HTHNBR Foster Dogs Blog

Nukka was spayed today. Her tooth was checked out, and the vet doesn't think it's a problem right now. Along with the spay, the vet also took biopsies from four sections of Nukka's intestines. We will get the results in 4 to 7 days. The vet also put Nukka back on probiotics because her intestintes are an abnormal color. The total cost of Nukka's surgery today was $703.79. We are hoping that the biopsy will give us some answers about Nukka's health problems.

That incision looks like it hurt, but Nukka is recovering now and we hope she'll be back to 100% very soon!

Harnessed to Hope is a non-profit 501c3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Nukka has come back into foster care due to some health problems she is having. She had not been able to hold her urine during the night, even at 5 months old. She has been to a few specialists and had an ultrasound, as well as several other tests. The vet found that her urine is too highly concentrated, and recommended putting a water bottle in her crate, and putting canned food in her kibble. Nukka will be spayed on May 13th and a biopsy of her bowel tissue will be taken for analysis. Any donations to help with the cost of Nukka's vet care would be greatly appreciated, and are also tax deductible.

Lucy had her photo taken with Santa today.



She was scared, but did it anyway. What a good sport she is! After the picture was taken, she didn't want to get out of the sleigh! I guess she figured out Santa isn't so bad.

Lucy, the mother of the 7 pups, is doing great! She has gained enough weight that her bones no longer protrude. She also went to her first event today - photos with Santa at SuperPetz in Bethlehem. Here she is with Zack, who was also adopted from Harnessed to Hope by a Harnessed to Hope volunteer. Lucy is on the right.

Lucy's puppies are being bottle-fed to give Lucy the chance to gain some much-needed weight. Here they are getting their dinner.


It's amazing how fast they're growing!

The pups are growing and their eyes have opened! Lucy is a wonderful mother, and is just so proud of her babies. You can just see it in these photos! She has also been great about letting people handle her babies.

Lucy is still underweight, and due to the worms she has, she has had trouble gaining any weight. She is nursing and has also had diarrhea in the past few days. The pups are now old enough that she can be wormed with Panacure, but she will also need to be treated for Lyme disease and spayed once she is healthy.

Lucy's 7 pups will all need the usual puppy care and check ups, and will all need to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated before they are adopted. Would you like to sponsor a pup and make a donation toward a puppy's care?

HTH took in two adult Siberians last weekend, a male and female that were rescued from a puppymill. To our surprise, the female was pregnant, and quite far along! She had the pups last night and today, 7 total. They were all checked by the vet and are doing fine. Lucy is being a great mom, and Desi is a proud daddy. Click on the photo to view photos of mom and pups.

Beki was turned into the Baltimore City shelter by her previous owners. They had financial problems and were no longer able to care for her. Becki had been hit by a car last March. She had one surgery and was supposed to have another, but the family could not afford it. She had a noticeable limp in her left rear leg.

Becki's foster parents took her to the vet to get her hip x-rayed. The x-ray showed that during Becki's first surgery, the vet had put a pin in her hip to hold it in place while her hip healed. The pin should have been removed during her second surgery. The pin was actually protruding and digging into her muscle, skin and tissue as she moved, which is why she limped. Her foster parents made the appointment to have the pin removed a few days later, and Becki is feeling much better!

The vet gave them the pin as a souvenir. You can see why it was hurting her - that's a BIG pin!

The incision to remove the pin is very small and is healing quickly. Now Becki can move and run like a healthy young pup!

BABY, IT’S HOT OUTSIDE!!!!

By Bilinda Marshall © 2009

SEVEN DOGS DIE IN HOT VAN. Headlines similar to this are seen each summer - dogs die while in cars where the temperatures can reach 120 degrees in less than 5 minutes...read full article here. You can also visit My Dog Is Cool to get more information on spreading the word about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars in hot weather. They have flyers, postcards, and posters you can order or download and print.

The 4th of July is this coming Saturday. With many planned community fireworks events, and the possibility that people will also be setting off their own fireworkds, it's especially important to make sure that all of your pets have collars, tags, and that their microchips have your up to date contact information. Also make sure that when you leave home your pets are safely contained or secured. Since it's summer, it's best not to leave pets outside anyway, as they can become overheated.

If your dogs are afraid of fireworks, there are some all natural things you can try to help them get through the holiday with less stress. Rescue Remedy for Pets is an all natural remedy for stress and anxiety made from flower essences. You can also try a dog appeasing pheromone diffuser, or a CD of calming sounds for anxious dogs. There are a few others on the market. Some people also find that putting a t shirt on the dog and tying so it's snug helps to keep them calm.

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!