Houston Dog faces and 1 more

Gizzie on the left and Georgia below were minding their own business at Tanglewilde Vet Clinic when they were bombarded with pictures. This owner was so accommodating-the girls REALLY  just wanted to get out of Dodge and defeated our repeated attempts to photograph them together. 
One of them turns 11 this week!

Mikey and Missy were both adopted  by my wonderful bud Gretajean, both had heartworms(will people never understand the importance of prevention?) and both have this binkie addiction:)

These are their Halloween witch binkies. Mickey gets whichever one he can yank from under the computer table when Missy is otherwise engaged.

Bailey was incredibly patient for her nail trim. Richard her owner came by for a nail trim,which I do for 5.00-Greater Good sends lots of clients to me, thanks!. Then he asked to be shown how to do it. Kim my bud was visiting, so was quickly conned into helping:)

Chloe was patiently waiting her turn at Westbury Vet Clinic last month when the roving Pet Stuff Resale camera caught her. She looks about 4, she is really 13. She has a wonderful owner who did major research into vets after moving to Houston from New York. I very much enjoyed visiting with her and think she made a good decision in vets!

I really feel sorry for folks with real jobs that can't rove around as I do, so the dog faces are to add a little joy to your day. It is not by accident that most of them are "seasoned" faces, those are my favorite.

Oh, yea, this blog is supposed to also highlight items from Pet Stuff Resale for sale.......
Rocco was turned in to a shelter when his owners could not afford treatment for his broken leg.  All healed, he now needs a permenant home, all 4 lbs of him. He desperately hopes the Halloween costume finds a different home! It says Devilish Dog on the back which is 180 dogrees from his personality. He is one of the sweet, even quiet, chihuahuas, gets along with other dogs and even cats.

I will have items for sale(and a foster dog) at the Kingsland Blvd 30th anniversary Open House this Saturday 2-5 pm. 281-578-1506 is their number. Of course there will be a pet costume contest. I have a booth in Exam room 9. My cell is 817-480-8400 if you want to see what I am bringing.

Also share this blog with your buds if you like. A portion of PSR sales benefit
rescue animals.

Can you pass the dog "drivers permit" test?

clients at Westbury Vet Clinic

Pet rescuers usually feel that people should pass a test before getting a dog:) How well would you do? Some of the answers seem SO obvious but I have seen every one of them in my years of rescue! You might be surprised.

1-Heartworms are caused by:
   a-fleas
   b-flies
   c-mosquitoes

Mosquitos is what many of us know, but heartworm ignorance is very high in Houston. I was recently told that they are caused by spoiled canned meat.

2-Soft sided totes are great for puppies and easier to carry than plastic crates..
   a-sure
   b-no
   c-well, 1/2 of that is true

Many soft totes  have been destroyed by sharp puppy teeth, from both the inside and outside, when one is  put on the floor, ie. left within chewing range. They particularly like the zippers!

3-It doesn't matter how you travel with a dog in your vehicle, as long as they are contained.
   a-sure
   b-no

It does matter-none of us leave home expecting to get into a car wreck, but if you are side swiped or rear ended, the impact of a wire crate will crush a dog. It has a slightly better chance of surviving if a plastic crate breaks apart. A loose dog becomes a rapidly moving projectile as well. I hope this never happens to you, but it could.

4-It's fine to get a puppy before your elderly dog passes away so you are no tleft without a buddy.
   a-yes, they will probably get along just fine
   b-no-it is way too much stress on the older dog and they feel pushed aside
   c-rarely and only if done very carefully can this be done


Bubbles still looking for a permanent home

 I am of the B category,  think it is very selfish to foist a rowdy puppy on most older animals. A middle aged dog is a much better "bridge" dog. A few people are dedicated enough to keep a puppy from harrassing a senior dog.

5- Females make better pets
    a-yes, they don't "hike"
    b-no, males are actually calmer
    c-no right answer-everyone has their preferences

Many people assume that females are better just because of the hiking issue. Males are more often euthanized due to this misconception. Many males do not and some females do or show other dominant
behaviors. Once neutered, males are often calmer. Please don't automatically reject the idea of a male based on that generalization.

6-Females need to have a heat cycle before spaying and motor oil can be used on mange are both so ludicrous that they don't even warrant a separate True/False section, but they are both still believed. You don't have to admit it if you assumed either is true:) Neither is.

Do you know of other often believed (non) "truths"? Please share them in the comments and share this blog with folks who may believe some of these misconceptions.  It's a diplomatic way to educate:)

(As always ,please advise me if you no longer wish to receive the blog from Pet Stuff Resale. I do not want to intrude. Please share with people who might be interested.)


Durango begins painful heartworm treatment with Dr Burda at Jester Plaza Vet Clinic



1$ raffle benefits Romeo the poodles' cracked jaw

This precious 3 year old came into a shelter over a year ago. He would have been immediately euthanized at most shelters due to his medical needs. He had absolutely
no hair due to sarcptic mange and deep skin infection from scratching, was horribly emaciated, limping from a permanent leg injury, a cracked jaw and of course heavily loaded with heartworms. Not surprisingly, he also had a serious distrust of humans.

Due to dedicated, unwavering care by Rebecca the Poodle Queen, Romeo now has hair!
He has been treated for heartworms.
He is learning how to play like a dog should and to relate to humans.
He has picked up weight and does not appear to have problems eating.
Our wonderful vet at Westbury, Dr Chalkley, examined his jaw and said wiring it is possible and he shouldn't have any major problems after that it done. The jaw will deteriorate if it is not fixed fairly soon.

Here's where you can help inexpensively. Pet Stuff Resale is raffling off a gorgeous Queen afghan in shades of green, mauve and cream for 1.00 a ticket. It will be displayed in the Annex part of the Citizens for Animal Protection Thrift store, which is just to the left of the Greater Good. There will be a big bowl(which will move around, so I can't say it is in a certain place!) Just put your name and a phone number on any white 3x5card(to keep all cards equal). Ask anyone you can to enter. The winner will be announced on Sunday Dec 13th at the CAP Holiday Open House.
It also looks much better "in person".
Unlike other raffles, you will not be solicited to buy a timeshare or scuba lessons
for entering!

I will have pictures of Romeo in a future post.

A second beneficiary of the raffle will be some of the many dogs coming in with heartworms.

Some of you may remember when I let people pet a crippled chihuahua for .25 to raise funds for his orthopedic surgery. Two Bits now Ricky, raised close to 1500.00!


Thank you for helping to spread the word.

Shopping at both rooms of the Thrift Store benefits the animals at the shelter and is particularly fun the last quarter of the year because so many donations come in for end of the year tax write offs!

Rocco the chihuahua gets another chance at life

This tiny(4.73 lbs)chihuahua was taken to an Animal Emergency Clinic when he got out of his house/yard and hit by a car.His family could not afford the recommended orthopedic surgery for his broken tibia, so took him to an animal shelter hoping for a better outcome for him than they could provide.
In the current economy this type of surgery is out of the
reach of most shelters and rescue groups, so I am going to foster him in a soft cast and see if it will heal adequately.(It won't be great but hopefully manageable) This is last resort orthopedic care and I do not recommend this method under normal circumstances.
He will require weekly vet visits for monitoring and for that I will be going to Westbury Animal Hospital and
Dr Jeff Chalkley again, my hero for several past orthopedic miracles in dogs.
Dr Toby Shows of Kingsland Blvd Animal Clinic has
been wonderful for orthopedics also.It is one of my rescue interests since my days working with retired racing greyhounds.
The strip over his back is part of his pain patch that was stapled into him and it was removed today.
Rocco is neutered and heartworm negative; he will be looking for a home where open doors
are monitored so tiny babies cannot get out.