{"id":9926,"date":"2012-05-01T19:53:04","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T02:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/ClaireWolfe\/?p=9926"},"modified":"2012-05-01T19:53:04","modified_gmt":"2012-05-02T02:53:04","slug":"once-more-for-sweetie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/01\/once-more-for-sweetie\/","title":{"rendered":"Once more for Sweetie"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATED with new photos.<\/b><\/p>\n

We have some good news, some more good news, and some bad news on Sweetie the deaf heeler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sweetie<\/a><\/p>\n

The first good news<\/b>: Sweetie continues to do well. Linda, our ACD expert, has concluded that psychologically there’s nothing wrong with her. Except that she’s a deaf cattle dog with PTSD and an exaggerated startle response, not enough obedience training, and a dislike of sharing her home with other dogs. But basically a devoted little cuddlebug.<\/p>\n

The second good news<\/b>: She’s free of microfilariae. That means the slow-kill heartworm treatment she’s been on since coming into rescue is helping. The baby worms are out of her system.<\/p>\n

But that leads to the bad news.<\/b> Linda’s vet did an extensive workup on Sweetie and concluded that Sweetie’s infestation of adult worms — the ones that actually live in the heart, not just in the bloodstream — is severe enough that we need to give her the costly fast-kill treatment.<\/p>\n

Not only the fast-kill treatment, but the newer, safer version, which involves three injections of immiticide, three times under anesthesia, several before-and-after drugs, and six-to-eight weeks of crate rest. Ugh. (UPDATE: furrydoc says that’s more likely to be a heavy tranquilizer with painkiller than full anesthesia, but in any case, the treatment is painful and Sweetie will be “out of it” during the procedure.)<\/p>\n

So the short version of the story is … we need your help again. You opened your hearts and wallets for Sweetie before. You not only got her across the country, but your donations have covered all of her vetting and other expenses so far (accounting below<\/b>). We still have some Sweetie Funds left — but not enough to get her through this.<\/p>\n

So one more push, if you can. Please donate to get Sweetie her heartworm treatment.<\/p>\n

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If you don’t use PayPal or if it’s important to you that your contribution be tax-deductable, email me: sweetie-at-hermit-dot-cotse-dot-net and I’ll give you alternative payment information.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What you’ve done for Sweetie so far<\/b><\/p>\n

When the need to transport Sweetie from South Carolina to a breed expert in the Northwest arose, you donated an astonishing $1,140 for Sweetie virtually overnight. Then last week we got another $100 from one of our earlier donors saying (so right) that he knew she’d have further needs.<\/p>\n

Here’s what your kindness bought:<\/p>\n

$625 — Transportation and related<\/b> (crate; health certificate; travel dishes; airfare; fuel reimbursement)<\/p>\n

$398 — Vet care and medicines<\/b> (wellness exam; dhlp and bordatella vaccines; heart x-rays; blood tests for heartworm; test for liver and kidney function; worming; doxycycline; Guinness Stout — yes, it’s an experimental HW treatment)<\/p>\n

$40 — Food<\/b><\/p>\n

$30 — PayPal fees<\/b><\/p>\n

$1,093 Total<\/b><\/p>\n

That leaves us with $147 in Sweetie’s Fund. <\/p>\n

What Sweetie needs now<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Her three immiticide treatments, including anesthesia (or tranq and painkiller) and overnight stays at the vet’s, will cost a total of $531. Unfortunately, Merial, the company that makes immiticide, sells it only in five-dose packages and will not break a package for us. We’re searching for someone who might be able to sell us only the amount we need, but so far, no luck.<\/p>\n

So with the extra drugs, follow up exams, and bones, rawhides, and toys to keep Sweetie from going completely nuts during nearly two months on crate rest, we’re figuring $800 to be safe.<\/p>\n

$800 – $147 = $653 needed.<\/b><\/p>\n

If we don’t have to buy the extra immiticide (or if we do and can re-sell it), any money above the HW treatment will go toward buying Sweetie a vibrating collar — a wonderful tool for training and handling a deaf dog.<\/p>\n

Thank you!<\/b><\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Here (once again) is the video Mary Lou Seymour took when she put Sweetie on the plane to the Northwest.<\/p>\n