The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) has established a database of people who would like to volunteer their services for the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. The database contains additional information about each registrant that enables agencies involved in the cleanup to recruit people based on their needs. While the database focuses on people with some interest or expertise in wildlife, people who wish to register do not need to be members of the AAZV. They don’t need to be veterinarians, either, so we’re encouraging biologists, zoologists, veterinary technicians, etc. to register.

The information contained in this database will be made available only to agencies that are involved in the clean up, and only when requested by them. AAZV will not use the database for any other purpose.

We feel it is a useful tool because we can provide lists to agencies based on their individual needs. As an example, if an agency is looking for volunteers who can work in August, who have experience in oiled birds, who can mobilize within a week’s notice, and who have a place to stay near the gulf coast in Mississippi, we can select for those parameters and provide the list.

Please follow this link to the registration module to get an idea of the data we’re collecting and to see how easy it is to register.

We are asking you to help spread the news about this list. Would you be so kind as to make the information available to your members and others by distributing it on your listserve and/or posting on your Website? You can direct people to the AAZV home page: www.aazv.org and follow the links from there.

There are no guarantees that people registering on the database will be called, and we warn people not to self deploy.

A friend of Scout’s Honor Rescue contacted us when she spotted Shelby on line at a local shelter. We were surprised or rather shocked at her condition. She was emaciated, dehydrated, skin infection, mange, and pneumonia. Our friend got her out of the shelter and took her immediately to the vets office. They surmised that she needed blood transfusions, tube feeding, hydration, etc. We are once again hoping for a full recovery for Shelby and this is just the beginning of her journey. The report we got today was that she held her head up and wagged her tail in the slightest effort to say “thanks for your help—I will be good to go in time”. The emergency vets are cleaning her every 4 hours to keep chances of opportunistic infections to a minimum. They are hydrating her and utilizing antibiotics on her open wounds. It will be a long road to recovery but we are committed to her 100%. She loves food and very gentle belly rubs.

Update:

Shelby is doing MUCH MUCH better. She continues to improve and she thrives on attention. You can see her new tuffs of hair on her rib cage and feet. We even took her out side and she barked, which is a good sign. She has gained strength and no longer wobbles about or has to take a nap after walking outside to potty. The vets will keep her another week or so then she’ll be ready to go in to foster care. She is one heck of a pup, coming from a horrible situation and now she is smiling and wagging her tail.

Update:

Shelby went to stay with her foster family and has gotten stronger everyday. She has a full coat of hair and muscles! Her foster family have taught her to sit and stay and down.
Shelby will soon be with her forever family.

Tucker came to us with his sister, Hannah from a backyard breeder. The pups were dirty and flea infested, and they were lethargic, not like typical 12 week old Golden puppies.  They were diagnosed as having intestinal parasites.  After de-worming, Hannah perked up and began to feel and act like a normal puppy. 

Tucker, however, became more and more lethargic.  Another trip to the vet for blood work and an ultrasound showed Tucker had some serious problems.  An ultrasound showed his lungs and chest cavity were full of blood and fluid and the poor little guy was struggling to breathe.  In addition, Tucker’s blood was not clotting properly and he was bleeding into his internal body cavities.  Further diagnostic testing revealed Tucker had probably gotten into rat poison.  He was immediately started on the antidote and started receiving plasma infusions.  The first 3 days were really tough and we were not sure if he was going to make it.  Tucker was in an incubator receiving oxygen and intravenous fluids and meds.  It was an effort for him to wag his little tail for us.  But on Day 4, he showed a small improvement and the next day brought even further improvements. His little body was doing its best, along with the antidote and plasma, to recover from the effects of the rat bait. His blood was now coagulating properly and his body was re-absorbing and dissipating the blood and fluids in his chest cavity and lungs.
 
Tucker continued to improve and get a little stronger everyday. He was soon able to go to home. He continues to thrive in his forever home.

Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue

I found Trixi on a country road on Saturday of Thanksgiving week-end 1998. She came right up to me and stood next to me. I loved her right away! She was the stinkiest dog I’ve ever smelled, though! I had to endure the smell driving several hours to get back to Houston. I took her straight to the vet to have her cleaned up and to get all of her shots. The vet estimated that she was 5 months old. She weighed 22 lbs.

It took a little time for her to adjust in my household with my other dog, Monti, but I could tell right away she liked the food! She began as a very loving pup and followed my every step and still does and, I’m sure, will continue until she just can’t manage it anymore. She is very much “a momma’s baby”.

Her long red hair began to grow in and she grew, too. The girl loves to eat! I call her “Grocery Girl” or “Big Red Snapper” because she snaps her teeth when she’s given something she really likes! I used to call us “the 2 chubby redheads”.

Back then, in late 1998 and most of 1999, one of the treats I kept on hand for both Monti and Trixi was pigs’ ears. They might have been the reason for our coming to know and love all of you at VERGI

One Sunday afternoon in late August 1999, after Trixi had eaten at least 3 or 4 pigs’ ears, she started to vomit and was very quiet. Although I had not given her 3 or 4 pigs’ ears, she picked up the ones I had given to Monti, too! I began to watch her closely and she vomited again. Then, with seemingly no strength left in her body, she collapsed in front of me and her eyes rolled back in her head. I knew we were in trouble.

I quickly phoned my neighbor who came right over and helped me get her into the car. I sped away heading for your much-needed help. When I arrived, in tears, the lobby was crowded. I yelled out, crying, for someone to please help me get my dog out of the car. A young man, a client, came out and carried her through the lobby straight into one of your exam rooms. I don’t know who that young man was but his help was the first in the whirlwind of life-saving events that had just begun.

As Trixi laid on your table, her breathing became labored and she began to ooze blood from her rectum. We called for help. Some techs and nurses quickly came in with a stretcher and took Trixi away.

A few minutes later, I peeked around the door and saw that Trixi had on an oxygen mask! I was really frightened. After a while, a young woman entered and introduced herself as Dr. Plumber. She was very calm and professional and began to ask questions that led to the possibility that Trixi may have been poisoned. The pigs’ ears became a possible target. She had eaten more than usual. (One was usually the day’s limit.) And, I had purchased a different brand from a different store.

The night wore on and the medical blur, for me, was inevitable.

At that time in 1999, your office closed at 7 AM. After having spoken to VERGI personnel throughout the night, I returned to pick Trixi up. She was very weak and still a very sick girl. She had made it through the night! Dr. Plumber and the others on duty that night saved my baby’s life! But she was not out of the woods.

Trixi went from your loving and life-saving care to my family vet who nursed her through the rest of our ordeal. She remained at the vet clinic for several days. I took off from my job when Trixi came home. I wanted to be with her and watch her every move. Knowing that she still wanted to take every step with me, I knew that for the next few days, I would lie by her side and not move unless I absolutely had to. She was too sick to be up and down, up and down with my every move.

After a few days, I sort of forgot about Dr. Plumber and VERGI because I didn’t want to relive the nightmare. Then one afternoon when Trixi and I were lying in bed, Dr. Plumber phoned. She called to check on Trixi. (I could tell she wasn’t sure Trixi was still alive!) That was the best phone call ever! I had no idea that anyone would have given us a second thought once we were gone and other pets were coming and going through VERGI’s doors.

Having saved Trixi’s life was quite enough but to CARE, too! I was astounded! Thus began an almost 10-year association with the caring doctors and staff of VERGI August of 2009 will be our “anniversary”.

That very year, the “I Survived” Christmas parties began. I believe Trixi’s remarkable survival story was the nexus for the yearly celebrations! Trixi loves to go especially for, you guessed it, the food!

In the years that have passed, we’ve continued the wonderful relationship with Dr. Noaker and the VERGI staff. Trixi has “visited” again for other issues and several other dogs of mine have received the phenomenal care of the compassionate doctors and staff.

Trixi is in good health. She’ll be 10 on July 4th. Thank you, VERGI for the 10, and I hope many more, wonderful years with Trixi.

When Abby was 11 months old, she was playing in the back yard and ate a Sago Palm seed. We had no idea they were poisonous! She came in a few minutes later, throwing up over and over and over. I called a garden nursery to see if Sagos were poisonous and they said, get her to a vet!

I rushed her to my vet and they treated her and sent her home, telling me that she would get better or not, they weren’t sure, but there was nothing else to do.

I held that little thing all night long and all day the next day as she threw up and kept going downhill. Finally, I told my husband we had to get her to the emergency hospital to see if they could do ANYTHING. We went to VERGI and they checked her over and said, yes, there were things they could do and they got to work on her! It was very rough on all of us for the next couple of weeks, but the vets all worked so hard to save Abby and Abby did her part by fighting with all her heart.

This was when VERGI was closed during the day, so Abby would go to the vet during the day and to VERGI in the evening. That went on for a while. We sought help from a number of vets and eventually, Abby started getting better. She came home and was still closely monitored for a relapse as the poison affects the liver and kidneys. While she does have some permanent liver dysfunction and on medicine for the rest of her life, she did get better.

Now, Abby is 5 1/2 years old and, as you can see in the picture, she is very hearty and healthy. She is completely normal in every way, although we do still have some extra testings from time to time, she is in excellent health. We have a lot to thank the vets at VERGI for! We do appreciate each and every one of them so much. Every Christmas season, we go to their Christmas Open House and meet other pets that get to celebrate another year with their families all because of the caring vets at VERGI

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

Sherra and Gordon Miller
and, most of all, ABBY!

“It was a dark and stormy night…,” or at least some literary giants would have you believe that’s the way a great story should start. But since I am just a story-teller, and not a literary anything, this yarn begins with joy rather than anything sinister.

The focus of our joy is Phil, our retired, racing greyhound. He was born October 4, 1998, and called Footsy. His dad was Wigwam Wag and his mom was Kiawah Foot, both with impressive bloodlines. Because of leg injury as a young puppy, he never received a racing name due to the eventual reality that he would never be asked to race. Lucky for us, he was given to Greyhound Pets of America/Houston to be put up for adoption at one-year of age.

The breeder had indicated that even though his front leg was crooked and shorter than the rest, he was in fine shape. Due to my husband’s inquiring-minds-want-to-know attitude, we took Phil to Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists to see the orthopedic vet. After 2 surgeries and a rod, a plate and 6 screws, Phil’s leg was still crooked and shorter than the rest but he could now chase a tennis ball with the speed of any racing champion, pain-free.

At around 6 years old, Phil had his first episode of cluster seizures. The horror we felt was indescribable. Nothing had prepared us for Phil’s suffering with the onslaught of seizures again and again and again. We were familiar with VERGI through our previous greyhounds so we called ahead letting them know we were on our way. The prognosis was not good if medical attention could not stop the seizures. Phil’s temperature was 108. How could our beloved Phil survive this assault.

True to their calling, the caring and knowledgeable team at VERGI brought Phil from his anesthetic-induced sleep (the only way to stop the seizures) to a controlled awakening with no more seizure activity during his 6-day stay. The unfortunate reality was that a year later the veterinarian angels at VERGI would have another test of their skills when they would again save his life after another bout of cluster seizures. Phil now had multiple tenure in VERGI’s “Survivor’s Celebration” held at the end of every year.

Phil definitely has someone watching over him. He is my inspiration for survival. So much so that I have a tattoo of him on my forearm showing him not of this earth but more of an ethereal being.

For a number of years more mundane visits to VERGI involved minor injuries and mishaps when our regular vet’s office was closed…natch! But last year, Phil’s 10th, we brought Phil to VERGI with severe pancreatitis. After another week’s stay, Phil was weak, skinny, and wobbly on his feet but we welcomed him home with the thoughts that our family was whole again and VERGI was a God-send.

That summer of 2008, Phil survived pancreatitis thanks to VERGI, had knee surgery at Gulf Coast, and recovered from pneumonia. But the final insult to our Phil Bert Curlytail, so called because his tail curls up when he runs, was his diagnosis of bone cancer in the fall.

I am aware that VERGI can’t help Phil this time around but I can’t say that it hasn’t crossed my mind to the possibility. They have worked miracles in the past giving us so many more years of pure happiness and love with our handsome and oh-so-charming grey-pup but now Phil’s future will be dominated by boundless comfort and pampering. And I do believe that every time he lies on his back with all 4 legs in the air, he knows that is always guaranteed to bring a smile to our face and joy to our hearts.

I would be remiss if I don’t thank Drs. Hays and Tharp of Voss Road Animal Hospital and Dr. Robinett of the Veterinary Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Clinic for their loving care of Phil when needed.

Note: Sadly, we lost Phil on May 26, 2009. It is amazing to me that a dog of such a quiet and gentle demeanor could leave such a huge void in our hearts and home.

I took Capone to his vet around 5pm for his routine booster shots of Parvo and Bordatella. At this time, Capone was almost 2 years old. My vet had suggested that I also give him a Lepto shot because Lepto can be transferred from dogs to humans. I reluctantly agreed, the vet gave him his shots, and we went home.

Capone seemed to be ok, but a little sluggish as expected from the shots. Around 10pm, I got up to take a shower. Usually when I get out of the shower, Capone is already asleep on my bed. However, when I got out, he was sitting by my bathroom door scratching uncontrollably at his neck. I thought it was kind of odd, so I felt his neck and thought nothing of it. I sat back down on my bed reading for school, and he came up right next to me, scratching even more, so I took his collar off, thinking that was the problem.

About 30 minutes had passed and he was still scratching. So I felt his neck again, and found big welts and bumps around his neck and I panicked. I decided to call my old vet of 18 years, who is now retired. After telling him the situation, he told me that I needed to get Capone to an emergency clinic as soon as possible because he was having a severe allergic reaction to the Lepto shot. He told us to go to VERGI clinic and he called ahead for us. I never thought, nor was I told, that dogs could have allergic reactions to shots like humans, and had I known this, I probably would have noticed the signs sooner.

My mother and I rushed with Capone to VERGI and when we walked in, a nurse was waiting on us. She immediately took Capone from my arms and took him in the back with no questions asked. VERGI did not know or seem to even care if we could pay or not, they simply wanted to save my dog’s life and they did!

After the nurse took Capone, we anxiously waited and a vet came in after what felt like an eternity to let us know that he was stabilized and that we brought Capone just in time. It was later told to us at the annual Christmas party that Capone had serious problems when we brought him. His neck was swollen to the point that it was blocking his airway, a tube was put down his throat, and many shots were given to him to stop the reaction and bring the swelling down so that he could breathe. Fortunately, we were able to take him home around 3am and he fell asleep with his back paw scratching in the air, but thankfully showing us he could breathe through his normal snoring!

There are no words to express how much VERGI clinic means to us…they gave us many more healthy years with my Capone that can never be replaced. Thank you VERGI Clinic for all that you do and all of the dogs you save…May God continue to bless your place and all those who work so hard to save our family members when we need it the most!

Janikka Bratton and Elaine Timberlake

During Hurricane Ike, Baron (a 12 year old Flat Coat Retriever) began to experience back pain and severely reduced mobility. He began a steroid treatment for his back, but appeared to slowly decline otherwise, in particular slowly losing weight despite a continued healthy appetite. We had a series of vet visits from mid-September to early October, but could not pinpoint a cause of his weight loss, even after the steroid treatment concluded.

I awoke Sunday morning, October 12th, and Baron’s condition had severely declined during the night. His gums were pale, his breathing was labored and he was extremely lethargic. I rushed him to VERGI and the team that did his screening exam was equally concerned. Dr. Hartley was his examining physician and after several tests, it was still unclear what was causing his condition. Despite the inconclusive test results, Dr. Hartley was convinced that Baron had swallowed a foreign object.

It took a couple of days and a blood transfusion for Baron to become stable enough to tolerate an exploratory endoscopy. Thankfully, Dr. Hartley was persistent in her pursuit of the cause of Baron’s illness, even returning to VERGI on her day off to continue analyzing his case. The endoscopy procedure evolved into stomach surgery when it was apparent that he did in fact have a gastric foreign object. During surgery, Dr. Dixon removed a hand towel from Baron’s stomach. It was amazing that he had been able to eat anything at all. VERGI then began treatment to address the ulcerations caused by the foreign object and his condition soon stabilized. It is still a mystery as to where he found the towel and when he consumed it, as I am not missing one, but perhaps it was something that blew into the yard during Ike.

Both Baron’s regular vet and VERGI continued to support his ongoing treatment and recovery. Subsequent to his stomach surgery, VERGI diagnosed Baron as also suffering from a difficult to identify parasite, likely something he acquired during his prior weakened condition, and developed an intensive treatment plan to resolve that issue as well.

Thanks to the team at VERGI, Baron celebrated his 13th birthday in February. He is maintaining a healthy weight, is doing very well and happily retrieving his “toy” again. I am grateful to Dr. Noaker and her entire team, not only for their excellent care of Baron, but for their kindness throughout the entire process and their patience with all of my questions. It is clear that everyone at VERGI is dedicated to their mission and wants the best for their patients and families. I will no doubt fail to mention one or more members of the team that was involved in Baron’s treatment and ongoing care, but thank you to Dr. Hartley, Stephanie, Skye, Dr. Dixon, Dr. Mikoloski (and Angel), Dr. Seely, Dr. Cornelius, Dr. Southerland, Dr. Mouradian, Crystal, Kathleen, Betty Rose and Dr. Noaker.

Thank You,
Lila and Baron

Update Baron has passed on to the Rainbow Bridge at the age of fourteen.