Satchel

Update - 7/12/02

Satchel had a GREAT visit with the opthomologist today. His corneal ulcer is completely healed, he does not have chronic dry eye syndrome, he will need no further meds or treatment, and his vision is not impaired in any way, despite the small amount of visible scar tissue on his eye. The rest of the good news is that Satchel is now not just walking, but running and climbing up and down full sets of stairs. He is somewhat stiff-legged but enjoys running and jumping around in the yard and does well on walks. Satchel really wants to find a new home with someone who will play with him, cuddle with him, and love him forever and ever.

Satchel's owner left him at a local shelter because he could no longer care for him (however, we're really not sure that Satchel ever got any care at all). The shelter called us, told us Satchel, an 8 yr. old male, was a bit growly and needed dental work but overall was a nice dog. They allowed one of our wonderful volunteers to take Satchel off to her vet for an evaluation.

Here's the long list: Satchel was still intact, needed shots, his ears were almost totally blocked with hair and gunk, his teeth were rotten, once the matted hair was cut away from his eyes it was discovered that he had a very serious corneal ulcer in his right eye that needed immediate attention, he possibly has chronic dry eye, and Satchel has some permanent neurological damage that causes weakness in his legs, most especially in his back legs.

Our volunteer got the necessary eye meds and brought them and Satchel back to the shelter before calling us. Did we want to take on this dog? Could we afford to take on this dog? What about his eye? What about his legs? You guessed it, Satchel is here with us now!!

The shelter contacted his former owner who said that Satchel has had the weakness in his legs since he was a young dog so our vets feel that we can rule out a brain tumor causing the weakness. Satchel was immediately put on antibiotics for the infection in his gums. He has since been neutered, had his ears completely cleaned out, had dental done (most of his teeth just fell out in my vet's hands because they were so rotten and his gums were so bad), and he is now settling in nicely. We have two different eye drops and two different ointments for his eye.

His incision from the neutering has healed and we're hoping that soon his eye will be stable enough so that we can get him a bath and a much needed grooming. Throughout all of this, Satchel has remained a dear, sweet, gentle little dog. With only 3 teeth left in his mouth he is still able to eat dry dog food mixed with moist, he loves people, loves to ride in the car, loves all the other dogs here, and loves to be outside ... where he does 99% of all his potty business.

The only thing that stops this little guy are the stairs. His legs are not strong enough to allow him to freely manage the stairs and although he is on the hefty side carrying him up and down the stairs is worth the effort to watch him enjoy the outdoors the way he does. As for being growly, we have discovered that this is Satchel's way of talking .... and it is just too cute!!

Satchel is not yet ready to be adopted. He still needs further follow-up care for his eye, needs his shots, and needs to get groomed. To date his veterinary expenses have been in excess of $500 with more expenses to come and that is with an incredibly generous discount from our vet. If you would like to help us help Satchel please feel free to send a check to Atlantic Maltese Rescue, c/o Nancy Salsi, 9171 Dogwood St., Westmoreland City, PA 15692-1261. Please mark your check "for Satchel".