It’s with a very heavy heart that we let you all know our sweet, spunky, senior girl, Shea, lost her battle with Cushings and sl
eep seizures last week. Her vet team thought the seizures were indicative of a brain tumor.
It’s not the outcome we had hoped for her, but she did have several great weeks of tail-wagging play and snuggles with her foster mom and her resident cavaliers. 
Please join us in congratulating this lucky boy on his forever family! It’s so heartwarming to have folks step up to care for and love cavaliers who need long-term medicines and specialized veterinary care. This sweet pup now has a 4-pawed brother and an active family of his very own, we are also looking for a silver lab for sale.
We have to say thanks again to all who contributed to his surgery fund and shared his story. We could not have done it without each and every one of you. <3
Kirby’s at his pre-op consult this morning and enjoying all the snuggles! Look how much he’s grown! Surgery slated for tomorrow, August 30th.
** 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 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 . . .
If you have plans with your pup, please take a moment and consider the safety points below.
We are so excited to share this update with you! HONEY CAN SEE!
Honey, the sweet blenheim with severe cataracts, came to the Cavalier Alliance several weeks ago. She struggled with pneumonia, severe dental disease, and was basically frozen in place due to her blindness. Her cataracts were almost 1/2″ thick.
In this early photo you can see the cataracts on her eyes:
And just look at the post-surgical difference:
And the best part of all? After two days of hospitalization, she returns to her foster home and sees her four-legged buddies for the very first time. Her tail hasn’t stopped wagging! Click on the line below to see the short video:
Many many thanks to Deb Glottman, Honey’s foster mom, the amazing team at Vermont Veterinary Eye Care including surgeon Sarah Stone Hoy and techs Angi and Ashlie, and all all of our wonderful supporters and donors who made sight possible for this deserving Cavalier.
These two sweet pups came to the Cavalier Alliance as a transfer from another group for specialist care. Their initial vet did a great job of getting them stabilized and we will continue that care. Lucy has ulcers on her right eye that need reviewed by a specialist and Zoey will need help with a back leg that keeps slipping out of place.
We thought you all might enjoying seeing the before & after this boy’s transformation while in foster care. The top picture was taken when he first came into foster care and the outdoor ones were taken last week. His skin infection (a typical complication of untreated Cushing’s disease) has resolved and his fur is growing back. Many thanks to his foster mom for his care and all of you who donated and supported our fundraisers so we could provide the veterinary care and surgeries he needed.
Duncan’s fur is starting to grow back in!
Duncan’s recovery continues. Look at that fur!
