"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
~ Immanual Kant
Leaving Long Island
Owen and Graydon were pulled from a shelter in Long Island,
NY where they both ended up after being rescued from a horrific backyard
breeder living in treacherous conditions.
Both dogs have serious abscesses and skin infections. They
are both limping from the pain of open wounds, sores, and damage that is most
likely the result of being confined in unsanitary tiny wire cages that promoted the
infections they are now both fighting.
Both pugs are un-neutered and were most likely used as stud
dogs to produce more litters.
On Graydon’s first couple of days in Curly Care we noticed
the large abscess in his groin which also spread down his left leg. Curly Vet. Dr. S was concerned that if it spread any further it could be a serious threat
to his genitals and possibly cause a blockage.
The abscess had already ruptured
at the Vet.'s and his foster mom was told to apply a hot compress followed by a
cold compress to try to draw the rest of the puss out. This was done every 3 to 4
hours for the entire weekend (Friday to Monday). The infection seemed to be
impeding his ability to walk and defecate. He has also been given a
concentrated shot of antibiotics as well as a series of oral antibiotics.
Owen came to us in even worse shape than Graydon. In
addition to infections and sores, Owen has also been suffering from severe
allergies, a common congenital problem in many Pugs. Owen was clearly never Vetted or treated for his allergies and the damage and neglect is evident in
the grotesque condition of his pus oozing wounds, elephant like skin, limping,
itching, and being so uncomfortable that he has difficulty even sleeping.
The intake of Owen and Graydon and their road to recovery will be costly, but Curly Tail will do everything we can to restore them to health and give them the lives that all Pugs deserve.
Please help us help Owen and Graydon, every little bit helps.
Leaving Long Island 
Stabilizing Sammie
February 18th 2010 - Update
Sammie has been doing well for the last few weeks since his diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. His foster mom has been checking his urine with Diastix, feeding him his prescription dog food, and giving him his insulin.
Unfortunately, Sammie was getting too much insulin and had a seizure. Everything was normal until dinner time. He was getting excited about the food ritual and then he started foaming at the mouth and biting at the air. This is one of the classic symptoms of a seizure. Next Sammie went stiff, arching his back and jerking his feet about. Lastly he urinated. The seizure lasted about 2 minutes. It was very frightening for Sammie's foster mom.
All was well with Sammie until around 3 AM the next morning when he had another seizure! The seizures started to cluster. His last seizure was once again during the feeding ritual in the morning. Thanks to Dr. S's team, it was uncovered that even though Sammie did not have any sugar in his urine, his foster mom was still giving him a little bit of insulin. Sammie's foster mom got the green light to hold back on the insulin if he had no sugar in his urine!
We are hesitant to say that Sammie is currently stable. These recent set backs have triggered more concern and clearly call for an ongoing medical evaluation. We will have to do another round of blood work, and his Rx food and daily medication for both conditions are quite costly.
We will keep you posted on Sammie's progress and prognosis. The one thing we do know is that Sammie is a very gentle sweet soul.
Stabilizing Sammie
Future updates and posts can be found on his personal rehab page: Stabilizing Sammie
Stabilizing Sammie
January 25th 2010Upon
intake to his foster home, Sammie was on 5 units of insulin after every daily
meal. Sammie's insulin levels were never correct because
of the Cushing’s syndrome, which made him go from too much insulin, leading to
seizures, or not enough insulin, leading to hypoglycemia where he would be weak
and stumbling around. Sammie also had chronic diarrhea which led him to
be undernourished and skeletal. Once the Cushing's syndrome was confirmed,
Curly Tail had to handle the fact that we could be dealing with one or two possible
scenarios:
Scenario A.
Primary
Cushing's syndrome, where there is a small tumor on his pituitary gland that is manageable
with medicine
Scenario B
Secondary
Cushing's syndrome, where there are tumors on the adrenal gland and are almost
always malignant.
Further tests were performed: Sammie's
first test was a cortisol stimulation test to confirm the diagnosis of Cushing’s
syndrome. Sammie had to have three different shots staggered throughout
the day and his levels of cortisol needed to be measured. Unfortunately
the test did not go well and Sammie had to spend the night in the
hospital. During that visit he also had his glucose levels checked.
This latest visit was very costly at
upwards of $1000. He had to stay overnight at the vet's facility (not the one we normally use in NYC or MA), had a battery of tests run and blood work sent out for multiple rounds of testing. They confirmed the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome and as a
next step he will need an ultrasound (approx $300 alone!!) to determine if the Cushing’s syndrome we
are dealing with is either the Primary or Secondary scenario, noted above.
We will know more about Sammie’s diagnosis and prognosis
shortly. Please stay tuned..
In addition to his diabetes and Cushing's, Sammie also has
cataracts in both eyes, which have left him virtually blind. At this stage we are opting not to perform surgery on his eyes b/c it is a risk and not worth the little amount of vision he may regain. He gets around perfectly, and you can see him in action at our NYC Curly Tail Meet Up! Click here for videos: Sammie's Page
Thank you for all of your support! It is only the
kindness, compassion, and generosity of supporters like you that allows us to help pugs like Sammie, who would otherwise face grim alternatives. Stabilizing Sammie
Future updates and posts can be found on his personal rehab page: Stabilizing Sammie
January 19th 2009
Sammie came to Curly Tail because the family who owned him wanted
to 'retire.' They felt that Sammie was a heavy burden to take care of
in the future. Curly Tail was aware of his diabetes and took him in
regardless of his condition. Upon further examination of his previous
vet records, Curly saw vet notes listed as a 'guarded condition.' We did not know what that guarded condition was, but we set off to find
out! We knew pretty quickly we had our next big rehabilitation case
with Sweet Sammie.
Upon first exam by the vet, where Sammie had a full set of blood work done, it was concluded that Sammie could possibly have Cushing's
Syndrome. Cushing's Syndrome (also called
hyperadrenocorticism or hypercorticism) is a hormone disorder caused by
high levels of cortisol (hypercortisolism) in the blood. Because of
the Cushing's Syndrom, Sammie's diabetes had not been under control.
We will keep you updated on Sammie's condition as we work to stabilize this sweet boy with the cutest overbite ever.
He will need several rounds of blood work, daily insulin shots, COSTLY
medication for the Cushing's Syndrome and an ultrasound. Curly supplied
his foster mom with urinalysis test strips so
in addition to administering his insulin shots 2x/day, she can gauge
his levels on a daily basis at home. He is also on an Rx diet to help
maintain further balance.
We have already started providing
Sammie with the care he needs...it will be a costly endeavor but this
sweet boy with the big personality is worth it!
Please help us, help Sammie and Chip In:
Stabilizing Sammie
Future updates and posts can be found on his personal rehab page: Stabilizing Sammie
Christmas Puppies' 1st Birthday Bash and Reunion was a great success!
Click here for the amazing back story of the Christmas Puppies' rescue!
Curly Tail's (NYC location)
....premier dog walker!
will weikart, dogwalker & pug expertwillweikart@gmail.com
Will takes care of many of the neediest pugs in our NYC location he changes Sophia's diaper (midday change) • has applied eye treatments to delicate fosters like Butter he has cared for Pixie, Apple, Beetle, Carter, Flannery...and many more you all remember!
his rates are reasonable • he knows pugs like nobody's business • he even does private affordable boarding in NYC!
Curl Tail Pug Rescue is a proud member of the:
Malignant Mesothelioma
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