Buddy 11

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Updated 11/19/05: After his last heart procedure was complete, Buddy moved to a new foster home and is such a blessing there! When he arrived, he weighed 25 pounds. He is now a whopping 40 pounds. Buddy’s coat has also turned very thick and luxurious. What is truly amazing is how similar he is in size and markings to the resident springer, Maggie, so much so that his foster mom wouldn’t be surprised if they had similar DNA. Maggie treats Buddy like a son, and the other resident dog, Hero, treats him like a favorite brother.

Buddy loves to eat and loves treats. He seems to learn quickly. He loves playing tug-o-war with Hero. Buddy is never without a toy or bone in his mouth. His favorite spot to rest is on a football beanbag chair in the family room. Buddy also loves to lie next to the bath tub and right outside the shower whenever they are being used. Unlike the other dogs, Buddy loves the water.

Two weeks ago, Buddy was neutered. He did well and was home that evening. It was very difficult to keep him subdued. He loves visiting the vet. He walks in like he owns the place and the staff treats him like a king. The vet mentioned that Buddy reminds him of a Clumber Spaniel by the way he stands and his short legs. He still has red eyes and a tick on his left side, but it just makes him more endearing. He is adored by all who meet him. Because of his great temperament, his foster mom feels that Buddy would be an excellent therapy dog. She is forever grateful for having the opportunity to foster Buddy through this last step to his new beginning!

Updated 9/24/05: Buddy returned to the hospital in August for correction of a leak that developed after his original surgery. He still had a grade V out of VI heart murmur. The leak had produced an aneurysm of the pulmonary artery. An angiogram was performed to look at his heart. The treatment was to place two coils in the heart to close the leak and stop the blood flow to the aneurysm. The dye study at the time determined that the coils were working. He was kept overnight on IV fluids and released the next day. He recovered wonderfully, as he always seems to do, and when he returned two weeks later for his echocardiogram, all cheered because the coils were a complete success!! Since the vets at this hospital have not encountered Buddy’s problem in a dog before, Buddy and his heart will be the subject in an upcoming academic article. Buddy continues to improve, gaining weight and he looks more like a normal, healthy dog every day.

After recovery from the coil procedure, Buddy was taken to a local vet to determine if he could be neutered. Once again, Buddy was his usual charming self, and everyone in the office fell in love with him. The vet had an issue with Buddy’s stool sample and put him on a regime of Flagyl. The vet would like to make sure Buddy’s health is optimal before neutering and has recommended that MAESSR wait until mid-November to have it done. It should be the last step for Buddy on his way to adoption. Buddy now suffers from “good health” and a wonderful foster family who loves him. His foster family thanks all the wonderful people at MAESSR for a job well done!

Updated 7/31/05: MAESSR’s poor little Buddy has had a setback. Unfortunately, during Buddy’s last visit to the clinic, the vets discovered that Buddy has an aneurysm in his heart. This is very unusual, as his vets have never seen this before in a dog. The vets have successfully treated this condition in a horse and are hopeful that Buddy will be ok.

Blood pressure medicine has been prescribed for Buddy. In a week, Buddy will undergo another eco-cardiogram to check the progress of the aneurysm and the hole in his heart. The vets believe they will be able to coil the hole in Buddy’s heart which may also take care of the aneurysm.

Buddy is taking everything in stride, and, everyone who comes in contact with him continues to fall in love with him. He is staying with a new foster family while his original “mom” is temporarily away. His “new” mom reports that he has been sleeping through the night. He has already found the basket of toys in each room and his appetite is terrific. He empties his bowl at each feeding, loves his treats and takes his medicine like a pro. Buddy loves his new foster brother, Hero, and is always trying to play with him. Hero, at 115 pounds, is very gentle with Buddy. It’s amazing to watch. His “new” mom is happy to say Buddy seems to be getting stronger each day and knows he will have the best of odds.

Updated 7/3/05: All in all, Buddy is doing well. Unfortunately, though, Buddy’s post-surgery checkup revealed that he still has a small hole in his heart. There is a possibility that the umbilical tissue which was used to repair the initial hole will clot and that the hole will close on its own. Buddy will be examined again at the end of July. If the hole is still present, a coil will be inserted to finish the repair.

According to Buddy’s foster mom, the people at the clinic where Buddy is receiving treatment think that he has grown. Buddy is still on the thin side, but he looks much better than when he first came into MAESSR’s care. His tongue is no longer blue, but now a nice pink. At this point, Buddy is on very limited exercise. His foster mom is hoping that he will gain some muscle tone when the exercise limit is lifted. He continues to be a sweet, “happy go lucky” pup, despite his problems, and surely looks forward to the time when he can play like other puppies!!

Original: Poor, sweet Buddy has had a very rough start in life. At only 6 ½-months-old, he was dropped off at a shelter when his owners lost their home. Not only was Buddy homeless, but when the shelter vet examined him, major health problems were discovered and the shelter was going to put him to sleep. Luckily for Buddy, one of the shelter volunteers begged the administrators to call MAESSR. MAESSR volunteers came to Buddy’s rescue and immediately picked him up. He was taken to a veterinarian who confirmed that he had some type of heart problem. Along with Buddy’s heart problem, it was noticed that he was weak on his hind legs.

After spending a week in one foster home, Buddy was moved to another home which was closer to a large veterinary hospital that could evaluate Buddy’s problems more fully. Buddy’s second foster mom took him into her care, knowing full well that he might not survive. He underwent many tests which revealed that he had a hole in his heart. Experiencing the onset of heart failure, Buddy was immediately put into intensive care. He was prepped for a procedure to insert a coil into his heart to repair the hole. Unfortunately, the hole in Buddy’s heart was too large for the coil to be effective. So, the next day, major heart surgery was performed. Luckily, Buddy survived the operation and when he was checked by the veterinarians, no heart murmur was detected.

In the short time that Buddy has been in foster care, he has endeared himself to all who have come in contact with him. Buddy is a very gentle puppy and, despite his heart problem, loves to play. He constantly carries a ball around in his mouth. Buddy gets along very well with his foster mom’s other dogs as well as her cats. MAESSR is hoping that Buddy will blossom and begin to thrive now that his medical problems are being addressed.

This puppy is still not out of the woods with at least 4-6 weeks necessary for his recovery from the heart surgery. Updates on his progress will be added. He also has a touch of Horner’s syndrome which causes his head to tilt slightly to one side. Needless to say, Buddy’s extensive medical treatment has been quite costly. If you would like to help defray the costs of Buddy’s continuing care, please donate to MAESSR in his name, using the Paypal icon below. And please, keep him in your thoughts.

MAESSR has never refused a dog treatment solely based upon cost.

This is where you come in. Every penny spent on a high needs dog like Buddy takes away from our ability to serve other animals. Right now, we are okay, but if we get hit with several dogs needing more than perfunctory medical care, it could become problematic.

Please consider a one-time donation or on-going subscription to assist with Buddy’s medical costs. It will help him and all of our dogs.