Peppertree Rescue

The theme of our summer has been tiny heartbeats, tiny smiles, and big wags . . . and bigger bills.

The last few months Peppertree has been asked to take him a few small dogs with special needs. Some locally, like Peony, and some from a distance, like Maddy, Tiny Tim, and Chiquita.

Peony started with a call to the hotline - a family was considering euthanizing their dog as they could no longer meet her needs - would Peppertree take her?

We did. Peony needed to be hand fed, she had heart issues, she was underweight, and she was blind. Her journey started with TLC and time as we waited for the cardiology appointment. As Peony perked up in her foster home she began to show her sweet self, and we were thrilled when the cardiologist felt that while she was in heart failure, her time with us was not over. And we were able to start her on a medication to ease her days, and hope to find her a very special home. Peony's costs are over $1,000.

 

Next came Maddy - all the way from Virginia. We knew Maddy was also mostly blind, was dealing with some bad skin, and had a large hernia that would need repair. Maddy apparently has a flair for the dramatic and she arrived, and stopped walking. We were scared, and so was she - but a few emergency vet visits later a diagnosis of Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) was discovered, and time and pain meds were the cure. Soon she began to walk again, and it was time to take on her hernia.

We mentioned Maddy likes to be dramatic, so, we should not have been surprised when her hernia turned out not to be typical, but, her ovaries and uterus having slipped through her abdominal wall. Her hernia surgery turned out to be a spay to boot. Some follow-ups and a trip to the opthomologist to find the best care for her cataracts and dry eye, and we are thrilled to announce she is doing much better then when she arrived! Maddy's surgical costs alone were almost $4,000.

We cannot forget Tiny Tim who came to us with 8 others when his owner went into hospice care - Tiny Tim's medicals listed him as a girl, but he arrived very much, umm, intact, and with an obvious dental issue, and a heart murmur to boot. Weighing in at a very mighty three pounds it was discovered Tiny Tim was missing a good part of his lower jaw. The vet suggested syringe feeding to make his life easier but this feisty fellow wanted to do things on his own. A consult with a surgeon turned into a quick dental, as some free-floating (and rotting) teeth were removed in an attempt to save what was left of his jaw (over 50% had broken down). We cannot wait to help this tiny dog with a big personality find his forever home, as soon as he is neutered. Tiny Tim's costs were over $1,000, with more ahead of him.

 

Chiquita came in with Tiny Tim - a sweet, darling girl who was missing most of her hair. She has alopecia, an issue common in chihuahuas, and while it will not require special medical attention, she is also in need of a cardiac consult and a dental. Her projected expenses are also over $1,000.

 

 

Barton, Canna, Esperanza, Estella, Primrose, Ramon, Snowdrop arrived with Chiquita and Tiny Tim, and we are still assessing their needs, several have luxating patellas, and almost all are in need of dentals.

When we say this is the summer of tiny heartbeats, tiny smiles, big wags, and bigger bills we are not joking. We are expecting to spend over $10,000 in getting these dogs ready for their homes, and if we could raise half of that - just $5,000, that would greatly ease our burden.

Want to help make a difference for these dogs and others? Any donation will help make an impact, and help us cover these bills allowing us to help more dogs in need. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.

More information about Peppertree Rescue: Peppertree is an all volunteer dog rescue group located in the Capital Region of upstate New York. The group started out focused on golden retrievers in 1998 but has since broadened its scope to all breeds of all ages, including many dogs with special medical needs. Our aim is to take in dogs of Peppertree (good) temperament. We work with potential adopters to find the right dog for their home environment. Peppertree makes a lifetime commitment, taking back dogs if adopters' circumstances change. Any money raised over the needs of these dogs will go towards other dogs in Peppertree's care.

You can visit our website at Peppertree.org .

 

Melanie arrived in July and quickly impressed us with her sweetness, but her sharp-eyed foster mom noticed something was not quite right with her wag.  Her tail was limp, frequently tucked, and seemed painful to touch, but that did not stop her from wagging with her whole body, and letting us know she was happy to be a Peppertree  dog. 



To the vet she went and through x-rays we learned that this sweet Southern girl had a gap fracture at the first vertebrae of her tail, and she needed to see a neurologist because of the location, and the risk of nerve damage.  

At the neurology consult we learned that not only was this painful, explaining her reluctance to move her tail, it was making it impossible for her to fully empty her bladder on her own due to swelling that was impacting the sacral nerves.  The good news was amputating her tail at the fracture location should fix the pain, and allow the nerves to repair.

Melanie is scheduled for a surgical consult on Thursday, August 9th and if all goes well she will be admitted that same day for surgery.  We are expecting to face more diagnostic expenses, as well as the surgery itself, and are hoping to raise some money to help cover the costs which are estimated to be several thousand.  Melanie may lose her tail, but we are committed to help her keep her wag, please consider donating to this cause. 



Founded in 1998, Peppertree Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation supported completely by donations, adoption fees, and grants. Our all-volunteer, home-based organization guarantees that your donations are focused on saving dogs.  If funds are raised that exceeds Melanie's expenses, they money will be used towards other Peppertree dogs.