Sweetpea

Update July 23, 2012 from NBS Animal Rescue
Sweetpea McGee is doing fantastic!! He’s settling into the routine quite nicely, has learned if he nudges his foster mom’s arm when she stops petting him that she magically starts petting again, is gaining weight, and his sores are almost completely healed.

He will be having surgery on Wednesday to have two masses removed (one from his belly and one from his neck) as well as having a dental treatment. We’re so very thankful to all of the wonderful people at 4 Paws 1 Heart who are generously covering his medical treatment. ♥


July 11, 20012 AN UPDATE ON SWEETPEA; OF COURSE, 4P1H WILL COVER ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT SWEETPEA NEEDS TO MAKE HIM A HEALTHY BOY —

“Hi Diana! THANK-YOU so very much for letting us go and visit with Sweetpea tonight! He’s a precious little fella who we all quickly fell in love with. The staff there were fantastic – they were very busy and allowed us to sit in the lobby for over an hour with Sweetpea as we just gently petted him, fed him some tasty treats, and started to get to know each other. The red areas of the skin shown in the first pictures you posted originally have started to heal nicely and are now flaking off into little scabs. The larger wounds are still pretty nasty looking but the vet said it was improving daily. He shook like a leaf for the first 30 minutes, but then he started to get comfy and we saw the slightest little wag of his raw little tail. Once I stopped petting him for about 3 seconds he even nudged my hand with his nose asking for more! Aaron got kisses from him and Jaime got lots of good ear scratches and petting in too. I can’t wait to get him home to start showing him how wonderful life can be! He does have two issues that I wanted to discuss with you, we were able to talk with the vet tech and dr. on staff tonight about his teeth and two rather large lumps he has. His teeth are badly in need of a dental treatment with sadly, quite a few extractions probably necessary. He has a large lump on his belly/chest and one just under his chin/neck. The vet on staff recommended a dental treatment and a needle aspiration of the larger lump to assess what we were dealing with. She said she would talk with Gina when she got back on Sunday about his progress thus far.” Rebecca, NBS Animal Rescue


July 6, 2012
7/6/12 The Eastpointe Animal Control Officer (ACO) was contacted by a groomer in Eastpointe reporting a case of serious neglect/abuse. He had a Pomeranian mix, male, neutered, 10 lbs. and about 7 years old. The dog was matted with feces with flies stuck to it and totally consumed with hundreds of maggots who had actually at holes in his poor little body; his nails were 1 and 1/2 inches overgrown. The ACO immediately took the animal to the East Detroit Animal Hospital who kindly stepped up to the plate without an advanced payment. There the maggots were removed and the dog was shaved but the dog still required additional veterinary care. The ACO contacted the owner to advise of the dire condition of the dog and to tell her that the dog needed additional medical treatment. She claimed that she had been in the hospital with a heart condition and her dog, Sweetpea, had been in the care of a friend. She also said that she didn’t have the money to take him to a vet or to pay the vet the ACO had taken him to for initial treatment.

The ACO contacted Gina and asked if 4P1H could help. Gina told him that if the woman could produce proof that she was, in fact, in the hospital and proof of who had been caring for the dog, that 4P1H would help with the medical bills (although that is not typically what 4P1H does). The woman could not provide proof and obviously had been lying; it further appeared that the dog had just been neglected and kept in a crate. The woman wanted the dog back but the ACO miraculously talked the woman into surrendering the dog and brought the dog, after hours on his own time, to the Animal Urgent and Critical Care Center. At the Center, Sweetpea was further treated for his infestations, stabilized, and put on IV fluids. He is totally traumatized by what he has been forced to go through. Charges cannot be pressed in Eastpointe because it turns out that the woman is a Detroit resident. If the City of Eastpointe does not pay the vet bill at the East Detroit Animal Hospital, 4P1H will pay that bill as well as the costs for the medical treatment and Sweetpea’s stay at the Critical Care Center. He should be ready for adoption in about a week.

If one of our rescue friends could take on the adoption of Sweetpea, it would be greatly appreciated. For now, if anyone is seriously interested in adopting him, please contact me at [email protected].

Hercules Hydrotherapy Session

After being left for nearly 3 months with 3 breaks in each rear leg, an operation was no longer possible to help Hercules become the healthy boxer he should have been. Consultations with Michigan State University and the Animal Urgent and Critical Care Center determined that the only hope to lessen his pain and provide a somewhat ‘normal’ life was to establish a regimen of hydrotherapy sessions, laser therapy, and rehabilitation therapy.

4 Kittens from New Beginnings

4 Paws 1 Heart is very happy to help our friends at New Beginnings Animal Foundation with the spaying/neutering of 4 kittens. Anything we can do to lessen the overpopulation of our sweet friends, is #1 priority. ~ diana
Smudge, Fuzzy, Princess and George need your help getting spayed/neutered and vaccinated before they can go up for adoption! $40 will get each of these cuties spayed/neutered. $15 will get each one a rabies vaccine

Does Your City/Township Have an Agreement for After Hour Care for Animals

Do you think it is right to put your police officers in the terrible position of shooting an injured animal because your city/township doesn’t have an agreement with an after-hours clinic. The other night a dog was hit by a car in a nearby community. The person who hit the dog contacted the police. The police arrived and because their city had no contract with an emergency animal hospital, the police were going to humanely shoot the dog to avoid him suffering at the police station until the animal control shelter was open. Upon learning this, the woman insisted on taking the dog herself to the emergency hospital where Gina works. She was actually willing to pay for some of the costs but Gina insisted that 4P1H pay for the medical needs which included treating for shock and some minor abrasions and bruising. The lady contacted the police to let them know the whereabouts of the dog and 24 hours later, the dog walked out the door with his owner. Had this caring woman not taken matters into her own hands, this dog would have been dead and not to the fault of the police. ANIMAL LOVERS, if you care, contact your city/township and find out what happens in your community. AND don’t let anyone tell you a story that sounds good. Ask questions and dig for the truth. Most cities/townships do not have contracts with REAL after-hour emergency hospitals. I’m not talking about hospitals that are open a few hours longer than others or have a 1/2 day week-end service. I’m talking about places like the Animal Urgent and Critical Care Center in Harper Woods, Wilson’s Veterinary Hospital in Romeo, and I’m sure there are a few others. Sure it will cost your community a little more but isn’t this the moral thing to do. This dog could have been your poor animal who was accidentally let out of his house/yard. We can make a difference! ~ diana

Boaters Practice Safety for Your Pets

7/4/12 Keep in mind if you have an animal in a boat always make sure they’re safe and restrained somehow. A Labrador jumped out of a boat today and got caught in the propeller. Owners were absolutely devastated. This was a terrible ACCIDENT that ended fatally. Never assume that it can’t happen to you. Always pay close attention to your animals safety… ~ Gina

 7/5/12  How many times have we talked about animals who are allowed to roam freely (mainly dogs) in a car, stick their heads out of the windows (or sunroofs as I saw the other day), or sit on their owner’s laps. If you’re a boater or happen to dine or visit on the water, how many times have you seen dogs walking around the boat or sitting on the bow unrestrained. We, as responsible pet owners, need to take responsibility for the safety of our pets. I feel so very bad for this family but, if you care, you must consider putting the same rules in place that you would for your children. ~ diana
 Lori Jobak(4Paws Health & Wellness)  And, if I may add the following advice: please buy a doggie flotation jacket for the docks and for boating!! Not all dogs know how to swim and when panic stricken, can quickly drown. Strong water/waves/currents can lead to fatalities. Certain breeds and body structures cause some dogs to be “sinkers”.

Dodger – Thrown from a Car on I-94

This is Dodger. On June 17, 2012 he was thrown from a car on I-94. One of the staff at the Animal Urgent and Critical Care Center witnessed the incident and rescued him. Dodger lost several teeth, bit his tongue in half and his lip was torn away from his jaw. His jaw appeared to be broken but he is now healing well. Dodger was taken in by Venus and her husband, Jeff, who were very willing to pay for his injuries. 4P1H insisted on paying for the medical treatment and they are keeping this 13 week old baby until she can be adopted out. They are currently working on trust issues with him. Let us know if you are interested in adopting him at a later time. ~ diana

Baby Bunnies

7/23/12 Gina’s other project — hand raising a baby bunny. ~ diana

 


Three day old baby bunnies were brought into a local pet store while I was there. I offered to take them home and hand raise them. It’s been just over a week and they are with another foster mom who is taking wonderful care of them. I’ll post an updated photo soon! ~ gina

Gussy (Stray Kitten ~ June Bug)

7/2/12 A Scooter’s ResQ will be taking June to help with finding him his forever home. Thank You!!

June was a stray found by some good Samaritans. We lost his sibling due to an unknown illness that she had. 4p1h has June hospitalized for dehydration and diarrhea. We expect him to recover and we will keep everyone posted. June is about 4 weeks old, male, black and white kitten who
will need to go to a rescue in a few days! ~ gina

Pregnant Mary Shot in the Chest

Update 07/15/2012

“Miss Mary LOVES her foster siblings. She is such an amazing dog, I can’t even fathom why or how someone could shoot this innocent girl. She does not have a mean bone in her whole body! My neighbor came to the fence today while she was out and Mary just wagged her tail and jumped up to try to give kisses. Thank you for saving this sweet girl and giving us the chance to help her to know what a dogs life is really all about :)”

Update: Loveabull Paws Rescue will be picking up Mary on July 4. Good Luck to Mary and our good friends at Loveabull Paws Rescue. ~ diana

Update 7/3/12 From Erica at Loveabull Paws Rescue: “We will be bringing Mary into rescue as soon as she starts feeling a little better. Mary’s unborn puppies didn’t make it through the very extensive surgery she had to remove bullet pieces from her chest and lungs. Mary is now stable and aside from being in a little pain (which is normal) she is in good spirits and still gives little tail waggs and kisses. Please keep Mary in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover from this very traumatic painful experience! “


Update 7/2/12 The doctor that did the surgery did an amazing job and she saved Mary’s life! When I saw Mary today she was in some expected pain, but she was in good spirits (some tail waggs and kisses). It’s horrible and unfortunate what happened to her, but this is the reality of the world we live in. In this field we see it much too often, but with “teamwork” Mary was able to be saved! 4 Paws was able to pay for her surgery, Venus lined up a rescue willing to take her, and Loveabull Paws Rescue reached out to welcome her in open arms into their amazing rescue group. This is what it’s all about!!! One more life given a second chance!!! ~ Gina
July, 1 2012
Mary was at the wrong place at the wrong time today…but….she is in good hands and will be properly cared for from now on. Two gun shot victims were brought in to the emergency on July 1. Mary’s sibling didn’t make it because he was shot in the head. Mary (pregnant) was shot in the chest. 4P1H provided the medical care and there is a rescue group lined up to take Mary if she pulls through this. I will provide an update once more information is available. ~ gina