Shirah - a puppymill rescue

Haha! You're probably right! Her fur was like a bristle brush before!

tim15856, Gigi is GORGEOUS! She's such a beautiful girl! And you're doing wonders with her!! God bless you!! I'm taking your tip on the quality snacks!

Just heard back on Shirah's vet review. The vet is very happy with her improvement! She doesn't have liver problems anymore as the enzyme levels are back to normal. Her platelet count has gone up and is in the normal range as well. She's also not as anemic and is well on the road to having normal red blood count at 26% (from 11%). She gained only 50g tho! :lol: I guess I'll be feeding her 5 meals at 5% of her body weight then? The vet said she's a little dehydrated too. Which was strange, as she drinks alot at home and pees clear. Vet said the yellow eye whites are ok. I'm guessing she thinks they'll go away as her health improves?

I'm happy with Shirah's improvement! Now to pack some weight on her skinny frame!

That's geat news. Sounds like she is on the road to recovery. Her red cell count was only 11%:eek2: That is blood tranfusion time. No wonder she was weak and pale. Nice improvement though. The hemolysis of her red cells probably clogged her liver and the yellow in the eys just a left over. Should clear soon. Well done.
 
Shirah WAS actually meant to go for a blood transfusion except that she is blood type negative and we were not able to find a donor. The vet saw that she was slowly recovering at the hospital (she started off with 7% red blood count I think or some other ridiculously low figure like that) and said she would prob get well with good food and a home environment.

She has learnt how to Sit on command! :D And the yellow in her eyes is clearing up! They are more white now than yellow!

Her "mate", the other sheltie, a male who was in this same puppymill, could not find a foster home. He was fatter than Shirah and healthier than her (he was with Shirah when the rescuers brought her to my place). But since they couldn't find a place for him, they took him back to the puppymill kennels (they had the place for a month to house the dogs while they looked for fosters and forever homes). Within 2 days, the male's health deteriorated and is now hospitalized. :( Last I heard his appetite has deteriorated too. I feel absolutely terrible that he's not doing well and am gonna try to ask my folks if they'll mind clearing out some space for him. Poor babies. :(
 
How wonderful that Shirah is coming along so well; and how bittersweet to learn that her buddy is having such a difficult time. Thank you for your big heart and efforts.
 
Shirah has gained some weight!

Before and After picture

Took her to the groomers over the weekend which she enjoyed. Couldn't cut her long nails without quicking her, so the groomer and I decided to leave it. When she gets spayed I'll get the vet to cut her nails too.

She's coming on heat! Never had a female before so the little drops of blood baffled me. Juliet's spayed so never needed to find out more! Went to read up and she's about half way through her proestrus. Keeping Romeo far far away! Surprisingly, he's not going mad yet. :rolleyes2:
 
I saw Shirah's before and after on your facebook profile this morning and it looks like she's making good progress. Her sweet, soft expression just melts my heart, what a sweet girl. Its probably a good thing that you're so far away from us, I'd really love to adopt her, but two shelties is probably enough for us.

Any word on how her "mate" is doing?
 
It breaks my heart seeing the before picture. She was so skinny. She looks great now. She definitely has gained weight. Keep up the great work!
 
Soon she will be a fat house dog demanding to be petted :cool:

EDIT: Is it just me or is her fur really coming in and getting lighter also?
 
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