Misty
December 2009: 
I received a call asking for help in
fostering a group of Westies arriving from a puppy mill auction in northeast
Ohio. I agreed to take one of the females. I already had two Westies at home,
Tyler, 8, and Nikko, 8, also a rescue from a puppy mill in Missouri about
3 years ago. As traumatized and
almost catatonic as Nikko was upon his arrival 3 years ago, in comparison, Misty
seemed alert and frightened but overall in better shape. She soon proved me
wrong. I do not know what they do to these dogs in the puppy mills but it goes
far beyond neglect and poor living conditions. Misty was terrified of everything
and most of all people. Food was not a motivator, only safety, which can be a
hard thing to use for training. Misty had delivered numerous litters and was not
even 4 years old. She was very skinny and shaved to resemble a rat. She slowly
began to relax but it has been and still is a very slow road. She is the most
damaged little dog I have ever met. She always felt safest when she was up high,
like on the couch or the bed. For some reason the floor was a very
terrifying place to be. With very slow and quiet movements on my part, Misty
has finally begun to relax a bit. She has the cutest little run which appears
more and more all the time. She runs somewhat stiff legged as if she is a
newborn colt. It is a joy to see her bounce about with that tail finally up in
the air! In October she vomited
three days in a row. I was keeping a very close eye on her as their little
systems dehydrate so quickly. She was still eating and drinking so I was just
vigilant at that point. On the third day I came home from work to discover she
had vomited whole food again. That was followed quickly by clear liquid.
Upon wiping that up I saw specks of blood. I immediately got her to my vet where
he gave her something for the upset stomach and re-hydrated her. I then placed
her on a bland diet. Three days later on a Saturday morning I woke up and she
vomited 4 times in a row, all containing blood. As my vet was out of town I went
to Eastgate Animal Hospital on the advice and recommendation of Carol Sanger,
head of the West Highland White Terrier Club Of Indiana Rescue Group. They were
wonderful there and recommended she be admitted to their on-site hospital so
they could monitor her. She only weighed 18 pounds and had lost a whole pound in
3 days, very concerning. They
gave her fluids, x-rayed her and ended up doing an endoscopy and a biopsy on
her. They discovered a somewhat healed over spot in her bowels that was the
source of the blood. Their concern was they would find cancer or pancreatic
issues. After several long days Misty's biopsy results came back. Everything
seemed to be OK in that it appeared to be just an extremely sensitive system.
Misty is now on a special, very bland diet without any other food or treats. She
has regained her weight and other than an upset stomach twice seems to be doing
well. She lives with only myself and my two other Westies so it is a pretty
quiet and dog friendly environment. My hope is that if it is partly nerves she
will continue to relax and stay healthy!
I am so grateful to the WestieMed organization for their
assistance in her medical bills. She has been a very expensive foster
to rehabilitate and while I wish I could do more my resources are limited. I
have never met a sweeter, more gentle soul in Misty. Westie Med has helped to
ease the burden in caring for her. Thank you WestieMed for all the wonderful
things you do to support the Westies out there who need us all so much!
Sincerely,
Anne Huddleston Update February 15, 2010:
Misty is doing great and has gained weight and seems to be maintaining very well
(she had bleeding in her intestines). Thanks again for all you do!
Anne Huddleston Update
March 5, 2010: Misty is doing great! She is thriving on her food, has
packed on a few pounds and is really starting to enjoy life! She still
seems to be quite damaged psychologically but is slowly learning to trust. For
instance the sofa and the bed are safe but the living room floor is a scary
place and only used as a necessary and evidentially very dangerous means of
travel from sofa to my bed. So much so that she can work herself into a real
panic scrambling for the sofa. If she should miss the jump the first time up
onto the sofa she kind of freaks out and you would think alligators are nipping
at her butt! Slow and steady wins the race… It is OK if I am on the floor
but otherwise it is just a very scary place. Who knows…
She has reached that stage where she is getting a tiny bit cocky outside…sort
of testing the waters. She now runs out in front of me (we are in a gated dog
park) with my other little girl Tyler. They run side by side like the wind and
with such abandon! My little boy Nikko slowly brings up the rear (can’t miss
sniffing a thing!). It is so much fun to watch them run and play.
Anne Huddleston
Update June 30, 2010:
Misty is great! I have decided to adopt her
(another foster failure!). She is coming along beautifully but still very scared
little girl (she was a severe casualty of puppy mill). She finally held my eyes
while wagging her tail the other day…great progress! (We were getting ready for
a walk).
She is occasionally
playing with my other two and is starting to act just a little bit like a
normal, trusting, content dog. It is getting better all the time, slowly but
surely.
She is such a sweet ,
tender little soul. Just adorable little girl. She is still not ready to be
adopted out (still way too scared and afraid to trust) and I think it would set
her back a great deal. Since I have fallen in love with her she is now joining
my pack. Heaven help me. Is this how it starts? How these rescuers end up with
14 or more???? : )
She has to stay on a
special diet of horribly expensive dry and wet food ($76.00 for an #18 bag!!!)
but she is responding well and has not had any more vomiting issues so fingers
crossed.
I will send pics as soon
as I can. She is blossoming a bit more every day. Thank you so much for your
kind assistance and caring enough to check on her.
Anne
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