Spring 2010

President's Message
Bubba's Story
Events/Fundraisers
CFCNCA and Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign
Purina Labels
Special Thanks

President's Message

Bubba's Story

March 1, 2010
Last week Bubba had a set back and became very painful when an infection in his right front leg returned. He went in to the Critical Care Center at RVRC and they took good care of him. He is back on antibiotics and doing well, and even met a potential forever home yesterday (Saturday). Unfortunately several potential forever homes have changed their minds since we started this process, and we continue with the applications that we have. If anyone is still interested in adopting Bubba, please email me at sadsac01@yahoo.com and put ADOPT BUBBA in the subject line. That's all for now.

Lola went to the SPCA of Northern VA to go up for adoption. Thank you Barbara for helping me with this darling little girl. Although this is not the last of the poodles we have seen recently, we still have one more. He is a one week old teacup poodle. We are hoping he makes it without his momma, who stopped producing milk. Wish us luck, as foster mom Bobbi is giving him the best chance possible to survive. Thanks Bobbi. -Sherry

February 15, 2010
Good news and bad news on Bubba. His foster mom reports that he has had some swelling in his right front leg for a couple of days. When he started to become painful, she took him in to the emergency department "Critical Care" at RVRC. He got some pain meds and is awaiting an exam from Dr. Talaat to see what the scoop is. Poor baby, just when we thought he was out of the woods. I hope to get a call from Dr. Talaat soon, to update me on the situation.

The good news is he has finally found his forever home. I am faxing the contract today and once the new owner has signed it, Bubba will start on his new journey.

More updates on his progress as soon as I get it. -Sherry

January 31, 2010
Bubba should be meeting a few prospective homes soon, we are narrowing the search. Right now he weighs in at a much healthier 50.4 lbs. YAY! No more looking like Starvin’ Marvin’ for our little Bubba. That’s all our Bubba news for now. :o)

We had another poodle rescue this week. She is a 3.5 year old miniature. Apricot, I think, under all that urine and matting. She was a military dog, perhaps coming from Korea at some point. She’s cute and friendly but a bit snappy when you try to look in her ears. She’ll make a good pet for someone who doesn’t have small kids.

This one was returned to the shelter because she has bladder stones. She’s been urinating blood and doesn’t have much room in her bladder to hold urine. The stones are impressive. We hope to dissolve them with SD (prescription diet) food, no surgery. Nice to not have a BIG expensive surgery to look forward to. This one will be going to Mid-Atlantic Poodle Rescue for foster care though, like the other rescues mentioned on this page, SADSAC will pay her medical expenses.
-Sherry

January 24, 2010
Friday, 10:00 AM: Got a call from Dr. Talaat today, she says the external fixation pins are working their way out, so guess what that means? Another surgery. We had two choices, put another external fixation pin around the existing ones to hopefully anchor them, or go in and remove the pins, do another bone graft and plate the bones together. After talking it over with Dr. Talaat, I went with her recommendation of doing the plate and bone graft. I awaited results.

Friday, 6:15 PM: I called RVRC and happened to get Dr. Talaat just as she walked out of surgery. One of the first two bone grafts didn't take, but the new one went in, and she is very pleased with not only how the plate went in, but how well he is healing. All the infection seems to be gone. Whew! Surgery #4 was a complete success. Now splinting and bandaging will be much easier, and Bubba won't have to have such a cumbersome thing on that front leg anymore with the external pins gone. Dr. Talaat is also very pleased with his physical therapy and range of motion in the left hind, and she is now hopeful he will be able to keep that leg. YAY! He will be allowed to go a foster mom very soon, so we are madly checking references on applications.

Hopefully the next time I update you, Bubba will be headed off to his new foster home. Thanks again, to everyone following Bubba's story. I will keep you posted.

Sorry it was so long between updates, I have been flooded with other calls for rescue. Sadly, I was unable to save eight of the animals needing rescue. I'll spare you the stories, suffice to say it is always sad to lose these battles. I am not a good loser.

As for momma poodle, Thia, she is coming out of her shell, starting to wag her tail and beginning to enjoy short walks on the grass. Her pups are starting to gain weight and thrive. Atta girl!

As for Buddy, another poodle rescue, he is happily nestled in his new foster home. His foster mom reports "what a great little dog!". He loves kids, cats, dogs, everybody! MidAtlantic Poodle Rescue has him in their care, and hopefully he will find a loving home soon.

Fan Belt Kitty, aka Little Bear, stopped by for vaccines the other day. What a love! It should be easy to find a home for such a cuddler. However, it may be hard to let him go. Good luck, Jill, peeling him out of the arms of your husband. Thanks Animal Allies of Prince William County for helping me out with this rescue. He is definitely a clinic favorite. We love snugglers.

Take care, and thanks again! -Sherry

January 15, 2010

January 14, 2010
I hope to go visit Bubba and maybe get a couple of pictures over the weekend. No news yet today from the RVRC although I am sure he is continuing to charm everyone around him. When I go to see him, I will bring the toys that fill his unit here at the clinic so he knows he is loved. :o) -Sherry

January 13, 2010
MAMA POODLE UPDATE: This is her second time at the shelter, the second owner brought her in to be euthanized and she gave birth to a pup right at the front desk. She is matted and has an ear infection, but she and the pups are doing ok. More updates as information becomes available.

I spoke to Dr. Talaat today who came in on her day off to check on Bubba. She says he amazes her with his speedy recovery every day! He is walking around, closely guarded by staff, and is healing fast and in great spirits (as always). There is still a large wound around the fractures on the right front leg that needs bandage changes, and lots of physical therapy to be done on the right hind as often as possible during the day and night. Bubba is eating up all the attention. One of the nurses has volunteered to bring him back and forth to work with her so they may continue his care and physical therapy for the next couple of weeks. The range of motion in his right hind leg is better than they expected. Looks like he is on the road to recovery. Go Bubba! Updates will be less frequent now, and thank you all for monitoring his progress and caring so much.

The sad truth is that this sort of thing happens every day. Every shelter, every animal hospital, sees one or more injured animal every single day. Sometimes no owner comes forth, sometimes owners refuse to pay, often owners can't pay. If your pet is lost and has no tags or microchip, there is no way to find you. Your pet could be injured and in pain, or possibly even euthanized, without any way to reach you. Shelters and hospitals simply cannot absorb the costs. Worse yet, there are not enough homes for these hapless animals. Please neuter your pets, save your pennies for the unexpected, keep them as safe as you can, and if you can afford it, donate, or adopt one and you will certainly save a life. Bubba was lucky. I was lucky, without Channel 4 and its viewers, Bubba's story would have ended much differently.

Thank you all again for your continued concern and support. -Sherry

p.s. An update on our little "Fan Belt Kitty": he has been through a couple of name changes so far. First it was Midas, then the foster home named him Little Bear. He is a LOVE! He lives to snuggle, and from the second he can see you, the motor turns on and he purrs and purrs. SUPER sweet, SUPER cute! The drain comes out today and the stitches will come out in a couple of days. Little Bear has gone to Animal Allies for foster care.

January 12, 2010
When I contacted the RVRC, they informed me that Bubba has gone home with one of the surgical nurses for some rest, TLC and physical therapy! Talk about going above and beyond! Thanks again to the wonderful people at RVRC for caring so much for our little Bubba. Stay tuned, more updates tomorrow when he goes back to the surgeon for a recheck.

UPDATE: We have an ever-growing list of potential adopters for Bubba. For those that are interested in adopting- please check back with me soon, I may be turning the screening process over to pitsandrotts4life.net due to the overwhelming number of Good Samaritans coming forth to adopt Bubba. I will have a better idea of the type of care (physical therapy, vet visits, further surgeries) he'll need when I pick him up from the surgeon at the end of the week.

Unfortunately, due to the large volume of well wishers that would like to meet Bubba in the flesh, I may not be able to bring all of those people in to see him while he is recovering. I wish he could meet you all, but we have close to 80 potential adopters so far! Thank you ALL for your understanding. I promise to get more pictures up soon. -Sherry

January 11, 2010
First I'd like to thank the people at Regional Veterinary Referral Center (in Springfield, VA) who have assisted us with Bubba's care. When I went to RVRC with my personal credit card in my hand and my friend carrying Bubba, I was really scared. I had no idea what to expect and little did I know that his injuries were far worse than I thought. But RVRC has been AMAZING! Thank you especially to Dr. Talaat for doing all three surgeries, coming in on her day off, and refusing to give up. We are truly grateful for all your efforts and for trying to keep our costs down.

Dr. Talaat says he is doing really well! He is trying to stand and walk on his own already. The range of motion in his left hind leg is better than expected and he will be receiving extensive physical therapy.

The staff there seems to have fallen for him as we have, and are going more than the extra mile to take the very best care of him. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you all.

Thanks to all of you who have donated, no matter how big or how small. There are so many of you, I don’t think I will be able to write thank yous to all of you... I came into work today to find his “empty” cage filled with toys and blankies and treats and food. Thank you for all the donations of cat food and dog food. If anyone would like to be on our mailing list for further rescue updates, please let us know. Without all of you, I never could have saved this determined little pup! Thank YOU! -Sherry

January 10, 2010
The vet says Bubba is doing well today. They need to do a small surgery tomorrow morning to close the area around the external fixation pins, then they will start physical therapy. Even though Bubba, newly improved and now neutered, will have a long road to recovery, he'll have lots of fan mail to read along the way!

I would like to take a moment to thank Susan, the director of Pits and Rotts for Life Rescue, Inc., for her consistent support and encouragement throughout this whole experience. Before the news story broke, hers was the first and only rescue group to return my call and offer to help. -Sherry

January 9, 2010
Latest word is the surgeon was able to put his femur together with a plate, pins and wire, but we are not sure if it will hold. It also remains to be seen how much range of motion he will have in that leg, and how much physical therapy he will need. He did well under anesthesia, so we hope to get the right front leg plated and pin inserted today. I’ll keep you posted.

We have had MANY inquiries into adopting Bubba. We are concentrating on getting him through the surgeries first, but if you are still interested please email at sadsac01@yahoo.com. You can monitor his progress on our site www.sadsac.org, we will keep you posted!

UPDATE: 6:30 p.m. Bubba is out of surgery. They had to do a bone graft, but they are happy about the way the bones went together. There is infection in both bone areas and they put 2 external fixation pins to help stabilize the area (on the right front leg). While they were in there, they discovered some fractures and a luxation in the pelvis but the vet feels this has really begun to scar down so no further treatment will be needed for that. She said he has a long road ahead, but we are hoping for the best. He may still need the left hind amputated at some point, but we will wait and see. He’s receiving lots of pain meds and they will keep him a few more days to monitor and begin physical therapy.

As for our tuxedo kitten, he has been put back together and is all wrapped up awaiting the healing process. -Sherry

January 8, 2010
We’re off to the surgeon this morning, our appointment is for 10 AM. We are hopeful they can repair both legs at the same time. Promises of donations are coming in, thanks to the good people of the DC, VA, MD area and of course, NBC, channel 4 news. I was beginning to give up hope when they called interested in Bubba’s story. If you’d like to help, please send donations to SADSAC, P.O. Box 972, Dumfries VA 22026, or make a donation via Paypal. I will try to post an update when he recovers from surgery. Thank you!

UPDATE: 5:45 p.m. Bubba is still in surgery. They have been working on his left hind for hours and due to the length of time it has been broken, it just doesn’t want to go back together. We are waiting on the surgeon to call us back, but it looks like he may lose that leg. They will try to do the surgery on the right front tomorrow, but we’ll have to wait and see.

We also have a black and white tuxedo cat that has been brought in to the clinic. It is a 4 month old kitten. While trying to get warm in the engine of a car, he got caught in the fan belt. When it rains, it pours. In this case, it's pouring cats and dogs! Will post more information on Fan Belt Kitty as it becomes available. -Sherry

January 7, 2010
"Bubba" is an 11 month old, intact male American Staffordshire Terrier who got out of his owner's home and was missing for 2 weeks. The weather was unusually brutal but, after having been hit by a car and losing about half of his total body weight (he is down to about 32 lbs), he somehow managed to drag himself home. His right front leg is badly broken and he has extensive abrasions. He is so emaciated and weak, we have to hold his head up for him so he can eat and drink. This morning we discovered he also has a badly fractured left hind leg. Surgical costs will be about $5000 and treatment for his recovery will be between $1000-$2000.

Just when I was about to give up, Channel 4 called and he will be on the 5 o’clock news!

Sherry Meier, President SADSAC

Events/Fundraisers:

4th Annual Musical Freestyle

Join us in Nokesville, VA on Sunday, May 16th, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. for a day of horses, music, door prizes and fun!

Riders AND spectators wanted. Spectators - this is a blast!

Dressage Musical Freestyle combines the elegance and beauty as well as the power and strength of the horse with the stirring impact of music. This creative expression of the horse-rider relationship is entertaining and offers great audience appeal. -United States Dressage Federation

Requested donation of $15-20 per person (but any amount is welcome!) We are also accepting donations of drinks, snacks and volunteer help. All proceeds benefit SADSAC.

For more information, call (703) 594-3324 or email sadsac01@yahoo.com.

Rain date: June 20, 2010.   No dogs - please leave them at home.

CFCNCA and Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign

SADSAC's Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capitol Area designation number is 90429 if you would like to make a payroll deduction contribution. If you wish to donate through the national CFC, they will accept write-in donations on our behalf. Also, we are happy to accept monetary donations which are tax deductible. You can drop them by the clinic at Independent Hill or put them in the mail to SADSAC, P.O. Box 972, Dumfries, VA 22026. We’ll do our very best to help all those we can. We can’t do it without you.

We have also been added to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign. Our designation number with CVC is 3057.

New ways to help!

You can now help support SADSAC when you search the Internet with GoodSearch.com. To use this search engine, go on the site, designate Save A Dog, Save A Cat (SADSAC) as your favorite charity, and each time you search, a penny will go to SADSAC!!

And with the holidays just around the corner, shop online using Goodshop.com. Go to the site, select Save A Dog, Save A Cat (SADSAC), click on a store logo and go shopping. A percentage of the sales price will be donated to SADSAC!

SADSAC also has relationships with Amazon.com and iGive.com. Simply click on one of the following graphics then shop as usual. A percentage of your total purchase is donated directly to SADSAC.

    

Recycled Toner Cartridges

Please keep those used printer cartridges coming! We send them off for recycling and receive a donation for each toner cartridge we submit. Drop them by Independent Hill Veterinary Clinic any time!

Microchipping

We are still microchipping at Independent Hill Veterinary Clinic. Please call (703) 791-2083 to make an appointment.

Save Those Purina Labels!

Check your dog and cat food bags for weight circles from Purina Proplan and CNM Rx diets for donation to SADSAC. You can drop them off at the clinic any time. Just tell the receptionist to give them to Sherry. We thank you in advance.

Special Thanks

As always, a few special thank yous are in order:

The Doctors and Staff at Independent Hill Veterinary Clinic
The Doctors and Staff at Dumfries Animal Hospital
The Purnells
Sue Holland
The Rains