Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sprout Settles in at Col. Potter!

Contributed by Sprout’s Foster Mom

Sprout is enjoying his special meals, prepared and served up with Love!

Sprout is the CUTEST little thing and looks like a "hairball" with big eyes.  I'm assuming nobody told him how unhealthy he is, as he acts like a typical puppy most of the time.  I forgot what it felt like to have my ankles attacked by those pin like teeth... and dragging him across the floor before you realize he's attached to your pant leg.  He's loving and well behaved, even now, and will sit in your lap for hours while chewing on your fingers or a toy.

He's getting all his meds and eating often and well as Monika prepared many meals for him prior to sending him here.  I just have to stay on a schedule and make sure he eats all he gets.  Sprout seems to feel well and shows no sign of fear, yet he's not mean and rough like so many.  He adores his Momma, yet doesn't mind spending alone time as long as it doesn't last to long :-)  Cauliflower and Sprout have their own room (next to ours) and it is set up like a nursery with soft music playing.

Sprout is doing fine, eating well, and being a good boy, so no worries right now. 

Sprout’s Medical Condition 

Sprout has a serious birth defect called a liver shunt, a blood vessel that carries blood around the liver instead of through it.  Because the blood bypasses the liver in dogs with these shunts, toxins may build up in the bloodstream or kidneys.  Additionally, the dog lacks the necessary materials to give it a ready source of energy and to help it grow.

Sprout has been placed on a special homemade diet, medications, and supplements that will not only be easier on his body, keeping the toxins to a minimum, but also provide him with the nutrition he needs to help him grow and gain strength to prepare him for possible liver shunt surgery.  The life expectancy for puppies who do not have the surgery is not good.  However, for those lucky enough to have liver shunt surgery, survival rate is over 95% for dogs with shunts treated by ameroid constrictor placement, and long-term prognosis is better with this technique than with most other methods.  What's an ameroid constrictor you ask?  It is a ring type device that slowly closes off the shunt over a period of weeks, allowing the liver to gradually adjust to bloodflow through it rather than it all happening at once.

Sprout's medical expenses to date have already been costly.  It will be at least another month until we know if Sprout is a candidate for liver shunt surgery.  Hopefully he is, but if that is the course that is taken, his care and surgery will put an extremely heavy financial burden on Col. Potter.  This is on top of the regular care that each furkid that comes into CP receives. 

Please consider making a contribution to Col. Potter so that we can continue to help sweet, little 12 week old Sprout and the other CP Cairns with critical medical needs.

Please send your donations for medical assistance to: 

CPCRN - Medical Fund
c/o Danielle Rackstraw
P. O. Box 1354
Menifee, CA 92585-1354 

Thank You for your many prayers and any help you can offer Sprout on his journey to health! 

Col. Potter Needs a Few More Tour Guides!
Please Volunteer to Foster and help us lead the way for every Cairn in need! 

Please  Consider being a CP Volunteer! 
CP Foster Home Application form: 
http://www.cairnrescue.com/rescue/foster.htm 

CP Transport Volunteer Driver form: 
http://cairnrescue.com/rescue/transport.htm 

CPCRN Volunteer form: 
http://cairnrescue.com/rescue/volunteer.htm











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