Wilson

December 2011:

Wilson was found by Animal Control in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ on September 26. Ten days later, in response to the shelter's plea for a rescue to take him, I went to pick him up. Wilson had bad timing as this was right before Montgomery and all the other show people who do rescue were unavailable.  I was not sure that I was ready for a dog as sick as Wilson reputedly was, but it was clear, if I didn't take him, nobody would. So I headed over to one of New Jersey's most grim, underfunded shelters to meet my new charge.

When I got him, Wilson was so sick it was truly frightening, and so I took him straight to my vet.  Upon seeing him, the vet confirmed this was exactly where this very sick little dog should be and felt he should stay there for a few days.  Wilson received intensive care and repeated observation for five days, which helped enormously in diagnosing his various problems: severe starvation/emaciation (weighed nine pounds when he was found), raging Giardia, Coccidia, worms, Malassezia, secondary bacterial skin infection, ear infections, and eye infections. Due to his Malassezia he had lost a lot of hair and smelled like yeast; due to his horrid living conditions (apparently he was living as a feral dog) and bad health, he smelled like urine. Due to his sickness he was unable to eat normally; he had no appetite, refused most all food, ate only small amounts of what he would take (I fed him by hand during this time), then regurgitated most of it. Each time, I would clean it up, and try again.  He slept almost constantly and I gave him the softest beds I could find since he was so thin that he could not comfortably sit or lay on a hard surface. On top of that, he was withdrawn and depressed. The vet estimated this little guy was just about 5 years old.

Gradually, Wilson began to recover. The first milestone was when he could eat food without the obvious pain that it first caused him, and when he was able to keep things down without regurgitating. Since his medications were all oral, this was a critical step in his recovery.  Whereas he could initially only handle chicken and rice, eventually, he was able to eat dog kibble, and eventually began to put on weight.  With the help of frequent medicated baths, he started to grow some hair back. Emotionally, he had been damaged too, and seeing the rehab from that was even more touching than seeing the physical issues resolve.  While he still was not comfortable anywhere except in his pen, he began to come out of his shell, seemed to start to enjoy being patted, and even started to make eye contact with me after about a month.

Now, three months into rescue, Wilson has made amazing progress. He shows great affection for people and other dogs; he enjoys walks and comes to me to get patted and even lets me hug him which he would not tolerate initially. The vet was amazed that his ear infection, which was so bad the vet feared he would be deaf from scarring, has completely resolved.  His skin had cleared up nicely and the odor almost gone.  Once he was well enough, he was neutered.  That operation was a little scary since his pulse went so high, but he made it through. The dental cleaning done at the same time showed that while he has no enamel left on his teeth, at least none needed to be pulled. Wilson needs regular tooth-brushing though, for the rest of his life.  Wilson is still waiting for his forever-home to come along, but he is safe and sound in the meantime.  

I am deeply grateful to WestieMed for the critical help it provides.  I decided to start rescuing after I had been showing and breeding dogs for a year or two and thought, well, if I am going to bring more dogs into this world, I'm going to help the ones who are already here.  As an independent rescuer, I receive no funding from any regional club and no donations other than the modest adoption fees which rarely cover the medical care that rescued dogs need.  I rescue dogs "part time"; generally, one at a time.  I spend a great deal of time on the phone with potential adopters, advising them on the perils of buying badly bred dogs (many, I find, are considering a rescue dog as a cheaper alternative to a petstore purchase) and helping them identify quality Westie rescue groups. While it feels like a very small contribution to the welfare of dogs in need, as they say "it is better to light a single candle than to sit and curse the darkness".  I see myself as lighting single candles, one by one, for Westies in need.  I have found how gratifying it is to be able to rescue dogs, even on a small scale, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to play a role in these little miracles that WestieMed makes possible.

Lisa