles.

Thank you for caring. Both girls, Mariel and Margaux, are healing well and Mariel is in a foster home currently. We are still looking for a foster home to help Margaux when she is ready to leave the vet's office.



Sunday, August 28, 2011

Olive adopted!

Congratulations to Olive, who has found her forever home with the Dauber family.

Little Olive came to us last October as one of the Parvo puppies. Thankfully she never contracted the disease like some of her siblings! She found a new home and was placed as a foster until she could be spayed. While she was waiting for her surgery her dad started to notice she seemed to be having trouble seeing. As the problem got worse, we brought her to an eye specialist for an exam and it was discovered she had bilateal cataracts. The eye doc felt she had a good chance of being able to see with cataract surgery which would be done when she was older, and her dad said he would be able to do this for her. She then developed some intestinal difficulties which delayed her spay surgery. Then, we were notified by her dad that he was very ill and wasn't going to be able to care for her any longer. So Olive came back to us. We got her spayed, and then decided we needed to go ahead with her eye surgery. And once she had her surgery, the change was immediate - Olive could see! It's been a long road for this little girl, but she's been a trooper through the whole thing!

The Daubers have a senior golden named Rosie, and they wanted to find a companion for Rosie and a more active pup for their son Gregory to play with. They had everything Olive was looking for - kids, someone home during the day, a doggy friend and lots of activity. And a big plus is that they live near her eye doctor so she can have continuity in her follow up care. And of course this little girl with a huge personality turned on her charm to 100 watts when she met the Daubers. She is doing great, and they are in love with her, although they are asking if there is a way to stop her from jumping up on the bed to wake them up at 5:30am. She and Rosie are getting along and playing and training lessons have been started. She learned to use the doggy door and is also providing great entertainment to the family. They had left the water on to soak near a tree, which ended up creating a mud puddle. The little imp found it and came running into the house with mud up to her elbows, all over her muzzle and ears. We laughed that they will never be bored with her! They have decided to keep the name her first dad gave her, which is Bootsy.

Olive thanks Denise B. for bringing her in to rescue, and to the team who helped her through her first major medical problems with exposure to Parvo. She thanks Eva for picking her up from her former foster dad when he could no longer keep her. She thanks Kriss and her family for fostering her through her spay and her eye surgery, carting her around to vet appointments, giving lots of pills and eye drops and over all just taking such great care of her. She thanks Joan and Ed for doing the home visit for her new family. And she thanks the placement team and PA Eva for matching her up with her new perfect family.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Mariel doing well after surgery

I went to visit little Mariel this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find this happy comfortable little girl. I had expected to have to use a sling with her walking but she did remarkably well on her walks both in grass and on the sidewalk. She will be going to a foster home tomorrow to heal and then return to the vets for her stitches to be removed 10-12 days after surgery. Then her rehab will start. We will assess her to see if another surgery is needed on the other hip in the future. She is a happy little girl now and ready to leave the vets offices. Thanks for all your support and for caring.



Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Mariel after surgery

I spoke to the surgeon last night and he said our little girl came thru the surgery quite well. They were going to get her up as soon as she came out of the anesthetic. I called again late this afternoon and spoke to one of the vet techs who sent me this photo of Mariel after she had had her surgery. She is looking quite sad but they told me she was doing very well and had been outside several times today. Currently she will be ready to come to her foster home this weekend to recuperate and when the stitches are removed start her rehabilitation. Thanks for all your support and for caring about this wonderful, sweet, little girl. She is just a pup and deserves a chance at a happy, healthy life.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Mariel on her way for her surgery

Mariel is on her way today for her surgery which is scheduled tomorrow, August 16. I'll update as soon as I've talked to the doctor tomorrow evening.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Margaux & Mariel update

They have been doing well but definitely need surgical help. Mariel “bunny hops” around in her play time and Margaux will cry when her hip hurts her. It’s time to help them. We have surgical dates set for both girls.  Mariel is scheduled for FHO (femoral head ostectomy) surgery this coming Tuesday and Margaux is schedule for TPO (triple pelvic osteotomy) surgery on August 30.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sisters enter rescue with hip problems

Margaux is a 6 month little girl who came to us along with her sister, Mariel, in need of hip surgery. As you can see, they are both beautiful, and are happy little girls, love other dogs and just fun to be with. We are currently evaluating options for treatment and estimates. We'll update the site as information becomes available.


Friday, July 29, 2011

Larry The Lion King available for adoption

I went to visit with Larry yesterday at his foster home. He has turned into a magnificent boy now that his hair is growing back. This boy is such a sweet, mellow, happy boy. He is doing great now and ready for his forever home.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Olive gets cataract surgery!

Olive's cataract surgeries were successful. She is recovering extremely well. A little hiccup in surgery though. Both her eyes were to be done at the same time but because of the "stickiness" of her cataract, the first eye took longer than anticipated. Dr. Farhrar, at the Eye Care for Animals Center in Culver City, also felt that with a different surgical tool, the operation on the other eye would be faster and easier. So, Olive had one eye completed with the second eye done the next week, after the doctor received the new instrument. This added a week longer for recovery but Olive was a trouper. Everyone, and I mean everyone, loves this girl at the surgical center. No one could believe that she is only 10 months old. She was so well behaved and loving. They never even crated her, they just tethered her to whoever was near and she hung out with them until her foster mother could pick her up. She was behind the desk in the reception area when she was ready to go home.

During recovery she endured three different eye drops, three times a day along with three different oral medications twice a day. When it was time to administer the drops, her foster mom would show her the drops and ask her to lie down, which she promptly complied. We are now down to one drop twice a day and no oral medication.

Olive now does not hesitate when out walking, no bumping her nose into curbs, cabinets or doors. She is still the very sweet and loving pup but with the added quality of looking more directly at you when called. Our next step will be getting rid of the cone around her neck so she can stop getting stuck between chairs and couches.

Before surgery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Ewi6uYlyg
Going to the eye clinic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEfYUvQRxck
After first surgery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2rKlH1d2ew





Tuesday, July 12, 2011

No surgery needed for O'Riley!

O'Riley is doing great and is ready to find his forever home. After a few weeks of immobilization and then limited activity for another few weeks, O'Riley's hip has healed and he won't need surgery. He's very happy to hear this, and he's also happy to be able to go on long walks and even some short jogs.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adopt Kaplan!

Kaplan is doing great! His fur is growing back in and he's looking much more like a dog - maybe not as Golden as we initially thought, but adorable none-the-less. Our vet (his namesake is Dr Kaplan) is really pleased with his progress. He's got a great personality and loves, loves, loves to play. Kappy has another week or so on his medication and then he'll be ready to be neutered and adopted.



Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Congratulations to Madeleine!

Maddy came to us from a family who were backyard breeders. At age 6-1/2 weeks Maddy had tried to climb a fence and broke her leg. The leg wasn't set properly which caused her thigh muscles to contract and not allow her to bend her knee. By 4 months old they weren't having any luck in selling her, so called us. Her leg didn't slow her down one bit, but as she grew we knew it would become more of a problem. After several evaluations it was determined that amputation was going to give Maddy the best outcome. Trying to save the leg would have entailed several surgeries, lots of rehab therapy and a low likelihood that her leg would ever be normal. Within a couple of days of her leg being removed, Maddy didn't even miss it. She runs and play with Sherman and Lulu and nothing stops this little pistol. Joan and Ed nursed her through her recovery and every day she wiggled her way more and more into their hearts. She recently was spayed and ready to be adopted - to Joan and Ed! Maddy and Lulu (formerly Rita's Lulu and first foster failure) play constantly, and Sherman loves it because they then leave him alone.

Maddy is so grateful to GRCGLA Rescue for giving her a new life. And she owes so much of it to her foster parents, and all the time and love they put into getting her well. She can't imagine a better life or a more perfect family.

Welcome home Maddy!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Kaplan is ready to find his forever home!

Kaplan is doing great! He's about 4 months old now. He has two weeks left of his medication and most of his fur should be growing back within the next month. He is a happy, spunky boy with tons of energy. He loves everyone and is fearless around his foster brothers and sisters. He's doing great on his house training too! He loves going on walks and can keep up with the rest of the family.


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Larry heads to foster home

Larry said goodbye to the staff at Santa Margarita Animal Care Center and happily went off to his foster home. He has healed very well, hair is growing back and soon he will be the gorgeous boy that he should have been when he came into rescue. Thank you to everyone who has been watching his progress and for caring. Look for him on the available dogs soon.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Larry The Lion King lookin' good

I went to visit with Larry this morning and he's doing great. He now can go out without any sling and actually walked around the block with me at a trot. He doesn't act like anything happened but of course, something did. He's eating and drinking great and recovering so much better than hoped for.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Larry The Lion King update after surgery

This morning we were met by a pleasant surprise - there was Larry, tail wagging and ready for his walk. He is doing so well after surgery which is amazing after seeing the large mass that was removed. It weighed 2.25 pounds. He came thru surgery wonderfully and will spend some days recovering and then on to his foster home for recuperation. He will then be looking for his forever home so keep posted. He's a wonderful, calm, quiet, tail wagging, happy boy, just looking for love. Oh dear, is that a song. As you can see from the photos, he now has a drain in to take care of any built up fluids. That will remain for 4-5 days and then be removed. I didn't count the staples but, as you can see, he has many. Give him a couple weeks and they will be gone. Then the hair will cover that area, and he's be his handsome self again.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Relocating O'Riley...and his hip

O'Riley came to us from the East Valley shelter where he had been found as a stray. He wasn't bearing weight on his left rear leg, so no one adopetd him. We picked him up and the vet quickly diagnosed a luxated (dislocated) hip. We don't know if he was hit by a car or if this happened some other way. The vet was able to get the hip back in its socket and it is now immobilized for the next 14 days. We are hoping this works, but if it doesn't, he will need to undergo hip surgery.


Kaplan video pupdate

Friday, May 27, 2011

Puppy found in shelter with strangles

Little Kaplan just joined us from a Los Angeles County shelter. He has a rare case of 'puppy strangles'. With a little medicine and a lot of love, he should recover and go on to live a normal life.

Puppy strangles is a classical disease though fortunately not a very common one. It comes up suddenly manifesting as marked swelling of the muzzle, eyelids, and face in a puppy between the ages of 3 weeks and four months of age. The owner may be inclined to think the puppy was bitten by a stinging insect or a spider.

Soon, the lymph nodes of the throat become spectacularly enlarged giving the puppy the appearance of having the mumps. It doesn’t take long for the swelling to give way to pimples which rupture, bleed, and crust. The inner surface of the ear flaps are commonly involved as well and occasionally lesions in other body areas occur. Lesions are painful more than they are itchy.

Fever, joint swelling, and loss of appetite occur in approximately 25% of patients. If treatment is delayed, permanent hair loss can result in the most severely affected areas. If the puppy is sick enough, the condition can be life-threatening.

Predisposed breeds include: the Golden Retriever, Dachshund, and Gordon Setter.

Despite the extreme inflammation and secondary infections the heart of treatment for this condition is immune-suppression. High doses of corticosteroids such as prednisone are needed as this condition appears to be an immune-mediated disease. In other words, the immune system of the puppy is acting excessively and inappropriately and it must be subdued. Antibiotics may be needed for the secondary infections but antibiotics alone will not treat this condition. Once suppression of the overly active immune system occurs, improvement is usually rapid.


Courtesy of Mar Vista Animal Medical Center




Sunday, May 22, 2011

Larry The Lion King update

As you can see Larry's hair is starting to grow back and we have all fallen in love with this sweet, gentle, quiet boy.   He is such a great dog. The nasal drainage has stopped but there is still that lingering cough occasionally. He enjoys his walks and time out with the volunteers who lovingly come to visit with him. Stay posted for his progress.



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Stinky Larry becomes The Lion King

Larry arrived from a local shelter this afternoon and you could smell him before you met him. He was covered in mats that were fixed to his skin and then coated with some kind of black oil. His skin was red and sore and the smell filled the veterinary clinic that was treating him. The vet did an initial exam and noted the large mass on his hip and then they proceeded to try to clean him up. That was impossible so out came the shaver and all the fur, except what you see, came off in a sheet. Then off to be bathed and it's amazing that while his skin was red and inflamed it quieted right down once he was clean. We now affectionately call him Larry The Lion King. He originally was estimated at the shelter to be 10 years old but upon examination and the condition of his teeth he is closer to 8-9, has no trouble walking, in fact walks at a very brisk pace. His major issue is the large mass. Tests were performed which came back inconclusive and a lot of infection in the mass. Unfortunately, he came down with kennel cough before any surgery could be planned. He is now being treated for that and in isolation until he recovers. Fortunately, his lungs are clear and he still has a good appetite and energy.