March 2002:
Peter is a 6-month-old Westie puppy who had been left outside tied to a car, and was ultimately dragged by this car some distance before the driver realized what was happening.
Peter was rushed to the nearest vet to stabilize his wounds, and he was then transferred to a specialty vet hospital and put in ICU on IVs. Peter stayed in ICU for 3 days, then went to regular care, with wound dressings being changed every other day. Peter was surrendered to Westie Rescue of Austin, where he is getting continued care. His prognosis for recovery is excellent, with continued bandage changes for the next month. His skin will heal, although he may not re-grow much hair.
Peter has that wonderful Westie attitude of spunk, curiosity and
patience. He lets the vet do his changes, under anesthesia, and eagerly
waits to go home again with his foster mom. He loves being with the
other Westies in the foster home, although he has to be penned nearby so
they don't get too rough. He is anxious to join them as soon as he can
with playtime.
Peter gets his own one-on-one playtime with his foster mom, and can
explore the backyard by himself. He shows no fear or aggression, and
should be a wonderful pet for a new family once he is released from the
vet's care and his wound sites have healed. Many thanks to the
wonderful people at Westie Med for making sure his recovery is possible.
Update March 25, 2002:
All bandages are now off, and he is healing beautifully (see photo above). He looks funny because he had been shaved where the injuries are, but no where else. He is getting better and better every day, and I let him play with the others for an hour or so at a time now. Throughout all this ordeal, he has not had but one potty accident in the house in the 3 weeks I have had him!! He is so well trained!!
Update April 12, 2002:
Great News! Peter has been discharged from vet care, and is healing beautifully on his own now. With the help of WestieMed we were able to expedite Peter's care and he didn't need surgery after all. And the
total of the bills came in at less than expected/authorized by the WestieMed
Board. Thank you so very much for that much-needed and critical financial
assistance.
Peter's hair is growing back in over the scarred areas and the hairless
parts will be hardly noticeable at all. The only problems he has now are the toes
that were broken, which are now sticking out at odd angles. My vet says
there is scar tissue between the toes that is causing that. He felt as
additional healing takes place the toes might realign themselves in a
more natural position.
Again, thank you for your wonderful help in making Peter's recovery
possible!
Update May 4, 2002:
I am happy to tell you that Peter has been adopted by a family that recently lost their older
Westie due to cancer and they are all elated to have Peter in their family now. It was love at first sight, and Peter took to them immediately. He went trotting off with his new Dad and never even looked back over his shoulder!!
I loved caring for Peter these past 3 months, and it was difficult to let him go. I had so many qualified families ask about him, and the decision process was hard. Peter's wound sites had healed very nicely, although he will always have the scars and minimal hair there. In time, he will have enough hair to cover all the bare spots and with a good grooming one will never know what he has been through.
Peter was a real trooper. He endured the many dressing changes with minimal complaints, and loved getting the petting and holding everyone gave him. He seems to not have had any residual traumatizing, and even was eager to go for car rides! I will miss that little fellow.
Barb Ott
Westie Rescue/Austin
