A Rescue Story

Looking at her picture, you'd think Grace was a senior. She's about 4 years old, she's had a VERY hard life. This is her first evening here. She's scared and won't look at the camera. Poor kid.

What you can't see in the pictures is her horrible skin and the scabs on her bottom. Her skin is so loose, I feel like it might tear if I pet her (we pet her carefully) You can see how thin and brittle her coat is.

Grace was a stray before she came here. The history we got was this; she was used to game fighting dogs. When her people moved away, they finally did her a favor and left her behind to fend for herself. That was the ONLY act of kindness they gave this little girl. She wandered her neighborhood and was kindof neighborhood dog, but no one was taking REAL responsibility for this girl. No vet visits, no grooming, just a few hot dogs or a bowl of food here or there.

Grace's angel discovered the situation, picked her up and brought her to collie rescue. We will be updating Grace's webpage as the healing begins. We anticipate her being here until the end of January. With a bit of luck, she might be ready for adoption Feb '08.

Click here to sponsor Grace.

You can also email Grace at waywardcollierescue@hughes.net

Here is her story:

October '07

Well, I went and picked her up. You don't see many dogs in this condition that are still alive. I feel so much for the folks that brought her. You could see that they really wanted to help her, but she is in such bad shape that it's overwhelming. I'm overwhelmed, and this is what I do. I assured them that they helped her. If it weren't for them, she would still be running the neighborhood and couldn't have lived much longer. Her eyes are SOO sunken in. When I picked her up to put her into the car, a HUGE drip of what looked like clear snot expelled from her eye. Her skin is so loose, I fear it might rip. This is really sad. Although I try to be strong for the folks handing her over,as I drive home with her, I cry. I cry for her....

First vet visit

Good news and bad news. The good news is that she should be able to recover. The bad news is that there is ALOT wrong with her. It's going to take a long time.

Here's the list;

She has heartworms. And, not just heartworms. My vet didn't even have to run the test. She could SEE the microfilia swimming in Grace's blood. We will do heartworm treatment. My vet wants to wait about a month a let Grace heal and put on some weight before we start it. With a dog in Grace's condition, our vet is suggesting a 2 phase treatment and I agree. We will do one shot to kill some of the evil worms off, then a month later, we will do the 2 shot treatment to kill the rest off. It costs more and takes a month longer, but it's safer for Grace so that's what we're going to do. Poor little gal worked for 3 years struggling as a stray, we don't want her efforts to be for naught. I will also give her a dose of Interceptor in a few weeks to try and kill off as much microfilia as possible. Gotta take every precaution to be sure she has a great life ahead. She's earned it!

Previous fractures: At this time, its' almost a moot point. We've got heartworms to worry about! My vet did go over her for now (we will do x-rays later to see exactly what's going on. Hips appear to be okay and doesn't look like she was hit by a car or anything. However, her right elbow has multiple old fractures in it, like it was crushed at some point, probably by another dog. Range of motion is left to right, not front to back. Which causes Grace's leg to 'swing out' when she's walking. I've got video of it, will try to post. Video of Gracie walkin'

Skin is in HORRIBLE shape, lots of scabby stuff on Grace's bottom. No mange that we could find, just lots of itching, inflammation, and the scabs on her bottom. We're doing a round of prednisone to help her heal. I'll also be bathing her in Chlorhexidine shampoo to help.

Eyes are sunken in, probably from starvation and loss of mass. We did bloodwork, she's just a little dehydrated (amazing), nutritional levels are not good. Also tested thyroids, they are low, but it's to be expected of a dog in this condition. We will test again (or suggest to her new mom and pop) in 6 months to be sure Grace is okay.I will keep Grace on the Rice and boiled chicken along with a daily vitamin to help build up her health. She's not going for the Pedialyte. I can't really blame her, it's kindof disgusting. Tastes like vinegar. Bummer that I wasted 5.00 on it, that 5.00 will be coming out of Grace's allowance :)

No microchip and she's got a spay scar. Possibly someone once loved her and she was stolen? We will never know.

Grace has a tooth in front that is probably infected and a cracked tooth in back. My vet doesn't know how it may've happened. She's never seen anything like it, but also hasn't treated any bait dogs. A dental will need to be done prior to adoption.

We couldn't chip her, there's nothing to insert a chip into. She's sooo skinny :(

November 2, 2007

Her eye's are starting to sparkle a little, but are still very sunken in. She ravenous! I think her little body finally realizes it's hungry. I'm giving her over 6 cups of dog food a day, but will cut her back soon as I don't want her to gain weight faster than her bones are ready to support that weight. I will continue to free feed for a few more days. I want her to enjoy the feeling of never being hungry again.

I'm using Gentamicin drops and refresh tears to flush those little eyes out and get them healthy. They are beautiful brown collie eyes and I think she's going to be a shaded sable when her coat comes in. Some of the mats on her were almost 4 inches long. We are expecting a full coated collie, but it will probably take about a year and her adopters will see it. Please send pics.

November 8, 2007

Grace is an absolute sweetheart! It's amazing that she held that sweet spirit throughout her ordeal. She's good with the other dogs and the grandkids really like her and she likes them! Enjoy it now guys! tonight, she will be crate dog.

I'm giving her the interceptor tonight. She will need to be confined and leash walked to be sure her heart doesnt' pump too fast and get clogged with microfilia. I say a little prayer for her and put an extra blankie in her crate.

November 9, 2007

Grace is doing well on the interceptor. Appetite a little low, but no labaored breathing. This is a good thing!

November 16, 2007

Took Grace to the vet today. We did xrays as her breathing does seem labored, even though it is better than it was when she came in. It's not good news, but heartworms are nasty beasts. They do alot of damage.

Her heart is enlarged on the right side and calcified. The calcification goes throughout the pulminary artery and she has 'leafing' in her lungs which is another indication of calicified lungs.

Her bones have lost ALOT of calcium. In a normal dog's xray, the boned would be solid on an xray, not Grace's. Her's are an outline with clear speckled inside, not honeycombed. Almost look like a cartoon picture. Not good. Probably will not get any better over time. Probably isn't going to leave room for old broken bones to heal,

Note from the author: My vet tells me these are tell tale signs of heartworm damage. Anyone in the US that says heartworms are not in their area is kidding themselves. It could be the middle of January with 6 inches of ice on the ground and my dogs would still get their monthly prevention. Heartworms kill and damage!! And it's such an easy thing to prevent. Since being in rescue, I really know the effects of it. I'm not taking any chances with my furry friends and I recommend everyone to consider the cost of skipping a month. You really have to ask yourself "is it worth it"?

Even though there is treatment for heartworms available, it can be deadly. Just think carefully before you skip a month.

I think my vet is having a little trouble breaking the news to me because she knows how passionate I am about helping these guys. But, my very dear friend told her husband the news (he is a veterinarian) and the response was

"I'm just hoping she'll be okay, but if it becomes too much, or if she'll suffer, I know you'll make the right decision, either way. My husband was discouraged at all she had wrong with her, but he's has seen dogs in worse shape pull through. I'm just believing God brought her to you intentionally for her best interest. All we can do is hope the best for her quality of life."

Let's hope Grace is one of those dogs that pulls through. We are putting off HW treatments until 1/2/08 to give her little body more time to heal. In the meantime, my vet has started her on some heart medication to help her breathing. It seems to be helping.

We are forging ahead with Grace, hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. Grace is such a sweetheart, a collie through and through. Even walks up to me and gives me the trademark burp in my face. Who's a good girl??!

One of the customers who came in while we were there kept telling Grace how pretty she is. I was so happy for her, she worked hard to pretty up, she should be proud of herself.

And that's where we're at for now.

12/05/07

Grace went to the vet today for a checkup. Dr. Crystal was very proud of how good Gracie looked. HW treatment starting 1/08 is a go!! One more month to heal. Grace is building some muscle mass and is starting to walk more 'normal'. Still ALOT of popping and cracking in that front elbow so a visit to the orthopedic vet is in Grace's future, but we have other things to take care of first.

Dr. said that the calcification of the heart and pulmonary artery is caused by the HW infestation. Also, lack of bone density, same thing. She said we shouldn't expect it to get better, but it also won't get worse once we get those little boogers killed. (please refer to HW rant above) She also said that she's seen dogs in worse condition than Grace and they've pulled through to live happy lives. That was WONDERFUL news! Now, we have hope.

Here are some more recent pictures of Grace. You can really see how her coat is shining/softening up and her eyes are starting to sparkle.

After her bath: So funny. You can see it in her eyes. She likes this family life, but those baths are for the birds! Makin' me feel soo guilty.

And here she is looking pretty comfortable as a house dog. Kindof shoots that theory "Dogs like to live outside" right out the ole' window. I don't think Grace's outside life was going that well for her. I doubt she thinks so either.

Ahhh, yes. Somebody loves her, and it's starting to show. Gracie is SOO thankful for her rescue angels and so are we. It's become such an honor to be a part of her rescue. Her new parents are SO lucky, and they don't even know it yet :-)

12/18/07

Grace had her Interceptor on 12/06/07, full dose. A little bit of coughing, but other than that it's like any one of the other dogs. I think we've killed off as much as we can with it. The next step will be HW injection. Hopefully, she is well on her way to recovery. I will update again the first week of January how her treatment is going.

And hopefully will start the new year with pictures of Grace wearing a Christmas bow on her head.

Happy Holidays!!

1/15/08

Gracie started her HW treatment 1/7/08 and is doing well with it. This is the first of the 2 phases, which included one shot to kill as many as possible before the big kill next month. We are on day 8 and so far, no complications. She's not happy about being on bedrest, but such is the nature of treating HW's so we have to live with it for a while.

I think she still loves us :-) What a sweetie!

2/09/08

Grace got her second heartworm treatment 2/04/08 and so far, is pulling through it like nothing happened. Hurrah! Her feet are warm now (it was so bizarre for the longest time, never felt cold feet on a dog before), yes, they are warm. She's getting more sparkle in her eyes!! And she feels greeeeaaat!

Last month with her first treatment, we could tell the poor little thing felt lousy, so we didn't need to leash her for walks because, she wasn't doing anything other than walking. This time, we're having to leash her because we can't stop her from wanting to trot. She's eating good, wanting to play with her foster brothers and sisters (although, she can't... yet:-)

Our vet tells us that with this treatment, the Heartworms are gone in 30 days. She will need another HW test in 6 months, we will be sure to send her new parents a reminder. So, she gets her dental and xrays first week of March and she's ready to see the orthopedic vet to see if there's anything that can be done for that crushed shoulder.

We anticipate being able to start accepting applications for Grace in the middle of March. She will be a special needs with all of her ailments disclosed for her new folks. We are still deciding what some of those ailments are. Not sure if some of this will clear up with the Heartworms being gone or not and we don't know what the orthopedic vet will say about that elbow. But, we will know before she's adopted out.

Our vet also continues to insist that Grace is only 3-4 years old, even though her face looks 6-7. I think she's had a very hard life and has some grey hairs that are probably premature. I think most of us human parents can understand that one. Teenage years are when our grey hairs really start to dominate! lol

I will be taking more pics of her early this week, so stay tuned... She has REALLY blossomed, you would hardly recognize her. Got tons of compliments on the condition of her coat when she went for her last treatment. It's got about a year to really fill out, but she has a good fluffy start.

Thankyou so much to all of Graces angels who have donated to her care!! She wants to write thankyou notes, but her penmanship leaves a little to be desired. Again, I'm sure that will improve also :) Who's a good girl?!

2/10/08

There's something we've just learned about Grace that I think we should disclose to anyone interested in adopting her.

She collects dolls. We discovered this when she rescued a dolly off the floor, proving there are many more Lassie moments in her future! She IS a collie.

It's no wonder she's taken such a liking to them. They've been taking care of her.

Click here to read Grace's photostory costarring Shirley Temple and Annie, her best pals!

I'll take more pics outside when the weather gets better. She's doing great, feeling great, I think we might finally be over the hump and she'll really start healing now. Thankyou everyone who helped out and are making her rescue possible!

3/14/08 I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to give another update. Got another HW+ dog in so, I've been busy. But, it's not Grace, she should be Heartworm free. Hurrah! She needs another test in 6 monhts to be sure.

She's doing better than we could've ever expected. She's helping the new dog along, which is really sweet. So cool to see her graduating to the phase of being the helper and not the rescue. 6 months ago, that pathetic little dog was her. She still has a long way to go, but she's out of the woods and into the healing.

She's decided to steal dirty socks from laundry, and right after I'm done laughing, I tell her no no. It's tough to correct her. It's almost like she's starting to live a little and I want to let her. But, rules are rules, it's a no no.

Grace is turning into a real dog and loving it. She's so smart. My grandkids are her new best friends, she couldn't love them enough! I guess she's latching onto the two people who are smaller than her. She thinks they are cute and the fact that they are usually covered in some kindof crumbs makes them a fun bunch to hang out with.

3/19/08 is her big day for dental and xrays. We've been waiting for months to get these two cracked teeth out. I'm sure she's going to be in heaven when she can eat without pain! and, even though she can't believe it, it elates me to think that it's going to get even better for her. Especially when she finds her forever family. It's an honor to be the ones to help her along, she's such a great little gal!

Grace is also sitting for treats, knows many commands and is starting to put on some weight. You can see her coat shining up and eyes starting to sparkle. I tried for pics, but she was in constant motion that day... happy feet! I'll try again this week.

Some folks will ask we rescue people why we do it. Or, I've been asked how much I get paid for this. Today's update is the payment for this. I think I've just been paid a million dollars this month, and that's a heck of a bonus! :-)

Good job, Grace!

3/21/08

Dental and Xrays are done. Dental went great, her teeth are nice and shiny. She lost 5 teeth. Not as bad as we thought and Grace is looking forward to dry dog food. Although she doesn't have any problems eating treats and chewies, seems that dog food always has to be softened. Hmmmm? Who's training who here? :)

Xrays are not good news, but not the end of the world either. We will take her to the ortho doc to be sure, but here's the situation as my vet sees it and it makes sense to me.

The radius is intact and attached to the joint as it should be. the Ulna, however, is another story. It's been broken away from the joint and you can see where it's kindof hanging there in limbo. It appears (although my vet said she's never seen anything like it) that the Ulna has somehow gotten in front of the radius at the bottom. I was told this may've happened from lots of inflammation, but she's not sure. That's just what it looks like to her and is very bizarre. She added that she didn't know of any way to repair it, but she's not an expert and there may be some treatment she doesn't know about. By all means, she recommends a visit to an orthopedic specialist. Maybe even if there's nothing that can be done, he can make a brace or something so she can run and play because she WANTS to!

My shepherd, Freeman plays soccer with a basketball. Brings it to me and I kick it for him, great fun! I had Grace out there with us during one of these games and she TRIED with all her might to RUN with Freeman. I could see she was using EVERY ounce of strength she could muster to RUN, run, run! I stopped her because I don't want her doing any damage before we talk to the experts. But, it was a joy to see her want to do it. And Freeman is always a party! I'd like to see Grace be able to run and play and live...

Our vet was also quick to add that Grace should still has many good years on her and we should expect to continue to see improvement for a long time. Dr. Crystal said Grace should be able to live a happy dog life. Even with her leg, she's learned to cope with it and deal with it. As a reference point, Grace has never felt better. She's a very happy girl and is not even thinking about rolling over or giving up. Neither are we.

Grace's kids are coming to visit this weekend. She's so excited. Nothing more snuggly than a little kid full of Peep crumbs, nothin' in the world!

Wait'll I nuke a few Peeps in the microwave, put 'em on Graham Crackers and give her a taste of that! She'll probably still love me as much as she loves her kids then.

4/2/08 I talked with my vet today and she said Grace looks fantastic. It's time to start weaning her off the aminophylline. This is good news!!

She got bumped up at the Orthopedic Vet to 4/8/08. Hopefully, they will be able to help her and find it in their hearts to give us a good deal on her help. If not, the Visa card's always ready and willing, then we'll get it paid off eventually. After all....

"It's what we do,
We're Collie Rescue"

I've had alot of response about Grace's site and for me it's kindof funny 'cause in the bowels of Missouri, this isn't the worst we've taken in. At least Grace has hope of recovery, that's a good thing.

I never expected the kind of response Grace has gotten. I honestly just started this site so the folks that turned Grace over to us could see how she's doing. She's doing great and is being a bit of a stinker. You can see in her eye's, she's laughing at me when I tell her to do something. "Ha, ha, ha, I'm not gonna do it"

"Ha, ha, ha, Oh, yes you are" :)

It's so good to see her trying it. That means she's more comfortable in her new life and gaining security. When she can run up to me and jump on me, then we know, she's a housedog! and a happy family pet! That's the goal.

5/7/08 Grace went to the orthopedist last month and the news isn't really good. However, I did get some info I wanted to pass on. Her radius is popped out, yet the Ulna is intact. Dr. Alan said he'd never seen an injury like that before. Sometimes, the ulna gets broken and the radius pops out, but he's never seen the ulna intact with the radius out of place. He didn't know what could've caused an injury like that.

So, I asked him if a bunch of dogs tearing at her could cause it and he solemnly shook his head yes. So, the story we got when we took her in was confirmed.

He also said he couldn't believe she was getting around as well as she is. With her injuries and the arthritis in her back legs, she should be crippled. He said that he could possibly cut the radius back a little, but that's not what's really bothering her the most. Her hips are bothering her worse than the front leg and there's nothing we can do about the arthritis in her hips, so there's no sense in putting her through a surgery that only will possibly help her front leg when that's not the worst of her troubles.

He did spend alot of time with us and really explained the situation thoroughly. He said to keep her on supplements and give pain meds when needed.

Grace has alot of angels. They stepped up and suggested she try Phycox. It's a supplement that has an anti inflamatory in it. I went hunting for it online and before I could order it, a 2 month supply was on my doorstep! Must've been sent by the collie fairies ;)

She's been on it for about 3 weeks and it's working so well that she hasn't had to take anything stronger for pain. It also must be really yummy 'cause she RUNS to that food bowl now.

Picture time! Here's Grace sleeping with her doll collection. It's her favorite place to sleep, I think she and I are kindred spirits.

Awww, Wesley's giving her a hug! What other collie gets to get hugged by a 96 year old doll?

Grace loved the hug so much that she decided to give Wesley a pony ride!

I'm getting them cowboy hats and making Wes a cowboy outfit. Maybe, if Clint Eastwood has one more left in him, they can star in his next Western? :)

Here's Grace waiting for her pal, Freeman, to get a Frisbee throw so she can chase him! Woo hoo!

I'm working on a video for Grace, so stay tuned for more! To be continued.....