Bulldogs Under Our Wing

Charlotte Clare

Charlotte Clare has been under our wing since January 2011. At that time she was surrendered to rescue after being sold twice by the breeder at only 5 weeks of age. She should have been with her mother for a minimum of 3-5 more weeks instead of already being out in the world. It was suspected that Charlotte suffered from incontinence and possibly spina bifida This little girl had been through much more than most dogs her age should. Luckily one of our experienced foster homes was available so HeavenSent opted to take her and assess her condition. Charlotte’s daily care was very involved. She had not been given a proper diet and her incontinence issues were pretty severe. There were concerns that her quality of life would not be a good one. It took lots of trial and error with her food to determine what her proper diet should be in order to regulate her incontinence as much as possible. During one of our food trials, Charlotte became very sick due to an intestinal “back up.” It required an emergency trip to the vet and a painful procedure to get her back on track. After this situation we FINALLY determined what the best diet for her would be. She eats a prescription diet with lots of sweet potato and yogurt. She also needs protein added so her foster mom cooks chicken and eggs for her daily. Charlotte is in a diaper whenever she is inside the house, although when she’s playing in the yard (always supervised) she can be “naked”. Charlotte goes through an average of 6-8 diapers a day.

On May 10, 2011 Charlotte Clare will turn 6 months of age. Our vet has advised that by this time she has improved as much as she will over her lifetime. Charlotte will remain fecal and urine incontinent for the remainder of her life. Her foster family does not care because as they say, “Charlotte overcompensates for her diaper.” She is an active, happy, loving little girl. Fortunately she has no mobility challenges at all. Charlotte has already completed her basic puppy obedience and is moving on to her teenage training. She has foster brothers and sisters who love her very much. She gets along with all dogs, cats, kids, and people. She no longer has to be crated when her family is not home, she is completely well behaved (and let’s face it, she is never going to have an accident on the floor), she walks perfectly on a leash, loves car rides, and is very active. Her foster siblings are approaching their golden years so to exercise Charlotte, she walks separately with each one of them daily. Charlotte is currently working on her pet therapy certification and her goal is to get her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) title. Her foster brother took 4 years to achieve this goal and we suspect she may outdo him. Charlotte is a very well adjusted, happy, loving dog who is enjoying each moment to the fullest while she is here.

Heavensent has decided to keep Charlotte “Under Our Wing” as we are uncertain of her long term prognosis. If you would like to donate directly to Charlotte’s care, below is a list of items that are needed daily for her care.

• Pampers Cruisers (currently size 7)
• Sensitive Unscented baby wipes
• Small 4 gallon trash bags
• Clorox Wipes
• Gerber Baby Food (Sweet Potato)
  

Sophia is Under Our Wing

Sophia Update: Click thumbnails to view larger image.

Update: Sophia turned 1 on 1-13-09, a day that was precious to all that love her & have contributed to her care, a day we were not sure she would ever see.

Over the last several months Sophia has had many accomplishments & some obstacles to overcome. She started to have trouble eating & drinking. Another surgery was needed. Her tonsils were removed & she had soft palette surgery as well. She is now eating and drinking without regurgitating her food, she still needs her meds & special chair, but doing well for now. The doctor did let us know that along with her current issues, she has some internal effects from her condition as well. Her small intestines don’t function normally and other organs seem to be out of place, all functioning for now. We will continue to monitor her closely.

Sophia continues to amaze us with her utter determination to do all that a “normal” dog would do. She has learned to climb stairs! She can not go down, but has the best time climbing them! She loves to play, gives lots of kisses & just loves everyone! She is completely potty trained, she will bark at the door to be let out to go. She knows the difference between her ball & bone, she will bring you which ever you ask for, but she prefers her bone! Her balance is also continuing to improve, she still falls but gets right back up and continues with her day each and ever time!!

Sophia: Click thumbnails to view larger image.

Sophia was born January 2008 and surrendered to rescue by her breeder in April.

Very early on in Sophia's life her disabilities began. Her mother took this sweet angel's head in her mouth and when the breeder tried to get her head out, Sophia ended up with head trauma that cause serious neurological damage. At the recommendation of the vet she started steroid shots, consisting of a series of three shots over her first few weeks.

HSBR took Sophia to the University of Pennsylvania for further testing and they have recommended that an MRI be done along with further testing at a later date. Sophia was unable to walk, run or play like a normal puppy but with the love and care of her foster mom and many hours of physical therapy, Sophia is making progress and learning to walk, run and play. Although she doesn't have the balance of a normal dog and does fall when trying to walk, she is totally unaware of her disabilities and picks herself up again and starts over with utter determination.

More recently, Sophia got very sick and was back at the vet's office again. After extensive testing it was discovered that Sophia was a condition called Congenital Megaesophagus. This is a condition where her esophagus becomes paralyzed and enlarged and is unable to propel food into her stomach. Because of this condition it is extremely important that Sophia eat in an upright position and remain upright for at least 30 minutes after each feeding, otherwise she could suffer fatal aspiration pneumonia due to inhaling food.

Sophia will remain under our wing with continued and extensive vet expenses to give this little angel a chance to lead as much of a normal life as possible. With the dedication, love and devotion of her foster mom Sophia is doing well today, but we need your help to continue her success.

Won't you consider reaching out and helping Sophia?

CAN YOU HELP SOPHIA?

↑ back to top