Author Archive

Donations Needed for Imaging

Donations Needed for Imaging

 

Holly Sideways Sit

 

** Donations Needed ** 

As most of you know, we accepted four puppies into our program back in February.  Holly is part of that litter.  She  is a sweet, young, puppy, just under 5 months of age.  Since coming into our program, Holly has been treated for a severe skin infection, (probable) sarcoptic mange, and vomiting.  She is currently being treated for a recurrent urinary tract infection.

Holly often seems unstable on her feet, so much so that we were concerned about a patella or hip issue.  Sometimes she has difficulty coming up a stair or two and at other times she has difficulty moving through the dog door.  Much to our surprise, her veterinary exam noted no orthopedic issues.  The vet did notice that she drags her back toes when she walks and stated her movement issues were neuromuscular in nature.

We are raising money to MRI Holly and her littermates to ascertain the cause and determine a therapeutic approach, if there is one, for any neurologic challenges.  In discussing this with the neurologist, they recommended we start with the pup most effected in movement  (Holly) and the one with the most pronounced air scratching (Millie or Tilly). We want to be able to understand as much as possible about the pup’s health so prospective families will know what to expect in the years ahead.

Neurological workups in the greater Boston area average $2800-3200 for an individual dog.  The estimate we received includes both the MRI and a CSF evaluation, as recommended by the neurologist.

If you are able to contribute to our MRI fund, to help any one of these puppies, it would be greatly appreciated.  No amount is too small and you can follow the link at:  CavalierAlliance.org/donate  or send a check to our mailing address:  P.O. Box 17, Bedford, MA  01730

Poppy’s Cardiology Recheck

Poppy’s Cardiology Recheck

Poppy Outside Easter

 

Poppy’s cardiology recheck this week was great! There were no signs of heart failure and though her heart is still a bit enlarged (typical at this point), the team is hopeful it will continue to resolve (remodel). We will know more in another 8 -10 weeks.

Best news of all? She’s cleared for normal puppy activities and play. 

Dismissal

We’ve had several requests for us to post verification the lawsuit brought against us by a local breeder has ended.  It’s important to note that this was not a settlement – the breeder’s lawsuit was dismissed and a judgment entered against her.

We hope that this is the end of this and that we can all get back to spending our time on caring for these beautiful cavaliers, who need and deserve our love and attention.
 Dismissal

 

National Pet Day

National Pet Day
National Pet Day <3

National Pet Day <3

 

April 11th was National Pet Day and it was #ToungueOutTuesday.  So many of our Facebook followers shared photos of their silver lab!  To see all the beautiful photos, visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CavalierAlliance?ref=bookmarks and click Like to follow all the happenings there!

 

 

Resources for Elderly Owners in Larimer County, Colorado

Do you know an elderly individual (a limited income or disabled) who needs assistance with their pet in Larimer County, Colorado? If so, the program, Pets Forever, may be a good resource for them. The program offers in-home care for the pets, companion dog walking, transport to groomers and vets, and delivery of food / supplies.

For more info visit the Pet’s Forever site at: http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vth/diagnostic-and-support/community-programs/pets-forever/Pages/default.aspx

Compelled to respond. . .

4 puppies Lately, we have noticed several untruthful remarks posted to our Facebook page and other places on the internet. We are compelled to respond to these remarks, both because we are committed to provide the best care for the cavaliers in our program, as we have always been, and because we must protect our reputation.  Otherwise, some people might take our silence for acceptance.  It is not.

 
A breeder called and asked that we take title (transfer) of her litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies.  She described symptoms that were consistent with Syringomyelia (“SM”), which is an extremely serious condition in which fluid-filled cavities develop within the spinal cord near the brain.  SM is also known as “neck scratcher’s disease,” because one of its common signs is scratching in the air near the neck.  She sent us video to document her belief that some or all of the puppies from this litter exhibited this symptom.
 
When we picked up the puppies, the breeder transferred title (i.e signed an owner release) to us as is common, for four puppies.  We must have title to the puppies to make sure we have the ability to get them the best possible care.  We immediately took all the puppies to the animal hospital to be vetted, at our expense, including having them examined, diagnosed and treated by some of the best veterinarians in the country.  The veterinarians did not believe that the scratching was due to a vaccine reaction.
 
We also found appropriate, loving foster families for these puppies, which is what Cavalier Alliance does. Contrary to what has been asserted, we do not, and did not, sell these puppies. Any assertion to the contrary is false.
 
Shortly after we began working with these sick puppies, we were contacted by the breeder who wanted the puppies back. At first, she offered to buy them, and for a substantial amount of money. When we refused, she hired a lawyer, which is her right, and brought a lawsuit to try to compel us to get them back.
 
The easiest thing for us to do would have been to sell them back to her and take the money.  We chose not to take the easy way out though, for three reasons:
 
– First, we were very concerned about the health of these puppies when they came to us.  They obviously had not been properly vetted, if they had been vetted at all.  It was also evident that they were suffering from symptoms that were indicative of dermatologic and neurologic issues (consistent with SM).  Their condition had to be properly diagnosed and treated by a veterinarians and specialists- once again this had not been done before we received them.
 
– Second, one these puppies had actually been sold by the breeder to an unsuspecting person who soon recognized that the puppy was ill.  That person should have been told of the symptoms in advance of the sale. The buyer returned the sick puppy to the breeder and this was one of the four puppies that were transferred to us.
 
– Finally, we do not sell puppies and we were not about to start.  We were getting increasingly concerned that there was an effort to hide the condition of these puppies, which is not right, in our view. We were committed to getting these puppies the best veterinary care we could and providing them with loving families if we could, and were not willing to sacrifice these principles for money or to advance ulterior motives of others.
 
That unfortunately necessitated us hiring our own lawyer to defend the lawsuit brought by the breeder.  After all, just as the breeder was entitled to counsel, Cavalier Alliance was, as well.  We decided to pay for legal counsel rather than accept a substantial offer from the breeder to take these puppies back, because we had no confidence that the puppies would be treated properly or that the breeder or others might not attempt to profit unfairly from the situation.
 
We are  happy to report that the lawsuit ended quickly with a judgment in our favor.  This was not a settlement – the breeder’s lawsuit was dismissed and a judgment entered against her.  We are happy to supply anyone who wishes with a copy of the judgment.
 
We are  distressed that we had to spend so much time on this, and that we were  compelled to write this lengthy description of events.  But these are the facts, the truth, and we could not remain silent while others were saying untrue things about us.  We hope that this is the end of this and that we can all get back to spending our time on caring for these beautiful cavaliers, who need and deserve our love and attention.
 

Poppy’s Heart

Poppy continues to do well in her recovery. We are hopeful that her next echo will show evidence that her heart is healing (remodeling).
 
And, for those interested in some of the technical info, here are two photos taken during surgery. The first is pre-ligation. The blue tags are retracting the vagosympathetic trunk, the black silk sutures are around the ductus but not tied. The second is after ligation.
 
It’s so amazing what the surgeons can do on such tiny little pups! <3IMG_0621 IMG_0625

Poppy Needs Your Help

Poppy 8 weeks

Poppy is a darling, 8 week old, under 3 lb, puppy with a heart defect known as PDA, that can be fixed with surgery. Without surgery, her life expectancy will be very short, but assuming she makes it through surgery, she has an excellent prognosis for a normal life. She is scheduled for surgery at Cornell University in the coming weeks and we are asking for your help so that we can fund this life-saving surgery for her! No gift is too small and we will all be appreciative for whatever assistance you can provide.

Poppy was born with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Normally the ductus arteriosus, an important blood vessel, shunts blood from the heart and bypasses the lungs when puppies are in the uterus before birth – they don’t need to breath, so there’s no need for blood to go to the lungs. At birth, this blood vessel normally closes, so that oxygenated blood reaches the lungs and then is circulated to the rest of the body, providing oxygen rich blood to important tissues. If the ductus doesn’t close properly, the heart has to work extra hard to pump oxygenated blood to these important tissues. Eventually, the heart muscle becomes thickened from working so hard and, in time, the heart muscle weakens and heart failure and death results.

Poppy already, at only 8 weeks of age, has evidence that her heart muscle is thickened. With prompt surgery, her heart can repair itself before the damage is permanent, but there isn’t much time.

If you would like to donate to Poppy’s surgery and care, please visit our donate page http://www.cavalieralliance.org/donate/ or send via PayPal (friends and family option) to CavalierHelp@CavalierAlliance.org . . .

Thank you to the NY / NJ Cavalier Meetup Group!

Huge shout out of thanks to all the amazing folks and cavaliers who came out for the March 5th King’s Tea.  So much fun was had by all and they raised over $6000 for the pups in our program.

Kings tea flyer

Aurora’s Friday the 13th Update

Aurora Dental “Well here I am and Friday the 13th was a lucky day for me! The day started out pretty lousy because I got up thismorning and GOT NO BREAKFAST – NOTHING.Things started to look up when my harness came out and I knew I was going for a car ride. We went to my special doctor and everyone made a big fuss over me. I don’t remember much after that but when I woke up they told me I had 17 teeth to leave for the Tooth Fairy tonight. The Landlord says I’m going to break the Tooth Fairy’s bank, but my foster mother says Doggie Tooth Fairies leave treats, not money – am I lucky or what?!

I’m going back to my doctor in 2 weeks to have a check up on my mouth. This is my picture from just a few minutes ago. You can’t tell that my mouth is a little emptier can you?” (Written by Aurora with a bit of help from her foster mom!)