Puppymill Yorkies with Rotten Teeth

Hello. I have been a dog rescuer in Southeast Missouri for ten years. Recently I went and picked up eight dogs that were confiscated from various puppymills by the state authorities. I didn't realize what I was going to find when I arrived. A couple of these little ones are totally bald! Their eyes and ears were matted shut with infection. Their gums and teeth were infected and rotten. The little Yorkies were in the worst shape. I'm sorry to be so graphic, but one little Yorkie's jaw was broken because the deterioration in his mouth was so extensive. He needed immediate attention and, sadly, was not strong enough to survive the surgery. The other Yorkies have been eating soft food and gaining weight and strength so that they can undergo the general anesthesia necessary for their dental work.
The vet who operated on Viktor, the first Yorkie, said that his mouth was "beyond horrendous." Besides the infection, he had wads of hair stuck up under his gums. The vet told me that the dogs are so bored when they spend their lives in those dark tiny boxes that they chew on themselves. The ones in wire cages chew on the wires until they don't have any teeth at all. (Two of the eight are toothless--no dental work for them.) Puppymill dogs stay with me for a long time before being adopted because they're all so damaged and sad. They've never stepped on grass, they've never been petted, they don't know how to eat from a bowl or what a toy is all about. But when they start to lose that "hundred mile stare" and take their first tentative steps toward turning into real dogs, it's SO rewarding. It's like a miracle.

So, anyway, I've never done this before and I'm feeling a little shy about doing it now. Asking people for money is quite humbling, but I didn't budget or count on needing multiple veterinary surgeries. I have to be honest and tell you that the Yorkies will be getting their dental work whether or not this Fundable goal is met--they desperately need it, the vet's a good guy and I'll get him paid--but if you have a few dollars to spare, this project is definitely a good one. It all goes around and comes around, you know.

My website will be finished and online before the Fundable period ends. Look for www.pastadog.com, coming soon to a computer near you. Thank you so much for reading through this and I apologize about the gooey parts. Take good care, everyone. Don't buy dogs at petstores--tell all your friends.

Candace Allen Poe
Poe Farms
P.O. Box 493
Bloomfield, MO 63825
573-568-2698
cpoe@semo.net