One of A Kind Education

Our Rescue Coordinator was asked by a high-volume breeder to rescue a Portuguese Water Dog puppy only about three months old. Typically, when we are asked to rescue puppies from breeders it is because they were not purchased by the pet store brokers or they are “defective” in some way and not able to be sold for top dollar. We say yes as often as we can, as their future is quite grim if we don’t.

Poe was picked up by our transport driver on April 30, 2024. Typically, our dogs and puppies serve a quarantine period of about two to five weeks while waiting for their spay/neuter surgeries. Poe seemed a bit small for his size, but his vitals were good, and he acted like any other crazy puppy we have at the rescue. In fact, Poe was extremely active! He was neutered at our clinic on June 5, 2024. Unfortunately, Poe’s little body struggled to wake up from anesthesia and he had to receive special medications, IV fluids and warming support to reverse the sedation and wake him up.

In the days and weeks following Poe’s surgery, our staff began to realize that he was acting differently and sometimes very lethargic. Other times, he seemed neurologic and would turn in circles. It is suspected that he had a mild seizure. He was checked by our veterinarian, and she ordered several tests, including but not limited to bile acids, blood panels, and x-rays. He has been on antibiotics for possible infections and different foods, as his potty habits have been inconsistent. Finally, our clinic and shelter doctors advised that Poe be seen by an internal medicine specialist at MedVet.

On September 13th Poe was seen by the doctor at MedVet and he was diagnosed with a liver shunt. The only way to determine this is via CT scan. In the meantime, Poe was prescribed three different medications and a low-protein diet immediately. The liver was not filtering the blood properly, which was causing toxins to build in his bloodstream. This causes neurologic symptoms in the brain. We immediately made the food change and began the prescriptions. We noticed an improvement immediately, but we are still not out of the woods. Poe’s surgery is being scheduled at MedVet for mid-October.

Our staff has now spent several months with Poe and we have fallen in love with him. He is so sweet and dear to us. We know his road to recovery is expensive, but we also know that we cannot give up on him now. His CT scan at MedVet was $1,200. His surgery will be about $5,000, though we will not have the final amount until the day it is complete. Poe is currently on Hill’s Prescription Diet Kidney Care k/d food at $90 per twenty-seven-pound bag. He is precious to us, and we want to see him make a full recovery and adopt into a loving home.

We would love to have your support to help us with Poe. Please donate for Poe’s care and follow our Facebook page for updates on this sweet boy.