Grateful Dogs Rescue Blog

We are looking for a very special person to provide a loving foster home for a wonderful dog.  Murphy is an extremely sweet, gentle, loving 12 year old 75 pound. Lab mix who Grateful Dogs Rescue agreed to take in because his owner, a former Grateful Dogs Rescue foster parent, is now terminally ill.  His previous vet didn't run tests but recently gave him a tentative diagnosis of lymphosarcoma with a likely prognosis of just a couple of months.  He is currently in a fabulous foster home but it's short-term.

Talk about good news/bad news. The Grateful Dogs Rescue vet saw Murphy yesterday for a second opinion, and tests show that he doesn't have cancer after all.  However, he had a major seizure in the vet office lobby just as we were leaving.

If the seizure was brought on by the stress of being at the vet, he might never have another one.  (He completely freaked out at the vet when he had TPLO surgery a couple of years ago and had to go home prematurely)  Or he might have more seizures. There is no way of knowing.  We have not talked to the vet yet about medications.

So we need to find very special longer-term foster parent who can deal with future seizures IF they every occur again.  Ideally it would be a home with a living space (NOT a garage or basement) with no stairs because he does have some mobility problems. Also, it would be best not to have other dogs because they could be a problem if he seizes.

Please contact Grateful Dogs Rescue if you think you can help, or if you know of someone who might be able to help, or if you have any suggestions at all. Call 415 587 1121 or email info@gratefuldogsrescue.org

"Poor Rigby! This sweet little ten pound boy has been through quite a rough patch recently. He landed in the city shelter with “cherry eye” (a prolapsed gland on the third eyelid) at the tender age of about one year old.  saved him in November and paid for the surgery to fix this common eye condition. Then, just before Christmas, his foster dad came home to find him with a broken leg! There’s no webcam to see how it happened and Rigby’s not talking. So, that leaves lots of room for conjecture. Was he trying to climb the Christmas tree? Did he trip over the stuffed dreidel on the floor? Was he celebrating the Winter Solstice? Reaching for the TV remote to do some online shopping? Or, just trying to get down from the couch? We’ll never know the cause but the effect was a second surgery and now, weeks of confinement and TLC while his fractured femur heals completely. Rigby is a very friendly guy who will make a great family pet!

Rigby’s $2,800.00 vet bills were unexpected and a significant year-end expense. Please donate to Grateful Dogs Rescue to help us pay Rigby's vet bills or expenses for our other rescue dogs. You can earmark your donation.  We also want to say a heartfelt “Thank You! “ to everyone who has already contributed to our astronomical vet bills in 2011. Your donations make our volunteer efforts possible!"

Click here to donate to Grateful Dogs Rescue.

After King was hit by a car – or, more accurately, a U-Haul truck – his owners could not afford treatment for him so he was surrendered to San Francisco Animal Care and Control.  When he was finally x-rayed it showed not only a hip fracture but also a bullet in his chest.  At some point someone had shot this sweet boy!

Since the fracture was right where the ball fits into the hip socket, it couldn’t heal correctly due to constant movement. Grateful Dogs Rescue's surgeon recommended a femoral head ostectomy (FHO) to allow the fracture to heal. The surgery went well and King is well on his way to recovery. 

 

King's vet bills to date are almost $1,650.  Grateful Dogs Rescue, and King, appreciate any donations toward his surgery.  Thank you for your help! Click here to contribute to King's care fund.

Bella ended up at San Francisco Animal Control after she was hit by a car and her left leg was fractured, and her owners could not afford her treatment.  Initially Grateful Dogs Rescue's orthopedic surgeon suggested keeping her on limited exercise to give the bone time to heal.  Though Bella was able to use her injured leg a good bit of the time, she had to be on daily pain medication.

Since a lifetime of daily pain meds is not the life we want for such a young dog, Grateful Dogs Rescue decided the best thing for her long-term quality of life was to remove the source of the pain.  So Bella is now officially a TRIPOD!  She has adjusted well to tripod life, and we expect her to have a nice, long, happy, and most importantly, PAIN-FREE life.

Bella’s surgery and aftercare cost $2,500.  Grateful Dogs Rescue, and Bella, appreciate any donations to help cover these vet bills.  Thank you for your generosity! Click here to donate.