Madeline's surgery

Things have been so busy that I am just now getting around to updating you on Madeline. She had the FHO surgery (femural head osteo-something) on Tuesday and the doctor said it was very routine and went great. She's already up and moving around in the kitchen and trying to play with Tilly which is great news.

I've had 5 different foster dogs go through surgery to correct luxating patellas and I have to say that the incision site is MUCH less dramatic looking for this hip surgery than for the knee surgeries that I'm used to.

She'll need to recuperate for several weeks before she can be adopted to a new home and it will be 4 weeks before she is ready for her spay surgery.

Maddie has shown herself to be an amazing little dog and the better she feels, the better she gets. Someone out there will be getting themselves a very special family member. I can't thank New Rattitude team members enough for all they do to make expensive rescues like this possible. Thanks to Edgewood Veterinary Clinic for their continued support and for being so pro-rescue and giving us a great deal on the surgery. It was half of what 2 other vet offices quoted us.

Goodbye little Frizzers

Frisby just went home and while I am ecstatic over the incredible home that he went to, I'll miss the little lovebug. He remembered his new mom from when she came to meet him last week and other than a little confusion over why I wasn't going with them when he left, he seemed to be relaxed. The day of seeing them off to their new homes is the only part of rescue that I hate. It's worth dealing with the sadness though to know how many more lives will be saved because I have that open spot for a new dog needing a temporary home. Madeline is alive today because Frisby found a family and there was room for her to move in with us while she gets healthy. So have a great life, Mr. Fris-butt. We love you and can't wait to hear how well you are doing in your new home.

Madeline Update: Yesterday I took Madeline to the vet for x-rays so we could see what is going on with her legs. Right off the bat the vet guessed what was going on and x-rays confirmed that poor Maddie's right leg was out of socket and has been since she was attacked by that dog on December 1st. Because it's been out for so long, moving around, it will not stay in, even if they put it back, so the ball of the joint will be removed and repairs will be made. This will allow her to keep her leg and use it pain-free although she may end up with a slight limp. She also had a fracture to her left pelvis but that has healed and isn't seeming to cause her any discomfort. So this is actually good news - things could have been much worse and required special orthopedic surgery. This is a fairly common operation that can be done right at the vet's office, no specialists involved. It's actually the same surgery that another new Washington foster dog, Edward, will be having soon. Maddie's surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

Welcome, sweet Madeline!

We are happy to announce that sweet 8 month old, 10 pound, Madeline has arrived in WA after a 1 - 1/2 day drive up from Northern California. Troy met her transport in South Tacoma this morning and brought her home.

We are happy to say she is a sweet, well socialized girl with a nice even temperament, especially considering that she is in pain. A big surprise was that she is in heat and I believe is about 12-15 days into her cycle. Since she's been in the shelter, kept isolated since December 1st, I think we're safe. Still, we're not enjoying the mess. If she is as late in her cycle as I think then she only has about 4 or 5 days left of the bleeding.

The bad news is that she is not using her rear right leg at all and it is obviously uncomfortable when she lays down. She moves around on her other rear leg okay, even though it was obviously injured as well. Her story is that she was brought into the shelter on December 1st after she had been attacked by a large dog. The owners asked the shelter to put her down as they didn't want the vet bills. The shelter refused and tried nursing her back to health in the front office while they attempted to find a rescue spot for her.

There are an amazing amount of lacerations on her legs that are healing very well - most are just scar tissue at this point. She has an appointment on Tuesday to see a vet for an exam and to have digital x-rays taken so we can see what the damage is and the vet can create a treatment plan. I am crossing my fingers that it will be something that can be fixed without orthopedic surgery as that would be heavy burden for the rescue, especially since we have another WA dog that will be needing hip surgery as soon as he is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia. Watch for her and Edward (the other WA boy who has a broken hip) to appear in the New Rattitude Clinic soon.

At this point Frodo, Frisby and Tilly are just curious about who the new girl is but Nimh is having absolute conniption fits over her. Since I know Nimh will try to start humping her if I let her near poor Maddie we are keeping everyone very separate right now.

Adopt an Old Dog

Madeline

"In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ..." that is how all the books in Ludwig Bemelman's book series about the precocious Madeline begin. Well, it's not an old house in Paris and my rattie fosters would never be able to form straight lines but Madeline the rat terrier (named for the book character) will soon be joining us here in Washington.

Madeline was surrendered to a shelter in Northern California after she was attacked by a large dog. The 7 month old pup had a laceration on her inner thigh, abrasions, and was stiff and sore. The owners that brought her in wanted her euthanized but the shelter staff refused, saying that she should be fine with a little time and TLC. The owners left her and the staff kept little Maddie in the front office, working on nursing her back to health. As she recovered they called the owners multiple times, asking if they had changed their mind and each time the owners said to euthanize her. Since the owners where done with her and the shelter had no money for x-rays to check and see if there are any fractures to the bone that are causing her stiffness they began networking her to rescue groups hoping to find somewhere to send her where she'd get the medical care that they couldn't provide.

She was placed on New Rattitude's CA urgent list and that's where I first saw her. Catherine, the CA State Coordinator for New Rattitude found a ground transport that was driving from Ventura to Seattle, picking up urgent dogs for Seattle area rescuers along the way. Madeline will join 17 other dogs on the trek to Washington starting Saturday and we will meet the transport in Olympia on Sunday morning to pick her up.

So send healthy vibes to Miss Madeline and cross your paws that the x-rays don't show any serious breaks. I'll keep you posted.

You've gotta love those transport volunteers!

Just thought I'd share this awesome video showing the rescue of 76 dogs that were transported from CA up to various rescues in the Seattle area. It won't let me stream it here so here's the link.

Skipper is here!

The New Rattitude WA team has another new foster parent, Traci, and her 1st foster dog arrived in WA on Sunday the 12th.

Skipper's owner passed away and the 6-7 year old guy was spending most of his time in a crate after that. He was headed to a shelter but the owner really wanted to avoid that since a 6 year old guy doesn't have much of a chance in a shelter. A rescue spot was found for him and he arrived here on Sunday, seemingly enjoying his big transport adventure.

This guy is up for just about anything. He knows some basic commands, is well house trained, crate-trained, loves kids and other dogs and is an all around joy for everyone (except maybe cats - he LOVES cats but they aren't fond of his ability to chase and catch them.)

He's a Jack Russell/rat terrier mix and at 6 he's not even quite middle-aged yet. This guy is an excellent example of why people should skip puppies and look for a mature dude to add to their family.

Thanks to all involved in saving him.

Edward Update: Poor Edward's kennel cough has settled in and he's at the worst phase of it with lots of coughing at night and a runny nose. The good news is that he is now eating and not looking so gaunt. We just need to get him through this KC so he can be healthy enough to have his hip fixed.

Frisby/Nimh update: Frisby has a great application and will be meeting his potential adopter and their rat terrier Cooper tomorrow. Everyone wish him luck! Nimh is still looking for a home that is looking for a gorgeous tiny dog who deserves the title of Princess Nimh.

Poor Edward

On Sunday one of Washington's newest NR foster dogs arrived on a plane from Texas. His name is Edward and he was seriously underweight, had kennel cough, and had a limp. He went to his new foster home with one of Washington's new foster parents and we discovered he wasn't eating or drinking much either.

Off to the vet Carol, Edward and I went this morning to have Dr. Joe take a look at him and see what might be the issue. When his leg was checked the "crunchy" noise let us know that x-rays were a must. It was discovered that little one year old Edward has a broken hip. Thankfully the pelvis and leg are fine but the ball part of the joint has broken off and he will need surgery to fix things up.

For now he received subcutaneous fluids to get him rehydrated and some pain meds. On top of that the doctor gave him a bag of food that Edward seemed interested in free of charge. After being dosed with the pain meds he's started eating and drinking broth so Carol and I are ecstatic! The little guy weighs 7 pounds and should be more like 10 or 11. It's a bit frightening to see a dog that thin.

Anyhow, right now the goal is to get a little weight on him and to get him well hydrated. Once he gets a little healthier he'll have the hip surgery. Everyone keep the sweet little dude in your thoughts - and keep his foster mom Carol in your thoughts as well. Nursing a dog with a broken hip is a bit of an overwhelming assignment for your first foster. In spite of the pain he is happy and friendly and hasn't been snappy at all. I can only imagine how incredible he'll be when he feels good.

It's a Jolly Holi-dog Celebration!