Addie 11-096 [1]

Sponsored by:

Paul and Mary T.

“Best wishes for a Golden life, Addie"- From The Tooth Fairy

March 26, 2011

Addie is a spayed female retriever mix at 9 years old. The vet states 50 or so pounds would be a healthy weight for her so she is a nice compact size retriever. The other side of her is as an educated guess of Jack Russell or similar Terrier. I have Addie as a house guest for 6 days now and I have to say she has showed us so much, how to appreciate life. I will have to say, her first week has been keeping us busy trying to get her overall health stable. Her story though somewhat short due to we know very little about her past, but what we do know is she was severely neglected and her story is very sad, but inspiring.

Starting on 2/18/2011 at 9:42am Addie was found at a home in Minneapolis, MN and brought to Animal Control. Addie was 1 of 3 dogs brought in. This is word for word her Physical exam at intake at the impound. It states, "Wt. 18.3 lbs. Body weight score of 1/5, with no palpable muscle beneath skin.  Nails are overgrown with some front nails measuring 1 1/2" in length.  Teeth are severe grade for tartar, gingivitis, gum recession and tooth mobility. Dog's mouth is painful. Dog is well socialized and will walk on a leash."

On 3/16/2011 her life changed dramatically when she came into the caring hands of Ragom Volunteer Konnie who picked her up from the impound and took her directly to VCA vet clinic in Richfield, where they weighed her in at now 32 lbs. She had tapeworms which were treated immediately. She was already spayed when brought in and microchipped. She was started on pain medication and antibiotics for her life threatening mouth infection. Directions are to stabilize her overall health so she can have a very intensive dental surgery.

I picked her up at noon on 3/18/2011 from the Vet Clinic along with my 18 year old daughter. When the Tech brought out this skinny, frail and sickly looking dog, My daughter was breathless and started having tears come out of her eyes. We could barely touch her without feeling like were going to break her. Every bone in her spine, ribs, and hips were not just felt but easily seen, even from a distance. Even though a bath was given at the vet, the odor was nauseating, mostly her mouth odor. Her hair is thin and still falling out, skin is dry and flaky. It was hard to imagine how she survived such an ordeal and she still was not out of the woods yet. Also another RAGOM volunteer Devon came by to take photos in hopes that criminal charges can be pursued. Photos were requested by city of Minneapolis.

Then we proceeded to our vet to prearrange how and when this mouth surgery was going to work. When the vet tech saw her when we walked in her first reaction was to feed her as much as possible, but her mouth is so sore she will try to just swallow and than choke. The vet stated the same thing I did, she does not even want to touch her. Addie is very protective of her mouth right now and will try to avoid any contact with it. She showed no sign of aggression even when in pain. We made a plan to do the surgery on Wed. 3/23. I think her Vet Dr. Katie really has a special place in her heart for Addie. She made sure I had everything possible to accomplish this task.

When I got her home the first thing in my mind was "she is so happy." Her tail is waggin' in circles and she was checking everything out, she gets along great with my resident dog Buddy and Foster sister Honey 01-240. And was having fun playing with my cat Harrison. Her body is weak but her will to live is very strong. She loves belly rubs as the video [2] shows you on her first night here with us. She loves, I mean loves kids, she does not jump up, she loves to give kisses, she loves like a puppy. Our mission is to fatten her up. She is on Natural Balance moist food, 4 times a day, with cottage cheese and EVO canned food in between. By day 3 she was much stronger and able to jump on the couch with ease and took over my heating pad. Oh well, she needs it more than I do right now. I attempted to give her a short walk with my other dogs and her back end is weak and was limping along after 1/2 block, so no more of that at least for now. Her front side is pretty strong, she seems to be gaining mass from front to back. She still has no padding on her behind, so when she tries to sit, she literally falls over to her side. It's so sad. She has had only one accident in the house and I am sure it is because when it was her first day here she was a bit anxious and she was drinking a lot of water that day. No accidents since. We do not have a fence and she uses the tie out but I go with her outside for now. She has some separation anxiety. My husband states when I leave she whines at the door. She only really barks when she is really happy which is often as of now, but who could blame her?

On 3/23/2011, I dropped her off at the vet for her oral surgery at 8am. They called me at 2 pm stating she did great and she's ready to go home. I could hear her in the background yelping. She does not care for being kenneled up. When I got there she was ready to get outta there and she directed me to my car. The vet said they are going to keep her teeth for awhile as an example of why you should take care of your dog's teeth. OK, I bet you're asking how many teeth does she have now?? She has no teeth behind her canines and two canines are gone. Some teeth were already gone, most were loose and decayed and her gumlines now have sutures because they had to drain the abscesses. She is to continue her antibiotics for another two weeks and canned food for a week and can continue to moist food after that. The vet says her health has such a better chance of improvement now and it was for the best. The first night was tough, she was crying till she finally feel asleep.

The day after was sooo much better. She is eating her food and there is far less crying. She still wants to lick on herself and then realizes this causes pain on her gums. Update ya soon, on a very special girl.

Wow!! a sponsor already, which is wonderful, she needs all the support she can get.