More problems for Paco

September 23, 2010

Latest on Paco. He is positive for ehrlichia. A tick born disease. We had tested him before but our tests showed a false negative because the disease is in its' very early stages. The snap tests check for antibodies and the disease is so new he had not developed antibodies yet.

I found a tick on him the day I brought him home from the vet, so that must have been the tick he got it from.

He was not feeling well the last couple of days. The vet took blood and sent it to the lab.

We had tested him for ehrlichia.....4 separate tests...all with NEGATIVE results.
The reason the tests showed negative is that they only tested for antibodies. Paco had not had the disease long enough to build any antibodies. We sent blood to the lab thinking they would find an infection. The lab tests for antigens. That is why they got the positive result for the ehrlichia.

Tonight he was given an injection of an antihistimine and then an Imidocarb injection. He will be on 50 mg. Doxycycline twice a day for 30 days. He is also on strong vitamins and an iron supplement.

This is not counting the drugs he is on for the mange and the medicated baths for fungus.

Please keep the prayers going up for him and send healing energy. This poor baby deserves something GOOD to happen for him. And PLEASE vote. We're gonna need this grant.

Received this today and just HAD to share

A Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard.

During the night the folks came across this scene.

An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable, protected place to sleep. He chose baby Jesus as his comfort. No one had the heart to send him away so he was there all night.

We should all have the good sense of this dog and curl up in Jesus' lap from time to time.

This is too sweet not to share.
No one mentioned that the dog breed is a "shepherd!"

News from Lighthouse

Hola Y'all!!!!

Things are goin' pretty good here. Princess Joy is not coughing as much and seems to feel better. Thank you to EVERYONE who prayed for her and sent healing thoughts!!

Mom and Dad almost had a wreck last night!! They were on their way home from town and there was a bus stopped, in the oncoming lane, letting passengers out.

It was really dark but Mom caught just a glimmer of "something" in her lane so she started slowing down. Then the bus driver started flashing his lights REAL FAST to warn her about something!!!

About that time Mom saw what the glimmer was. A black horse coming down the road in her lane!!!! She got the car stopped, turned the emergency flashers on, and jumped out of the car to try to catch the horse.

The bus had moved on so now there were cars coming down the road at full speed!!! Mom started waving her arms like crazy and jumped over into that lane to make the people stop. She had shooed the horse over onto the shoulder but she was afraid he might spook and run back out into traffic.

Mom got ALL the traffic stopped and then a man from the other side of the road jumped over the low wall and came toward her. Mom asked, "Es su caballo?" (Is this your horse?) and he said "Si Señora" (yes) and ran to shoo the horse into a gate that was standing open.

Mom still had both lanes stopped and people were blowing their horns and being ugly but Mom stood her ground. She was NOT gonna let any traffic through until she knew the horse was safe. Mom's kinda stubborn when it comes to stuff like that y'know.

The owner of the horse got the gate closed and started thanking Mom. Mom says God put her in that exact spot at that exact time. Somebody else might not have stopped and the horse could have been hurt. YAYYYYYY GOD!!!!

It's rainy season now and we're gettin' a LOT of rain. Usually it is later in the season when the BIG rains come but Mom says there was a tropical storm somewhere nearby and that was where all our early rain came from.

The rains are causing problems with the new highway. People from Spain built the highway and they left really high banks that should have been terraced. The rain is causing the banks to collapse and making landslides come onto the highway.

When the Costa Rica government asked the spanish people to cut the banks down the spanish people said no. They said it was NORMAL for the banks to "slide a little." A big boulder came down the other night and hit a couple on a motorcycle. The girl was hurt really bad and the National Cruz Roja ambulance got there right away and loaded her up.

THEN, the authorities from the spanish "owners" of the highway told them they could not take her to the hospital because it was THEIR highway and THEY had their OWN ambulance.

They had to wait for the other ambulance and then transfer her from one to the other in a heavy rain. The girl died. Humans aren't really very smart if you ask me. Mom says our new lady president ought to tell those spanish people to hit the road.

Anyway, that's all for now. I gotta go check on Mom and see if she's finished baking the treats!! She makes treats for us perros out of leftovers!! Aunt Karen showed her how to do it!! They're GOOD and CRUNCHY too so it helps keep our teeth clean!!!

You guys have a good Monday and don't forget to vote at the www.animalrescuesite.com

TAILWAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BudBud

Meet Beatrice!!

HOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meet Beatrice!!!
She just came into the shelter last night and GOT ADOPTED TODAY!!!!!!!!!

She is another victim of idiot humans who put a cord around her neck and tied her to a tree.
A kind rescue lady in Atenas rescued her from her situation and sent her here to Lighthouse so Mom could look after her til she heals!

Well we had a veterinarian come for a visit today and when he saw Beatrice he fell in love!!!
He adopted her and took her home with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll get to see her real often because he is planning to come to our shelter and using our clinic room once a month to do clinics for the animals in our area. YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He has a clinic in Grecia and is specializing in dentistry for animals.

This happened so FAST!!! Mom is still in shock!!!

Beatrice had already been spayed and was in good general health except for the embedded collar and an infected eye.

Why are some humans so stupid? Us dogs would never tie up a human and hold them a prisoner!!

Anyway, a VERY happy ending to this short story!!!!

Tailwags!
BudBud

Estrella

Another rescue friend brought a dog here today. She will stay a couple of weeks, to heal, and then he will find her a new home.
Her name is Estrella which means star.
Her owners put a very tight collar on her when she was a tiny puppy because she kept getting loose and running away (I wonder why) but then the owners never bothered to make her collar larger as she grew.
The man who rescued her is Isham. A wonderful man who loves animals. He takes care of all the stray dogs who hang around the market. He has adopted many and is working hard to help any that are in need.
I am attaching pics of her. They are graphic and not for the faint of heart.

Best Dog in the World

This is my first true love, Zipper, and me when I was about 7 years old. She was with me until I was 18. She was my first "Best dog in the world."
I did not write the sentiments below but they speak for all who have ever been blessed with the love of an animal.
Frances "Kitten" (BudBuds mom)

Best Dog in the World
By T'Mara Goodsell

Years ago, I owned the very best dog in the world. I was a child when we got her. She was a graceful brown hound, a foundling who taught me that our pets are not purchased, but ordained. She romped when I did and knew how to smile in that funny way that only s...ome dogs have. She grew up with me, always there when I needed her. My grown hand still remembers the sleek bump on the top of her head and that gentle divot just past her nose that fit my index finger just perfectly. She passed away during one of my college vacations. My heart broke then, and I knew that there would never be another dog like her, and there hasn't been. I was sure that I could never love another dog as much as I'd loved her.

Fortunately, I was wrong about that part. My next dog came into my life when I was married. My husband traveled for a living, and I was often lonely. This dog grew into a lumbering Wolfhound and Sheepdog mix who taught me patience. He was a large, grizzled sentry, that dog. He rarely left my side until the children were born, and then he became their guardian, too. I can still feel that swirl of fur along his back and the weight of his chin when it rested in my lap. When he passed away, my heart broke. As much as I had loved that childhood dog, I had been wrong. This was the very best dog in the world. There would never be another dog like him, and there hasn' t been. I was sure I would never love another dog as much as I'd loved him.

I was wrong again.

We got the next one, a loping black Lab-and-Terrier mix, when the children were little. He taught me the importance of adapting. He was everyone's dog from the beginning, and that was just as it should be. When he played tug of war with the children, he dragged them across the kitchen floor as they shrieked with laughter. He always seemed to sleep in the room of the child who needed his company the most....These days his face is expressively gray, and he spends more time with me since the almost-grown children aren't around so much. The other day my oldest, home from college, played tug of war. We all laughed--just a little--as the dog was gently pulled across the kitchen floor. He is, of course, the very best dog in the world. I will never forget that exquisitely soft tuft of fur behind his ears or the tickly feel when he nuzzles. There won't be another dog like him. And that's okay, because we will never be at this point in our lives again.

Sometimes I've wondered why two species that get along so well should have such different life spans. It just doesn't seem right. And then I wonder if that's part of the lesson: To teach us that love itself has a spirit that returns again and again and never really dies. It's amazing, in a way, how they bring to our ever-changing lives exactly what it is that we need at the moment. They make room for one another, this family of dogs who has never even met. And they fit--into our families, into our lives, into our memories, and into our hearts--because they always have been and always will be the best dogs in the world.

To the world you are a rescue person,
To a rescued dog you are the world!

2 Senior Boxers in Houston Texas need help

From: jahoult@cs.com [mailto:jahoult@cs.com]
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 4:15 PM
To: Salise Shuttlesworth
Subject: please help
Recently, four members of my family died. They left behind two older boxers. I am desperately trying to find a home for them.
They are currently in the care of the Southwest Animal Clinic, but I cannot afford to keep them there. I live in New York City, and can't bring them here.
We have called all the local boxer rescue organizations and they are all full.
I am flying down to Houston tomorrow (12/29) to pack up my family's home, and try to find a home for these dogs (Jake and Bella). I do not want them to be killed, but I am finding few options.
I pray you can take them.
Please email or phone. H 212-567-0710C 917-282-7536Jennifer Hoult