Day 4 & Dos' APA funding!

Great news! Austin Pets Alive! has a non-profit donation link where people who have expressed interest in helping save Dos can send donations. IMPORTANT; you have to mention Dos when donating to make sure your donation goes to Dos. 

DONATE TO SAVE DOS!

Edit: direct link to the APA story on Dos! 

Day 4 is starting off well. Dos had a hearty breakfast and went potty first thing when she woke up-meaning her digestive system is beginning to regulate.

However, I spoke with my vet this morning and her heartworms are more advanced than he originally thought, and the fact that she is starting to cough while moving around means lung and heart damage. 

I'm still hopeful-as she seems to be improving with each day. A friend of mine came over this morning to meet her and she  let him pet her without grimacing before making her way to the porch to take a nap..

Will update later tonight..

Edit: 9pm here in Texas,  and it's finally starting to cool down. Dos has retired to her kennel this evening, tired from the events of today..but not eating her soft food,  so I'm a bit worried as we have had her on a   pretty regular schedule and she has picked it up pretty quickly.

Today was the second treatment for her sarcoptic mange. My good friend Nora is a dog groomer and has a lot of experience with animal rescue and dogs in a similar condition to Dos. She recommended shaving off the remaining fur to really get down to the skin underneath because her fur is so thick the medicine may not be getting all the way down. 

I am so glad I did, because underneath what was left of her fur was at least a quarter inch of just rotting dead skin flakes. It took me over an hour to remove it all but she was so so so good the whole time and just stood there not moving. I know it couldn't have been comfortable for the poor girl.  There are parts that Im afraid to touch as her skin is so wrinkly and I am by no means a groomer-so Nora has offered to come over later this week and finish her up, which I am glad for. Nora is known around town as The Fur Whisperer, and for good reason. 

She needed a break mid-shave...

I bathed her first with oatmeal bath to get rid of  the remaining flakes and oil-and then started in on the mange bath. I could tell it had to sting  the cuts she has from scratching-but she stayed mostly still . I want to think she knows I'm trying to help her.

The antibiotics and quality food and ample water have really worked wonders for this girl-but the downside to her becoming more active is that she now has the energy to scratch herself again.

She scratched herself to the poit of giant welts on a twenty minute time period where I went to the store.

The welts scared me. I thought she was having a reaction to the medicine,but after researching and finding out it was probably the bacteria under her nails mixed with the fact her skin is so sensitive already, I went in a search for doggy socks. Failing that, I taped two pairs of my socks around her whittle doggy 

ankles (snugly, but not touching the skin) and she has ceased to scratch herself any more cuts or welts!

She is so very patient. After putting the socks on her, she didn't try to pull them off or anything.  Although its got to feel strange and uncomfortable she is just going with it. Good girl, Dos.

She didn't care about the socks as long as she could be in my/her chair.