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

Kaplan update!

He's already doing better! He's still got a long ways to go, but we are on the right track.

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

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.

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.

Video of Anabelle (needs surgery to correct 'cherry eye')

Anabelle needs surgery to correct 'cherry eye'

Anabelle is a 10-week-old girl who has canine nictitans gland prolapse, or "cherry eye." She needs surgery as soon as possible to correct this. Although this is not a life-threatening condition, not getting it fixed can cause life long problems with dry eyes.

Video of Olive (in need of surgery to remove cataracts)

Olive needs surgery to remove cataracts

Olive is a 10-month-old girl who has been with us since last year - she is one of the Parvo puppies.  She has bilateral cataracts and can only see shadows right now.  The doggy eye doctors feel she has a good chance of recovering her vision if we remove the cataracts while she is still young.