| W W W . S H I H T Z U - R E S C U E . C O M |
| Lone Star Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso Rescue (LSSTLAR) is an all volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of abused, abandoned and neglected Shih Tzus and Lhasa Apsos. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization which means your donations may be tax deductible. |
| W W W . S H I H T Z U - R E S C U E . C O M |
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Faith A few days before Christmas, I
received a call from a man whose mother
possiblity of our rescue taking in his parents'
14 year old Shih Tzu, Mickey. He gave me a
short history - it was his father's dog, but his
father had died a year and a half ago. He told
me his mother had died 4 weeks ago and no
one could take the dog. I asked him who had
alone in his parents' home. He also told me
she had corneal scarring from scratches
from inverted eyelashes, bad ear infections,
some bad teeth, and that three years ago the
vet had told his parents that this dog had
Cushings. He said the Cushings hadn't been
treated because the family felt she didn't
have the right symptoms and so disagreed
with the diagnosis. She has a little hair
missing, is all he said.
My heart just broke thinking of this poor, 14
year old girl, in mourning for all that she had
ever known, living day after day in a
completely silent home with no one around
her and only a neighbor coming over to let
her out to potty. I called another rescue
person who lived closer to the family and she
arranged for an assessment. Her phone call
after the assessment confirmed my fears -
Mickey was in tough shape. She had very
little body hair, a "rat tail," and was very very
skinny. She smelled of stale yeast and had
flaking, blackened skin. Dry food was piled
on paper plates on the floor for her
nourishment, despite the fact that she had
bad teeth and a growth on her gums that
would make eating nuggets painful. It turned
out that Mickey's "mom" had been ill for a very
long time and hospitalized at least two
weeks before she died, so Mickey had been
alone for many weeks!
received a call from a man whose mother
possiblity of our rescue taking in his parents'
14 year old Shih Tzu, Mickey. He gave me a
short history - it was his father's dog, but his
father had died a year and a half ago. He told
me his mother had died 4 weeks ago and no
one could take the dog. I asked him who had
alone in his parents' home. He also told me
she had corneal scarring from scratches
from inverted eyelashes, bad ear infections,
some bad teeth, and that three years ago the
vet had told his parents that this dog had
Cushings. He said the Cushings hadn't been
treated because the family felt she didn't
have the right symptoms and so disagreed
with the diagnosis. She has a little hair
missing, is all he said.
My heart just broke thinking of this poor, 14
year old girl, in mourning for all that she had
ever known, living day after day in a
completely silent home with no one around
her and only a neighbor coming over to let
her out to potty. I called another rescue
person who lived closer to the family and she
arranged for an assessment. Her phone call
after the assessment confirmed my fears -
Mickey was in tough shape. She had very
little body hair, a "rat tail," and was very very
skinny. She smelled of stale yeast and had
flaking, blackened skin. Dry food was piled
on paper plates on the floor for her
nourishment, despite the fact that she had
bad teeth and a growth on her gums that
would make eating nuggets painful. It turned
out that Mickey's "mom" had been ill for a very
long time and hospitalized at least two
weeks before she died, so Mickey had been
alone for many weeks!
| Faith's Angels Kimberly Christiansen - My Prayers are with the lil one. Kim Nuzzo Michael Long Ugolik Chiropractic Clinic |
The foster mom took Mickey home with her immediately. For a day or two, Mickey would not eat or drink.
Bloodwork at the foster mom's vet showed Mickey's liver levels were quite elevated, and Mickey was very
stressed - pacing and panting to the point where her tongue was purple. The foster mom did coax
Mickey to eat a little bit of food with some liquid. At 14 and in such tough shape, Mickey would be difficult,
if not impossible to get adopted through our rescue...then there was the Cushings, which is a disease
of the adrenal system that causes muscle wasting, hair loss, bloated stomach, heart stress, and liver
degeneration. It usually leads to death within a year of diagnosis if not treated with strong,
chemotherapy-style drugs that literally kill tissue specific to the disease. In order to find just the right
dose of medication, expensive blood tests needed to be done. These blood tests would need to be
repeated frequently. Meantime, Mickey also was so stressed at this transition into a new home that we
dreaded moving her much more. After talking it over with my husband, it was agreed that I would take
Mickey to live with us as a forever foster, and we would do whatever we could to address all of her social
and health needs. What amazed the foster mom and I was Mickey's seemingly strong will to live. Here
was a survivor - having lived three years with an untreated diagnosis of Cushings...skinny and spindly,
lost and lonely and very, very sad, but still hanging on. "Tell her she's home when you get there," the
foster mom told me, "that might help." After a 300 mile trek back to my house, this is what I did. "You're
home, Faith," I said, having decided to give her a name that spoke to her strength and resiliency.
Faith is not an easy dog to pet. What little fur she has left on her body is wispy and fragile. Her skin is
very dry and delicate, and the bones of her spine and hips and ribs protrude. But her beautiful, soulful
black eyes absolutely grab your heart. Since arriving at her forever foster home, Faith has made some
great health gains. She has put on a little bit more flesh, had her terrible and painful ear infections
completely clear up with the help of antibiotics and acidopholus, had two cysts removed - one on her
gums and one in her ear, and her skin has seemed to soften somewhat, most likely due to good diet.
She also had a dental and tooth extraction, which has alleviated the pain in her mouth.
It took her a few days to adjust to our home, but now she gets around very well, and even comes
running to the door with our other two dogs when we get home. She loves to eat and is our shadow any
time we are in the kitchen. She has her favorite spot on the couch, and another on our bed. Every night
before we go to sleep, she gets up and walks up even with my husband's face and peers closely at him
with her dark eyes, and that gesture breaks my heart -she once may have been the apple of her "dad's"
eye, and when he died, she could not have understood why he left and never came back.
Faith has been through so much.
My goal as her guardian is to ensure her comfort, nourishment, and companionship for as long as she
lives. We have a long road ahead of us with Faith's Cushings - in a few days she will go back for more
testing before we make the decision whether or not to
proceed with traditional Cushings treatment which may alleviate the Cushings symptoms but could
also be very detrimental to her overall health. If the treatment is successful, she would be tested
monthly and additional medication would most likely be required. Meantime, we are working on
increasing her body weight, keeping her skin's condition from deteriorating, watching her ears for
infection and also for any sign of return of the tumors she had removed, and letting her know that she is
indeed Forever Home. It was a leap of faith that brought her to us, and she is doing her very best now to
live up to her name.
Because a determination has not yet been made for Cushings treatment, Faith needs $424.00 to pay
for her dental surgery and cyst removal. Please be one of Faith's angels by helping with her medical
expenses.
Bloodwork at the foster mom's vet showed Mickey's liver levels were quite elevated, and Mickey was very
stressed - pacing and panting to the point where her tongue was purple. The foster mom did coax
Mickey to eat a little bit of food with some liquid. At 14 and in such tough shape, Mickey would be difficult,
if not impossible to get adopted through our rescue...then there was the Cushings, which is a disease
of the adrenal system that causes muscle wasting, hair loss, bloated stomach, heart stress, and liver
degeneration. It usually leads to death within a year of diagnosis if not treated with strong,
chemotherapy-style drugs that literally kill tissue specific to the disease. In order to find just the right
dose of medication, expensive blood tests needed to be done. These blood tests would need to be
repeated frequently. Meantime, Mickey also was so stressed at this transition into a new home that we
dreaded moving her much more. After talking it over with my husband, it was agreed that I would take
Mickey to live with us as a forever foster, and we would do whatever we could to address all of her social
and health needs. What amazed the foster mom and I was Mickey's seemingly strong will to live. Here
was a survivor - having lived three years with an untreated diagnosis of Cushings...skinny and spindly,
lost and lonely and very, very sad, but still hanging on. "Tell her she's home when you get there," the
foster mom told me, "that might help." After a 300 mile trek back to my house, this is what I did. "You're
home, Faith," I said, having decided to give her a name that spoke to her strength and resiliency.
Faith is not an easy dog to pet. What little fur she has left on her body is wispy and fragile. Her skin is
very dry and delicate, and the bones of her spine and hips and ribs protrude. But her beautiful, soulful
black eyes absolutely grab your heart. Since arriving at her forever foster home, Faith has made some
great health gains. She has put on a little bit more flesh, had her terrible and painful ear infections
completely clear up with the help of antibiotics and acidopholus, had two cysts removed - one on her
gums and one in her ear, and her skin has seemed to soften somewhat, most likely due to good diet.
She also had a dental and tooth extraction, which has alleviated the pain in her mouth.
It took her a few days to adjust to our home, but now she gets around very well, and even comes
running to the door with our other two dogs when we get home. She loves to eat and is our shadow any
time we are in the kitchen. She has her favorite spot on the couch, and another on our bed. Every night
before we go to sleep, she gets up and walks up even with my husband's face and peers closely at him
with her dark eyes, and that gesture breaks my heart -she once may have been the apple of her "dad's"
eye, and when he died, she could not have understood why he left and never came back.
Faith has been through so much.
My goal as her guardian is to ensure her comfort, nourishment, and companionship for as long as she
lives. We have a long road ahead of us with Faith's Cushings - in a few days she will go back for more
testing before we make the decision whether or not to
proceed with traditional Cushings treatment which may alleviate the Cushings symptoms but could
also be very detrimental to her overall health. If the treatment is successful, she would be tested
monthly and additional medication would most likely be required. Meantime, we are working on
increasing her body weight, keeping her skin's condition from deteriorating, watching her ears for
infection and also for any sign of return of the tumors she had removed, and letting her know that she is
indeed Forever Home. It was a leap of faith that brought her to us, and she is doing her very best now to
live up to her name.
Because a determination has not yet been made for Cushings treatment, Faith needs $424.00 to pay
for her dental surgery and cyst removal. Please be one of Faith's angels by helping with her medical
expenses.
| NEEDS |
| $424 |
| $180 |
| DONATED |
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