Tavish McPeanut
May 2009
Dear WestieMed
Folks:
I got an email about another Westie in need of rescue, but when I looked at the
picture I knew that this was no ordinary rescue. I knew immediately that this
would be my dog. Another member of Westie Rescue stepped up to foster first,
but circumstances led him to my house shortly thereafter. Thank God for small
miracles.
Tavish, as he was named, is unlike any other dog I have had
the pleasure of knowing. He was so small and fragile. Because he was kept in a
cat carrier all four of his legs were bowed at the knee. His hair was almost
non-existent due to stress. This also caused alopecia. He had nasty skin
irritations and infections. He had an eye infection. Who knew what else was
lurking just below the surface. This poor little soul was just the most pitiful
and worst case of abuse and neglect I have ever seen. But, there was a spark
there. After all he had been through, his giant personality still managed to
shine. That is what fortunately saved his life. The Bridgeport, Texas Animal
Services' workers saw it. Westie Rescue of North Texas saw it. I saw it. This
was a dog who deserved a second chance.
When he got to my house the first thing I
wanted to do was give him a name like no one else. This little guy had a sort
of élan that was bigger than life. He needed to be distinguished from the
pack. I did not want him to be lost in a sea of Tavishs. He was so little -
just a little peanut of a dog. Well, we can't give a Westie a non-Scottish name
can we? So it was born - Tavish McPeanut - thank you very much!
Every day we held our breath. He had so
much to overcome. Could he do it? Was he strong enough? Well, the answer was
yes and yes. He could and would overcome. He could and was strong enough.
Every day he came more and more alive. McPeanut was a legend by now.
 We
take daily walks as a pack and this little guy would prance out in front of
everyone else. What a hoot! He knew he was special and everyone else was just
beginning to see for themselves just what a terrific guy he was. All the
neighbors would stop and pet him. He went and stole everyone's hearts. He will
give you a quick kiss but then he is off - he has things to do, places to go,
things to mark. . . after all, he is a little boy.
McPeanut has been the spirit of this
family. He is goofy and silly and always up for whatever is going on. He is
quick with a tail wag and a kiss. When you call his name he dances around in a
little half-circle kind of shaped like a little peanut. This would be the
Peanut dance. He is the first one to start the playing. He is also quite the
Casanova having a wide variety of lady loves from a Chinese Crested named Lola
to a black Lab named Lady. He loves to walk and sniff and hike and sniff and
run and play and sniff and love. We cannot imagine life without this little
firecracker.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for helping
McPeanut, who stole our hearts, to complete all of his medical treatments so
that he can truly thrive and become the Westie he was meant to be!
Sincerely,
Kelly Flanigan Feuling
Tavish McPeanut's Mom
Update July 9, 2009:
I just wanted to briefly update everyone about little
McPeanut. I picked him up today from Dallas Vet & Surgery Center in
Grapevine. Dr. Wells was our physician.
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that
McPeanut does not need surgery at this time. They performed a CT scan and then
a myelogram. The myelogram is a procedure where they inject dye into the
spinal column to see if a disk is ruptured or herniated. So, the good news is
that he does not have a condition that can be rectified by surgery. The bad
news is, they cannot explain his x-rays. They show such a drastic narrowing in
two places and he cries out in pain sometimes when picked up.
 Dr.
Wells thinks there is soft tissue damage due to his being kept in that tiny
cage. She said we need to continue to manage the pain and see if he won't
improve over time. Poor little guy. I just hate it that he is having to suffer
like this! It is a terrible reminder of all this little baby went through.
I am currently giving him Carprofen and Tramadol twice a day to keep the pain at
bay. He has been given orders to keep quiet and rest. Not a problem
with this heat. As you can see in the picture, he is doing okay now that
he is home and in his favorite chair. Oh, and his appetite is great
- that is always a good sign!
Blessings,
Kelly
Update August 12, 2009:
I am sending out this update on little
McPeanut hopefully to bring attention to a major health issue. With all of
these horrific puppy-mills around, we might start to see more and more of these
specific eye problems. If you look at any of the tapes of the busts, the
majority of dogs have obvious eye issues. We need to closely and carefully
check these puppy-mill dogs who have eye irritations/conditions.
We took McPeanut to the veterinary
ophthalmologist, Dr. Munger, today. He has had eye problems from the beginning,
but because no one every fluoresced (stained) his eyes this was not caught until
last Monday by Dr. Paul Hendon at Westcreek Animal Clinic. McPeanut had the
most unusual pattern of damage to his cornea that Dr. Hendon had ever seen. He
immediately recommended the veterinary ophthalmologist and put McPeanut on
several different medications.
This is very serious and McPeanut could
very well lose his left eye. First, he has been diagnosed in both eyes with
uveitis (which is very serious and painful in humans) which is a swelling of the
uvea - the middle, pigmented vascular layer of the eye. Second, his left eye
has posterior synechia, pupilo seclusio, iris bombe, and glaucoma (caused by the
uveitis). What all this means is that his iris is adhering to his lens
(synechia), the bulging forward of the iris (iris bombe) has caused swelling
blocking the aqueous humor from draining (glaucoma), and he has evidence of
hemorrhagic uveitis. The hemorrhages on his eye were what alerted Dr. Hendon to
a serious problem.
This did not happen overnight. This condition should have
been caught earlier. The first vet that saw him should have noticed his eyes
were very red, he squinted a lot, and he had the hemorrhages on the left eye and
so the condition could have been treated in its earlier stages. I am just sick
over this. This poor little dog has suffered immensely with so many other
health problems, and now this.
I am hoping to save another little one
from going through the same thing. The fluoroscope is not that expensive
($16.00)-$19.00) and should have been performed on first exam in this case.
Now, we are looking at hundreds of dollars of medical care and the worst-case
scenario of his actually losing his eye. Dr. Hendon is our primary vet and he
caught it on first exam. He contacted Dr. Munger and got us in two days later.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hendon gave us pain medication, antibiotics, and
an anti-cholinergic (to stimulate vasodilatation). This would increase blood
flow and healing. Now, McPeanut has additional medication to reduce the
swelling (steroid) and to reduce the aqueous humor (Cosopt - combination of a
beta-blocker and carbonic anhydrase inhibitor). I sold Cosopt for Merck for
almost ten years so I know that it is a great medication. The dorzolamide part
of it is actually more effective in dogs than humans. So, now McPeanut
is using 4 eye drops and 4 oral medications to try to manage his conditions.
Please pray for little McPeanut. We are
hoping for the best - that he responds well to treatment with medication. We
will discuss other options if and when they are necessary. Keep your paws
crossed!
Kelly
Saving one dog won't change the
world, but it will change the world for that one dog!
Update August 17, 2009:
Dear WestieMed:
I want to thank you for your help with
one of our recent adoptees McPeanut. He was just the most pitiful little pup
when he came to us. Unfortunately he was the victim of severe neglect, but he
had the most wonderful spirit that saved him from being euthanized. He is just
so precious and wonderful to us. He courageously has battled severe infection,
spinal disk narrowing, orthopedic deformity, and eye problems.
Everyone who meets him falls completely
in love with him. As he is going through his various medical procedures, tests,
and treatments I have to keep an army of people informed of his progress. Yes,
this little wonder has stolen the hearts of hundreds of people. He dances and
twists and kinda yodel/growls at you when you call his name. He is just so
absolutely awesome and unforgettable!
 Something I want to tell you all is that
I only adopt the sick, elderly, or special needs dogs. I have some medical
problems of my own, and so I have a special place in my heart for the little
ones who are suffering with illness or issues no one else wants to deal with. I
keep my dogs for life - theirs or mine - and they are provided for in my will.
"Re-home" is not a word in my vocabulary. In the two pictures, let me introduce
our pack from left to right: Gabriel (foster), Peanut, Queenie, Badger, and
Winston. Each has health challenges and a story of their own. Queenie has
defied the odds and is 17 1/2 years old - despite being from severe neglect and
abuse in a puppy mill for the first five years of her life. Physically, you can
not see any signs of her previous life. She has been with me for 12 years and
is now quite fat and happy.
WestieMed also helped us out with a dog who was given up
almost five years ago because he was "defective." Winston had extremely
thinning hair, dull, lifeless eyes, thin and bony, and was lethargic. The
previous owner's vet had recommended that they euthanize him. Well, I could not
sit back and let that happen. I promptly took Winston to my vet who after a
thorough check-up recognized, and tested to confirm, that he had a severe
pancreatic enzyme deficiency. This poor dog was not absorbing and benefiting
from any nutrients he ingested. Everything he ate came right back out the other
end.
 With a strict diet and diligently supplementing every meal with additional
enzymes, Winston is now thriving. He just turned 6 years old and is as vibrant
and healthy as can be. He will always have to be on food that is low in carbs,
protein, and fats. He also will have to continue to use the enzymes every time
he eats. Also, he does have some other digestion issues that require him to be
on different medications. You would never know of his conditions when you meet
him. He is active, friendly, and quite the ambassador to every foster dog who
comes to our house. He is a handsome dog now who has bright, shiny eyes, a
beautiful coat, and loves to hunt by sitting on the back of the couch and
waiting and watching for the squirrel to try to get to the bird feeder. The
second picture is of him and Twinkie (we lost her in June 08) watching for that
darn squirrel.
From the bottom of my heart I want to express my deepest
gratitude for the help you have given these two Westies of mine and the many
others you help with your organization. Financially, it can become overwhelming
when all of your pets need special care. I am fortunate to have the time and
expertise to give 24 hour care to these pups. We will continue to care for and
love them all until they cross the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for helping to
off-set some of the lifetime of expenses. We sincerely appreciate it.
Blessings,
Kelly Flanigan Feuling
Update August 26, 2009:
I took little Peanut to see Dr. Munger,
the veterinary ophthalmologist, today for a recheck of his eyes. His left eye
was of great concern as it had several issues: glaucoma, iris bombe, uveitis,
posterior synechia, pupilo seclusio, and hemorrhaging. First, the bad news, his
left eye will most likely have to be removed. He had some slight improvement
with the iris, synechia, and hemorrhages, but his pressure was still very high,
40, even with diligent use of the medication. Dr. Munger said he has no vision
in the left eye. His right eye looks good with definite improvement in the
uveitis.
I am physically sick over this. Poor
little Peanut has been through the wringer and now this. I had hoped and prayed
he would not lose his eye. We go back in four weeks, but we would need a
miracle between now and then. He is in good spirits in typical Peanut fashion.
What a wonderful, sweet, spirit. He has managed and compensated for this very
well.
We are not sure just what procedure we
will do, but Dr. Munger said if this was his dog he would go for the enucleation
(removal of the entire eye) and put in a prosthetic. I just cannot imagine this
at this moment. We are doing all we can to keep Peanut healthy and pain-free.
Thank you for your continued prayers for little Peanut.
Blessings,
Kelly
Saving one dog won't change the
world, but it will change the world for that one dog!
Update September 17, 2009:
 Hello all of Peanut's
wonderful supporters! I have to thank all of you for all the love, support, and
words of encouragement that you have given us since this little angel joined our
family. We appreciate all of you more than you know. It has been quite a
difficult road for this little guy and we have been very busy lately with
the most urgent health issue of trying to save Peanut's left eye. I warn you
that the pictures are quite graphic at this point in time. The picture to
the left shows how inflamed, enlarged, and hemorrhaged the eye was. It does not
show was what caused the eye to be so damaged.
I have been diligently
doing around the clock care this entire last month trying to desperately save
this little guy's eye. Unfortunately, the diseases were many and had progressed
beyond what could be successfully treated. So, yesterday Dr. Robert Munger at
the Animal Ophthalmology Clinic removed Peanut's left eye. He was in severe
pain and distress due to this condition and this was our only alternative at
this point. The final diagnosis was intractable glaucoma, secondary to uveitis
with iris bombe and buphthalmos. It was treated with enucleation with an
orbital implant. We chose not to have a prosthetic because that was more about
aesthetics than what Peanut needed to get along.
I cannot say enough good
things about Dr. Munger. He is an amazing physician as well as human being. He
lives near us and even offered to bring us medicine if Peanut needed it. He
came highly recommended by Paul Hendon at Westcreek Animal Clinic - and I really
respect Dr. Hendon. I hope none of you need ophthalmic services for any of your
pups, but if you do this is the man to see.
 I want to say a special big
"thank you" to WestieMed and to John and Stacy Workman who have generously
donated to Peanut's medical fund. When he came to us we knew we would have some
medical costs and struggles ahead of us, but after you meet this little guy you
have to do whatever he needs because he is so special. All of our
dogs are special needs and our veterinary costs have averaged $362 per month for
this year. Mark & I sincerely appreciate the monetary support as it lightens
our burden. We also appreciate all the moral support. I cannot wait for the
Texas Westie Walk (October 24, 2009) so everyone can see a healed and happy Peanut. Thank you all
for your prayers and support!
Blessings,
Kelly
Saving one dog won't
change the world, but it did change the world for this one dog!
Update October 3, 2009:
I wanted to give you the good and bad
news about our little McPeanut. The bad news is that we had to remove his left
eye this past Wednesday, Sept. 16th. The eye was not responding to
treatment. We were so heart broken because this little guy has been through so
much that we did not want to put him through any more medical procedures. Dr.
Munger told us all we needed to know to make the decision: McPeanut was in pain
and he had no sight in the eye.
The procedure went well. The eye was
sent to the University of Wisconsin for pathology, because we wanted to be sure
that whatever this was it would not affect his only remaining sighted eye. The
diagnosis was chronic glaucoma secondary to granulomatous and lymphoplasmacytic
endophthalmitis and retinitis (no cause was found), posterior synechiae and iris
bombe, retinal detachment (extensive) optic nerve hemorrhage, and a break in
Descemet's membrane with retrocorneal membrane formation. Sounds horrible and
scary, and it is, but that is now over. We will closely monitor his right eye
to make sure that this is an isolated event.
The good news is he is back to the spunky
little sweetie that steals hearts! It took him a couple of days to recover from
the surgery - it was pretty major. The biggest challenge, as you all know, is
keeping a Westie "quiet"! I just love it when vets tell you to keep them
calm. Good luck. I felt like the mean school teacher constantly stopping
him from playing with all the other boys. We have a poodle right now and he is
exactly McPeanut's size and energy level - oh someone help me!
So, we had our two week follow up at Dr.
Munger's Wednesday, Sept. 30th and McPeanut is now "coneless" and thriving. He
is running the backyard again and giving the other boys a run for their money.
Just so you know, Queenie (our 17˝ yr
old) just sits with me and watches all the foolishness going on. We are
truly living in one continuous You Tube video! I wish I was better with
technology because we have some absolutely hilarious moments as you can imagine.
Thank you all for your prayers and
support. It means the world to us and, of course, to little McPeanut! If you
are coming to Westie Walk (in Texas October 24, 2009) he would love to give you
a big personal thank you!
Blessings,
Kelly
Saving one dog won't change the world,
but it did change the world for this one dog!
Update April 15, 2010:
 McPeanut
did remarkably well after surgery and surprised all of us. His entire body is
all healed up and he spends his days laying in the sun, barking at every
thing that moves, chases and plays with the other Westies, then eats and sleeps
then does it all over again. We love it!
We had to put McPeanut back on some eye drops to ensure his
good eye (right side) stayed healthy. Other than that, he is great. He has a
thick, luxurious coat, gained weight, and is very athletic.
It is quite difficult to catch him being still enough to
photograph! McPeanut is such a good dog and gets along so well with everyone
else. He has a new playmate, Stubbs, who came from an eerily similar
situation. Stubbs is just now getting his hair and energy back. In the picture
below you can see McPeanut stalking and playing with Stubbs. We have a little
window in our fence so all the dogs can see what is going on in the street and
sidewalk and McPeanut loves to look out and bark just like everyone else. He is
as active and sweet as ever.
I am still stunned at the progress he has made and
continues to make. We cannot thank you enough for helping out with his
expenses. We only take in Westies that are sick and/or special needs. Every
one of our dogs has health issues, but we are blessed with the best vets ever.
Dr. Hendon actually has Westies himself so he is amazing with our pack. He also
understands when I bring all of them in at the same time because everyone always
seems to need something. Westcreek Animal Clinic spoils and loves them all
like they were their own. We thank you so very much for your kindness and
generosity!
Mark and Kelly Feuling
Westie Rescue
|
