FAREWELL NICO

Nico (formerly Brandon) came into rescue in early 2012.  
He had been living in a crate in a "home" in Virginia.  

He was afraid of everything.  That changed! 

At first, after his adoption, he gathered every toy he could find and stashed them in the back of a crate that was set up for him (with the door open).  

His life-long love of toys began-- all sizes, but he loved the big ones!

When he came into rescue, he wasn't too sure of what was going on.   He was 3 years old and had never been to the vet.

That changed and he had the best care rescue could give.  And that care continued after his adoption.

He was so loved.

He loved comfy places and he loved...

his brother, Elwood.  

Nico passed away last week.  He was 13 years old and gave him parents so much joy.   He was a happy boy, and his tail was always wagging.    Run free now, sweet Nico.  You will always be remembered with love.  

A BUSY FUN TRANSPORT DAY

Yesterday, I transported sweet Diamond and met Barbara, who met Sherry… and now Diamond is in her foster home.  

We stopped at Amee's on the way and met Nana. ❤️   She’s like Diamond—very sweet!    

Gidget was there for the ride and Zoey went, too.  It was a busy day, but so much fun.   See who else we saw tomorrow!   HAPPY SUNDAY!

DIAMOND GOES TO RICHMOND..AND ON

Today, I'm taking Diamond on a trip to her new foster home.   She is so sweet-- I'll miss her.

She has improved even in the four days I've had her.  She's so sweet.   Oh, my heart.

Callie loves her and tried to be her friend.

Diamond has no aggression in her.   She lets me do her eye and ear meds.   She has never snapped or done anything but be grateful to be taken care of.  She is on a special diet to eliminate anything that she might react to.   We  hope her skin heals quickly-- it's already less inflamed.   

She tried to join Zoey on the porch bed when I was reading there.

Diamond can hear great, but Zoey can't.   Diamond can't see, but Zoey has a tiny bit of sight in her one eye.   So, they weren't too sure what was going on.   But, Diamond wanted to snuggle.   So precious.

Diamond even gave me a tail wag.   She's going to Sherry's and her niece, Jennifer.  They are experienced foster parents and will take great care of Diamond.  But, a little of my heart will go with her.   💕   I'll post updates when I get them.   
 

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Little Diamond saw the ophthalmologist yesterday.   We are doing 5 different eye meds, multiple times a day.

Her eyes are "bone dry" and we are working on that.  One medication can be used as often as I can do them.    So, I do.  

Gidget helped her in the yard again.

Diamond hears well and is attentive to my voice.

Sniff test by Piper.  LOL

"You can go this way."

Callie thought she had a new playmate.  Sorry, Callie, she can't run around.  She can't see you.  

"PFFFF."

"Am I still special?"  You bet you are. 

Diamond will have a few more meds added and I'll take her in for a shot today.  I'll also pick up allergy food for her.  We are eliminating everything in her diet except for a special food to see if that helps her skin.

She wandered the family room a bit and then...

She found a bed.    She will go to a foster home with Sherry on Saturday.    She will have continued wonderful care.  We love this sweet little girl.  💕

WELCOME TO RESCUE DIAMOND

Diamond just came into rescue.  She's with me temporarily.   Right now, as I write, she's on my lap.  She loves attention.   Her owner died over the week-end.  A relative contacted rescue to see if she could be helped.   

Her tail was trimmed of the hair before I got her.  But, it's pretty short.

Gidget went up to meet her.  Diamond was just fine with that.

Her right eye is very bad, dry and non-visual.  Her left eye is very tiny and recessed.   Her eye lids roll in, so we are seeing the ophthalmologist this morning.   I love our ophthalmologist-- they always fit in our foster dogs.

I set up an area for Diamond in the laundry room and the bathroom there.  The room is large, so she has a lot of space to rest, eat, drink.   She is using a piddle pad in there.  Good girl.  

She likes her soft bed.  She also had a bath and was very good.  

I use a crib side to separate the laundry room.  My dogs are all very curious.

She had lap time this morning.   

She wanted to be held like a baby.   

We had her first vet visit yesterday.  We should know the results today or tomorrow.   I always sit on the floor with them.   And she found me, and climbed into my lap.

Her skin, especially her legs, is very bad, like alligator skin.  When the bloodwork comes back, a decision can be made for treatment.  She did get a cytopoint shot.  

Diamond has a long way to go.  She's 13 years old, 14.5 pounds and very sweet.   She has no sight, and we are also treating her ears for an infection.   She isn't spayed and she needs a dental.   But, her heart and lungs are good!!!   We can work with that.   She has a long way to go, but she's sweet.  And sweet goes a long long way.  💕  Welcome to rescue, sweet Diamond.

 

SUMMER HEAT

  Summer heat can be rough  on dogs.   Granger has heart issues and he's a Pekingese with a flat face.  Gigi has a nose, so she's less prone to heat issues.   It's better to leave them home if you want to go for a walk when it's hot outside.  The roads and sidewalks retain heart and it is so hard for them to cool down.   Dogs can be in great distress before we realize it.  

Jagger is a puppy-- his mom is very careful about the heat.   But, some people just don't think about it.  

Fancy and other flat faced dogs can be effected by the heat in less than 5 minutes.   Their throat can swell and a crises can happen very quickly.  

Buffy is older, too.   She loves to be outside, but when it's warm, her trips outside are FAST.

Ace's mom is very vigilant about how long he is outside.   But, if you dog does get overheated, you can use Pedialyte to rehydrate.  Put them in cool water in a sink, and get to a vet if it gets worse.

I posted this before:

When you read or hear about the bulldog-type, short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds having more trouble with the heat, you may wonder why. On a good day, with moderate temperatures, they have a much more difficult time moving air to their lungs because of their anatomy.
This picture shows the back of the mouth of a long-nosed dog on the left (a collie-retriever cross) and a short-nosed dog on the right (a pug). You can see that this area is compressed and limited in the pug. Pugs, Bulldogs (all types), Bostons, Boxers, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Pekingese, etc. all have this anatomy. The space is even more limited when they are overweight or obese.
When it is hot, dogs can only cool themselves by panting. Excessive panting leads to swelling in the back of the mouth and throat. This swelling makes it even more difficult for the brachycephalic breeds to breath and they can suffocate.
In fact, any dog can succumb to heat stroke or compromised breathing so PLEASE DO NOT exercise or leave dogs outside in the sun or in cars when it is hot. They trust us to make good choices and take care of them!"

Bellamy is not older, and he's active-- but he can get hot.  His mom is so careful.  

Fey also has a heart condition-- she can't risk getting hot or having her throat swell.  Dogs who are older or ones who have a medical condition.   Even longer nosed dogs need to be monitored.  

Gigi my granddog is 8 now.   She's rather be inside-- good decision, Gigi. 

Here are two charts to help you and to share.   

Keeping our dogs safe is important to each of us.   We want them around a long time.