So.....................when Denise Wilson, who connected Dixie with me, told me there was a sickly mini smooth who absolutely had to get into a rescue group ASAP, I told her to talk to Linne (ATDR's president) and let her know we could take the girl as a temp foster while she was getting over what ails her.
Things meshed again, and we picked up GiGi from the woman who had taken her off the streets and rushed her to the Tyler clinic where Denise works.
And what ails this girl is a whole lot. She's a big old mess. She was first treated in mid-October, and was in such bad shape the clinic gave the option of putting her down then and there. Melissa, the woman who had her, wanted to attempt to save her, so work got started. The first step was bloodwork that showed she was horribly anemic...so much so she received a blood transfusion then and there.
GiGi is a little bitty girl. The clinic has her weight at 8.7 pounds, and maybe she is, right after eating, but when I look at this girl I see smaller than that. That aside, though, and in addition to the anemia, she tested high heartworm positive and with a raging mouth infection.
She was given the transfusion, started on Prednisone (to suppress her immune system while working on the anemia situation) and antibiotics for the mouth infection.
Unfortunately, a month and a half into treatment Melissa's senior senior dachshund was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and her attention was shifted from GiGi to him.
So when we picked her up from Melissa on Saturday, we took possession of a very sick little girl. Without running a CBC, I was just going on the assumption she was pretty much back to where she started (albeit probably not as anemic).
Denise was mailing some Pred and Doxycycline to me as part of the agreement with ATDR to bring her into the program (as I write this it's not here yet because of the holiday), but I have Pred here on hand, and some Doxy that is a bit old, but I figured would at least get her started until the good stuff gets here. I've also emailed Linne an update on her and requested she send 28 days worth of Clindamycin and more Doxy so I'll have it on hand once the stuff Denise sent is used up. Clindy should kick the mouth infection which is causing some seriously foul breath. She has very bad teeth (what are left) and a huge oral nasal fistula that needs to be closed....all of that will need to wait until she's well and can head to Houston.
So now I'm waiting for meds.
Meanwhile, GiGi is getting her dog food that I've split into two meals a day. With that, she's getting a little over 1 oz of baked chicken liver and half a boiled egg (aka Magic Food Stuff) with each meal. With the anemia present, the liver and egg should giver her a much better chance of kicking it quicker. And, well, GiGi is in LOVE with the additions. I've told her the high quality protein will help what ails her, but she doesn't seem to care much as long as she gets it. LOL
And after just 2 days of antibiotics you can tell she is feeling better. Even though she has staked out the big pillow in the den as her spot, she runs into the kitchen if I go in there for any length of time. She also comes in here into the bedroom where I have my computer to see me. She likes Randall, but you can tell she's really a woman's dog (being The Foodlady doesn't hurt my standing either) and she perks right up when she hears my voice.
So, what I'm hoping and planning is we can get a good 3-4 weeks of antibiotics and Magic Food Stuff down her to help her beat the anemia. She'll have a CBC done after that to see where she is. If she's improved enough, she'll head down to Houston where Linne will get her teeth and oral nasal fistula seen to and then she'll go into a new foster home until she finds a forever home.
Here are a couple of photos of this little girl and one of her and Dixie together. There will be a link in the Places To Go list before long, too.
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