Our 'beach buddies' update....

I wanted to post a short update on our 'Beach Buddies' crew and chart their progress somewhat... Ringworm is not a 'fast fix' kind of thing, but more of a 'baby steps' kind of care that we do as volunteers and rescuers... 
We have split up these five puppies into two different litters... Three of the pups are about the same size (Pismo, Avalon and Waikiki) and we believe they are siblings...

Because the medication (EXPENSIVE - $60 a bottle - Oh my!) is administered by weight, it makes more sense to do it this way... 

Pismo's face is already showing signs of improvement... As you can see on the comparison from the 8th and now, the peach fuzz has begun to start growing in... The skin is not so dry and scaley-like...

As you can see from this picture to the left, her muzzle is not so nearly 'crater'd' as it was 10 days ago...

I just cannot imagine the pain these pups have gone through the entire duration of their very short, short life!  Even their little feet are not nearly as swollen and painful looking as they were when they arrived at TLC!... Baby steps, ya know?... Baby steps...

Avalon is the worst of the five and she's also the most outspoken of the crew... I think she was telling me what she thought of these medicated baths twice a week, but what do I know?...

It must feel itchy, then wet, then somewhat comforting to have a bit of a relief... Maybe she does not like the smell or the fragrance?... Dunno, but she certainly didn't care for the bath, huh?...

Or maybe she was unhappy about communal bathing with her other two sisters?... Sisters can be such witches to each other at times, and anyone who has a sibling can remember what it was like growing up with them, huh?... (smile)....

But even their little bellies are not as inflamed and loaded with postulates from the ringworm... Certainly they are feeling better, but this has not slowed them down any!... They play and rough house with each other like there is no tomorrow!

I can just imagine her thoughts here.. "Really?  Did you have to show off my tummy like this?"...

The two bigger sisters (Miami and Ventura) are just as active and playful...  They are a hoot as well...

After all, how can you possibly resist this look?... "GET ME OUT OF HERE~!!" Ventura seems to be saying!...

So we carry on... Day by day, happy to be able to save these 5 precious lives and know that we will overcome this health issue...

A special thank-you goes out to the TLC volunteers who take care of these wee ones, get the meds and baths done along with just making a difference in the life of these five!

Their still swollen paw in ours... Together we will win this fight!

For the complete story on the Beach Buddies, always check HERE

The point between life and death....

Avalon

 

 

TLC's mission statement is that we will do whatever it takes to save a dog's life unless it is immoral or illegal.  We will save one hard case for every four. 

And this isn't easy for a rescue to do -- many will not take on hard cases because of the increased vet bills, the extensive time the dog may be with the rescue because of behavior issues or simply?  The time, talent, energy, knowledge and just overall commitment to pull a pregnant mom out of a shelter, allow her to have her babies and raise them, wean them, keep everyone healthy until mom and pups can be spayed and neutered then adopted.

Miami

Because of our propensity to take on hard cases within our county and outside, we are sought out constantly to take on these kinds of rescues - for the most part, we have to say "Sorry, no" because we are committed heavily to helping Ventura County go No-Kill by 2014.

Once in awhile, there is no other rescue who will take on these hard cases that come up... Things start getting desperate for the dog or puppy, and we do reach the point that we know if we won't, no one will (more or less)...

Such is the case with the litter of 5 puppies with ringworm... 

Ventura

Ringworm is a very hard case to take on... It is highly contagious (by contact) and transfers over to humans very readily...  Any area needs to stay in a state of quarantine so that other dogs don't catch it --- any person handling the ringworm dog or puppy needs to be very much aware of the dangers of cross contamination and strict protocols need to be followed...

Special medicated shampoos are required every 2 days, then thorough drying after the bath because ringworm is a fungus... There are prescribed oral medications as well, plus cultures run to make sure you have conquered the fungus... Did I mention pristine environments to prevent secondary infections ~~~ WHEW!

Pismo

But how do you say no when it is a litter of 5 puppies that no other rescue is willing to save? This particular group of 5 small puppies (all under the age of 6 weeks old) were 'packaged' up in a box, then deposited outside a police station in Selma, California... Over 3 hours away from us... And trust me, there are MORE than enough dogs and puppies in our own county to save!

Numerous emails from different sources later, I finally caved in and asked the TLC volunteers if they would be willing to take this hard case on... As we worked through logistics from transportation to reconfiguring the rescue shop to contain this quarantine area, I was amazed at the depth of compassion the TLC rescue organization seems to have the market on...

Waikiki

Volunteer bathers jumped to the call, filling in the schedule... Other volunteers worked diligently to make sure the area was pristine and ready for their arrival... Our transporter, Dennis, got stuck on the other side of the Grapevine when snow closed it yesterday and that delayed his arrival by an extra three hours...

All in the sake of humanity towards pups, whose owner with little compassion, dumped in a box right before the holiday season, huh?  Those of us involved in rescue see this kind of thing occur 52 weeks out of the year, so why should the holiday season be any different? 

But it SHOULD be different... Folks who carelessly allow their pets to stay intact and breed indiscriminately, then don't take care of the consequences of their irresponsibility should be, if nothing else, educated and fussed at by others... We rescue folk cannot keep stepping up when the general public fails to do the right thing, regardless of the time or season... But that's a discussion for another time and place...

At this point in time, TLC stepped up and we were there to save these 5 little "Miracles of Christmas" - to insure they get the veterinary care they need, get healthy again and eventually become adoptable after being spayed, microchipped, etc.  This is what we do... This is what TLC does... We are the point between life and death year round for those who cannot speak for themselves.