Monday, April 13, 2009

Canelo Released from Vet

Canelo had pneumonia after all. He was released last week and is doing well. He went to a foster home that has two other little dogs. This is what she wrote me today:

The continuing good news is that Canelo is doing fabulously. He is now accustomed to our routine -- even down to the "I must sit like the other 2 before I can have a treat/before I can go through the door/before I eat etc etc" -- you can see him observing my 2 and learning by the day. After a few early intro jitters, Canelo walks with my other 2; it's pretty entertaining to watch -- they walk 3-across in order of height/color (i.e., Canelo in the middle) and look like the tough-guy posse they think they are. Curious but friendly with other dogs and people, big or small. No food issues at all - I touch/move his bowls while he's eating and no reaction...just keeps eating as best he can. And he loves cuddles - from me, my boys and strangers. Oh, most importantly, he has this adorable buck-tooth that sticks out when he tries to close his mouth! Canelo is going to be a great adoption for some lucky family.

Friday, April 3, 2009


Little Canelo is very sick! He's bordering on pneumonia and has been admitted to the hospital. He's hooked up to IVs and will be receiving nebulizer treatments. The poor little boy will be hospitalized for 5 to 7 days.

As many of you know, Critters in Need rescued Canelo from the Carson shelter yesterday. The little fellow is pitifully thin--beyond emaciated. He had dropped a significant amount of weight while at the shelter and could not shake the kennel cough he had picked up there.

I rushed him to my vet in Garden Grove yesterday, where we did a full body x-ray, blood work, urine and a fecal. The lungs are in pretty bad shape and his white count is high.

This is the same vet who saved our little parvo puppy, Nike, and a lab critically ill with pneumonia (also from Carson) last year, so he's in good hands. The thing I'm concerned about most is Canelo's emotional state. He got into this serious health crisis because the family that he loved dumped him at the shelter. He became very depressed and ate very little.

I've let the vet staff know that this little sweetheart needs TLC in order to get well, too. And Canelo is such a doll! He gave me lots of kisses while we were at the vet yesterday--I'm sure he was so grateful to be out of the noisy, cold, scary shelter. I hated to leave him at the vet--I just wanted to keep holding him--but I knew he had to stay there in order to get well.

Here's a video I took while we were waiting for the vet:


But getting him well also means a hefty vet bill--about $1,000. Please help this sick little boy by donating for his vet care. Any amount, large or small, will be greatly appreciated.

You can send donations via Paypal by going to our website:
http://crittersrescueonline.org/

Thank you all so much!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Canelo Rescued from Carson Shelter!

Canelo was dumped by his family in February at the Carson shelter. They held him in their arms while waiting in the lobby to give him up. Canelo was so scared that he began drooling uncontrollably, but did this give them pause? No. They left him there.
Canelo was so depressed at being in the shelter that he couldn't eat. Already skinny, he dropped even more weight. He then got kennel cough. The shelter put him on meds, but the little boy couldn't shake it. He just kept coughing and coughing.

The shelter vet put in his notes that if he didn't get out of the shelter soon, he'd die there. A volunteer kept putting blankets in his kennel to keep him warm--those cement floors can be awfully cold--but for some reason, the shelter kept taking away his blankets. And that's when we stepped in.

I rushed up to the Carson shelter today to rescue this little boy. And what a sweetheart he is, too! He's a quiet little boy--and affectionate too. He showered me with kisses. And he was so grateful to be out of that noisy, scary shelter.

I rushed Canelo immediately to my vet. The poor baby only weighs about 8 lbs. We're doing blood work, full body x-rays, urine and a fecal test--about $300 worth of services so far. We need to find out what's wrong with him. Let's just hope it's not pneumonia! Right now he has to stay at the vet until he can be more fully assessed. We have someone who has offered to foster this little boy. I can't wait until he can go to his foster and get fattened up!

If you wish to donate for little Canelo's vet bills, please go to our website and click on our Paypal link.

http://crittersrescueonline.org/