Wednesday, July 2, 2008
SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS!!!
Sorry I didn't update you yesterday- it was a rough day for me. The vet talked to Jon and everything went as they had hoped it would. I pick her up Friday. They ended up having to do a echo on her heart- heart murmur and it affected how they did anesthesia. She had gone down on her spay surgery a year and a half ago and body temp went down fast (for non dog people this means her heart rate rapidly dropped and so did her body temp), so that's the reason for the echo and the extra precautions. I cannot say enough WONDERFUL THINGS about the staff there- they have called us several times a day about EVERY SINGLE STEP and would not proceed until they got the OK from us. I had heard great things about U of F, but I have to say, they have exceeded my expectations- I highly recommend them if you have anyone who needs serious surgery and you live here. Thanks for all your prayers- We have needed them and we truly appreciate them. Sorry no pics yet- I am taking Quinn in to have his removed toe site checked and I am in big hurry but knew all of you would be checking today and concerned. Love you all- Anne for Jon and the zoo crew. PS. Jules' consultation for the growth on the bottom of her foot is July 11. She'll probably have surgery on the bottom of HER foot in August. Love you all. Anne
Monday, June 30, 2008
God is so good- Pica's surgery is TUESDAY!
Well I went to Gainesville today for the evaluation and they graded her left knee as a 3 ( 1 is the least and 4 is the worst) and her right leg as a 2 headed rapidly towards 3. So I spoke with the doctor who is doing the surgery- a very intelligent, warm, and caring German vet- Dr. Detlef Apelt. I really liked him alot- he's very experienced and very thorough in his explanation and showed great interest in Pharaoh's Haven. :) The intern, Eric was super friendly and helpful. ANYWAY- they said she needs surgery ASAP or the ACL will get involved and that would be MORE surgery. So I said, " When can you do surgery?" " Tomorrow if that's ok with you." I almost fainted- that's just unheard of- they usually have a wait. He explained the surgery in great detail (it's actually three proceedures- one to deepen the knee socket, one to straighten the ligaments and one to insert pins to keep everything straight- her knees pop out to the sides instead of in, and that is unusual- it's called lateral luxating patellas and it's not as common as medial luxating patellas and I guess the surgery is a bit more involved.) I pick her up Thursday. She will be wrapped up and in a crate or walked on a leash for SIX WEEKS. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed and pray for a great outcome. Thank you again to all who donated. I'll update tomorrow after surgery and again after we get her home. Email this update to anyone who you forwarded the letter to- so they know to keep checking the blog for her progress. We may get a price break on the surgery which would be great, especially since I got the very unexpected news that the other leg will need surgery at some later point as well. :( I thought it looked bad, but I was NOT thinking we would do two knees. I am thinking that will be in, but I won't know until I talk to Dr. Apelt on Thursday. So your donations are even more appreciated. Love, Anne
Friday, June 27, 2008
Surgeries surgeries everywhere!
Monday, June 23, 2008
The kindness of strangers........and friends- I am so awed! Read and be amazed.
Since Jon and I have never in 8 years asked for a penny for our rescue, I was very hesitant to ask for help. One night God said to me, " Have you asked for help?" I thought, "No, I have just worried myself sick over the dog." God said in my mind, "Ask and you shall receive." That was it. I knew then and there that it was OK to ask. (I don't argue with God.) The outpouring has been unbelievable. Every day my mailbox has been full with envelopes- and each day my pay pal account has new postings. My friends have spread the word and given of their own money and we have gotten checks from people we don't even know. Today, however, was the day that made my jaw drop open.
I was mailing a microscope and some slides to a homeschooling family- we were selling it to help raise money for Pica's surgery. So this man is behind me at the post office and he says, " WOW, what a great microscope- why in the world are you getting rid of that?" I went on to explain that we had used it while we were homeschooling and that I was selling it to raise money for my dog who needed knee surgery. He went on to tell me that he studied science and how he loved microscopes and how you couldn't find a decent old fashioned quality one anymore- (I can't remember the details because I was freaking out at what he said next.) Anyway, he said, " Do you have a website for your rescue and the dog who needs surgery? I'd love to help and I have alot of friends who would love to help too." I about fell out on the floor, I mean it. (That's Southern for I almost fainted.) I said, " Are you serious?" He said, " Absolutely!!!" So I thought, " Anne, what in the heck is the official address of your blog?" And I couldn't remember it- the EXACT wording of it and then I looked down and realized that on the bottom half of the email with Angela's address (the one I was sending the microscope to) was the FIRST LETTER I SENT OUT ASKING FOR HELP- complete with my blog address, and my email information. I said, " Wow, as a matter of fact, I have the whole story right here- " So I ripped the bottom off and gave it to him and he shook my hand and said, " My name is Tom." I of course told him my name and just thanked him with this (I am sure) dumfounded look on my face. He said, " I will do it- I can promise you that." And he put it in his pocket and left the post office. I stood there, just mesmerized at what had just occurred- it was like a dream or something- and I didn't SOLICIT- HE ASKED. God is so specific- like I say all the time- God is so specific. If I doubted for a minute that He is IN THIS and approves of this rescue, those doubts have been cast aside forever after these six days. God wants that dog to have this surgery and he wants us to continue our rescue efforts. Thank you to all of you who have helped spread the word about Pica and our rescue. We have the amount needed for her knee, and any further donations we get will be used to pay for her x-rays, her consultation fee ($150) and any other costs that will be incurred for her care- medicines, physical therapy, etc. Gainesville is an hour and a half from here, so some of the money will even be used to help pay for gas. She will have several post op visits, so we'll be doing alot of driving. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS. I cannot adequately express how grateful we are that you would care for this tiny and precious creature.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Pica's Plea-please consider helping her!
I cannot believe how generous everyone has been- I have tried to email everyone IMMEDIATELY with a thank you if you sent your payment through Paypal- if you sent your donation in the mail and I don't have an email address for you, you will be getting a card as soon as I can get them made with her little picture on it. :) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Keep passing the blog and the letter on to ANYONE ANYWHERE that might want to donate and THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS. Today, she stood on her two front legs to pee and held her back legs in the air- it was so sad. :( SO the surgery will not come too fast for us or her. A special thanks to my dear soul sister Christa, of Rocket Angel Italian Greyhound Rescue- many of her adopters and friends have been our donators. Let's keep up the good work so this little tiny one can run without pain! Love, Anne and Jon
Our youngest rescue, Pica, is two years old and has laterally rotating patellas- basically that means that her knee "groove" is not deep enough and her knee cap keeps popping out of place. She can't stretch her legs out straight because of this and cannot jump down or up on things and in the winter has alot of pain. This surgery is well over $1000. We are a small private rescue. We do alot of volunteer work in the schools to educate children about the plight of homeless pets and how to care for their own pets properly. This is the first time we have ever asked for financial help. We cannot bear to put her to sleep at her age for something that could be corrected with surgery. So we are asking God to help give us wisdom about what to do. I am posting this to say that if any of you would like to donate even $5 or $10 or $1,(seriously) we would so welcome it. We are selling things in our home that we don't need to help raise the money. To see this sweet girl- look on the left side of my blog for the picture of Jon with his secret favorite Pica. She'll have the surgery at the University of Florida at Shands.She was referred there by a vet here because her knees are laterally rotating, which is unusual. Her consultation for the surgery is June 30th. You can contact me at JonAnne@aol.com or donate directly to our PayPal account with the donate button on the left. Or you can send a check - just email me and I will give you our address. We have already received $200 from a very wonderful businessman in South Florida whose IG had to have the same surgery. We are so grateful for that. Could you also send my blog to ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS THAT LOVE DOGS THAT MIGHT BE WILLING TO DONATE??? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep coming to the blog- I will update everyone here- and thank you to all of you that have already given so generously. We are so appreciative.
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