Straydog UPDATE posted MONDAY 4/21/03 at ~9:14 p.m. CT
Pat's Daily Dog Log
MONDAY APRIL 21 2003
And we take in another stray
I got an email message this morning from our very good friend and oftentimes volunteer, Billy Lawson, telling me of another stray dog needing help, and I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to solve this problem, which resulted in us taking her in because no one else wanted her, and no shelter would take her without euthanizing her because she was a stray who appeared to be fearful, timid and sickly--which conditions make her "unadoptable" say many shelters, and Billy, who's recovering from a recent heart attack, could find no one else to take her.
Caregiver/Kennel Team Member Joel drives to Mesquite to get dog while I tend to a very sick dog here
Joel was the only employee who we could free-up to make the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Mesquite to get the dog and then make the two-hour trip back again to deliver the dog to our vet clinic in Athens.
I rush Little Lassie to our vet clinic
While Joel was on his way to Mesquite, I was on the way to our clinic with Lassie.
When we arrived the doctor took a blood sample and then as soon as he took a stool sample from Lassie, she became very sick in the examining room expelling a terrible looking, very bloody bowel movement.
The doctor thought it best to have Lassie stay the day and night so he could keep a close watch on her and he wanted to put her in IV fluids.
The only thing he thought it could be was severe colitis. I left Lassie in their care and drove home.
Joel arrived an hour later at clinic with new stray already named Redd by the rescuer and frequent Straydog volunteer, Billy Lawson
Joel called me as soon as he arrived at the clinic to let me know the dog was safely in their hands. Then, as Joel headed to our shelter, I headed toward the clinic so I could be there when Dr. Morton examined the new arrival, and I wanted to see Lassie again too. Joel and I passed each other on the highway.
Lassie is doing a little better, Redd is very frightened
The doctor took me to see Lassie and she wagged her tail when I came in the room. The doctor said she had perked up a little, it seemed, and he would remove the IV fluid this evening.
Then we went to see Redd, who was still in the crate in the examining room. The doctor thought that since the new arrival was so frightened, it would be best to take her, still in her crate, back to one of the clinic kennels where she'd be staying until tomorrow when he'd be able to examine her. He wanted her to settle in a little and have some food. Redd is extremely thin and seemed famished. Dr. Morton and vet tech carried the crate to the kennel area.
Redd is just plain scared of all that is going on
Redd came out of the crate and cautiously slunk into the large kennel and stood against the back wall. She was so frightened, as most strays who have been homeless for quite some time are. I knelt down and talked quietly to her and she came within a few inches of my outstretched hand, but then backed off quickly.
We offered her food, which she didn't touch, probably because we were there, so we left Redd to eat--unwatched.
The doctor will call us tomorrow
The doctor felt pretty confident that Lassie would continue to improve and would possibly be able to come home tomorrow. He said he'd call us tomorrow morning. When I go to pick up Lassie, I'll check on Redd again. Most likely this starving dog has heartworm disease and no telling what other health problems. But at least she is safe now.
It must be fate
As soon as we adopt out one dog, there is always another dog or pup we hear about who needs a safe haven immediately. Billy the Border Collie was adopted yesterday, which left a vacant kennel spot, and today we hear about this timid, starving stray who desperately needed a home, and we accepted her.
A note from Bill ...
And it hurts us very deeply when we have to say no to the rescuer of a dog in a desperate situation because we have no place, no room, no spot for the dog.