Rue was found living in an abandoned building and was severely malnourished. She was taken in by rescuers to stay safe. If she had an owner, they were never found, and she arrived at One Tail at a Time for love and support. Upon intake, it was discovered she has a diaphragmatic hernia, a severe condition where there is a break in her diaphragm that is letting her abdominal organs move up into her chest. If left untreated, her shifting organs could potentially crush her heart or lungs.
Vet Visit
The vets determined Rue needs surgery to fix her diaphragmatic hernia to prevent the possibility of her organs crushing each other. It is a complex procedure and will need to be performed by a specialist surgeon. We will of course keep everyone pupdated on her surgery progress.
Foster
Rue is in a foster home until her surgery. After her procedure, she’ll return to her foster home to rest up until she’s back on all four paws – then she’ll be ready for her forever home and up for adoption!
Sniffles is a senior guy who came to the shelter missing a nose, bad eyesight, mats, ticks and open wounds. He was a stray who needed some TLC.
Sniffles’ rescuer said: “Once he realized he was safe and we were nice people, he just melted into us. He’s one of the chillest, sweetest dogs.”
Vet Visit
While at the vet, Sniffles enjoyed a spa experience with a medicated bath to remove the ticks. In all, over 75 were removed from his little body. The vet thinks his nose is as a result of possibly a result of cancer and no treatment can be done with it since it’s fully healed. Sniffles does have an infection in his eyes and he needs a dental workup too.
Foster
Sniffles is currently being looked after in a foster home while his wounds heal up.
Fotis arrived at Austin Pets Alive! with the majority of his tail missing and an infection in what was left of it. He also had mobility and nerve issues in his back limbs. Commonly known as “tail pull injury,” he had trauma to his tail that caused damage to the nerves in his lower back, which also control his hind limbs. Because of this, Fotis has urinary and bladder issues which need medical support. The shelter watched Fotis closely and helped manually express his urine when needed. Fotis needed surgery to help repair his tail and clear the infection.
Though the shelter environment was stressful to Fotis, he quickly earned the love of everyone on staff with his calm, sweet, gentle demeanor.
Vet Visit
Fotis underwent the necessary surgery for his tail. The bad news: he lost the remainder of the infected parts of his tail. The good news: he now has a bunny tail and it is very, very cute.
The vet also checked out some superficial wounds, removed some ticks, and evaluated his hind limbs. He was diagnosed as incontinent and will have lifelong urinary retention issues, which will need medical support and supervision. Daily urine output is important to monitor in incontinent dogs, as they are more prone to urinary tract infections (something we definitely don’t want for Mr. Fotis). The vet also advised that dogs with “tail pull” injuries can also be prone to constipation, so Fotis will be monitored for that as well.
Foster
Fotis is waiting for his forever home, but in the meantime he is well-loved by his foster family. “Behaviorally, Fotis is a dream dog,” his foster mom says. “It has been such a joy to watch his personality blossom as he has gotten more comfortable in our home. Fotis is incredibly laid back, very affectionate and just all round good natured. He currently lives in a foster home with two human siblings under the age of five and one dog sibling. Fotis’ favorite activities are watching tv with his family, cuddling, taking chill walks in the park, and visiting with friends.”
And… Fotis knows magic! He can make his ears disappear.
Topo Chico lived outside on a tether with several other dogs at his original home in Texas. He was surrendered to a rescuer, who helped transport him to One Tail at a Time. When he arrived, he tested positive for heartworms and had developed a severe heart murmur. This sweet little pup also has blood in his urine, so he needs a lot of medical support.
Freedom Ride
“Through it all, he has been the sweetest little guy. He rode all the way from Houston to Chicago without a peep!”
Vet Visit
Topo Chico is on heartworm medication and will need a cardiology consult to determine what the next steps are to help this little boy’s heart. He’s also on medication for the blood in his urine, but will also need a urinalysis and radiographs to determine the cause of the issue.
Bambi was surrendered as an owner-requested euthanasia, due to the high cost of treating her bloody diarrhea, lethargy and difficulty eating for the previous three days. She was rescued just in time: her symptoms were consistent with parvovirus and she faced euthanasia the same day if someone didn’t step in to help.
Vet Visit
She was taken to the vet and thankfully tested negative for parvovirus! She was hooked up to IV fluids for two days to get her rehydrated and medicated. She was put on some anti-diarrheal medications and a specialized diet to get her tummy back on track.
Foster
After undergoing treatment, Bambi is now feeling better and in a foster home. “She’s doing so great! She’s really come into her personality. Her hobbies include playing fetch (with balls so big they barely fit in her little mouth) and giving so many snuggles.” Bambi is medically cleared for adoption!
This is Charlize Theron. She was a stray who was hit by a car, fracturing her pelvis. She also has a bad limp favoring her right leg and a swollen knee. Ms. Theron needs surgery to fix the fractures so she can go back to being her glamorous self.
Vet Visit
When she went to the vet, she was fearful and in pain. They immediately took x-rays of Charlize to understand the damage she sustained. She had fractured her pelvis in six places – which requires surgery to fix. After her surgery, she’ll be on bedrest for 2 weeks then will need physical therapy and rehabilitation for another 10-12 weeks.
Foster
She has a loving, attentive foster home that will help her through the surgery and post-operation care.
Miss Maisel is a sweet, happy hound dog who needs help with masses on her mammary glands and a uterine infection. She will need surgery to remove the masses and reconstructive surgery to patch her chest and belly back up so she can frolic and do beagle-y things.
Foster
Miss Maisel is currently in a foster home with a family who is looking after her before, during and after her surgery to make sure she heals up well. She’s “an energetic dog who just loves life” according to the family! She loves going on walks, is VERY food motivated and overall a playful, excitable beagle. Though, she still loves to be lazy and snooze, too…
Juno came into the shelter and was heavily pregnant. She was rescued just twelve hours before going into labor. When she was unable to deliver the puppies herself, she needed urgent help.
Vet Visit
Juno was rushed to the vet once she was rescued to get the help she needed as quickly as possible. She ended up being unable to deliver and needing emergency medical intervention when the first puppy got stuck in the birth canal. Juno had five puppies total, but only three survived the birthing process.
Foster
Juno is resting comfortably with her new puppies in foster care. When her puppies are old enough, they’ll get the core vaccines they need, as well as spaying and neutering. Both Juno and her puppies will all need loving, caring homes they deserve.
This is Kevin. He was brought to the shelter as an underweight, nervous stray. When offered food, he wasn’t interested. In addition to a handful of medical issues, the poor guy couldn’t catch a break and also caught kennel cough while in the shelter.
Vet Visit
Kevin has dental issues, cloudy eyes and, after a veterinary examination, a significant heart murmur. Surgery for dental and neutering can’t take place until the heart murmur is under control. His kennel cough made things worse – he was sneezing, coughing, low energy and losing weight. Usually this can be treated with antibiotics, but because his case was so bad he had to be isolated at the doctor’s office until his symptoms lessened. This took TEN whole days. After he was cleared, he went to a foster home to settle in.
Foster
When Kevin was cleared to go back to his foster home, he began eating, playing, and had more energy. He was finally strong and healthy enough for a full vet examination. The vet found he had a heart murmur that will require medical intervention. The plan is for Kevin to see a cardiologist to determine what medication is best for him. Kevin will need this medication for the rest of his life.
Kevin is so tiny (6 pounds total right now!) and he’s a lovebug. He always wants to be held and cuddled. Once he kicked the worst of the kennel cough, his personality really came out! He’s silly, sweet, dances for treats and likes to sleep on pillows.
Sweet Chocolate is a Cocker Spaniel mix who was part of a hoarding case in Los Angeles, CA. He was found filthy, flea-infested, suffered from hair loss and double ear infections. He is also experiencing seizures.
Vet Visit
Chocolate had an MRI and spinal tap done at the vet, but everything came back normal. His bloodwork is still being looked at, which will hopefully tell how best to care for this sweet, shy boy. He’s on anti-seizure medications which seem to be helping so far!
Adopted!
Sweet little Chocolate stole the hearts of his new family. They are working closely with the vets to monitor and treat his seizures.
