BHRR's Storm –  ? – December 4th, 2010

Since BHRR's Storm had her vaccines and after the Home visit, she was not quite feeling herself. She did not eat her supper Wednesday night(she has always had a good appetite) and she even had diarrhea at the home visit outside a few times. BHRR's Storm is not one to ingest things she should not and so the likelihood of her eating something inappropriate was low during this hv. Vaccine reation(another dog with the same rabies series recently had a vaccine reaction as well), perhaps and she was interested in drinking yet would then vomit, so we were monitoring her fluid intake closely. I took her to see a Vet on Friday as she was now lethargic, dehydrated and she was given subq fluids and a Deramaxx and we were told to 'monitor' and give it some more time. When Friday night rolled around, I told Sean that I was now worried about a possible bloat in addition to *if* this could be a possible vaccine reaction and/or did she possibly ingest something and did not feel comfortable waiting much longer as she was clearly not improving and most likely need more intervention for I was not 'ok' inside with what little had already been done at this one Vet's office. I began to give her GasX and brought her into my own Hospital today. Sadly, after 5.5 hours of working on her; we were unable to save her. She just kept filling up with gas and became more sore and more weak/tired in our efforts to get her to to bounce back. In having seen this pattern before, in particular with our own GD Dragon; it was just a matter of time that she would deteriorate to the point of torting. To see a once very energetic, bubbly, happy, special,  friendly sweet creature the way she was today was just crushing. There were 6 of us including Sean that were working on BHRR's Storm and we are shock filled, devastated and when I saw that first X-Ray; my heart sunk. The second X-Ray was better, the third X-Ray showed that the gas was moving yet she had more gas and each X-Ray after that just was not improving and was reaching the point of her continuing to fill up with gas. She went through 4 bags of IV Fluids, her bw was very poor, her vitals did get better by the time the third X-Ray was done(temp, pulse), the Sulcrate Suspension and other meds just were not getting her to go on the 'good' side of recovering and you could see just how uncomfortable, in pain and exhausted she was, even despite giving her pain medications. As long as she was showing signs of improving and had that 'will'; we were there with her yet we turned the 'bad' corner and it was the most humane and best thing for her to say our good-byes and let her cross over. I told Sean that I could not look at him(he has not been with me for an euthanasia since BHRR's Spirit) and that he could not look at me for I would have just bawled……

This evening saw one of the most gentlest, easy going with a sweetly stubborn streak, kind, loving, affectionate, bubbly, happy creature be called back to heaven and Sean and I feel like we are wandering aimlessly with all those 'what ifs' going through our minds……..

I wish to publicly thank each and every one of the staff members of KAH that stayed and worked so dedicatedly to save her……

We shall never know if it was the vacines for sure that brought her down this road and I will be haunted by her loss for the rest of my days…………


My last 'own' picture of BHRR's Storm – June 14th, 2010

 

BHRR's Storm had her annual tonight and weighed 44.4 KGs(97.68 pounds). CLEAN bill of heath and she was all puppy love to everyone! ๐Ÿ™‚ She also came with me along with BHRR's Ava Marie to do a home viisit tonight and ROCKED as per her usual awesome self in the car and with every one she met!!!! BHRR's Storm was doing her 'KangaDane' routine in the back run at KAH with BHRR's Ava Marie! LOL Just so happy and friendly. ๐Ÿ™‚

BHRR's 3rd ANNUAL 'JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS' ONLINE AUCTION

ENDS THURSDAY DECEMBER 2nd @ 9 PM EST!

The BHRR ONLINE Auction shall END on Thursday December 2nd, 2010 @ 9 PM EST

This is BHRR's last organized Fundraiser of 2010 and our next planned organized Fundraiser at this time is not until July of 2011, so each penny raised will be desperately needed to allow us to keep helping animals in need of our BHRR programs.

*To donate gift certificates, baskets, handmade crafts or any other items – Email BHRR (contactbhrr@gmail.com)

*We have 153 Items to date!!!!

Permission to Cross Post is given!

I have scheduled BHRR's Storm's annual for December 1st, 2010. Looking forward in seeing how much she weighs! We also remain patient that someone shall see past her 'smaller' Great Dane stature to her real beauty of heart and soul and wish to apply to adopt her. ๐Ÿ™‚

From Friday October 22nd to Friday November 5th inclusive, BHRR will not be open for adoptions or the intake of adoption applications. We do not adopt out around the Halloween season and many others Rescues, shelters, pounds etc. have also begun to follow a similar protocol to what we have been doing. We do not believe it is on the best interest of the animals in our program, especially for dark coloured dogs.

During this time, BHRR is available 24/7 as always for requests for assistance of animals in need.

BHRR’s Storm came to work with me on September 30th – I was doing a hv that night and she weighed 46.3 KGs(101.86 pounds).

BHRR is in its 3rd food crisis of 2010. We only have about 30 days worth of dog food left and we currently have 23 dogs under our authority between our BHRR Rescue/Rehabilitation Program, BHRR Adoption Program, BHRR Haven Dog Program & BHRR Foster/Perma-Foster Program.
BHRR is currently going through 600 pounds of dog food a month at a cost of a minimum of $825.00+ tax for the food.
Please consider donating to assist…. PayPal(gwen@birchhaven.org) or email transfer or check to ‘Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services’ and mail to:

Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services
C/O Gwendilin Boers
2425 Totem Ranch Road West
RR#1 Oxford Station, Ontario
K0G 1T0
CANADA

September 19th, 2010$262.24 Donated to Date & 1,422.50 pounds of dog food since August 2010

If I were to hand out ‘NAIL TRIMMING’ Awards of Excellence, it would have to be BHRR’s Storm first with BHRR’s Apollo, BHRR’s Albert, BHRR’s Ava Marie and BHRR’s Hamilton The Newf all being a close second. OMG! These dogs are extremely easy dogs to do….what a dream! Bringing up in third place would have to be BHRR’s Shiva & BHRR’s Dana and just a smidge behind them would be BHRR’s Potter. If all the dogs were that easy, I would be doing nails every week and not every 2-3 weeks! LOL Coming in 4th would be BHRR’s Windsor, BHRR’s Koop and them BHRR’s Lily Belle. BHRR’s Porridge is still a ‘work’ in progress since he had his really bad experience with that tech student. BUT, I can now do his back feet myself most days and I know in time, he will be ‘ok’ again.

For those that might not be aware, BHRR’s Ava Marie is a Great Dane that came into BHRR on March 7th weighing 191.80 pounds and had two blown cruciates. After losing almost 40 pounds, BHRR’s Ava Marie had her first cruciate repair surgery on May 21st, 2010 at Liston Animal Hospital. After then battling a case of pneumonia since June 30th; Ava Marie is now well enough to have her second cruciate repair surgery, which has been scheduled for Friday August 13th @ Liston Animal Hospital.

With all the kindness shown to date with direct donations; we now ONLY have another $1,289.25 left to raise for this surgery.

To help BHRR’s Ava Marie; she is hosting an Online Auction which began on Saturday July 31st @ 7:00 AM and will run through until Friday August 13th @ 9:00 PM EST.

Louise Peterson, Lindsay Claire, Longaberger and many other items up for grabs! To date, we have 75 items and if you would like to donate an item, please do email Gwen. The more items we have – gift cards, gift baskets, throws, custom creations or work etc., the more $ we could possibly raise for BHRR’s Ava Marie.

Funds raised shall go towards the remaining $1,309.25 needed for Ava Marie’s 2nd cruciate surgery!

Permission given to cross-post!

Should you prefer to make a donation instead to her Bills; even $5.00 is not too little; you can donate by email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org or by PayPal(account is gwen@birchhaven.org) OR you can write a check/MO or Bank Draft out to โ€˜Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services’ with BHRR’s Ava in the memo section and mail to:

Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services
C/O Gwendilin Boers
2425 Totem Ranch Road West
RR#1 Oxford Station, Ontario
K0G 1T0

OR you can call Liston Animal Hospital at (613) 591-0966 to pay on Ava Marie’s Bill directly by Visa or M/C – Ava’s bill is under the account name of โ€˜Ava Boers.’ Dr. Liston was the Vet that also performed both BHRR’s Jaxson’s and BHRR’s Potter’s leg amputations in 2009 plus did BHRR’s Apollo’s own cruciate/meniscal surgery on July 2nd, 2010.

Thank you so much in advance for your consideration!

We look forward in seeing many of our BHRR supporters and fans of the BHRR animals attend our 3rd ANNUAL Microchip/Nail Trim & BBQ Fundraiser being held tomorrow – Sunday July 18th!ย  8 AM – 5 PM at Kanata Animal Hospital located at 440 Hazeldean Road! *RAIN or SHINE! Pet Photos, draws including a $350USD Bracelet, Tug Ropes, Leashes, Collars, Homemade Dog Treats all part of the BHRR/KAH Experience!

I have added a new picture From April 10th to BHRR’s Storm’s slideshow #17 and also below. Storm is now officially AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

17.JPG
BHRR’s Storm – April 10th, 2010 – Approximately 19 months old

BHRR’s Storm had a good night. She cuddled up with Sean in the rec room and was tucked in snugly in a blanket. She has not been interested in eating all day and I will see if she is open to having some supper tonight. She has spent a good part of her day sleeping and resting. I have added new pictures to her slideshow # 13 – #16 and one is from February 25th when one of my BOD members was visiting and the rest are from March 9th. I am going to add two below for ISN’T her face to DIE for!

15.jpg161.jpg
BHRR’s Storm – March 9th, 2010

BHRR’s Storm was spayed today. Everything went wonderfully! She weighed 47.80 KGs(105.16 pounds) AND that means she has put on 19.82 pounds since December 14th(was 39.20 KGS or 86.24 pounds). WTG STORM! The Vet said that her left ovary was normal yet her right ovary was enlarged and also had a large cyst. Her uterus was quite stretched which is very usual in a dog that has had heats and/or false pregnancies. The Vet said it was one of the easiest spays she had done in these types of situations so I am SOOOOOOO relieved!!!! I will bring her home with me after my shift tonight and I have been back to her run a couple of times and she is recovering well. She is such a doll! In about 3 weeks time, she should be healed enough to be placed up for adoption!

My one Vet has done some more detailed research on spaying in a false pregnancy and talked to a repo specialist and what we have now decided is that Sean will bring her in first thing tomorrow and she will assess. I told her that if she did not feel comfortable(research seems to go both ways on this) that we can just hold off another 2 weeks and re-evaluate then. I do not want BHRR’s Storm at any more risk then necessary. Most people have experienced ‘atypical’ heats at the most 16 weeks between and Storm’s case is unique to many out there. WELL, she is one very unique and special girl so that makes sense that nothing about her would be ‘normal’! ๐Ÿ˜‰ I am going to ask Sean to get a weight on her at least when he brings her in.

I shall have to reschedule BHRR’s Storm spay from tomorrow for as of last week, she entered into a ‘false’ pregnancy. NOT even 7 weeks post – heat on her last cycle. Iย  just want to almost sit down and cry! I talked to my one Vet in detail today and we agreed to push off her spay for another 2 weeks. It would have been 8 weeks to the day tomorrow since her last heat ended on February 13th, 2010 and the worry was having her enter into another heat within 10-12 weeks as per her past ‘cycling’ and this time her body decided to go into a false pregancy instead. Could we attempt the spay, yes, yet it is more risky. I will update her blog with her new date after I take a look at my schedule and the Hospitals and I do have plenty of pictures to post of her still. She is such an ‘atypical’ Great Dane with all that she had/is going through. I am not going to risk her life by putting her under surgery any sooner than it is as safe as it can be done for her to spay her.

I am so proud to say that Birch Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation Services(BHRR) has met all the pre-approval compliance requirements for PayPal as a registered non-profit/charity organization!!!! I faxed over 40 pages of documentation including CRA forms, Banking and Legal information plus contacts last Saturday March 6th and today, I have heard back that all is in order from their extensive review and BHRR is now PRE-APPROVED as we move to our next status level from our registered non-profit to registered charity with the CRA to continue to collect much needed funds/donations via PayPal (account is gwen@birchhaven.org).

Additionally, per their User Policy Agreement; their policy includes a restriction on activities that involve an entry fee and a prize, such as raffles, drawings or lotteries. Therefore, just a HUGE reminder that for our upcoming Spring Fever Basket Raffle; please note that we will NOT accept payment for these raffle tickets via PayPal. BHRR will ONLY take Visa/MC/Amex/Cash/Email Transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org or Check/MO/Bank Draft to โ€˜Birch Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation Services’ for this raffle that shall commence on Friday March 19th.

BHRR’s Storm is now booked for her spay on April 6th, 2010. Everything crossed that she does not cycle into another heat by then. ๐Ÿ™

Sean just called me from KAH when he went in to drop off Storm for her spay and she was no longer in the schedule. This appointment had been booked since February 10th and I confirmed when I was in last week, so not sure what happened. However, I will reschedule for a new date when I am in later today working. Will update her blog as I can. ๐Ÿ™‚

BHRR’s Storm is scheduled to be spayed tomorrow and I cannot wait to see what her new weight is! Barring any complications, Storm should be ready to be placed up for adoption within the next couple of weeks. May her forever loving home come along to give her the most wonderful of lives! She has been just a real treat to have here.

HE SHOOTS! HE SCORES! AND YOU CAN TOO!

HELP SCORE FOR THE BHRR ANIMALS RAFFLE – ONLY 300 Tickets available – *ENDS February 25th

On February 5th, BHRR Inc. was donated an amazing pair of Hockey Tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Montreal Canadians(The Habs) on Saturday March 20th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto starting at 7:00 PM. The seats are just inside the blue line – Row 12 section 107 and are excellent seats! The value on these pair of tickets is $400 CDA.

We shall only be selling 300 tickets and they are $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00. The ‘HELP SCORE FOR THE BHRR INC. ANIMALS RAFFLE’ ticket sales shall begin on Tuesday February 9th starting at 8:00 AM EST and shall end on Thursday February 25th at 9:00 PM EST. The draw shall take place on Friday February 26th at 8:00 AM EST and the tickets can be couriered at no cost to the winner for their convenience to their place of business or home.

To purchase your raffle tickets, please email Gwen with your full name, phone number including area code, number of tickets you would like to buy and please indicate your method of payment.

Our deepest of thanks being sent out again to the generous donors of these WOW! Toronto vs. Montreal Hockey tickets to help BHRR Inc. continue to help animals in need of our program(s)!

AND THE WINNER IS…………..

B. Element of Ottawa, Ontario! CONGRATULATIONS! ย 

128 tickets SOLD & $1,120 raised!
Deepest of thanks being sent to everyone who has supported BHRR in this raffle! The funds raised has enabled us to purchase enough food to bring our resources to over 40 days(as of February 26th) AND to lower our current Vet bills to $2,700+

BHRR’s Storm’s heat is now over…YAY! YAY! YAY! AND she has been fully integrated back with the herd and other than Porridge plus Kingston showing some interest in her; everyone else is back to status quo and of course Multi CH. Bronson is as clueless as ever about what even went on! GOTTA love my ‘big blue’! So easy going, mellow and laid back with no concept that he is an intact show dog that will be turning 3 in June. I had sent TAIN of to be with his handler here and there for he was whining and stopped eating and though he also has never been bred; he ‘knew’ something was up and so, it was in his best interest and my own for sleeping NOT to have to listen to 24/7 crying from him; to have him go to his handlers here and there. TAIN is now with her to get in one more handling class and then off to Markham to show and with BHRR’s Parker now at his new home; things seem so quiet as both BHRR’s Mr. Parker Paws and TAIN are two of the young ‘rough’ housers here. BHRR’s Storm will be spayed on March 9th and in about 10 days to 2 weeks after that; barring anything untoward; she will be placed up for adoption. ๐Ÿ™‚

In having a very detailed conversation about BHRR’s Storm with one of the Vets I work with; it was decided that to try and get her spayed before she ‘cycles’ again so soon. So, we are aiming to spay her within the next month. Her heat is almost over; 28 days this upcoming Saturday February 13th and we shall give her 4 weeks more and she is scheduled to be spayed on Tuesday March 9th. We looked at when she saw the two Vets(for her HC to cross the border plus at her temp fosters) and the timeframe of them believing she was exiting a heat and then when she went back into a heat; we do not want to take the chance of her cycling yet again. It is not good on them to do so that frequently and it is hard to maintain what gain we have had on her in the weight department. We tallked about any risks with her due to her uterus not being given a minimal of 6 weeks to get back to normal yet she is on the smaller side of being a GD and after weighing up all the pros/cons and risks/benefits; I feel comfortable at this time booking her within the next 4 weeks. At our BHRR Mini Open House on Saturday; she was clearly ending her heat cycle for she had very little interest in the neutered males or even females and her tolerance for them having any interest in her was greatly decreased. BHRR’s Porridge was the only one that clearly showed interest in her and Storm was always quick to ‘correct’ him. I guess Porridge does not realise he is actually neutered and has been for a long long long time! I brought back my one show boy from being with his handler on Monday night(he had been losing too much weight in smelling her) and he is no longer whining or crying(which means a better night sleep) and is eating a lot better now. If she had not cycled so fast, I would hold off to 6 weeks from her end of heat; yet the chances are high that she will cycle again really soon. I want to do what is her the best interests of her health plus wellbeing.

I wanted to post a INCREDIBLE note of public thanks to everyone that has supported BHRR Inc. for my `milestone`Birthday on February 3rd, 2010. An amazing $435.00 was raised in one day with the Gwennie’s 40th โ€˜Fight’ to Help the Animals Drive’ – Feb. 3rd, 2010 – Surprise for Gwennie’s 40th Birthday – *Goal $400 and a total of $858.00 has been raised from that Fundraiser plus those have sent in funds or attended a surprise bash for me on February 6th. I just cannot thank people enough for their continued belief in what BHRR Inc. represents and in reaching out to support our program(s) for animals in need. We were able to bring up our food resources to 60+ days and bring down our current Vet Bills to just over $3,200 with your donations. My most heartfelt appreciation and gratitude is sent out to everyone for this kindness shown. We are truly humbled…..

BHRR Inc’s Storm is now on Day 22 of her heat and we are almost done…phewww! From there, we shall wait until her uterus comes back to a normal state and then spay. She was another HUGE hit at the BHRR Inc’s Mini Open House yesterday and I am hoping that her forever loving home shall not be long in the making. I did notice today that she has begun to have a ‘reaction’ to the metal buckle on one of the collars donated to her. So, I have her in a martingale collar at this time and her new home will have to be careful about metal being near her skin. The collar she is wearing now is a donation from T. Davis and her fellow Vet Tech team at Algonquin College from the small Fundraiser they held for BHRR Inc. in November with some collar sales. She looks so lovely in those shades of pink and purple!

On Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 there shall be a Fundraiser Dive whereby we are asking people that visit/hit the BHRR Inc. website to consider donating at least $5.00 in honour of Gwen’s milestone Birthday.

We are calling it ‘Gwennie’s 40th ‘Fight’ to Help the Animals Drive’ Our goal is to see if we can raise $400 in one day as a surprise to Gwen to help ease a bit her constant worry about much needed funds required in her fight to continue to save animals in need. Already 2010 is shaping up to be a really bad year for the requests for assistance have been many to date. If we take the average number of people that visit the BHRR Inc. site daily; 135; and each person donated just $5.00, the difference that can make to animals in need of this organization that Gwen founded back in 1996 would be big. If you believe in what BHRR Inc. represents our grateful thanks being extended to you for your consideration to help Gwennie continue with her vision of BHRR Inc. and to help even more animals deserving of a better chance of life. Updates will be posted throughout the day on the BHRR FB Group and on the BHRR Inc. website.

You can pay by PayPal or email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org

The BHRR Inc. โ€˜I Believe’ Team

TOTAL RAISED: $435

BHRR’s Storm is in Day 14 of her heat and at least another 10 – 14 days to go. She remains segregated from BHRR’s Albert and my two intact show CH.’s and I cannot wait for her to be able to be fully integrated with all again as she just loves playing with my bluez boyz CH.s. She is definitely enjoying her special ‘sleep’ time with Sean every night in our recreational room as I do not wish to see her crated at night. Yet, during the day, I have to give her ‘crate’ moments as her time with Sean is creating a bit of a ‘princess’ and she will whine a bit when he leaves to go to work or she tries to get him to go downstairs to the rec room when she feels it is time for bed and will try to push the other dogs away so that she gets the loving from the kids or Sean or me. Such a shame that she cycled so fast into another heat from November as she was to be spayed on the 20th, the same day as BHRR’s Windsor was neutered and she would have been ready for placement shortly after she healed. Now, we are looking at mid-March at the earliest and truly, as Storm has healed from her bacterial infection and is slowly putting on that weight(and as mentioned she will always have a slight ‘bony’ hip exposure due to her comformation yet they should be well padded), her obedience can be continued to be worked on in her forever loving adoptive home. She is another one that truly is not needing much of us anymore. My daughter is going to deeply miss this girl though. OH my, Storm is such a ‘girls’ Dane and for those that have met Storm they know exactly what I mean! She would be most content having bonnets put on her and nails painted and would carry a purse if she could AND I know my daughter has tried much to my own dismay! LOL Kinsley tells me often how much she misses her GD Babyz Dragonz who passed away at almost the age of 8 last July of 2009 and BHRR’s Storm has assisted Kinsley a lot in her healing just as BHRR’s Kingston( The ‘wee’ bear cub) has done for our son Mason. The requests for assistance keep coming in daily, this past week was an incredible number of ‘urgent’s on Saints plus Great Pyrs and without more approved homes and resources such as food and monetary donations; BHRR is quite full at this time. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ

I want to express our deepest of thanks to Liz Bradley of The Ottawa Dog Blog who posted a very heartwarming post on her blog on January 13th, 2010 on behalf of The BHRR Team in regards to our food shortage. What a touching surprise. For the next week; we will post the total of food plus monetary and other donations that come our way. Even a $5.00 contribution to BHRR is huge, so please do not feel that something might be too small to donate. Your $5.00 adds to someone else’s which adds to another person’s and together, we can do great things with your kindness! This past year has been a really bad one for food for BHRR. This is the third food shortage we have hit since last spring and the requests for assistance are increasing. BHRR cannot commit to more Giant Breeds at this time without more monetary and food resources at our disposal.ย  ๐Ÿ˜ฅ It really does tear me up to think of the dogs that are being kept outside in this cold weather without shelter or food, those that are being abused with starvation, being beaten, being forced to have litter upon litter, those that are living in physical pain as they have injuries or illnesses left untreated, the emotional abuse etc. and I say this because it is the reality of what is happening out there; and not to just be dramatic. BHRR can do so much more if you would just consider supporting us. Please…. Think what it costs to feed your one or two or even three dogs and times that by 10 for the animals that are or will be here by next Tuesday with BHRR’s Minday and Albert arriving. PLUS we have another 22 Great Danes that are under BHRR’s authority in the USA by the Court having asked Gwen in March of 2009 if she would assist them for otherwise; their fates would be even more unknown; as they await the court date to decide their future due to a hoarding seizure. All have needed to be fully vetted, more than half are also on Thyroid medications AND should the court rule in the dogs favour; all will need to be altered. This was a huge undertaking by BHRR as we are a very small Rescue yet we could not turn our backs on them. The great thing is that should the ‘good’ guys win; 20 of them have homes to call their own permanently and we think they all might be foster failures when the time comes! ๐Ÿ˜‰ Yet our adoption fees are only a few hundred dollars and BHRR spends over $2,450 just in food alone per month at this time. Here is a link to our REALITY page. This is why BHRR exists.

Total $ Raised to Date: $485.00
Food Raised to Date: 200 pounds of dog food from Pam at Global Pet Foods – Ancaster
Other Donations:

BHRR’s Storm shall not be spayed on Wednesday the 20th of January now. She is officially beginning to go into heat, the spotting has begun tonight….sigh….NOT only did the Vet who did her HC before her transport yet our temp fosters Vet also felt back in mid-November(she was temp fostered with them for about 10 days) that BHRR’s Storm was coming out of heat then and perhaps she is cycling really fast(never heard of a Giant Breed cycling again so soon after having a heat) but the reality is that BHRR’s Storm is in heat at this time; so she is now safely sequestered from all dogs (BHRR’s Windsor to be neutered on Wednesday and BHRR’s Albert to arrive tomorrow and to be neutered when it is safe to do so) until her heat is over(just like we did with BHRR’s Gracie and BHRR’s Mazda when they arrived at BHRR already in heat) and she shall be spayed about 8 weeks from now. It will hold up placing her up for adoption yet it is what it is and sigh…..not our most favourite thing to deal with in Rescue and thank goodness we do not have it happen all that often. The last time was about 4 years ago(BHRR’s Mazda and BHRR’s Gracie, I believe) since our last experience with a heat at BHRR. Not something we missed! I had been saying to Sean and my one Vet that she was begining to look very mature and even our female Danes were showing some interest in ‘smelling’ her and thus, I had begun to move her away from the other dogs and sure enough, tonight; she began to spot and bleed. To have spayed her any earlier than when we were planning on doing; January 20th; was not in her best interest. She was way too thin and battling a bacterial infection. To my eyes, she is still a bit thinner than what I would have liked to have seen yet she is very slowly putting on the weight and had a good last bw result showing and so, we had felt comfortable as was our Vet in spaying her this upcoming Wednesday. Now, we get to wait…….

BHRR’s Storm is scheduled to be spayed on Wednesday January 20th, 2010. I microchipped her a couple of days ago and she did not even make a peep. She just kept wagging her tail and looked at Sean really funny as he was holding her collar as if to say ‘what is wrong with you?’ LOL

After coming out of a meeting a short while ago, I opened up my email and I saw funds donated to BHRR for Food. AND when I popped on my FB Page, I saw that a friend of ours; who is celebrating a birthday today; has asked that people donate to BHRR for his birthday. As I wrote in his wall; I could have just reached through the computer and hugged him. BHRR has enough food for the next 8-9 days maximum. Today, when donations come in via PayPal or email transfer to gwen@birchhaven.org OR when someone sends us an email indicating that they will donate a bag of food; we will put the tally here to show our true public appreciation of emotion to everyone that contributed to helping BHRR save lives for as many hear me saying so often; ‘FOOD IS/MEANS LIFE’ to BHRR.

For my birthday please consider donating even $5 to BHRR they are in a major FOOD CRISIS*****Please consider donatating a Bag of food to Birch Haven Rescue andRehabilitation Services or paypal funds would also be greatlyappreciated……….birchhaven.orgย 

Total Received To Date From The ‘Birthday’ Food Angels:

Monetary Donations: $200.00

I feel that this is an important blog to make as many people seem to be under the ‘myth’ that Giant Breeds only live to between 5-7 years of age. With the recent commitment by BHRR to two Great Danes, aged 6 and approximately 7; we have received several emails from people asking ‘why’ would we want to help two dogs that would be dead soon as Danes only live to up to 7. That just took me aback somewhat. We have had Danes live up to over 12.5+ years of age and have friends that own Great Danes 10, 11, 12 etc. Our Maggi lived to almost 9, Dragon almost 8. AND yes, we have had Danes that we lost at 5.5 months of age, 11 months of age, 3.5 years of age. We had one friend lose hers at 15 and another one at age 17. There is no crystal ball that will tell you how long your precious pet will live yet with today’s increased knowledge of better nutrition, exercise plus vetting, Giant Breeds are living longer and higher quality lives than ever before. Many people, experienced with Giant Breeds will say 8-10 years for life expectency, others 10-12 yet the reality is that when you open up your heart to a Giant Breed, you know that they are not going to live to 20 or 22 years of age like quite a few smaller dogs. With their giant sized hearts and bodies, living takes it toll yet in those years these incredible creatures are with us; they pack so much life into what time they do have on this earth if given the chance and BHRR is about helping the next one in need; not turning their back on a Dane because some feel they are ‘too’ old and we are wasting much needed time plus resources including a spot in our program to them. One person stated that they would not contribute any funds to our program(s) for much needed food as we are planning on assisting BHRR’s Albert and BHRR’s Mindy. I guess this person was not around when we assisted 8 year old BHRR’s Olivia and she lived to just over 12 years of age; passing away in 2009. OR BHRR’s Sampson George or BHRR’s Arlo or…or…or… BHRR will not turn away a Dane because they are black(big black dog syndrome), blind, deaf, senior etc. and while we are in great need of funds to purchase food or food donations themselves; we are not going to say ‘no’ to helping Danes in need of BHRR because someone refuses to believe that all wonderful dogs in need of rescue are deserving of great lives. I am saddended by this position and hope that this attempt to educate the public is understood and that opening up your heart to adopting a Giant Breed in need means just that; opening up your heart to a Giant Breed in need for however wonderfully long(and we hope it is) or short it might be. Just think, these dogs are often housebroken, past the teething/destruction stages, many can have some obedience and that means leash manners and for anyone that has gone through the puppy stages; many can attest to many a sleepless night, yet another pee or other ‘pressie’ in the house; having to buy a new pair of gloves, shoes etc., the sometimes socket wrenching yanking on the leash, the jumping up and getting fat lips or black eyes. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Puppies are great, without a doubt yet so are those 3 year olds and those 6 year olds and those loveable greying faced Seniors. ๐Ÿ˜ฎ Saying to me to not help an older dog in need is like saying to me to not help a deaf dog or a blind dog or a dog like BHRR’s Jaxson who needed a leg amputation or…..or….or….it just not going to happen. BHRR focuses on the SN’s for a reason and all of our supporters, volunteers, adopters etc. believe in our program(s) and understand why we do what we do. As for the others, I am truly sorry that you cannot see past age, eyes, ears, colour etc. to what really matters.

BHRR’s Storm’s bw came back with much improvement! YAY! Her WBC plus neutrophils are still slightly elevated yet so much better than they were. The Vet does not believe at this time that we should be putting her back on another course of antibiotics and there is still some confusion as to what ‘bacteria’ is causing this. Defnitely some ‘infection’ of some kind. She has been de-wormed on two courses of Panacur(both at her Foster home plus here) and she is on Sentinel. Her leg is completely normal looking, she is not limping and yet her weight gain is very slow. The Vet feels really good about her progress and after I obtain a new weight on her(She will always have slightly protuding hipbones due to her conformation); she is extremely comfortable in spaying her. So, I shall most likely bring her in next week, once I know my hospital shifts, get a new weight and go from there. Once she is spayed(there are no signs of any pregnancy at all); after her recovery of about 2 weeks; I shall place her up for adoption. I have added pictures #9-12 to her slideshow. #9 is from November 30th, 2009 and how BHRR’s Dana has ‘corrupted’ her and the proof is seeing Storm resting on our couch! LOL That is no longer an issue, at least not with Storm now.ย  ๐Ÿ˜‰ This Dane is an absolute dream to do nails on! BHRR’s Storm shall only go to a home that meets all of our adoption mandates, criteria and procedures. This includes having a fully fenced in yard; not being away from home more than 8-9 hours daily(unless there is someone coming in to walk etc.) and we do not adopt out to students, around Holidays nor to homes that are going to be travelling on holidays shortly or getting married soon. We would prefer to see BHRR’s Storm in a home with at least one other dog for she just thrives in a social network of both people and canines.

Below are two pictures of Storm from December 24th, 2009 in front of our XMAS tree. ISN’T she just divine?

10.JPG12.JPG
BHRR’s Storm – December 24th, 2009

I brought in some more blood for BHRR’s Storm to re-test. I will also be bringing her in within the next while to obtain a new weight on her to see how she is gaining, for it is still very slow, much slower than I would like to see. She is happy, eating and drinking well and what a ham of a pup she is! She is now fully housebroken and her words to go outside in this cold weather is ‘go out and play’ and she is leaping like the KangaDane she is off the front steps to go out and pee plus play! I have pictures from XMAS and some from earlier to still add. She is my daughters best friend and she just soaks up her attention in wanting to have pretty hats/scarves put on her and I know that if I allowed it, Storm would LOVE to have her nails painted by Kinsley. LOL If we obtain excellent results from this round of bw, then I will move forward in spaying Storm soon and then placing her up for adoption for her new forever loving home can continue to work on her obedience without me. She is such a rare dog in that she has proven to be totally ‘bomb’ proof with everything and everyone. She still does some ‘shaking’ if she is unsure yet with a quick calming word or sign, she is out and about investigating plus exploring.

So much to update on BHRR’s Storm since her arrival! Thanks to all that have been so understanding with the loss of BHRR’s Jaxson, our Rescuemobile dying, Sean plus wee ones heading to N.B. and so I have been flying ‘solo’ since last weekend, collecting Auction funds; picking up and mailing Calendars, a last minute urgent to the USA with the hoarding case Danes and so, updates have taken a wee bit! I have just added two new pictures of BHRR’s Storm from December 8th, 2009, slides # 7 & #8. I picked up BHRR’s Storm from her temp fosters(THANKS so much again for everything you have done for her and us plus also to everyone that assisted in her transport to her temp foster home!) on Sunday November 29th in Lindsay, ON. The first thing she did was tell Tain who was boss and was pushing him around in the back seat when we were driving home and she and I had to have a wee bit of a chat. You could see from the look on her face that she seriously thought of ‘sassing’ me back big time and then she just gave me her ‘look'(OMG! I cannot wait for people to experience this look of hers! LOL) and settled down and all of us had a much more pleasant drive home! ๐Ÿ˜› The thing I keep saying about these Danes that survive the things they have is that they have ‘personalities’ and spirit and I would not have it any other way. When we got home; the ‘tough love’ of Gwennie’s Boot Camp began. She was not thrilled about her first night in a crate and did not hesitate to tell me all night long about her feelings on that! Dana also had to make it very clear to Storm that she was most displeased to see Storm in ‘her’ crate(Dana is not crated other than to eat her food for she can eat quickly and will then try to grab others food while we are still laying down bowls for all the dogs) and went right up to it and shared a few words with Storm. Storm was most happy to share her own feelings back and ‘boom’ just like that; the two of them came to an understanding and all is great with both of their worlds now! LOL Storm clealy acknowledges Dana as the ‘leader’ female and Dana is very excited about having a new Dane to try and corrupt here with her mischievous teachings(like how to get into the food rubber maid bin and open doors! LOL). They have a very interesting silent communication plus understanding that goes on between them. They can just look at each other and the next thing you know; off they go together to ‘execute’ the plan(usually involves some sort of torment to another dog in teasing them or trying to get into the treat bin or taking the paper towel roll etc.) Storm’s immediate and closest of friends was BHRR’s Jaxson(which also put Dana’s nose out of joint for those two were very tight knit too!) and it was like watching two long lost siblings find each other. So, every morning; the two of them were given about half an hour to play outside and inside just them together. If BHRR’s Jaxson was not lost to us last weekend; I would have felt that these two needed to be adopted together; they became that close so fast. It is a rare thing at BHRR that we feel that two must go together and the last pair was BHRR’s Samari and BHRR’s Cletus; yet I felt strongly that Jaxson plus Storm were meant to be together and his loss; just crushed her. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ It took her almost 5 days to begin to eat even close to normal again. She spent hours upon hours just looking for him, wandering outside and crying for him. It was just so heartbreaking seeing her like that. As mentioned on our BHRR FB page, I feel that she is no more than 15 months of age; based upon her teeth, behavour and body condition. However; when I look at her another way(especially her hind end; she appears much more mature than that). When animals come in as strays, it can be hard to ‘age’ them and if they have lived tough/rough lives; they can appear much older than they are. I found a scar on her belly and believe it to have been an umbilical scar and the Vet that I saw on December 14th with her; concurs. When I brought her to the Vet on December 14th, we did her nails again and she ROCKED! She weighed 39.2 KGSs(86.24 pounds) and we are trying to find out why she is not gaining weight. I did not have her complete medical records on the previous testing she has had and unfortunately, have had some trouble in obtaining them yet hopefully, a copy shall arrive early next week. I am de-worming her with granule Panacur for the bw that we did on Monday came back with an elevated WBC and we are also wondering what the FNA results were that she had for that might also help us better understand some of her other test results. Her results clearly show that she is still battling something and we would like all findings of all tests previously done to evaluate and if we do repeat these tests; to compare too. There is definitely something going on(lack of weight gain, coat is dry etc.) and my Vet believes she is still battling some bacterial infection and we will repeat all tests as needed and do more. I am going to repeat the bw in another week+ time and the earliest we will even think of spaying her is not until she has put on another 10-15 pounds. When she is spayed, we will take a look at her uterus and that will better help us in answering if she has had a sizeable litter in her past. If her values improve, she is healing, if not; then back on either the same course of antibiotics she has been(Ceph plus Doxy) OR others; depending on several factors. We have also been discussing more invasive treatments with taps and biopsies if it comes down to it. The Vet and I also had a very long conversation about if she had a heat etc. When she arrived to BHRR; it was wondered if she could be pregnant for it was believed that she was in heat when she was picked up as a stray etc. Neither one of my intact boyz showed any interest in her(now, Bronson is completely oblivious still at the age of 2.5+ years of age but Tain, he is very ‘aware’ of girls and their smells since coming back from N.S with his handler in October). That would not be true if she had been in heat. We both believe that she could possibly have had one litter in the past yet from looking at her back teats; it could be probably that she has had a false pregnancy instead. It is hard to tell. We both believe that she definitely has had either a litter, a false pregnancy or at least one heat for she is ‘mature’ in her hind end and teats. Unless we did slides; we would not know for sure if she was what stage of heat or post heat etc. Neither one of us are convinced that she is pregnant for she would be at least Day 38 now(if we go by Day 1 being the day that she was found) gestation. At day 35, we can do a test for the hormone ‘relaxin’. At this time, it is not safe to spay her due to her body condition; so, if she is pregnant, we will have to ensure that Storm is as healthy as possible for she is a huge priority for me with her own welfare in addition to any puppies. Hopefully, the Vet and I are have the right feeling that she is not pregnant. There are absolutely no signs right now yet experience has taught us much with emaciated Great Danes and pregnancies in these rescues. When Storm first arrived to BHRR; she did not prove herself to be housebroken at all and that is understandable with all the bouncing around she did before coming here and that it is now freezing cold outside and she was found outside. She has not pooped in our house in sometime; YAY! yet she still has the occasional pee but we are seeing marked improvements! She eats and settles down really well in her crate now. She did not like being kennelled at the Hospital though on Monday and had a few choice words to say to us! She is very much another ‘KangaDane’ and we are working on the ‘no jump’. She is very affectionate and coming more and more out of her shell. Just a doll of a Dane, Storm is! She is quite eager to please and she is called the ‘social butterfly’ FOR she just loves loves loves every dog and person! She definitely has a fixation on the gpiggers though, not prey yet play and so, no small rodents for her to have as playmates.

The final total raised in the 2009 BHRR’s 2nd Annual Online Auction is $2,295.00! Sean and I are just blown away by the support shown and to everyone that has donated and/or cross-posted and/or bid etc. on this BHRR event, THANK YOU SO MUCH! In 2008, we had 52 items up for bidding($1,291.00 raised) and in 2009; we had 120 items and with your strong belief in what we do at BHRR; we can continue to help those animals in need of our programs. For those that have won something in this auction; you should have been contacted by now and if you did not receive your email of congrats with payment details, please email Gwen.

Gentle reminder that per the posted BHRR rules; payment was to have been received by ‘Gift’ Option via PayPal, Email Transfer or Cash within 48 hours of notification. It is the animals that will do without and be ‘affected’ the most by anyone that might choose not to be honourable with their winning bids. We had 1 winner for a total of $75.00 that defaulted on her bid, Betina Bouchard.

Due to the amount of time this is taking to sort out; the blogs of the BHRR animals remain un-updated.

From Monday December 21st, 2009 to Monday January 4th, 2010 inclusive, BHRR will not be open for adoptions or the intake of adoption applications. We do not adopt out around the Holiday season and many others Rescues, shelters, pounds etc. have also begun to follow a similar protocol. We do not believe it is on the best interest of the animals in our program. During this time, BHRR is available 24/7 as always for requests for assistance of animals in need.

The Global Pet Foods – Kanata Calendar Voting Contest has now ended and the design for the 2010 Calendar is currently being worked on. Winners shall be revealed shortly! There shall only be 150 Calendars for sale and you can pre-order through Karla/Shawn at Global Pet Foods – Kanata or if you require s&h; you can contact Gwen. Calendars are $15.00 each and S&H is $5.00.

_dsc5032-medium.jpg
BHRR’s Jaxson – November 14th, 2009 *Photo courtesy of Sue Bird

So much to update on BHRR’s Storm. THANKS so much to her temp foster home for keeping us posted and even sending us some pictures. I have posted new slides of Storm #4-7 yet am going to add two of them below. Pictures really do not show how bad the body condition of this poor sweet soul really is. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ

Storm went to emerg on Sunday November 22nd as her leg and foot were more swollen, hot and she went back to non weight bearing. They put her on Cephalexin(this is something that I wondered why she was not put on when she was at the Hospital on Friday) and she still was not eating as well and we wish to extend our own thanks to Pam at Global Pet Foods – Ancaster for donating a flat of wet for BHRR’s Storm’s cause! Apparently, she likes to be tucked in at night before going to sleep! ๐Ÿ˜› Zero on the leash manners, which is not surprising!

On Monday November 24th, Storm was taken back to the Vet for a recheck on her leg/foot and they added Doxycycline to her antibiotic regime for her leg/foot was even more swollen. Her temperature was normal and this time, the Vets decided to needle biopsy the lump she had in her one lymph node too. For me, I am just a wee bit surprised that these things were not done on the Friday yet as long as she is finally getting the proactive/preventative care she needs; that is what is most important! Her WBC was elevated and her RBC plus Hemoglobin were low normal.ย  The question is if this is a combination of a trauma injury and something bacterial causing her leg to be in such a state. The results on her lymph node should be back on Wednesday. Is what is going on with BHRR’s Storm cellulitis,ย vasculitis or something like blastomycosis, we do not know and we shall take this one step at a time.

She is getting along with everyone that she meets from Seniors to Kids and the few dogs she has also encountered. Apparently, there are many have that have looked ‘deep’ into her eyes and have fallen under her charming spell. Like most Danes, she loves to vocalize and ‘talk’. I have been told she has two speeds right now ‘play’ and ‘sleep’! LOL

I will update her blog as I can. Sean and I are extremely grateful plus appreciative of all that her temp foster home is doing for her. I shall be meeting up with them in Lindsay, ON this Sunday to bring BHRR’s Storm back to BHRR for BHRR’s Potter should be in a much better state to have a new member to the home to visit with.ย  ๐Ÿ™‚

04.JPG03.JPG
BHRR’s Storm – November 21st, 2009 – Photos Courtesy of A. & K. Twaddle

BHRR’s Storm arrived under BHRR’s care last night. She is being temp fostered in SWO until the 29th of November and I shall meet up with her temp foster family when I am attending the shows in Lyndsay, ON next Sunday to bring her back to BHRR. Both of the transporters(THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU) on her 2 legs from Michigan to SWO called me to say that BHRR’s Storm was presenting with a nonweight bearing and swollen foot. Her temp fosters brought her to their Vet today(THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH AGAIN!) and X-Rays were done. She does not have a fracture(by today, the swelling was all over her foot and up to her elbow) and is believed to have a soft tissue injury. Her HWT came back negative and her CBC plus Fecal should be back on Monday. She is also going to be starting a de-worming protocol and is on Deramaxx for pain/anti-inflammtory. I have been told that she appears to be pretty much housebroken, is deeply interested in cats yet does not appear to be prey driven, is super sweet and walked right into the crate her temp fosters had opened. It does not sound like she is eating as well as she should and while her stools were nice last night; she had diarrhea today. She is also very much need of a nail trim plus ear cleaning and apparently, she had a manicure plus pedicure today too! She is incredibly painfully thin and so, the long slow weight gaining regime shall also begin. I am also told she is very gentle and relishes the attention she is getting.ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

BHRR’s Storm now has her Rabies plus Health Certificate and her transport will begin tonight. The Vet has the same thought process as myself that she is no more than 11 months of age and has just come out of heat. Storm weighed in at only 86 pounds. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ Funds raised by the 2010 Calendar Contest hosted by Global Pet Foods – Kanata shall go towards her full vetting in addition to helping the Potter’s Path Fundraiser. Here is a another picture of BHRR’s Storm taken by the person who currently has her. Apparently, she has a high fixation level on Cats and squirrels yet has not harmed any of the cats in the three homes she has been in over the past week before BHRR was contacted to assist her. We have been told that she is very sweet, a runner and a ‘busy’ girl! Perhaps, being named ‘Storm’ is a self-prophecy for her! One of my main worries at this time is if she is pregnant. The Vet also had the same concern.

02.jpg
BHRR’s Storm *Photo courtesy of A. Davio

BHRR`s Storm now has three SS homes. THANK you! Thanks to another wonderful home, Storm shall have some collars and she will now have some special treats to call her own this XMAS!

If all goes well, BHRR’s Storm will be under BHRR care by Thursday night. She will require full vetting, including being spayed, receiving the rest of her vaccines plus being microchipped, having a HWT(and any other necessary bw) and fecal done. She will also need her own very special collar and with her colouring, the choices can be endless. ๐Ÿ˜€ We look forward to meeting her and as she is the newest addition to our BHRR program(s); she would really love it; if people might considering stepping up to be Secret Santas to her. BHRR’s 7th Annual Secret Santas to the BHRR Animals

We have been asked to assist a young female Merle Great Dane from MI, USA. She was found as a stray in a person’s backyard. We are currently working on her transport and hope to have BHRR’s Storm here within the next week should all go well. More to be posted on BHRR’s Storm. Below is a picture of her. NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!!!!

storm.jpg