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.

Roo Needs a Wheelchair

Kanga & Roo are doing great. They both love to play outside, and one of Roo's favorite activities is to chase the rake and play in the leaves. Kanga enjoys chasing the vaccum cleaner. They are both loving and affectionate boys!

We have found a wheelchair/cart for Roo through Eddie's Wheels (www.eddieswheels.com). He'd also like a special harness that will help quickly move him to another location when he's not in his cart, called the Help Em Up Harness (www.helpemup.com). The cart is about $500 and the harness is about $100.

To make a donation to help Roo get his new gear, please click here. Roo thanks you!



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