Kanga adopted!

I am so very happy to say CONGRATULATIONS to Kanga, who has found his forever home with John and Gracie of Los Angeles.

As you know, Kanga came in with Roo last December. They had been found in a field/park near the Long Beach animal shelter, both are blind and have limb deformities. The shelter contacted us to see if we could take them in, and Cecily and I went down to meet them. These pups are the sweetest dogs ever, and have no idea they have disabilities. Kanga has some deformities of his front paws, but gets along great as you have seen from his foster mom's (Barbara S's) videos.

 John has been looking for another companion/family member for him and Gracie, and saw Kanga's pictures and videos on our website, and fell in love. After discussing his situation with Barbara S, she thought it sounded like he could provide a wonderful home for this most special pup, and we were quickly able to set up a meeting. John brought along his pet sitter, and everyone got along great. Kanga happily went on his way with his new family (Barbara reports he never looked back, but I had to remind her he is blind) and like any young brat took up most of the seat with his new doggy sister.

John reports he's doing great - well, when I asked him how it's going he said, "He's heaven!" He said it is a lot of work, but he's worth every minute of it. He joked Kanga needs to learn more spatial recognition - he wakes up with Kanga laying on his head. He's keeping in touch with Barbara and I'm sure she'll be sharing updates with us all.

Kanga thanks Cecily for being there to help bail him and Roo out and give both of these resilient Goldens a chance at a good life. He is so very grateful to the CP Dog Walkers who all fell in love with him and got him out daily. He's forever thankful to Barbara S for offering to foster him when she was on vacation, and realizing what a joy he was (and how much Anja liked him) and keeping him through adoption. He thanks Kriss for checking out his potential new home, and the placement team and PA Eva for making the match.

Welcome home Kanga!

London adopted!

London has been adopted by Sandy and Michael. London came into rescue from the OC shelter after testing positive for Parvo. When he came out of the shelter, he was pretty bright-eyed and went steadily downhill that day and the next day. Thanks to the wonderful doctors, especially Dr. Brown, at SMACC, he pulled through. After 2 weeks in the hospital he was ready to go to a forever home as a foster until he was neutered and he would be officially theirs.

There are many people to thank for helping this boy on his way to his forever home...Lisamarie for dropping everything that day when I called her to run to the shelter to pick London up. The shelter could not hold him until the next day due to the nature of the disease and he had to be picked up immediately. SMACC was put on alert and Lisamarie ran to get him. Dr. Brown was new at SMACC and did a wonderful job of caring for him, staying in touch with me on any developments. The vet techs and staff deserve many thanks also as they went the extra mile to take care of London. It was touch and go for several days but when he pulled through, they called to say he was barking back in the isolation room and eating well, and we knew we were on the way to recovery. Thanks also to all the dog walkers who checked on him, even though they could not go in and see him. They were all praying for him. Thank you Elaine and John for completing this home visit. Finally, thanks to the placement team, with Lisamarie, for finding this great home.

London has been renamed Beau...congratulations Beau!

Alvin adopted!

Our little Alvin has chosen his forever home with Ellen and Dan. He is so happy there in his foster, now forever, home and is readily accepting new short term dogs to come stay with him already. Our sweet boy arrived in rescue as a member of the Chipmunk litter back in March this year. He and his sisters came in from a SD shelter. It has been a long road to recovery for this boy. Both of his sisters found their homes and now it's his turn. He said "wait a minute", I'm already home and the paperwork was signed.

So many people to thank for helping these kids on the road to forever homes. First, Sue C. for running to appointments, coming to visit them in the vet's before going to a foster home, and transporting them for a stay at Pat C's for a weeks' vacation. And thanks go out to Lisamarie, David, Pat C, Nancy and Kevin - sorry about having to drive with the windows open - one of the kids had gas that morning, Kim and her sister, also Leslie and finally the staff at Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital.

Alvin has stolen the hearts of many.

Eleanor is finally home!

This is a very happy day today as I'm announcing that our little Eleanor has gone to her forever home with the McClure family. Eleanor came into rescue along with her littermates back in March. Their whole story can be read on our Shamrock blog. There were initially 4 pups but we unfortunately lost one soon after they came into rescue. It has been a very long road to recovery for both Eleanor and her brother, Alvin. I want to thank everyone in rescue for all their support and for caring thru this whole time.

Yesterday, the McClures came to visit with Eleanor and she totally bonded with everyone. Paperwork was signed, pictures taken and she was on her way with them calling her Ellie as she went out the door. She has already been on shopping excursions to Petco, checked out the whole house, happily running in and out of the dog door when the sprinklers turn on. She has quickly found that there is fun to be had in that backyard when they come on. She has a great family and now to start her new life.

I know this will be long with all the thanks to everyone involved with helping these kids on their way. First thanks to Sue C. for running over to the Carlsbad shelter when we got the call that they had 4 golden pups in need of help. She gathered them up and met me at our favorite spot in Oceanside for the transfer and ride into Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital. These adorable pups, all covered with scabs, hair sticking out of the scabs, and smelly, were lovingly treated by Dr. Scibelli, Dr. Gertmenian and their staff. They lost every bit of their hair and then they all looked like baby rats with not one strand of hair on their bodies. Thanks to David P. for running over to take them out for pictures and visit with them during their stay. After almost a month they were ready to go to a foster home. Thanks to Ellen and Dan for running down there and gathering up both kids to take home and foster them. They had their work cut out for them because they required baths every couple days, plus trips back to the vets for checkups and added care. Finally they were ready to be spayed and neutered. Their sister went off to her forever home and then Eleanor and her brother had another round of mange to clear up. That set them back getting ready for their adoption. After all was cleared up again, Ellen and Dan needed a much deserved vacation and these kids came down to Pat C's for temporary fostering. They had a delightful time there and we had very dedicated volunteers - Kim for taking them to Pat's and Nancy and Kevin for bringing them back up to Ellen and Dan's when they arrived home.

I would also like to thank Elaine and John for completing the home visit. A hugh thank you to Ellen, Dan and Donny for providing this wonderful foster home for the kids. They took on two young pups, took care of all their medical needs, got them both house trained, and gave them so much love. Thanks also to the placement team and Andrea for finding this perfect home for Eleanor.

London doing great!

Today I was able to go visit London and take new photos. The veterinary hospital has been giving me daily updates but to see him in person was a delight. London is doing very good. He is now on oral medication, having normal stools, no vomiting, and just a playful, happy puppy. If all goes well, he will be transferred to a regular hospital kennel where he will have more room to romp around and while still being kept away from the other dogs, can have more freedom. By the end of next week, again if all goes to plan, he will be ready to move to a foster home, initially with no other dogs. Once cleared by the veterinarians, he will be neutered and available for adoption. I would like to thank everyone who has been watching his progress and for your support. He's doing great.

Outlook great for London!

Our little guy is doing terrific. He has had no vomiting or diarrhea for the last couple days, is totally off his IV fluids and receiving oral medication now. I will be visiting him tomorrow and can take some updated photos. He’s happy, getting very active and wants to play now. If all goes well, he will be moved into a hospital kennel early next week.

London improves!

London continues to improve and is now eating more and thankfully no vomiting today. He is much more active and wanting to interact with whoever comes in to care for him. I love sending out these improvement notes and hope to continue with them.

Parvo pup doing better

I spoke to the vet this afternoon and London is doing somewhat better. He is interested in eating – just a little bit, but there is interest. He is interacting with the veterinary staff and gives tail wags when they come in to check on him. He also is starting to act like a little Golden and perking up some. So there has been improvement today, even if a baby step, but improvement. Thank you for caring.

London update

This afternoon I received a phone call from Dr. Brown, who has been working with our little London. He is holding his own but is still in very serious condition. His fever is down, and he is still on IV fluids, along with several antibiotics, medication to control the vomiting and also medication to help with his protein loss. They are all being given by IV. I’ll update as I learn more about his condition

Parvo puppy needs your help!

I received a call this afternoon that the shelter had just taken in a 4-5 month-old boy that had tested positive for Parvo. He had to have an immediate exit if he could be helped. Thanks to one of our volunteers who jumped into her car to run and get him he is now at the vets receiving treatment. Parvo is a very devastating disease for young dogs and we all pray that this boy received help in time. He is just the cutest young guy and deserves a chance to run in the fields, chase tennis balls, and get hugs for a long life. Please keep him in your thoughts and donate if you can as treatment is costly.

Chipmunk Brittany adopted!

Brittany has gone to her forever home with Christy and David. Brittany is one of the Chipmunk litter that came into rescue and has been on the Shamrock Page through their ordeal with demodex. Brittany went home with David and Christy as a foster to adopt several weeks ago and it is now official. She is now called Girl Scout and from the one photo you can see what her real job should be. I told Christy, we are going to  her out as a post hole digger. She never digs around the house but take her to a field and, wow, she sure can get into a lot of trouble. She is doing terrific in her new forever home and is having a wonderful time there.

I would like to thank Sue C. for helping get her in from the shelter. Thanks also to the staff at Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital for taking wonderful care of the kids while they were being treated. Thanks to David and Sonsee for going to visit with the kids when they were at the vets. I have many videos that David took of them in different stages of healing. A big thanks to Brianne for taking her into her home as a foster after she was released from the hospital and also bringing her back and forth from San Diego to Orange County for her checkups. David and Christy had adopted a girl, Phoebe, from us just a little over a year ago and recently lost her. They were ready to open their home to another kid to love and jumped at the chance to take Brittany into their home and love her. Yes, life is very busy for them now.

Chipmunks available for adoption soon!

Our little Chipmunk Litter will all be having their surgery this week and will be on the available site this later week. If you have been following the Shamrock blog on them, you will know their complete story. They arrived in rescue 3/9/12 - a litter of 4 pup - 2 females, 2 males. Unfortunately early on we lost Jeanette, but all the others, Alvin, Eleanor and Brittany, have overcome their medical issues, managed to lose all their fur, and are now growing new fur back. They are all totally covered with fur except for a couple bare patches but they all look wonderful, are very healthy, and very active. I am so thankful that they have all been in loving foster homes since they were cleared to leave the vet clinic. It has been total dedication on the parts of these foster parents to include them in their lives and homes. They not only brought a young pup into their homes, they graciously dealt with the repeated doctor visits that they had to drive long distances to get these puppies their care. The veterinarians at Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital and their staff gave them excellent care, lots of love, and attention and helped them to survive this horrible condition.

Chipmunks get together

We had a puppy party this weekend and all the kids were able to get together, play, show each other the tricks they had learned and we could see them all back together again. They got a recheck and were cleared to be spayed/neutered and received their final shots.

All the pups came in to get their shots the last two days. I was there to see Brittany get hers and also got to see Alvin for a short time. They are all doing well, getting little bits of puppy fuzz, and being like normal pups. They are all well adjusted, friendly, happy little guys. They will be back in 3 weeks for the final puppy shots and then the wait until they can get their rabies shots and be cleared to be spayed and neutered.

Brittany so cute!

Chipmunk Brittany playing

Today I received this adorable video from Brittany's foster mom. She is having a great time playing and is so happy. Her skin is healing now and has turned a gray tone. Now we are anxiously awaiting hair to start growing. Her foster mom said she has started to get little fuzz on her head as are the other pups that just went to their foster this weekend. They are all due for their puppy booster shots this coming weekend and a vet recheck.

Chipmunks Alvin & Eleanor head to foster home

Today was a big day for Eleanor and Alvin. They went to their foster home together to learn what it's like in a home atmosphere and to spend their time romping like puppies should. They still need to be kept on antibiotics, give time for their skin to heal and let their hair grow. They are starting to get little bits of fuzz on their heads and hopefully in the next couple weeks we will see more hair growth. They are all due for their second puppy shots next week on the 20th. I am thankful that they are happy, well adjusted puppies who enjoy being around people, are playful and energetic. It will still be several months before they will be ready for adoption but keep checking our website for updates.

Chipmunk Brittany video

Brittany in her foster home

Brittany is now in her foster home and doing well. She is sleeping through the night and doing great. Yesterday we had to send some eye ointment to her foster home because one of her eyes appeared irritated. She had been getting the eye ointment when she was at the vets and it was thought she wouldn't need it any more, but once in a home situation, it was found that she still needed it in one eye. Thanks to one of our volunteers, David, for running to get it and send out overnight mail to her foster mom. We have so many great volunteers who have helped with this litter, starting with Sue bringing in from the shelter, Barbara transporting to the foster home, and David taking great photos and now running to take care of her eye meds, plus the wonderful vets and staff at Pacific Coast Veterinary Clinic. Brittany's brother, Alvin, and her sister, Eleanor, will be going together to their foster home on Monday. They will still have each other to play with and snuggle together to stay warm until that hair starts to grow back.

Brittany heads to foster care

Today was a big day for one of our pups when she left the vets for her foster home. This is little Brittany on her way to a new life. She went complete with her medications, special shampoo, and lots of toys for the ride. She will have to return for a vet check in 2 weeks. Now to find a foster home for her brother and sister.

Foster a Chipmunk

The kids are all ready for foster homes now and little Brittany will be going to hers tomorrow afternoon. That leaves Eleanor and Alvin still looking for a foster home. It’s going to be sad having to split up this little family. For now, Eleanor and Alvin will still be together until other homes are arranged. They will need homes where someone is home off and on during the day, willing to give them their medicated baths twice a week and give them their antibiotics. They are pups and have been pretty isolated from the world except for being with each other and having the staff at the veterinary clinic spending time with them.

Chipmunks cleared for foster care

I received great news today – the pups can now start looking for a foster home. They are on the right antibiotic now. We had to do a culture to rule out what would work and what wasn’t working. They had previously been on Clavamox – it wasn’t working, then Baytril – same result. Now they are on Orbax and that’s the right antibiotic. They are doing great. Now they all still look like what the kennel kids call – “their little shrimp”, but they don’t know that. They are enjoying playing together, rough housing and just being pups now. Photos to follow.

Chipmunks making progress

I stopped over to check on the kids today and wow, are they doing so much better. They are all eating very well, and it is "clean plate club" every meal with them now. They did have a couple days the end of last week and Saturday when they all started to cough. Now go figure that, they had been in isolation for all this time, and then they all started coughing. I didn't hear it yesterday and everyone over at the vet's had not heard them except for a couple coughs when they came in there in the morning. Their lungs are clear and if all goes well, they will be getting their next set of puppy shots towards the end of this coming week. Their skin is starting to heal and even though they look like little alligators right now with all the scales, they are doing so much better. I'll be going back there midweek to check on everyone. They are currently getting their medicated baths twice a week and I can see little hairs finally starting to grow. Brittany is the blonde, Alvin and Eleanor are darker golden.

Chipmunks Alvin, Brittany & Eleanor doing well

Today was a better day. Little Alvin had not been eating yesterday but still was barking. Today he was eating on his own again and his two sisters have turned into little butterballs. Brittany and Eleanor are real chow hounds and so far doing very well. We are still treating them for the demodex but they are doing well. Alvin is holding in there and at least is eating more on his own.

Chipmunk Jeanette passes away

Today was a very sad day with the loss of our sweet Jeanette. I called the vets early this morning to check on the kids and they told me she was very lethargic and not eating. I told them I would call back in an hour or so to see how she was. Before I could call back, I received a call that she has passed away. We do not know what happened to her but did run a Parvo test to see if they may all be in danger. The test came back negative, thankfully. These poor pups had their immune systems so compromised by this infection that her poor little body could not fight it. I know we did all we could for her and only hope that the others will be okay.

Chipmunk Pupdate

I went to visit the kids today and was lucky enough to catch them out of the isolation area and getting their baths. These poor kids sure look bad but are on the road to recovery. Unfortunately we can't use any of the big dog drugs on them to clear this up faster without harming them with the side effects. I was able to see three kids get their baths and they sure don't like it when the water gets on them. The vet techs can't bathe them in very warm water because of the existing mites so when the cooler water is put on them, they were quite upset and making a lot of noise. As soon as they stopped, they were back to the happy, calm puppies that we have seen. I will be going to see them again in a couple days and will send out updates. We also will need to start them on their booster shots so that they can build up immunity to all the diseases that puppies can encounter. They need that immunity before they can go to a foster home.

Meet the Chipmunks...Alvin, Jeanette, Brittany and Eleanor

We received a note from a local shelter telling us about a litter of 7-week old pups that needed help. Yes, they are quite a sight right now but they are all, otherwise, healthy, happy, tail wagging kids. Our volunteer ran in to the shelter and gathered them up and off they went to Pacific Coast Veterinary Clinic for treatment and lots of love. They were diagnosed with demodex which is now being treated. When healed, they will be made available for adoption.

We have named them after the Chipmunks with Alvin and the Chipettes - Jeanette, Brittany and Eleanor. We won't go into the treatment schedule but they are on antibiotics for the skin, antibiotic eye drops for the eyes which are swollen shut, and medicated baths.  Their skin is wrinkled due to this infestation but will smooth out and look better with treatment. We currently have two little blonde girls and a golden boy and girl. Eleanor is the biggest of all the gang with Brittany the smallest.

Roo Says Thank You For His Cart!

Roo thanks all of our donors for helping him to get his new cart. He's doing better every day in learning to use it. Thank you also to Eddie's Wheels for building it, and to Help Em Up for his harness which helps his people to get him around when he's not in his cart. All Roo needs now is a foster home. Please email info@grcglarescue.org if you can help. Here are some new video's of Roo zooming around...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLD6_ytMEoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrL8kvh6-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNM_MRhnYLs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1x4Ot4hmQ

And if you would like to donate towards Kanga and Roo's continuing care, click here.

Tessa update

Tessa is doing great and today had her stitches removed. A really good bath is now in store before putting her up as available for adoption. Please check the Available Dogs site for her information.

Roo learning to use his cart

We worked with Roo this morning for a while. For the most part, we are still holding the cart from the back while he walks, keeping the main rods parallel to the ground, and using a collar and leash to guide him and get him to move forward. We were able to let go of his cart in short bursts and have him walk on his own, and we'll be working on increasing the length of time he's using his cart all by himself. His enthusiasm to just act like a normal doggie is amazing. For once, I was glad to see him go into a barking frenzy when another dog walked by, because he engaged all of his muscles and tried to move towards the dog. He'll be going for his physical therapy evaluation next week.

Christian has been taking him out and it seems to have helped get a lot of muscle tone in his back legs. Renee commented yesterday that Roo's back legs had developed a lot since she'd seen him. It's really good to know that he can make such progress so fast. Despite his challenges, he seems to be pretty robust and healthy. I'm looking forward to seeing his progress with his chair, and I'm glad we have such great donors!

Roo's New Wheels!

The big day arrived yesterday - Roo's cart came in and he had his fitting and first lesson in how to use it. We're so proud of this resilient young pup! And thank you to everyone who helped him get his new charriot. The next step for Roo is physical therapy and training to use his cart. His back leg muscles are not used to supporting him in the position he needs to be in to use the cart. Thank you to Eddie's Wheels www.eddieswheels.com for building such a great mode of transportation for Roo, to Renee Wallis of PAWSitive Rehabilitation www.pawsrehab.com in San Diego for her help in getting Roo measured and fitted for his cart, to John J. for getting the process started, and to Corrina M. and Jo Anne D. for driving Roo from Los Angeles to San Diego and back for his fitting. We'll keep you updated on his progress and let you know more when we have a physical therapy plan.

Tessa looking for a foster home

Today I went to visit with Tessa and see how her wounds are healing. She is a very happy girl, loves attention, getting belly rubs and just interacting with her visitors. Her injuries will take a while to heal and right now the drains are still in place and will be there for another couple days. We will be looking for a foster home when the doctors say she is ready to go.

Tessa update

Today we observed that the wound had opened up pretty far and considerable draining was happening. The doctor at the facility felt it was time to sedate her, clean up the major wound, which meant removing the dead skin and tissue and getting clean margins to close the wound, put a drain in and let her heal naturally. Amazingly, this girl was up and walking around almost immediately after this was done and wagging her tail the whole time. She will require more time to recuperate in the hospital and then will be ready to go into a foster home to totally heal. She is doing well and currently has many people checking on her to make sure she gets exercise, lots of love and a good veterinary staff watching over her.

Tessa abandoned at emergency clinic

Tessa arrived in rescue today from a local shelter. She is a 5-6 year old girl that had been dropped off at an emergency clinic with multiple infected and old wounds. The owners never came for her and she was transferred to the shelter. The skin had started to die and had to be cut away, drains put into place and the whole area cleaned up. This was not only on her neck multiple injuries, but on her ears, back and head and several other areas of her body. Tessa is so sweet and when brought into our own vet sat patiently while they cleaned her up, checked her wounds and gave her lots of love. We will have to remove the drains because they have been in place for 5 days and we don't want more infection to set in. She is safe and comfortable now. Currently being walked with a harness so that it does not touch the injuries.