Sasha Happy

Well, our house is now empty of fosters.  And it is nice and peaceful. Most importantly, Chase is happy.  Chase does not like the foster boys, and it’s best if we just don’t have any boys. Girls occasionally, perhaps, but no boys.

Sasha went to Wyoming yesterday to her new forever home.  The family lives in northern Wyoming and and they took the weekend to do the six hour one way drive to come and get Sasha. That is some dedication! Sasha will have five kids to play with in her new home.  Sometimes I wonder about a home with lots of kids, but I think this will be a good one.  Muffit was in a home with seven kids for a while, they are the ones that dumped him at the Humane Society.  So that is why I worry. However, I think this family is a good one and Sasha will be happy there.

Sasha has her Pemphigus still, and always will, so we sent her up with her tetracycline and vitamin b3. It’s manageable, and we are glad she doesn’t have cerebral palsy. Here is a picture of her nose… she has hair growing back!  Her nose looks so good. You can look at the old post of her that has a picture of her nose when we just got her. There is a big difference!

Sasha's Nose

She has a bit of a scab in the middle of her nose from when she was playing a bit rough with Tatum. But it’s healing up, too.

We are looking forward to see pictures of her as she heals up and progresses and plays with her new kids.  I think she is going to be a great dog for kids, but then again, collies usually are!

As for the other foster boy we had, he’s gone… and where did he go? Well, we cannot say.  It’s a secret!  So we can’t really talk about him.  Leave it to say that he’s going to a place where he will be happy and safe. I removed the posts of him from this blog for his safety.  And no, there’s nothing illegal or anything, but he will be someplace warm and happy and he will have a great life.

And it’s most important for these rescue dogs to have a great life.

Oh and my arm is healing where Chase bit me.  Chase is a good boy and I didn’t get mad at him. I didn’t go to the doctor… didn’t get a tetanus, mainly just because I’m lazy and too busy and a doctor appointment is just not something I want to plan into my schedule!  Ugh! I will watch for streaking and infection but so far there is no sign. I probably should get a tatanus anyway… though I should look into what tatanus really is, because I’d like to know!

So our house is calm again, the dogs are sleeping, and it’s a down day for me. Tomorrow is flyball practice I will try to remember to bring the camera!

Happy Sasha

Well I am very happy to report that Sasha is doing so much better! I went to visit her a couple of days ago, and dropped Lily of to her new home (yup Sasha’s foster wants to keep Lily!) and I was amazed by how much Sasha’s nose has healed up.

Sasha looks so great!  She even has hair starting to grow back. And it hasn’t been that long. The biospy of her nose came back, and as the vet feared, she has Canine Pemphigus.  However, it appears to be one of the milder forms. It’s an autoimmune disease and she’ll have it her whole life.  But the vet is hoping (and so are we) that we will be able to control the outbreaks with tetracycline and vitamin B3.

Sasha’s foster Mom has been putting neosporin on her nose and that, it seems, has helped too. Along with a healthy diet and a good environment, we all think Sasha will be just fine!  I’m so releived and excited.

It is possible she could get worse, not better… and then she might have to go on steroids. However, with her already healing up, I think the possibility of her on steroids is quite low. And we have someone who may be interested in adopting her, too. I have been honest about her condition (I couldn’t be otherwise, lol, since I’m scrapbooking her progress here on my blog), but hopefully her condition won’t dissuade a potential adopter.

I’m just thrilled that she is doing so well. We did get her prescriptions filled from the doctor, and her foster Mom is giving them to her.  Eventually we will back her medications off to see what the minimum acceptable dosage is to keep her collie nose outbreaks under control.

Otherwise, Sasha doesn’t care she has a scabby nose. She’s as happy as a clam and such a cute wonderful collie girl!  We still are a bit behind on funds in Utah Collie Rescue, we haven’t quite covered her bills, even with donations.  Hopefully her adoption fee will help pay for some of her medical as well.

Yay for Sasha!s

Sasha's Nose

Ouch… they took two spots of skin to biospy on her nose, and as you can probably see they stitched them back together. Poor dear. She looked miserable when we got her back from the vet. Her ears were so compacted with gunk they had to clean them all out, too. She’s kinda cute with wet ears though…

Sasha's Nose Ouch

Sasha also had three teeth pulled. Which wasn’t, actually, as bad as we had thought. When I looked at her teeth after she got back, they looked sparkly clean! I think her mouth and ears will feel much better now. Though her foster Mom did pick her up Tuesday night, and I haven’t talked her since then.

Sweet Sasha

I want to thank everyone so much for all the donations Utah Collie Rescue has received for Sasha! Her surgery on Tuesday cost over $350, and when we had her in before for bloodwork and a general checkup, that was $140.  We have raised over $250 so far to help with her medical bills, and it all helps so very much!

Sasha is so precious and such a wonderful girl. Hopefully I’ll visit her again and get some more pictures in the next week or so.

I do hope everyone had a good Merry Christmas and Yappy Howlidays! I’m taking it easy, which I love to do, taking care of my neck that doesnt’ hurt too much anymore, maybe I should look at a shoulder pain pump and see if that might help too… hrm.

So, one more week of 2008 and then it’s 2009! Wow, the time goes by way too fast.

If you can help, we would greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much!

Sasha Playing

How can you deny that sweet happy face? LOL she is such a doll. I miss her, but my husband is right, had she stayed here we might have fallen too deeply in love with her and just had to keep her. UGH fostering collies is so hard! I love them all!

Sometimes you just get lucky with a picture and I think this is one of those really lucky ones! I just love the look on her face. She is one sweet happy girl.

Tuesday she goes in to get her teeth cleaned and to have her nose, ears and eyes biopsied.  We get to have her Monday night, then my husband will take her into the vet on Tuesday morning.  We hope she doesn’t come back with something awful with her nose… but we are prepared. If necessary, if she’s terminal or something awful, we’ll just keep her and love her for the rest of her life.

Bonnie in the Snow

While I was there I had, of course, to get some pictures of the foster home’s other gorgeous collies! Above is Bonnie, she’s a black tri and isn’t she just gorgeous? Tatum loved playing with her. She’s a spunky sweet collie girl!

Tatum and Roughs!

And above is Tatum with all three of her collies. They are so pretty! I just love collies, dangit. I just fell in love with the breed years ago and now always will want a collie or three or four in my life!

Now I’m feeling a bit sick again… I’ve had a bug the last few days, no need for Lipovox but I have been eating poorly so probably gaining some weight. Ugh. Oh well. I’m going to crash on the couch and watch some bad Sci Fi movies… and rest, and drink some eat. As the dogs all sleep around me too.

Sasha and Tatum

So of course I had to drag the camera outside because it was pretty when the snow was just starting to accumulate on the grass, and you could see some of the grass peaking through.  Tatum and Sasha are becomming good friends. But then, Tatum befriends everyone.   Tatum is such a good girl. Sasha even chased Tatum around a little bit outside this morning.  Zoom Zoom!

Sasha is doing really well. She is not coughing as much as she was. She is letting me comb her out just a little bit now and again. Her skin seems very sensitive but that could be due to whatever is on her nose, too.  I was able to get some of those tiny pre-mat things out of her right side last night, and her right rear flank.

Running!

My husband was feeding her treats at the same time I combed to keep her calm and reward her. She stopped taking the treats though, so we stopped the combing too. I think her skin and her coat are really bothering her. Though I think she was groomed fairly recently, because her underbelly is trimmed straight and so are her legs. Her feet are too fluffy though!

This picture of Tatum and Sasha running is a bit blurred but it’s pretty darn cute. Tatum so loves it when someone will chase her!

Sasha’s blood work came back fine, so that’s good.  And my husband says that means there’s less chance of her having the really nasty thing wrong. It seems like all three options, below, are really autoimmune things.

Sasha is eating really well and I’m glad she is starting to play. I think she’s more of a people dog than a dog dog. She loves to be with me and my Husband. He even thinks she likes him better! Which is just kinda odd becuase it’s more common for rescue dogs to trust women more than men, unfortunately.  I know a lot of wonderful men who would never even dream of hurting a dog.

So she settles in. We did even get an offer of a foster home for her! But now that we have her, it’s hard to put her someplace else, especially with her condition. Because we have an emotional investment now, as well as financial and, also, we just want to know what is going on with her darn nose!  And another tidbit of good news…  Sasha was bringing toys to my husband last night to play! That’s an excellent sign.

Collies and Border Collie

Sasha the Rough Collie

Well, we love our vet, they are amazing. First off they say no way Sasha’s nose became the way it is because she rubbed it against a fence.  She has something going on that we need to figure out.

She has kennel cough, so that will be treated first and she’s on antibiotics for a week. She also has infection in her mouth that hopefully that will help.

She’s going to have her teeth cleaned on the 23rd, and at that time our vet will do a biopsy of the skin on her nose, around her eyes, and on her ears, as she has crusting and scabbing in all those areas.  The vet said it could be one of three things. The first two are not too bad, the third thing is nasty. I’m going to read about each as I post this so I’m learning as we go.

Dermatomyositis

The first thing she could have, and the vet thinks this is the most likely thing, is Dermatomyositis.  I found three informational websites about this…

University Link
Icon Collies
Dog Patch

From the University Link:

This condition is one of inflammation (itis) of the skin (dermato) and muscle (myo) that is seen in young collies and Shetland sheepdogs. There appears to be a defect in the immune system that predisposes dogs to this disorder. The skin lesions typically develop first with variable muscle problems occurring later. There are many similarities to dermatomyositis in people.

Ulcerative dermatosis may be a variant of this condition. It is a rare disorder that occurs in middle-aged to older dogs of the same breeds, and is manifest by skin lesions (blisters, crusting) that are seen primarily in the groin and underarm regions. Occasionally there are muscle abnormalities.

So, I guess this is treatable and can make her more comfortable, but there is no cure for it. And since others can write about these things better than me, I’ll leave it at that!

The second thing it could be is

Lupus

From Pet-Medicine.com:

Discoid lupus in dogs is an autoimmune condition that results in discoloration of the nose. In rare cases, it can also affect other areas of the skin. Professionals have yet to find a specific cause for this problem, but genetics may play a role due to the fact that certain breeds as more affected than others. Some of these breeds include Siberian Husky, German Shepherd, and Collie.

Symptoms

As you already know, this condition begins as loss of pigment around the nose. As the disease gets worse, your dog may develop scaling of nasal tissue and sores. The nose’s surface may also become smooth instead of having it’s normal cobblestoned texture. These sores aren’t bothersome to some dogs, but others are very bothered by them.

So, I guess Lupus is manageable too.. I am not really familiar with Lupus in humans or in dogs, so I’ll probably read up a bit more on it too. Though actually, until we know what it really is, there’s no sense worrying myself eh?

The third thing, which the vet says is very nasty, is:

Pemphigus

Autoimmune Disease Suite 101 has some interesting, easy to read information.

I also found information on this in the following sources… and I’ll quote the Akita Club, since it’s easiest to understand. This is from the middle of the page. If you read starting at the beginning it kinda describes how the skin works.

Symptoms of Pemphigus Complex

Pemphigus is a disease that results when the body’s immune defenses attack its own skin. Something interferes with the recognition process and treats the skin as if it were a foreign substance. Actually, Pemphigus is a complex of diseases differentiated by the skin layer which is attacked. It is found across many species, including humans, cats, dogs, and horses.

The most severe form is Pemphigus Vulgaris. The attachment of the basal and prickle cell layers is attacked. Fluid filled blisters called vesicles form and eventually break open, resulting in painful ulcerated sore. These are most common in areas where normal skin meets specialized skin, like the skin of the lips, nose, eyes, pads, nails, as well as the mucosal skin of the mouth.

Pemphigus Erythematosus is similar but involves the outer skin layer or stratum corneum. It looks like a mild case of Pemphigus Foliaceus and may be more prevalent in collies. The ulcerated sores are usually restricted to the facial area and are very similar to those found in discoid lupus. Indeed, some researchers feel they are related in some fashion.

So… these are all diseases that collies can be prone too. Bleh. Treatment might include steroids. And I don’t know, really, if she has any of these, what her quality of life might be, or length of life. If she has something that makes her unadoptable, then we will, of course, just keep her. I think we need to name her Seven of Six.

Hopefully we will be able to place her. Maybe with an understanding family who will love her no matter what she has. We would, of course. She is very lovable, her face melted my heart the first time I saw her… scabby nose or not!

Sasha

Well, I was grumpy as heck last night, went to physical therapy and that helped a little bit. I was dreading having to go to the Humane Society of Utah to pick up another rescue dog, almost sick to my stomach… seven dogs in the house is really too many and tends to put me over my limit.

Sweet Sasha

However, as soon as I saw Sasha my heart melted and I fell in love with her.  she is absolutely gorgeous. She doesn’t have a very heavy coat, which is nice and makes the rough collies easier to care for.  I think she was recently groomed (recently within the last couple of months anyway) because her underside is trimmed straight and so is her tail. But she has some wispies on her feet that will need to be trimmed off (I hate those, they are always the first things I trim off a rescue collie!)

Sleeping Sasha

Her teeth are in absolutely horrid shape. I think some may need to be pulled. she didn’t want to eat even canned food last night so she could be in a lot of pain. There’s a lot of tarter on her teeth and some of them look like they are poking too far out of her gums.

Of course the most prominent feature is the scabbing on her nose.  The people who dumped her said that she would rub her nose against a chain link fence and that’s how it happened.. about a year ago.  But the scabs are fresh and there’s no way it happened a year ago. I wonder what could cause such scabbing on a dog’s muzzle like this? We are going to take her to the vet today and ask. My husband, he’s such a great guy, is going to take her in when I’m at work.  The scabs are cracked and her nose is even pink..I wonder if she’s rubbed the dark pigment off her nose and the pink underskin is showing. I wonder if we can put something on the scabs to soften them up so maybe they don’t hurt so much… it’s really got to hurt or itch. I’ll ask Fuzzy Logic she always is a good source of natural remedies for me!

She might be couging a little but it seems, rather, she’s kinda trying to hack things up but nothing comes.  Her health isn’t too bad, and her personality is amazing. I think she’s the first foster ever who we haven’t crated at least for the first night. She has settled in just fine already… though she seems like she may just be a typical collie girl and she might have some nice fun attitude when she gets more confident! I hope so!

She slept all night, she didn’t potty in the house, and she’s very loving.  The people said they couldn’t afford to keep her anymore… well, sure, whatever. Personally, I would starve to death before I gave up any of my pack.

Sasha is one sweet wonderful rescue rough sable and white collie girl!