November is “Adopt a Senior” month and we’ve got a special senior located at the City Of Taylor, Texas Animal Shelter looking for his forever family. His name is Sully. He was found at the tennis courts in Murphy Park and has been at the shelter since July 19. The fur on his neck was worn like he had a collar on at some point so he definitely belonged to someone. Sadly, nobody claimed him.
Sully began to show signs of an illness that included weight loss and coughing, as well as a fainting episode. So the shelter staff reached out to us for help and we had Graef Veterinary Hospital check him out. Of course he’s heart worm positive, as most dogs that enter the shelter are. But his cough was being caused by fluid accumulation in his lungs; something similar to pneumonia. They also found that he has a heart murmur and an enlarged heart. It’s hard to tell if those issues are caused by the heartworm infection or if they were pre-existing conditions since there is no way to tell how many worms a dog is infected with unless you subject them to open heart surgery which he is definitely not healthy enough for. Xrays also revealed that his abdomen was filled with nothing but gas which would explain why he was losing weight despite being fed a very healthy serving every day. No blockages though, so food was basically going right through him.
Sully has a bucket list!
After consulting with the vet we came to the conclusion that Sully was not a candidate for neuter surgery or heartworm treatment at this time. All we could do was treat him for the fluid in his lungs with antibiotics. Our best guess on his age is between 10 and 15 years. While at the shelter, he has become increasingly stressed. To the point that while he is definitely potty trained (keeps his kennel spotless) and enjoys being indoors, he HATES having to go back in his kennel.
BUT after changing his food to a more digestion friendly formula, he’s begun to put some of that weight back on! He’s not done yet! SULLY WANTS TO LIVE HIS BEST LIFE!
If you can give Sully an inside home that is somewhat calm (he faints when he gets overly excited) where he can live out his life, please contact the Taylor Animal Shelter at 512-352-5483 or send us a message. A meet and greet with your dog(s) prior to him going home with you is required as well as proof of spay, no exceptions. Once he’s settled in after a month or two, we’ll have him re-evaluated at our vet (no cost to you) to see if there has been any change in his prognosis. Since this is a situation where he likely won’t be able to undergo any treatment for his conditions, Texas Critter Crusaders will be there to help with any medical costs his health may require.
Please share this so we can get Sully out of the shelter for how ever much time he has left.
Friends, Daisy is a Taylor Animal Shelter resident who needs our help! She is in need of medical attention to remove a mammary tumor that is currently the size of 1 and ½ softballs – and growing rapidly! This tumor is affecting her quality of life and ability to walk. The staff at the shelter recently had to wrap her chest in a sheet to keep the tumor from dragging the ground and potentially breaking open. The good news is that the tumor is non- malignant, and preliminary diagnostic results indicate that with surgery and proper after-care, Daisy can be good as new, and should recover quite nicely. This will require surgery and after care in a foster home, including post-surgery heart worm treatment.
Because Daisy is part of a bonded pair, and her companion also needs heart worm treatment, we are raising funds for Daisy’s surgery and heart worm treatment, and Whiskey’s heart worm treatment. The estimated veterinary cost for Daisy’s surgery is $800. The heart worm treatment will cost $300 per dog or $600 total.
The staff and volunteers do an AMAZING job loving and caring for the animals that come into their care. As shelter volunteers ourselves, we saw a need and wanted to help even more. With the formation of this non-profit organization, we now have a way to help raise funds that are tax deductible for donors that can do even more to help with providing food, toys, medical care, outreach, education, and enrichment for the animals we all love.