Fur Kids Foundation Pack News Blog

2020 Success Story Hazel Bernese

10/23/2020

This is Hazel, the big, beautiful 1-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog. Hazel's family adopted her from a family friend who became too ill to care for Hazel any longer. Hazel's mom is familiar with giant breed dogs, and after a few months of having Hazel noticed she was walking odd. She brought her to the vet thinking they would be told Hazel had a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). Instead they were told Hazel had hip dysplasia and needed surgery to have a quality of life.

Breed fun fact:
Did you know that Bernese Mountain dogs were bred from crosses of mastiffs and guard-type breeds and were brought to Switzerland by the Romans 2,000 years ago!

According to Pet Honesty, hip dysplasia is hereditary and can be passed down through generations. Hip dysplasia can be worsened by lifestyle factors like weight gain, too little (or too much) exercise, and a dog’s diet lacking in the essential nutrients.

While any breed or size of dog can be affected by hip pain and dysplasia, larger dogs seem to be more susceptible than others. Signs that your dog could have hip pain or hip dysplasia:

bunny hopping with both back legs
cracking or popping sounds coming from their joints
difficulty with using stairs, laying down, or rising from the floor
not wanting to exercise or play
sensitive or swollen joints or hips

standing with their back legs closer than their front legs
strange or swaying gait or walk

Read more in the Signs and Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia in Dogs

Hazel's parents were not expecting this, and had no way to save up for this surgery, but knew that she needed it right away. They applied to Fur Kids Foundation for help with this surgery. We were able to help with a portion of the surgery, and Hazel is expected to have a long, healthy, and pain free life.

If you're really interested in a specific breed of dog, Fur Kids Foundation encourages you to be a responsible dog owner and find a responsible breeder that does the appropriate health screenings, such as radiographs for hip dysplasia and more.

About Fur Kids Foundation
Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Read more Success Stories.

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2020 Success Story Dexter border collie

10/16/2020

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Meet Dexter, a 10-year-old Border Collie mix, who is a typical old man, a little pudgy, but for the most part he’s healthy.

His mom's primary income was delivery groceries, so when she hurt her ankle and needed surgery she was no longer able to do her job while she healed. During this time, she noticed Dexter had a mass growing on his gums; one had burst and would not stop bleeding. She was worried about her old man and knew he needed to be examined at a vet’s office right away.

Turns out Dexter had a cyst in his mouth, along with a few infected teeth that needed removed.

Did you know that a dog typically has 42 adult teeth? According to PetMD, sometimes they may have less, but that usually means that the missing tooth could be unerupted or impacted under the gums. For those who don’t know, an oral cyst is a fluid-filled sac that surrounds the enamel of an unerupted tooth. They are benign (meaning that they don’t invade tissues) but as the sac expands, it puts pressure on the other teeth and bone and can destroy teeth and weaken the jaw to the point of causing a fracture. Often a cyst can be seen by the naked eye as a blueish swelling of the gums.

Check out more on oral cysts in dogs in this PetMD article, Treating Oral Cysts in Dogs.

Fur Kids Foundation also encourages all pet parents to do annual dental exams with their dogs. Dental disease can impact your dog's heart, kidney, liver, lungs and even bladder; and poor dental health can lead to horrible infections. Not to mention pain for your dog. You can read more about this in this Dog Quality blog, Dental Health in Older Dogs.

Not working, Dexter’s mom knew she was going to need help to pay her bills. She applied with Fur Kids Foundation and we were able to help with removing the bad teeth and cleaning up the cyst, along with a few other bumps on his body. We’re very happy to report that Dexter’s made a full recovery and is feeling better already.

About Fur Kids Foundation
Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Read more Success Stories.

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2020 Success Story Hazel Bernese

2020 Success Story Dexter border collie

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