About us...
These two 7-8 week old mixed pups need your help. The pups were left at the shelter with both kinds of mange and raging eye infections. They are such a mess that we really can‘t tell for sure what breeds they are. Animals with contagious conditions like this could infect the whole shelter, so the shelter was going to euthanize them both. They would have been put down and discarded like yesterday‘s trash because their owner didn‘t care enough to get them treated. They are in need of veterinary care and many baths to rid their little bodies of mange.
Transport from AR to VA on 1/25/2009
The puppies were picked up from the shelter in Arkansas and were transported to Virginia today. The top two pictures were
taken right before they left the shelter. The little male pup is the one with his tongue sticking out
because he just woke up; the female is the smaller one.
It has taken several caring volunteers to get these babies to safety all the way from AR.
Thanks so much to everyone that helped get them here!
Settling in to our foster home on 1/26/2009
The puppies have moved into the "puppy room" at their foster home.
They need to be kept separated from other animals because of the mange.
The little female is a voracious little piglett!
She ate two bowls of food - hers and her brother's.
They are both a little sleepy and seem perfectly content on their beds.
Day 4 update - 1/29/2009
Well, it‘s day 4 and the puppies are holding their own. They both had baths yesterday.
The little boy's head and neck were soaked with a warm wash cloth since he seemed particularly sensitive to touch in those areas.
The end result was abscesses on his head and neck bursting.
He is doing ok this morning...a little upset tummy but it could be the switch in food.
He‘s just snug as a bug in a rug when his foster mom cuddles him in a towel.
He‘s the easiest of the two to “vet” in the morning...triple antibiotic ointment on his wounds
and antibiotic ointment in his eyes.
He‘s happy just to be held and enjoys time with his foster mom.
The little girl, on the other hand, is a wiggle worm!
She can‘t stay still to save her life...trying to chase her squirming head to get ointment
hopefully somewhere near her eyes is a challenge.
She is NOT content to be wrapped firmly in a towel.
Noooo, she wants to bite the fingers, towel or anything else in reach...she digs or burrows into the towel chewing all the way,
squirming, anxious to play.
She is just full of it.
Each of them whine in the most pathetic way when their foster mom is holding the other or going to
greet the other in the morning. For now they have limited contact with one another to avoid spreading the mites
since the little boy is clearly worse off than the girl. She just seems to have severely dry skin
with very little scaling. Plus! She picks on her brother. He just wants to sit still and she‘s all over him.
They continue to be a joy to be around!
Hopefully the Neem Treatment will come today and we can start the real road to recovery.
Day 5 and 6 update - 1/31/2009
We‘ve been getting to know each other for almost a week now and so far so good. Pete has a vet appointment tomorrow
morning just to check him out. He keeps getting abscess after abscess, and he doesn‘t really open one of his eyes
so need to get him in to start him further down the road to recovery.
Maybe Ying and Yang are good names for them as they seem to be opposites. He is as sweet as the day is long.
Maybe his temperament will change when he‘s feeling better, but he is just a little lover. He‘s also a picky
eater. Tink eats everything put in front of her. She is playful, sassy and curious. She‘s a little
porker, while Pete is skinny and small. I have a feeling that could turn around in the near future.
Today they are wearing their Christmas t-shirts. Pete is in the green and Tink is wearing red.
Day 6 bedtime - 1/31/2009
Poor little Pete! There truly is no rest for the weary. Tink wanted to chase Pete around when all that he wanted to
do was find a quiet place to potty. She, on the other hand, thought it was prime
time to nip at his heels. Tinker decided it would be more fun to hang out with her brother although of the two of them she
‘s the only one who thought
it was a good idea.
She is playing with her pink little lamb in the picture above. She just
had a good old time rolling on her back, shoving her head in a towel being a puppy.
The puppies don‘t smell like
they did the first few days in rescue. NO more obvious dead skin/infection smell....now it‘s the potent smell of
the Neem Shampoo and Neem Oil. Pete‘s cradle cap is almost gone. It is now limited
to the front of his face. Tomorrow is his bath day so we‘ll enjoy that time together when I wrap his face and ears
in a warm wash cloth and encourage any new abscess to release its poison so he can feel a little better without all of
the dead dry skin on his face.
Day 13 bedtime - 2/7/2009
Tinker and Pete had their baths today, and both did well in spite of their desire to be anywhere other than a
cold bath tub for 5 minutes covered in Neem Shampoo.
I tried to get the remaining patchy dry skin off of Pete‘s face and neck...in time, it will come off.
He was not appreciating the wash cloth on the head and face this time around. I think the kitchen sink is a
better venue for their baths.
I pulled out my holistic/natural remedy books and am reading up on nutrition/flower essences etc.
I did find out that the Solid Gold Sea Meal that I already have is a good supplement for them for their immune system.
I mixed a little in warm water which neither of the pups were particularly interested in, so I put some dry food in it and
Tinker was the first to eat some...I took the remainder to Pete so he could get some of the yummy goodness and both
immediately moved to their dry food after the soaked dry food was gone. I think I may have found the trick to
getting Pete to eat dry dog food! Eureka.
Pete is in his NEW jammies although they look the same as the old
jammies of two days ago...those were simply too tight. Tinker is in her ‘Ankle Biter‘ bedazzled
t-shirt, but her belly is too big to read what the shirt says!
~ Lori, Tinker-poodle and Handsome Pete
Day 14 - 2/8/2009
I do believe Pete is feeling better and stronger. I weighed us both this afternoon and he has gained 7/10 of a
pound since Thursday. He is getting interested in his toys. As you can see from the close ups, he isn‘t
opening his eye all the way; but he did just get the antibiotics in his eyes which you can tell by their goopyness. He does
seem to HATE the flash of the camera.
Tinker is a ham for the camera. She is quite funny as she was trying
to steal the blue sheep in Pete‘s side of the kennel. She was barking at him, jumping up and down, and sticking
her bad paw in
trying to pull it toward her. Mind you she has most of the toys but is not happy if she doesn‘t have the ones he is
interested in.
It was such a nice day today, so I didn‘t “dress“ them for their pictures.
I thought I‘d let you see
them in all their naked glory! I do think Tinker is growing some hair but I cannot be sure as I see them every day. We
are still trying to get all of the dry skin off of Pete‘s face but he is looking handsome to me. Hopefully some day
soon he‘ll be handsome two-eyed Pete!
~ Lori, Tinker and Playful Pete
Weigh in Time - 2/15/2009
Pete is a whopping 9.6 pounds to Tinks 10.2 pounds. He's catching up!
Looking so much better - 3/8/2009
Pete and Tinker were both thought to have Sarcoptic and Demodectic Mange by the shelter workers. The pups were seen by our vet who said they did not have Sarcoptic Mange. Instead, luckily, these pups only have Demodectic Mange which is easily treated with Neem Shampoo baths every three days and a nice coating of Mange Mud to help get rid of the mites. While they don‘t really appreciate the baths, it allows me time to work with them and get them used to normal things their new families will likely do with them. Pete and Tinker are recovering very quickly relative to their condition upon arrival in our rescue. They have gone from 6 pounds (Pete) and 7 pounds (Tinker) to a healthy 14.5 pounds each. They have their room where they have lots and lots of toys. When I‘m in the kitchen, it sounds like there are a heard of puppies running about upstairs. They play together most of the day running back and forth chasing each other in and out of their kennel. I spend time with them in their room letting them crawl all over me like a jungle gym learning how to behave with people. I try to do things with them that their new family might do with them. Pete likes to watch television and barks when male voices come across the television. They both sit down when they hear the pill pocket pouch being opened. They take their chinese herbs for immune support to help recover from the mange with eager little eyes and wagging tails. We are currently working on potty training, but our success is limited since they haven‘t been able to go outside because they are not fully vaccinated yet. Both puppies like to be held, although Pete is the calmer of the two when in my arms. They both chase the ball and bring it back to me.
~ Lori, Tinker and Pete
Growing up (a little) - 4/26/2009
Update 6/11/2009
Update from Pete and Tinker‘s foster mom...
Pete:
Pete is a well adjusted puppy. He is about 7 months old now. His personality has been very clear from the start.
Pete‘s interests include, but are not limited to, the following:
- barking when he wants out of his room in the morning
- barking when he wants to be fed (he likes routine)
- barking at 5:30 when its time for us to get up...I think he likes to see if he can beat the alarm clock
- playing with stuffed toys
- taking said stuffed toys onto the couch and making them squeak forever!
- trying to fit on your lap at all times when your lap is available
- eating
- playing with kids...he seems to love kids
- he likes to go for walks and is pretty good at them
- he sits when it's time to eat, and he sits for treats...he is a little slower to catch on than his sister, but he's cute so who cares right?
Pete was the most affected of the two when he came to me. His mange is on the tail end of its cycle. He weighs more than Tinker now and is just slightly larger, but she is still master over him.
Tinker:
Tinker is a sweet docile girl who LOVES other dogs...she is afraid of people that she does not know right now. We are working on socializing her. Because they were strays as teeny tiny puppies, they are skittish when new, scary or sudden events take place around them. Their first instinct is to run and hide. They usually recover quickly and are not too afraid to check out the situation after the fact. Tinker hid in the pantry when the first couple came by to meet the pups. That is the first time I realized she was afraid of people which was a shock since she did so well when she got her puppy shots at Care-a-Lot and was perfect at all her vet appointments. I‘m confident this is a passing phase and she can be worked with. She is treat driven and is the first to catch on to new expectations.
Her true love is other dogs. She loves me well enough but is ga ga over all other dogs. She cannot sit close enough to them...she tries to put her face on their face, which they hate but she insists on. She likes to lick their faces and will wait and wiggle until they are close enough for approach. She lays down in other dogs paths trying to get noticed and doesn‘t falter if she is growled at in response...her resolve just stiffens if anything. She greets all of my dogs each morning at the baby gate and falls on the floor just aching for attention. She followed my cat and fell down in front of her waiting for approval. You can imagine what the cat was thinking...“have some pride man” is the way I read the exchange. Tinker is GREAT at chasing a ball and brings it back eagerly. She would prefer a bone or a ball to a stuffed toy. She is the dominant one over her brother and doesn‘t hesitate to remind him that although he may be slightly heavier and slightly bigger, she is still the boss. Tinker has not done well with kids, but I don‘t have any and our outside attempts to meet them have not been successful yet. Slow and steady will win the race with her.
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