May 2018
Rescue continues to center around the three Iowa puppy mill girls we have had for three months. On April 13, Sophie was not eating and we became worried enough to take her to the vet. An x-ray showed little bits of something in her stomach and intestines, and our vet suggested we get surgery immediately. She went to the ER clinic and had surgery about midnight. They found sharp pieces of plastic, which we since identified as pieces of a string trimmer reel. It’s been a chore to keep everything away from these dogs because they have to live in the garage, and having fencing panels and disassembled x-pens in front of shelves wasn’t enough. Two weeks later we removed 33 staples from the incision, and Sophie has recovered now.
Fena tested heart worm positive and x-rays showed mature worms in the arteries of her heart. The treatment began with a month of Doxycycline and a shot of Diroban. One month later she received two more shots of Diroban on consecutive days; the 3rd and 4th of May. Each time we had to herd the three girls into a corner using an x-pen, then catch Fena and hold her on a table. Doing this to an extremely fearful dog is not good, though we had no choice, and as a result all three dogs regressed almost to the time we got them three months ago. It has been discouraging to spend hours a day without much result.
A week ago we asked our vet to prescribe Prozac for all three, hoping it will dull the fear they are experiencing. They were already getting small doses of Trazodone. Giving pills is another problem because they huddle together most of the time. We worked it out that if we sit in a spot close to them, but just far enough away, that two would get up and leave. That meant we could wrap a pill in something desirable for the nearest dog, then wait till the other two were farther away and toss the wrapped pills to them when they moved apart. Life has become a real circus. It will be about three weeks before we know whether the Prozac has worked.
We explored programs at the state prisons, where inmates work closely training a single dog each. It sounded good until they pointed out the noise level; that wouldn’t work for these dogs. Our vet recommended a local trainer, but they haven’t returned the call. We first looked for a trainer two months ago and gave up because of cost. If we could place two of the girls, one would be relatively easy to work with. The problem is finding a home with very specific requirements. They must have a double fence, so if a dog escapes she is still enclosed by a second fence. If one of these dogs escaped it would be a death sentence because she would never come to a human. The foster home must understand these dogs can’t be touched yet and won’t tolerate a leash. Persuading them humans are good might take months, possibly years. Until we get help, we will not be able to take any more foster dogs. It means putting a hold on the work we have done for 17 years.
Last month we mentioned the rescue picnic is scheduled for July 21. If we still have all three fosters we probably will have to cancel the picnic because we won’t have time to get ready for it.
