Month: October 2023

UPDATE:
Miss Leah was spayed by the shelter today, had her rabies vaccine, plus was microchipped.
 
She had been dewormed once and had her DHPP vaccine done recently.
 
We also placed her on antibiotics as a skin infection was noted. She appears to have some mammary masses that we shall investigate further with our veterinarian team. The shelter is limited in what they can do.
 
Once she arrives, we will do more bloodwork, a thorough exam, boosters, give additional vaccines, place on flea/tick, heartworm preventative, and de-worm again.
 
I have paid off her vet bill to date, and if all goes well, she will arrive next Friday or Saturday.
 
Thanks to a generous $100 donation, I have been able to purchase a leash, collar, and dog bowls. I am lending her foster home one of the chilly dog coats I have from one of my own Danes.
 
If anyone may consider donating an XL Costco dog bed – she never had any comfort in her past life was kept outside – we would be so grateful.
 
If anyone wishes to make a financial donation instead, they can be made via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org or via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
 
She is only the fifth dog we have been able to assist in 2023.
 
Miss Leah is in need of a special Secret Santa of her own! Please let us know if you would like to spoil her for Christmas!

Line up begins to gather for ‘peanut butter’ time! 
 
I am on the other side of the gate in the kitchen, so I do not get mobbed getting the peanut butter! 
 
They may be deaf/blind, yet their noses are well-honed! 
 
Mr. Romeo’s butt can also be seen in this photo & Irish’s face!

We have Porthos(3.5), Apex in the back(almost 4), Zero with his face sniffing the ground(9.5), Salt(7.5), Aramis(3.5) looking straight at the camera, and Ice(9.5).

**UPDATE: $100 generously donated to date**
**$404 raised through Carol’s pop-up auctions**
Total Raised To Date: $504

This is Miss Lilly, who is almost 6 years young.
 
She is deaf/visually impaired, and Sean plus I continue to shake our heads as to why her forever loving right-matched personality fit home never came along once she was successfully rehabilitated and placed up for adoption. She has been with us since August 1st, 2019.
 
She was placed up for adoption on May 28th, 2020. In May of 2022, she was moved to our Haven program.
 
As always, it does not matter, as she is adored beyond measure, and has almost 148 acres of trails to romp and run on, almost 3+ acres safely fenced in to play with her friends, and our family who would do anything for her. She gets to go to so many places, has play-dates, and enjoys her adventures.
 
On Friday, October 6th, she stopped eating. No other signs that anything was wrong, happy, no vomiting, no diarrhea, and full of life.
 
When she did not eat again on Saturday, I knew something was very wrong. We rushed off to emerge – and, despite doing x-rays, bloodwork, ultrasounds, examinations, and urinalysis, nothing could be diagnosed.
 
Right before our eyes, she was fading. She stopped drinking, urination was once a day, then every other day, even with supportive care, including IV fluids. She became very wobbly.
 
She then could no longer use her back legs and then could not stand. The deterioration was alarming and so fast—the weight loss.
 
We discussed doing an exploratory surgery, and biopsies of her insides, and knowing that the concern was that we most likely could lose her on the table, our thought process was that if we did not do anything we would lose her anyway.
 
The specialists did not feel that she was strong enough to survive the surgery, and their recommendation was to seriously consider crossing her over.
 
Sean & I said that we would give her until Tuesday, October 10th to see if she would make a turn for the better. Not having any diagnosis was devastating. We brought her home to say our goodbyes and to have the dogs say their goodbyes, and for her to do the same.
 
We also inquired about antibiotics, even though nothing was presenting in her bloodwork and urine re: a possible infection.
 
Even though her 4dx test was negative, we ran it twice, could she have some form of tickborne disease? The 4dx snap only tests for three tickborne diseases.
 
The Vets were open to dispensing doxycycline, and by Tuesday, she was getting up on her feet – wobbling, limping yet taking herself to the water bowl to drink, going outside to urinate – concentrated, and her first BM was 5 days after her last known one. Her stool was completely normal and, at the end, soft yet still formed.
 
Sheer coincidence with the antibiotics and making a good turn, possibly. We do not know.
 
She began eating a bit – RC LF and some PVD Essential Care puppy, then on to some kibble, began taking a bit of her special treat(PB), and loved her small bits of hotdogs and tiny pieces of cheese.
 
We fast forward to today, and though she is still not eating 100% normally – she is eating about 3/4’s of her daily intake, gets up for her peanut butter treat time, is back to ‘eating’ the water as it comes from the tap, has more energy, and is also back to sleeping with her leg over the back of her head.
 
Is she 100%? No, she is not. Do we have any idea what is/was happening, no, we do not. Can she relapse? For sure, she could.
 
Are we feeling blessed to have her still? We absolutely do.  We are taking things one day at a time.
 
Her Vet bills are $2,750 and change.
 
We were going to use the money raised from the pop-up auctions that Carol is hosting for Miss Leah, the newest addition to BHRR, to arrive shortly; yet, we must get on top of Miss Lilly’s vet bills.
 
She is one of the biggest reasons why things have been very quiet on this page to date. This and that I worked 12 straight long shifts at the Hospital.
 
Please excuse her hair all over; she is blowing her coat big time with all that she has gone through.
 
How we love this small yet big personality-filled Dane!
 
Any donations to her cause can be made via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org or via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
 
Thank you for any consideration…..
 

Our Three’s Company puppy, BHRR’s Jack, is moving under a PENDING Adoption!

We had to do two separate eye enucleation surgeries for him, and he is also hearing impaired, and he is a perfect representation on how normal dogs can be!

We shall update as soon as we can!

 

We have now moved Mr. Romeo to our Haven program after being available for adoption for shy of 2 years without any interest in adopting him.

He is such an amazing dog, and shall continue to live the best life ever in our care! We want and adore you Mr. Romeo!

1.5-year-old female fawn mantle Great Dane. We will ensure that she is spayed.
 
Was surrendered to the pound as she barked – was anxious.
 
Calm, gentle, active, friendly, playful, follows her humans everywhere, loves to be petted, loves toys, appears to have been bred several times(large drooping teats – recently litter?), housetrained, never had nails trimmed, appears to have been kept in unsanitary conditions, has some hair missing.
 
Lived with dogs – 3 of them and a cat and did great, excellent with people – she was a bit worried when she first was dumped at the shelter yet is comfortable with the staff now.