Author Archive: zanetg

In Memory of Radar

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Good evening Puppers ~
I have some very sad news to share with you all…

Radar has begun his journey North of the Rainbow Bridge.

As you may remember, Radar first joined MaPaw about a month ago. When he came to us, he had a giant mass on his hind leg. He underwent surgery to remove the mass and biopsy results confirmed that it was malignant ~ grade 1 cancer. Radar recovered well from surgery and had his stitches from that surgery removed on Tuesday (February 28th). He seemed well and happy to see his nurse.

The next day, Radar became lethargic. We immediately rushed him to the vet where it was discovered that his stomach had flipped. We literally had minutes to decide whether or not to have Radar undergo surgery. While there was a question as to whether or not Radar would make it through surgery, we felt we needed to give him every opportunity we could. We were overjoyed when we received the call from the doctor that Radar had made it through surgery and was recovering.

During the surgery, the doctor discovered a tumor on his spleen that would have certainly caused the spleen to rupture. The doctor chose to remove the spleen as well.

Our hopes were that Radar would be well enough to come back to the Farm later that evening. Radar was lethargic and was not recovering as quickly as the doctor had hoped. We were aware that having undergone 2 major surgeries in approximately a month would make it more difficult on Radar’s system to process the anesthesia.

We received several updates from the hospital each day. Radar remained lethargic and they were syringe feeding him along with IV fluids.

Sadly on Friday, Radar closed his eyes and left this earth.

Dearest Radar ~ You were a funny, gentle soul with a wonderful personality. You brought joy to any room you entered and we only wish we would have had more time to spend with you. Wear your silver harness proudly dear friend. While you were only with us for a short time, you will be in our hearts forever. Candles are lit to guide your way and many are waiting to greet you.

~ Scout

In Memory of Radar

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Age: 10 – 12 Years
Sex: Male
Size: Average

Our dear Radar has begun his journey North of the Rainbow Bridge. Undergoing 2 major surgeries in approximately a month proved to be too much for his frail body. After emergency surgery on Wednesday (February 29th), Radar was not recovering as quickly as the doctor had hoped. He was lethargic and had no appetite, however, his color was good. Sadly on Friday, Radar closed his eyes and left this earth. Dearest Radar ~ You were a funny, gentle soul with a wonderful personality. You brought joy to any room you entered and we only wish we would have had more time to spend with you. Wear your silver harness proudly dear friend. While you were only with us for a short time, you will be in our hearts forever. Candles are lit to guide your way and many are waiting to greet you. ~ March 2, 2012

Radar is a senior pup that came into MaPaw on an emergency basis – he had a softball size tumor on his hip that was making walking very difficult and he needed immediate vet care. He came to MaPaw underweight and shaved due to severe matting.

Surgery was quickly arranged and the mass was removed. Radar was immediately able to walk much better and we waited for the biopsy results. While we were waiting for “benign”, the results should not be life threatening. The tumor was classified as a Grade 1 cancer that will not spread in his body, however, it may return to the same area in 6 – 8 months and require additional surgery.

Radar is thought to be 10 – 12 years and just wants to follow you around and be loved. We named him Radar for those fabulous ears (we are not quite sure what he is, but we found husky in there somewhere… He needed us!). His shaved fur is coming back in nicely and we can’t wait to see the “real” Radar. For now, he has a sweater to warm his bare skin up when it’s cold.

He is welcome here at MaPaw until we see if the tumor returns. If so, he will have all necessary vet care and stay here as a loved permanent resident. Any donations and contributions towards Radar’s surgical and medical bills are gratefully appreciated.

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Update on Luke

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Hello Puppers ~
I thought I would pop in and give you a quick update about Luke.

Luke went to the doctor last week for his follow up visit. The chest x-rays showed that his lungs are clearing and are looking good. He still has an occasional cough, so the doctor recommended keeping him on the antibiotics for another 2 weeks. Our Luke even gained 5 pounds since his last visit!

Next on Luke’s journey will be the Panacur for the whipworms. With Luke’s original diagnosis, the doctor thought it best to treat the pneumonia first without overloading his system with medications.

Once Luke is medically cleared, this young pup will be ready to begin the search for his forever home!

~ Scout

MaPaw Gets Our Official Sign

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Hello Puppers ~
Have we ever told you how much we enjoy being a part of the community in Douglass Township?

A little while ago, we were contacted by Dan Harris who is an Eagle Scout with Troop 523. For his project, Dan wanted to create and construct a sign for the MaPaw Farm. While it was Dan’s concept, there were many in the community that came forward to donate their time, talent and materials to the project.

On Saturday, February 25th, Dan and some of the other Scouts came to the Farm to erect the sign. Since it is a Husky Farm, it only seemed fitting that there would be snow falling and a little bit of wind. We chose the perfect spot for the sign by the doghouse and Siren statue.

The sign is AMAZING!!!

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We would like to thank Dan, Scout Troop #523, their families, Dave Levengood of Global Advanced Metals, USA, Inc. for CAD design work, A.D. Moyer Lumber for donating the materials, Troy and Kim Brown of Brown Construction for project construction and consulting and Mike and Annmarie Burkhart for the sign graphics.

It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of this community. The Huskies are proud to call Douglass Township, Berks County their home!

~ Scout

Luke

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Age: 1 – 2 Years
Sex: Male
Size: Average

Congratulations Luke!!!

On January 19th, Luke and his sibeling Dora made their way to MaPaw foster homes. We had originally been contacted by the shelter where they were residing because both pups were quite shy and the shelter felt rescue would be their best chance. We were making arrangements to bring the pair into rescue when we got the call we were dreading ~ the shelter had an emergency and needed Dora and Luke out immediately. Our volunteers sprung into action and soon were on their way to pick up the pair.

When our volunteers picked them up, it was clear that Luke was quite ill and he was taken for immediate vet care. Our worst fears were realized when his breathing became labored. He was rushed to emergency care and admitted immediately. Chest x-rays revealed that our poor boy suffered from pneumonia. IV fluids and several antibiotic injectables were administered. Finally the update from the hospital was good news. Luke no longer had a fever, no longer had difficulty breathing and the best news ~ he could return to his foster home! His appetite has returned and he is now resting comfortably at his foster home.

Luke is being spoiled in his foster home and his subsequent chest x-ray was clear. He will continue with his recovery and once he receives a clean bill of health, he will be ready to go to a forever home.

So sadly, our Dora left us far too soon. We are so very grateful for the short time we had with her and that she knew love and that people cared for her before she left us so quickly.

Any donations and contributions toward Luke’s medical bills are gratefully appreciated.

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Rex

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Age: 7 Years
Sex: Male
Size: Average

Congratulations Rex!!!

Rex is a seven year old grey and white husky with bright blue eyes. Sadly his family was forced to move and could not take Rex so they secured him in the back yard and went over daily to feed him. Poor Rex was very lonely.

Rex began his life as an indoor pet and enjoyed being part of the family. He is trustworthy in the house and housebroken. He is an extremely happy and affectionate boy that just wants to love and be loved. Rex is a joy to be around.

Rex’s dream home would be one where he can hang out and receive a lot of attention. He is good with other dogs his size or larger and enjoys a good romp and game of chase as long as he can relax and love his humans inside where he belongs.

If you are looking for a happy go lucky friend to be by your side, please ask us about this great dog.

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Caspian

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Age: 7 Years
Sex: Male
Size: Average

Congratulations Caspian!!!

Caspian is a seven year old handsome Siberian whose life came crashing down when his family lost their home and Caspian lost the life he had always known. The family placed Caspian in the hands of our friends at the shelter. He came to us uncomfortable with affectionate handling, but has learned to love to be loved and petted.

Caspian has big, soulful brown eyes and he loves people once he trusts them. He gives so many kisses and loves to be petted and now even accepts gentle hugs happily. He loves car rides and walks (although he will pull a bit, typical of the breed). He can be a drama queen and has plenty to say. This boy does love to talk! He is on the calm side and enjoys sleeping in his foster boy’s room on the spare bed. He is crate trained and housebroken.

Caspian adores being with people and thoroughly enjoys spending time with them, however, he prefers to keep his humans to himself. Caspian can be aggressive toward other dogs and will snap at dogs he feels are a threat, even with people present. For this reason, he will only be placed in a dog experienced home with no young children where he will be the only companion animal.

Caspian is a happy boy once again with one more wish ~ his own home and family to love.

Updates on Luke & Radar

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Hello Puppers ~
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Luke at Petco today. He definitely seems in better spirits, but does still tire easily. He is such a nice guy. He still has a bit of a cough, but not nearly as bad as it once was (according to his foster Mum). He made the trip to Petco with his foster brother, Zeke. Luke could only stay for a little while before he had to go rest in the car. He will be going to get his chest x-ray and follow up vet visit this week. We’re hoping for good news…

Also, had a chance to check in with Radar. He wasn’t at Petco, but his foster Mum was. She reports that he is doing well. He has a great appetite and is being a very good patient, taking all of his medications. Later this week, he’ll be evaluated to see if he really does have degenerative myelopathy.

Check back soon for updates!

~ Scout

Radar’s Journey to MaPaw

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Hello Puppers ~
As we were getting ready for dinner on Saturday night, we got a call from a shelter we have worked closely with for years. They had an emergency and they were hoping that we could help them.

A “rescue” had come to the shelter and pulled 2 dogs. One of the dogs was a pup named Igor who was a senior that was horribly matted. The “rescue” gave Igor a badly needed haircut and took both dogs to the vet. During that vet visit, the “rescue” was told that Igor was unadoptable because he had a giant mass on his hind leg, age related health issues (arthritis and some bad teeth) and had been diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. What happened next is unfathomable. The “rescue” left the vet and drove back to the shelter to return Igor. Anyone that has ever been involved with rescue knows that returning a senior dog with health issues to the shelter is essentially a death sentence.

As soon as we heard what had happened, we said “how soon can we get him?” Volunteer, Dave C., got in his car Sunday morning and drove to the shelter to pick up our newest family member. He was a wonderful passenger and greeted Dave with gentle kisses.

We could not believe the size of the tumor when we first saw it. We totally understood how the poor guy was having difficulty walking. The pack welcomed him and he even tried playing a few times. We decided that Igor was not a fitting name for this guy, so we chose to change his name to Radar (have you seen those ears???).

After consultation yesterday with the vet, Radar’s surgery was scheduled for today. The mass was removed, as well as his male parts (neuter). We are hopeful that the mass is benign and we should find out in about a week.

The surgery went well without complications and Radar was able to return to the Farm today for crate rest and recovery.

We are so grateful that we were able to give Radar a second chance. Welcome Radar!

~ Scout

Mobi

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Age: Approximately 7 years
Sex: Male
Size: Large

Congratulations Mobi!

Mobi is a handsome and hefty husky/malamute that had been found as a stray and became a guest at our local shelter. This big guy weighed in at 110 pounds! When we met Mobi, he greeted us so sweetly and was so depressed at the shelter. We knew he needed some help from some new friends and we were happy to find him foster space in our rescue.

An immediate vet check and bloodwork confirmed our suspicions. Mobi is hypothyroid, a condition that causes increased weight. He has been taking his prescribed medication, exercising and watching what he eats (like a good boy)! We are very happy to say that Mobi is a healthier weight and a much healthier pup!

Mobi is sweet, calm and slow but strong. He is happy to see you and wags his tail a lot. He will climb up and down on the sofa. Mobi enjoys the company of the other pups in his foster home and can now engage more actively in play.