Nubs- Medical Expense Fundraiser
Donation protected
I'd like to introduce you to Nubs.....
On November 3rd, 2017 I received a phone call to photograph a horribly neglected/abused dog that had been brought into the local shelter(UPAWS) as a stray. Photos were wanted as proof of the dog's condition in case the owner came forward to claim the animal.
I arrived at Diva Dogs Grooming Salon in Negaunee, Michigan shortly before the dog, and I will never forget the sight of that poor creature, limping through the door. She could barely walk, and was very ill with diarrhea and horrific infections. We later discovered her nails were so overgrown they had curled up at awful angles hindering her mobility. Her coat was so long and filthy you couldn't tell what kind of dog was under the mess, let alone if it was male or female. And the smell of her, was just awful.
When the Angie the groomer (owner of Diva Dogs grooming salon in Negaunee, Michigan ) shaved her the hair off of her face so the poor baby could see, the dog's eyes were oozing green, infected goop. She had a cherry eye prolapse on the one eye as well. That wasn't the worst of it.... this poor dog's ears were so infected that they had been folded back by the infection that had been left untreated for YEARS. Now if you've ever had an earache, just imagine the pain of that ear infection being ignored for YEARS. Her ears had huge, cauliflower like growths from the infection, and they were oozing a grey sludge that smelled unlike anything I have ever encountered. It was horrific.
Angie shaved the matted coat, and while this was happening you could see the dog's little head starting to perk up. Then she moved her to the tub and bathed her with medicated shampoo and a scrub brush. The little dog( a girl we had discovered) was leaning right into the brush and her little back leg started to thump. She was thoroughly enjoying the first bath in who knows how long. That's the point where I started to cry . Who could do this to a dog?? How could they knowingly let her suffer like this??
After the bath , the long, painful nails got trimmed to a normal length, all the while, the little dog didn't make a sound. After her blow dry, she went to Northern Veterinary Associates for the night for evaluation. I went home, unable to stop thinking about this poor little dog. When I arrived home, I contacted the shelter, asking if I could foster the dog. The following day we picked her up from Northern Veterinary, and brought her to the foster home that would become her forever home.
The shelter had named her Marsha, but she didn't seem like a Marsha to us, and with her little nubby tail wagging so much, we decided to name her Nubs.
I think its safe to say that I fell in love with Nubs that first day at the grooming shop. The rest of our family fell in love with her shortly after she arrived at our home. Despite the horrors she has endured, she never complains. She is the cuddliest little girl, and LOVES people. Her tail wags constantly!!
We started her road to recovery with slow, short walks outside, and it was amazing to watch her mobility improve, and muscles start to show on her back legs. Within a week, she was starting to jog a bit on our walks, trying to keep up to our other dogs. My youngest son refers to it as her " crisp jog"
With good nutrition and exercise, she has lost 15lbs so far! She was very overweight when she arrived, adding to the mystery. Someone took the time to feed her, but never got her medical care.....
Regardless of her horrible past, Nubs is thriving in her new home!! She's even learning commands with hand signals. She can sit, shake a paw and high five!
The local veterinarians she was seeing referred her to The Animal Referral Center in Appleton, Wisconsin for an ear surgery consultation as her case was not one they were comfortable operating on. The only way to deal with an end stage infection of the ears like that is an ear canal ablation, where they go in and remove the ear canal and all infected tissue.
On December 7th,2017, we journeyed to Appleton so Nubs could meet Dr. Ryan Demianuk for her surgical consultation. He examined her and decided only 1 ear could be done at a time, due to the severity of her infection. It was going to be very expensive. The estimate quoted up to $3500 per ear plus an additional thousand dollars for the cherry eye repair surgery. The local shelter was going to dip into their emergency fund to cover the first ear , so we made plans to do the first surgery on December 27th.
Nubs came through the first surgery like a champ!! She is now resting and recovering, and when she is completely healed, we will schedule the second ear surgery .(Update: Nubs is having her second surgery on February 7th, 2018!!)
We adopted Nubs officially(along with her large medical expenses) on January 3rd,2018
Nubs is quite simply a magical little soul. Everyone that meets her experiences her sparkling personality and leaves the encounter smiling. She is gentle, she is happy and she is deserving of a pain free and peaceful life.
UPDATE: April 2018- Nubs had a very successful second ear canal ablation in Appleton on Feb 7th,2018. She then had her cherry eye repaired on March 26th,2018 at Northern Veterinary in Ishpeming ,Michigan. A few days before the eye surgery I had noticed a lump on Nubs' belly while grooming her, so Dr. Jandron did a mammary biopsy while she was under anasthetic for the eye surgery. The bopsy came back as a mast cell tumour , which is NOT what we wanted to hear. However, it is a low stage mast cell tumor and the Dr. is optimistic that he took wide enough tissue margins that he got it all and Nubs won't have anymore issues. If she does, then we will form a treatment plan.
She is feeling fantastic these days , and is even strong enough to gallop when she's outside and stand up on her hind legs when she's after extra attention. We have begun working on restoring her gut health after her extended antiobiotic courses. She is now on a daily probiotic and has started a glucosamine suppliment for joint health. She's now on a raw fish diet, and he coat is luscious and gleaming! Her thyroid levels are now managed with twice daily medication . She continues to delight us with her sparkly brown eyes, and her cuddly little self.
Update:July 23rd, 2018 - Following the discovery of a second mast cell tumor on Nubs' head earlier this spring and surgery to remove it, we have unfortunately discovered another one today. Surgery to remove it will be August 6th. We hope this will be the last one....as she's feeling so good otherwise and doing so well. Please keep her in your prayers.
If her story has touched your heart, and you would like to help this sweet little dog in her journey back to health with a donation toward her medical costs, we would welcome your assistance!
I would LOVE to surpass our fundraising goal for ear # 2 and her cherry eye repair and be able to donate back to UPAWS the $3000+ they have already paid for her first surgery ! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read about Nubs.
We know many folks have been enjoying getting to know Nubs through our facebook updates, and we invite you to follow her on instagram at thelegendarynubs. and on Facebook as The Legendary Nubs
The day I met Nubs.....
The horribly infected eyes
The raging ear infection
Consultation day in Appleton!
Did you know.....Nubs snores?? haha
A better look at the ear infection damage....
What a face!
The horrible overgrown nails....
Nubs in her Santa hat was beyond cute!
Nubs, out for a walk in early December. She LOVES her walks.
Here's Nubs 2 weeks after her first ear surgery, 9 lbs slimmer and feeling good!
We refer to Nubs as our state of the art Nubigation system when we're in the car. She's very helpful!!
Nubs' post surgery regimen is very involved. Twice a day she was on 2 antiobiotics, 3 pain meds,eye drops and 4 incision cleanings per day. Combined with 2 temperature checks a day, she was a full time job during her recovery. We did it gladly......anything for our Nubs!!
Nubs is a "frog dog". When she's relaxing, she stretches out her back legs in a frog like position. And there's the nub tail that earned her the name Nubs!!
Here's a good look at the first ear post surgery. It looks great!
Nubs is the absolute best cuddler!! There are no words for how much we adore this little sweetheart.
Thank you for taking the time to read her story.....
Nubs and Dr. Ryan....her saviour!!
A couple of the shots that will be coming out of the 2019 Nubs Calendar......with proceeds going to UPAWS!
Nubs celebrating the 4th of July!
Nubs on the shore of Lake Superior!
Nap time! Nubs takes her naps very seriously.....
On November 3rd, 2017 I received a phone call to photograph a horribly neglected/abused dog that had been brought into the local shelter(UPAWS) as a stray. Photos were wanted as proof of the dog's condition in case the owner came forward to claim the animal.
I arrived at Diva Dogs Grooming Salon in Negaunee, Michigan shortly before the dog, and I will never forget the sight of that poor creature, limping through the door. She could barely walk, and was very ill with diarrhea and horrific infections. We later discovered her nails were so overgrown they had curled up at awful angles hindering her mobility. Her coat was so long and filthy you couldn't tell what kind of dog was under the mess, let alone if it was male or female. And the smell of her, was just awful.
When the Angie the groomer (owner of Diva Dogs grooming salon in Negaunee, Michigan ) shaved her the hair off of her face so the poor baby could see, the dog's eyes were oozing green, infected goop. She had a cherry eye prolapse on the one eye as well. That wasn't the worst of it.... this poor dog's ears were so infected that they had been folded back by the infection that had been left untreated for YEARS. Now if you've ever had an earache, just imagine the pain of that ear infection being ignored for YEARS. Her ears had huge, cauliflower like growths from the infection, and they were oozing a grey sludge that smelled unlike anything I have ever encountered. It was horrific.
Angie shaved the matted coat, and while this was happening you could see the dog's little head starting to perk up. Then she moved her to the tub and bathed her with medicated shampoo and a scrub brush. The little dog( a girl we had discovered) was leaning right into the brush and her little back leg started to thump. She was thoroughly enjoying the first bath in who knows how long. That's the point where I started to cry . Who could do this to a dog?? How could they knowingly let her suffer like this??
After the bath , the long, painful nails got trimmed to a normal length, all the while, the little dog didn't make a sound. After her blow dry, she went to Northern Veterinary Associates for the night for evaluation. I went home, unable to stop thinking about this poor little dog. When I arrived home, I contacted the shelter, asking if I could foster the dog. The following day we picked her up from Northern Veterinary, and brought her to the foster home that would become her forever home.
The shelter had named her Marsha, but she didn't seem like a Marsha to us, and with her little nubby tail wagging so much, we decided to name her Nubs.
I think its safe to say that I fell in love with Nubs that first day at the grooming shop. The rest of our family fell in love with her shortly after she arrived at our home. Despite the horrors she has endured, she never complains. She is the cuddliest little girl, and LOVES people. Her tail wags constantly!!
We started her road to recovery with slow, short walks outside, and it was amazing to watch her mobility improve, and muscles start to show on her back legs. Within a week, she was starting to jog a bit on our walks, trying to keep up to our other dogs. My youngest son refers to it as her " crisp jog"
With good nutrition and exercise, she has lost 15lbs so far! She was very overweight when she arrived, adding to the mystery. Someone took the time to feed her, but never got her medical care.....
Regardless of her horrible past, Nubs is thriving in her new home!! She's even learning commands with hand signals. She can sit, shake a paw and high five!
The local veterinarians she was seeing referred her to The Animal Referral Center in Appleton, Wisconsin for an ear surgery consultation as her case was not one they were comfortable operating on. The only way to deal with an end stage infection of the ears like that is an ear canal ablation, where they go in and remove the ear canal and all infected tissue.
On December 7th,2017, we journeyed to Appleton so Nubs could meet Dr. Ryan Demianuk for her surgical consultation. He examined her and decided only 1 ear could be done at a time, due to the severity of her infection. It was going to be very expensive. The estimate quoted up to $3500 per ear plus an additional thousand dollars for the cherry eye repair surgery. The local shelter was going to dip into their emergency fund to cover the first ear , so we made plans to do the first surgery on December 27th.
Nubs came through the first surgery like a champ!! She is now resting and recovering, and when she is completely healed, we will schedule the second ear surgery .(Update: Nubs is having her second surgery on February 7th, 2018!!)
We adopted Nubs officially(along with her large medical expenses) on January 3rd,2018
Nubs is quite simply a magical little soul. Everyone that meets her experiences her sparkling personality and leaves the encounter smiling. She is gentle, she is happy and she is deserving of a pain free and peaceful life.
UPDATE: April 2018- Nubs had a very successful second ear canal ablation in Appleton on Feb 7th,2018. She then had her cherry eye repaired on March 26th,2018 at Northern Veterinary in Ishpeming ,Michigan. A few days before the eye surgery I had noticed a lump on Nubs' belly while grooming her, so Dr. Jandron did a mammary biopsy while she was under anasthetic for the eye surgery. The bopsy came back as a mast cell tumour , which is NOT what we wanted to hear. However, it is a low stage mast cell tumor and the Dr. is optimistic that he took wide enough tissue margins that he got it all and Nubs won't have anymore issues. If she does, then we will form a treatment plan.
She is feeling fantastic these days , and is even strong enough to gallop when she's outside and stand up on her hind legs when she's after extra attention. We have begun working on restoring her gut health after her extended antiobiotic courses. She is now on a daily probiotic and has started a glucosamine suppliment for joint health. She's now on a raw fish diet, and he coat is luscious and gleaming! Her thyroid levels are now managed with twice daily medication . She continues to delight us with her sparkly brown eyes, and her cuddly little self.
Update:July 23rd, 2018 - Following the discovery of a second mast cell tumor on Nubs' head earlier this spring and surgery to remove it, we have unfortunately discovered another one today. Surgery to remove it will be August 6th. We hope this will be the last one....as she's feeling so good otherwise and doing so well. Please keep her in your prayers.
If her story has touched your heart, and you would like to help this sweet little dog in her journey back to health with a donation toward her medical costs, we would welcome your assistance!
I would LOVE to surpass our fundraising goal for ear # 2 and her cherry eye repair and be able to donate back to UPAWS the $3000+ they have already paid for her first surgery ! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read about Nubs.
We know many folks have been enjoying getting to know Nubs through our facebook updates, and we invite you to follow her on instagram at thelegendarynubs. and on Facebook as The Legendary Nubs
The day I met Nubs.....
The horribly infected eyes
The raging ear infection
Consultation day in Appleton!
Did you know.....Nubs snores?? haha
A better look at the ear infection damage....
What a face!
The horrible overgrown nails....
Nubs in her Santa hat was beyond cute!
Nubs, out for a walk in early December. She LOVES her walks.
Here's Nubs 2 weeks after her first ear surgery, 9 lbs slimmer and feeling good!
We refer to Nubs as our state of the art Nubigation system when we're in the car. She's very helpful!!
Nubs' post surgery regimen is very involved. Twice a day she was on 2 antiobiotics, 3 pain meds,eye drops and 4 incision cleanings per day. Combined with 2 temperature checks a day, she was a full time job during her recovery. We did it gladly......anything for our Nubs!!
Nubs is a "frog dog". When she's relaxing, she stretches out her back legs in a frog like position. And there's the nub tail that earned her the name Nubs!!
Here's a good look at the first ear post surgery. It looks great!
Nubs is the absolute best cuddler!! There are no words for how much we adore this little sweetheart.
Thank you for taking the time to read her story.....
Nubs and Dr. Ryan....her saviour!!
A couple of the shots that will be coming out of the 2019 Nubs Calendar......with proceeds going to UPAWS!
Nubs celebrating the 4th of July!
Nubs on the shore of Lake Superior!
Nap time! Nubs takes her naps very seriously.....
Organizer
Susan Hill
Organizer
Ishpeming, MI
