Pumpkin

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This is Pumpkin. She was hit by a car and the driver left her in the road. A Good Samaritan was kind enough to pick her up and bring her to a veterinary hospital. They said she had a broken leg, put a cast on it and gave her pain meds. An ad was placed on Petfinder but no one came forward. They called Mid Michigan and we picked her up on 06/03/10.

We knew from day one that she was a sweetie! Her temporary foster mom said that if anyone could see her face and sweet disposition, they would fall in love with her! I can tell you she was absolutely right!

Pumpkin was transported to her permanent foster home on 06/04/10. It was then that we started to realize she was in much worse condition than we initially believed.

We discovered that she has a tumor a little bigger than an avocado hanging from her belly. Her cast had slipped and was not fitting her correctly. She also had a pain patch stapled to her back which although scary looking, was hopefully giving her constant pain relief. She was also given an oral pain medication in liquid form.

She was uncomfortable the first night here. I tried to pick her up and she gave me warnings not to. Her entire back end was painful. I gave her a dose of the liquid pain medication and was instantly sorry. I have never seen anything like it. She started to shutter and foam at the mouth. So much so that I was actually scared that I had somehow poisoned her! This went on for about 5 minutes! I smelled the medication and it had a horrible rancid smell. Poor thing! Thankfully I had the same medication in pill form left over from another dog. I put her on that and continued giving it to her every 8 hours.

On 06/06/10 I brought her to Wilson Veterinary Hospital in Sterling Heights to have the pain patch removed. She was still in a lot of pain at this point so they did a brief exam and looked at the x-rays that were taken at first hospital. The pictures of her leg did not look good. They cast her by feel, and then took the x-rays once her leg was in a cast. Even I could see that the bone was not together as it should be.

I had also noticed blood in her urine that morning accompanied by a strong odor. We tried to get a sample but it was pretty much impossible because she cannot stand up and has to urinate sitting down. The initial hospital report said that she had not urinated for 2 days following the automobile trauma, which means there was a good chance of infection. They sent us home with antibiotics as a safeguard and stronger pain meds. We were asked to come back on Wednesday so that Dr. Wilson, who is the orthopedic specialist, could review her case and recast her leg. I dropped her off early in the morning and the intent was that I would pick her up after work.

That did not happen... Dr. Wilson called me later that morning and said that there was no possible way for her leg to heal without surgery. In addition, she not only had the big tumor, but also a smaller mammary tumor which would need to be biopsied. She also had round and whip worm, an ear infection, severe hip dysplasia and needed to be spayed. He said she had a lot going on but was fixable.

He transported her to the Romeo location which is a 24 hour hospital. She had surgery on 06/11/10 and is still there. They had to put 4 pins in her leg, did the spay and removed the smaller tumor. The avocado we thought was a tumor turned out to be a hernia! That has been repaired as well.

The pins that are inside of her leg are on the outside as well, holding everything together. They prepared me over the phone that this is scary to look at. Also, she will need more surgery to have the pins removed.

Pumpkin Update 06/14/10

Pumpkin came home from the hospital yesterday!! She has 4 pins in her leg, with external hardware that is thankfully wrapped so that I can’t see it! The mammary tumor was removed and we don’t have the results yet. The avocado size tumor was a hernia that her uterus had fallen through! He removed the uterus and repaired the hernia. She has drain tubes where the stitches are that I put warm compresses on. She is on 2 different pain meds and antibiotics. Please check back often for pictures and updates.

Pumpkin update 06/21/10

Pumpkin had the drain tube removed on Friday and the stitches removed today! Dr. Wilson is very happy with her progress!

It is truly amazing how well she is doing! She gets around better every day and is off of the pain meds now. They changed the gauze around the hardware (she got a new color!) and I took a couple of pictures which are attached. The ends are extremely sharp which is one of the reasons it needs to be wrapped up.

She will need surgery again to have the hardware removed but that will be several weeks from now. Dr. Wilson will see her in 3 weeks but I will update you before then. Thank you for all of your well wishes and donations!!



06/29/10

Pumpkin is really making progress! Some of you may have met her at the Pugnic on Saturday. She tried to win the hotdog eating contest but the water they were floating in was much more refreshing for her!

Her sweet little Pug personality is starting to come out! She loves to give kisses and wiggle her butt when she is happy! She seems to be doing this more and more so I know she is starting to feel better! She also has learned to "talk" to me when she wants a treat or dinner!

Her bandage was changed on Sunday morning and all looks well. Her next follow up appointment with Dr. Wilson is on 07/12/10. I'm hoping at that time we will have a better idea of how long her hardware has to stay in.

Pumpkin update 07/12/10

Pumpkin had a follow up visit with Dr. Wilson and he is very happy with her progress!! He did an xray and her leg is really healing nicely!! It is still too soon to remove any of the hardware though... he wants to see her again in another 3 weeks. Also, she is still having soft stools. He said that whip-worm is sometimes hard to see under the microscope so she is having one more round of treatment with Panacur just to be safe. This is simply a powder that I will put in her food for 5 days so it should be easy!

Come and meet her at the fundraiser yard sale! 10am sharp on 07/17/10!!

Pumpkin update 07/18/10

We had a great day at our yard sale yesterday! Pumpkin was the star of the show and loved every minute of it!! Today she is exhausted and in bed snoring loudly!!

Thank you all so much for coming by and showing your support! We sold tons of stuff and received many donations as well!! The leftover items have been re-donated so that we could help others in need too!

Pumpkin Update 7/27/10

Pumpkin is getting around so well it is amazing! She runs in the yard and chases squirrels and birds! She is really having the time of her life! Also, she has gained a little weight and looks great! She spends her weekends at the cottage in Lexington. Attached are some recent pictures of her up there lounging in the shade. Stay turned for more!

Pumpkin Update 8/1/10

Look at sweet little Pumpkin! The picture is small but I had to share it anyway. She is so tired from her busy weekend in Lexington that she is hanging over the doggie bed! She is snoring away and doesn't even seem to notice that she is halfway on the floor!! I think I'll take advantage and change the dressing on her hardware while she is in this great position!

Pumpkin Update 08/09/10

Pumpkin had her follow up visit tonight and is doing great! The xray shows that she is healing just as she should be! She will be scheduled for surgery to have the hardware removed the first week of September. Dr. Wilson's office will call to confirm the date. Until then, I found out that she can have a bath! She has been a little itchy lately (don't worry, no fleas!!) and I think this will make her feel great!! I just have to be sure that she dries completely, they said at least a couple of hours, before wrapping her leg again. I will wait for a nice sunny day... we don't want any moisture being trapped under her bandage.

Thank you for your donations to help with her vet bills and all the well wishes for our sweet little girl!! I'll keep you updated so please keep checking back!

Pumpkin Update 08/14/10

Pumpkin loved her bath last night! She was grunting like a little piggy and enjoyed it so much that I gave her an extra long one! Afterward she was frisky and playful like a puppy!! I put her to bed and let her air dry. She got right under the covers and snuggled up and fell asleep! I let her sleep for a few hours and then wrapped her leg so that the pins would not poke her in the night. This morning when she got up I brushed all of the loose hair from her coat and she loved that too! Basically I think this little girl loves to be pampered!!

Pumpkin Update 08/16/10

As of yesterday Pumpkin is on antibiotics for what we hope is a urinary track infection. I noticed blood in her urine yesterday morning and was able to get a small sample and bring it to the vet. Good thing they are open on Sundays!
They said she has a LOT of blood in her urine and it could be a number of things including stones or an inflamed bladder. She will be on the antibiotics for 14 days. When she has her hardware removed on 09/01/10 and is under anesthesia, they will use a needle to aspirate a sterile specimen and make sure there is no more blood. She is still a happy little thing! Eating, drinking and acting normally so I really hope the antibiotics are all she needs!!

Pumpkin Update 08/29/10

Pumpkin has been in Lexington for the last week being a beach bum with her foster sisters! Here is a picture of her and Rosie. Pumpkin is on the right. Her surgery is scheduled for this Wed. Please keep this sweet little girl in your thoughts and I will keep you posted on her progress!

Pumpkin Update 09/01/10

Pumpkin had her surgery today and what a day it was! She had the pins removed from her leg, a dental with 3 teeth removed, a deep cleaning of her ears and meds to clear up the infection she has been battling! They also took a sterile urine sample while she was under anesthetic. There is no longer blood in the urine but they did find crystals. An xray was done to check for stones but none were found! She also had a microchip inserted and her nails trimmed. Little baby got the works!

She was so happy to see me when I picked her up! She gave me kisses and then rolled over on to her back and showed me her stitches!! She wanted to be sure I knew what happened to her after I dropped her off! Poor thing... she has really tolerated a lot!!

She is on pain meds (of course), antibiotics and has a new ear flush and ear drops. I picked up some soft treats and canned food for her so that her mouth can heal for a few days before going back to a regular diet.

Pumpkin Update 09/07/10

Pumpkin is doing better every day! Her suture site looks great and she is almost done with the antibiotics! She had a fun and relaxing holiday weekend with lots off goodies like steak and some special bones from the butcher! Even though she had 3 teeth pulled she has no trouble chewing!!She has an appointment this coming Sunday (09/12) to have her sutures removed.

Pumpkin Update 09/12/10

Pumpkin had her sutures removed and has been released from medial care!

Thank you again for all of your donations, moral support and well wishes for her!!

She is officially available for adoption and ready for her forever home…

Pumpkin has a long recovery ahead of her. Her extensive care is going to be very expensive. Any donation that you can make would be a tremendous help! At the top and below are buttons to donate via paypal, but if you would rather send a check, please send the check to:

Mid Michigan Pug Club
16574 Braile St.
Detroit, Mi. 48219

Please note in the memo section Rescue Pumpkin. Thank you!!!