Help Us Pay (rescue dog) Sandy Putt-Putt's Vet Bills

I am a volunteer and foster parent for Pom Posse Pomeranian Rescue. On April 11, 2008, I rescued this beautiful and sweet natured senior dog from a pound in CT the same day she was scheduled for euthanasia because she was deemed 'too old to be adoptable'. She had been picked up by Animal Control as a stray and held in the pound for several weeks, but no owner came to get her. I brought her back home to NJ to live as foster with me, my husband, and our six Pomeranians - two of which are also foster rescue dogs with special needs, awaiting the right adopter to come along and give them their forever Home. Sandy, nicknamed "Putt-Putt" because of her hesitant and somewhat comical gait, is a Sheltie/American Eskimo Mix, according to our best guess. She is totally deaf, and nearly completely blind due to severe cataracts. She seems to feel her way along with her front paws as she walks, and the hind legs are much slower and stiff -- for reasons that were not discovered until several weeks after she came home with me.

Sandy was infected with a tick-borne disease called Anaplasmosis. She was given a month's worth of antibiotics for this, and back home in NJ I took her to my vet for further examination, vaccinations and so on. She was treated with a series of injections for her stiff gait which was originally diagnosed as probably a result of arthritis and spinal degeneration due to her age. She was very thin, and in poor condition overall, with a densely matted coat. When the coat was shaved down, we discovered a multitude of bite wounds on her hindquarters and chest, so she begain treatment for these as well, including another type of antibiotics.

All of the bites healed except one on her right hip, which was severely infected and turned into a large gaping wound. She subsequently had surgery to debride and close this wound, as well as removal of seven rotten teeth and cleaning of severe tartar buildup. She then needed more antibiotics for diseased gums, and a long recovery period for the bite wound, which reopened two weeks following the surgery. The photo was taken just after the surgery, before it reopened and before she took another great downturn in condition as she continued to fight infection and got weaker and weaker, and thinner and thinner no matter what I tried to get her to eat. She stopped putting weight on the bad leg and can now barely keep herself steady enough to walk. But it looks as though she beat the infection and the wound is slowly starting to heal, filling in with new muscle tissue and even a little skin around the edges.

Now her biggest obstacle is her overall weakened condition, severe underweight and lack of appetite. The vets say her kidneys and other organs may be failing, and she is using all of her energy to heal the wound, with very little left over. We are doing all we can do to get her through this crisis and hope she may still have some quality of life for her final days, since she obviously hadn't been very well cared for in the past. Currently I am spoon feeding her semi liquid food and giving her water with a syringe at intervals around the clock, and helping her to stand and try to move her muscles a bit. But she seems to really want to get well, and I do not see any signs that she is giving up, no matter how tired and weak she may be.

Through all of this, Sandy has been nothing but gentle, good natured and totally trusting. She practically melts when you hold her in your arms, and leans into your hands when you pet, groom or otherwise care for her. She even sighs loudly with contentment when she receives any attention. She has never tried to bite or nip, even when tending her wounds. She is very outgoing and inquisitive in her own way, and friendly to everyone she meets, four- or two- legged. Her inquisitive nature gets her into trouble, too, because she often blindly 'putt-putts' her way into some pretty ridiculous jams under and behind the furntiure where she waits patiently to be 'rescued'! She also has a subtly comical side, and a genuine smile when she is happy.

Sandy is a special old lady, and in the nearly four months she has been with us, she has brought a special light to our lives. We are glad to be able to bring her some comfort and healing, but it has been a very expensive ordeal as well. The rescue group we volunteer for always has very limited funds, so we have paid over $800 so far out of our own pockets to cover her vet bills and medications - this is in addition the many vet bills and other costs we have for our other foster dogs, who have had their own health problems. We have limited income from my husband's job, and I have been devoting so much time to the care of Sandy and my other foster dogs that I have not been able to do very much in the way of the eBay sales which are my own source of income. With the economy going the way it is, things are pretty tight, and I am hoping that this fund will help to offset the costs for Sandy's bills so far and for her continuing care.

Thank you very much for reading Sandy's story and considering contributing to her fund. Please spread the word if you can!