Sassy playing in the yard

Sassy continues to do well after her surgery. She is being treated for a urinary tract infection and will have her stitches removed soon. Once the doctor gives her the all clear, then she will be moved to the Available Page for adoption.

Sassy continues to improve day by day

Sassy is now taking short walks and acting like she has not had such major surgery. We have had to change her antibiotics due to the final diagnosis on the urinary infection and hopefully, that she will be on tract now for a full recovery. Sorry I don’t have any new pictures to post but will post when I receive more. She is a very sweet girl, enjoying life now and well taken care of.

Sassy update

I talked to Sassy's foster mom today and Sassy is doing great. All body functions are working and she is still on her every 2 hour potty routine. She has even started to eat again. She will continue the potty every 2 hours for 5 days and then go to every 3 hours.

Meet Sassy [WARNING: graphic photo]

Sweet Sassy came to us from a local shelter when she was turned in by her owner recently. Upon arrival in rescue the initial tests were run to determine how we could help her and found that her bladder was literally full of bladder stones. She also had a very small lump on her back that upon a needle biopsy was determined that it was malignant but very removable with good prognosis. She went to a foster home almost immediately and our vet said to try her for a month on the special food to hopefully dissolve her bladder stones.

She came back in for a recheck this past Monday and x-rays were taken. Not much had changed and she definitely needed surgery to make her more comfortable. Her foster mom, took her home to get a good night's sleep, and brought her back in Tuesday morning for surgery. It was a long surgery but she came thru with "flying colors". Her foster mom came back in the evening and took her home so she could be taken out every 2 hours to urinate. Her bladder could not fill up due to the stitches that were used to close it after the surgery. Her foster mom has been great with her care and has arranged her schedule to accommodate Sassy's needs. Now the healing process starts.

Meet Kitty

Kitty is a 6 year old who was turned over to rescue because her previous owners were relocating and could not take her with. We knew right away that this poor girl had some health concerns. Although she was very sweet and engaging, walking her was a constant stop and go. She would try to relieve herself while there would be no output. We immediately conducted x-rays. We could not do a urinalysis because there was nothing to sample. The x-rays showed us what we suspected and much worse. Poor Kitty had 4 bladder stones the size of 2 inches in diameter each. The only way these could come out was surgically. We were able to get her scheduled the next day.

The more timely we could be the less time she would be in pain. These stones had been developing over a long period of time but we wanted to find out what could cause these. After removal and testing, we put Kitty on a month long course of antibiotics and pain medication as needed. Our thoughts are that these were caused by a chronic infection. We will test her in a month to see if there are any other concerns for a reccurence.

Kitty moved into a foster home with some canine foster brothers and sisters and is doing great. She is joining in all the fun of running and chasing while enjoying the comforts of home. The couch is a resting spot during the day and she has been snuggling with her foster dad in bed at night.

Rest in peace, Snowdon

This is a very hard note to send out but I felt that those who came to know and love this adorable boy need to say goodbye. Yesterday we woke up to a very rainy day and I received the phone call that I had been dreading....

Snowdon came in to rescue the day before Christmas as an owner turn-in. He had a limp when he came in but truthfully, we all thought it was from an injury and would heal. After x-rays, consults with specialists, many medication changes, and he progressively was using the leg less, it was decided, reluctantly, that we had to remove that leg as he was not using it and it had started to atrophy. The surgery was scheduled and a biopsy was done. That is when we discovered the terrible diagnosis - Nerve Sheath Tumor. Dr. Scibelli removed as much as he could and when he recovered from the surgery, he went back to his fantastic foster home who had had him most of his time in rescue.

His prognosis was 1 1/2 to 2 years and he would not be in pain.  He was so happy to get back home and see everyone and was acting great. After a week or so, his foster mom said he was having some issues with eating when he put his head down and he came back to be rechecked, different medications given, and he was back in his foster home. That was very short lived when this past Wednesday, he came back to Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital in pain. We tried different medications to give him relief but nothing worked and he was telling us, it was time to say goodbye.

That phone call yesterday morning really brought all of what this rescue is about back in focus. We are in this for the dogs, get them a good home, take care of their medical needs, and give them lots of love during the time they are in our care. Snowdon will always have a special place in our hearts.

Thank you to everyone who donated for his care, spent time with him during his stay in rescue, and a big thanks to Mary S. and her sister for loving him during his rescue stay. Finally a big thank you to Dr. Scibelli, Dr. Gertmenian, Dr. Murray and their staff at Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital.

I've attached a photo from when he first came in to rescue. I want everyone to remember him as this happy-go-lucky guy with a smile on his face all the time.

Kopper home after surgery

Little Kopper had her surgery yesterday and came home late yesterday afternoon. She slept very well last night. Her foster mom even had to wake her up this morning! She is on two strong pain medications so she is a bit groggy but very happy to be home with her foster brother, Dash, whom she loves dearly. She had to have 12 teeth removed as well as her root canals done. She needs to be kept quiet for the next few days, no walks, but after that she should be pain free and back to her normal self.

We originally thought that only 6 teeth would be removed, but it turned out that 12 needed to come out. The cost to us was a little more than our estimate so any additional funds that come in through this website will be greatly appreciated and will be used to cover the additional cost. Please click here to make a donation.

Below are pictures of Kopper. One is of Kopper meeting with her doctor before surgery. The other is of Kopper back home after surgery lying on Dash's paw.