Connery

BHRR’s Connery

Waiting patiently in line for his timbits for being such a good boy!

Per the recommendation made, we did both a CT and a MRI for while CT images will identify most meningiomas and choroid plexus papillomas but can fail to identify gliomas. They did not offer a CT biopsy option so that we could biopsy the tumour at that time to determine just what tumour.

It had been suggested to us that the BHRR’s Connery had a brain tumour and so we proceeded to doing the further diagnostics required. 

From there palliative care based upon his physical symptoms and behaviour was strongly recommended.  

We will be continuing to host small flash auctions as we can for we now have two MRI’s and one CT scan as part of our mounting Vet Bills. 

My heart does break for this handsome boy…..he was once emaciated – he has put on over 40 pounds to date, neglected, abused, had parasites, eye infections, skin and wound infections, trauma from being a HBC and then finally being diagnosed as having a brain tumour. 

This year has seen us assist dogs that came to us as special needs as that is what we do and upon arrival they were far more special needs than originally indicated.

BHRR’s Connery saw Dr. Philibert today for his ortho consult. 

We will be now moving to a neurological consult and will have an appointment sent up with Dr. Jull.

I had sent four video’s to Dr. Philibert of BHRR’s Connery walking, trotting and almost running plus the pictures of the x-rays that we took at the time of his neuter in February.

Per Dr. Philibert today:

“He seems to have mild muscle atrophy on his left hind limb compared to the right. However I cannot find an explanation on orthopedic exam. Radiographs of the hips look normal. The stifles are also normal although I see mild small flattening of lateral femoral condyles but that flattening is actually more obvious in the right stifle. The possible cause of this, if not normal for him, would be Osteochodrosis. But since there is no swelling or effusion and palpation of his knees is normal, I doubt it is a significant source of pain or lameness. 

What worries me more is his wide stance on the hind legs, and poor placing of his hind feet. I recommend you have a consult with Dr Jull to see if he agrees that his problem may be more neurological, like Wobblers, and if it is, what work up would be needed.” 

We are determined to keep quality of life first and foremost as a priority for him and will keep everyone posted as we can.

This photo is of him batting at me to rub his chest over taking a picture! 

AND we now have 51 items in our latest flash auction to keep working on raising the much needed funds to pay for the mounting Vet Bills……

AND we will keep working to host flash auctions in our efforts to pay for the mounting Vet Bills. 


BHRR’s Connery! 
February 27th, 2019

Waking up for surgery! That tongue!  Freakin’ awesome adorable!

Current Weight: 130.68 pounds

So, as he is finally at a healthy weight, we could move forward in putting him under to begin the diagnosis process on those hips and knees.

From when we were first contacted to assist him and he was at the Vet in Tenn., this once emaciated boy has put on 28.82 pounds. Does he still need more weight, for sure yet as he is also a young maturing Dane, that will come in time.

Thumbs up to his emerge foster home for doing such a great job! As I told them again last night when I picked up BHRR’s Connery, while his foster mama felt so terrible about what had happened, BHRR’s Connery was saved because they had stepped up to emerge temp him when we posted our urgent need.

While we all may wish that what happened did not, it did and we must move forward. He has been placed in our Haven Program and while he was not scheduled to come back to me for another 5 weeks, he has settled back into my home so well.

Today, we did his x-rays on his hips plus knees and some of his lower back was also captured. His hips plus knees were also thoroughly examined by his lovely surgeon and their findings plus the x-rays shall be sent off to our favourite specialist, Dr. Philibert to also review.

In the meantime, we can post that he does have some notable spondylosis in what was captured in his spine x-rays and Dr. Philibert may ask us, after reviewing them, to bring him back in for further x-rays of his spine and we will gladly do so.

Dr. Philibert shall advise as to his own findings re: BHRR’s Connery’s knees and hips etc. We need to diagnose why his hind end is the way it is plus that back left leg.

BHRR’s Connery is the emaciated Great Dane that two Vets also believed had been hit by a car and was untreated prior to his rescue angels picking him up and then reaching out to BHRR. Samantha and Karen are his first rescue angels and I am truly so appreciative to them! 

This boy came from a horrendous location and how awful that he was left so neglected and abused….

BHRR’s Connery’s wounds have now all healed up and he is almost done his course of antibiotics for his one leg wound and his eyes look good, so those meds are now stopped. 

We de-twinkled him today and he was microchipped. He was such a good boy!

As he weighs more, to keep him on a great pain management regime, his dosing of Gabapentin has gone up and we have an order of almost $300 in more meds placed. He will remain on the Deramaxx daily too.

His Vet Bills including his meds are over $1,000 for today and if anyone may consider his cause, you can donate direct to Kanata Animal Hospital 613-836-2848

OR via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org

OR via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com

AND gentle reminder that our Flash Auction #2 ends tomorrow night – Thursday February 28th @ 9 PM EST!

CLICK Here to view the 12 amazing items is below and if anyone may have something they may consider donating to our next flash auction, please do email gwen@birchhaven.org

As always, thank you’s being shouted out for any consideration! 

BHRR’s Connery

He is the Emaciated, HBC Great Dane.

We want to thank his truly amazing emerge temp foster home immensely for all that they have done for him since he went to their home on February 4th. You have done so much for him and we will forever be so grateful. 

We also wish to impart that he is coming back to us tomorrow night and we shall continue to work on his rehabilitation journey here.

While he was to stay with them for 2 months, due to an unfortunate incident that occurred in the home, he is coming back to us early.

BHRR believes in full disclosure and has always worked to post the good, the great, the bad, the ugly and all that is the reality of a situation.

Let me also preface the following by saying that we will be taking a zero tolerance approach to anyone that may wish to blame BHRR’s Connery or blame the home for what transpired four days after they opened up their hearts plus home to him.

This is an emaciated, neglected, abused, untrained, adolescent giant breed dog that if he had wanted to, could have caused significant damage. He was only four days into his newest pain management protocol also. This is a giant breed dog with a giant breed mouth.

He is not a bad dog and the home is most certainly not a bad home. Both are amazing and wonderful and we are standing strong by all.

He was warning in the only way that he knew how to communicate in being in pain and startled. He growled and snapped and he made a connection and made several punctures, breaking skin. At the end of the day, this is an animal, a giant breed one at that.

The fostermom did not require sutures yet she did go on antibiotics as a precaution, as the one puncture was near a joint on her ring finger.

His home quarantine period is now up and no one feels more horrible than his wonderful temp foster and this is not an inexperienced home – they had even adopted from BHRR in the past.

We have worked to support all 24/7 in whatever was needed during this difficult time.

BHRR’s Connery will not be placed up for adoption once his rehabilitation journey has been completed. He will remain safe and loved in our Haven Program for what we sincerely hope is a very long, quality filled life.

This Danes past was horrendous, where he came from was horrendous and we shall continue to work on making his future one of him reaching his full potential.

He has touched many lives from across the USA and Canada as quite a few came together to help him. He was an extremely popular transport companion.

Even his Vet team has found him to be friendly and I look forward to seeing him again tomorrow night.

Drive safe wishes being sent to all…….

BHRR’s Connery! 

You are so undeniably handsome! 

Thank you to his wonderful foster mama Lindsay for this adorable picture of him!

Note: he does not have a cherry eye….he has haws, common with many Danes and their breeding – especialy those with genetic lines of large flews(lips). It is his third eyelid.

Last post of my night!

It has been an incredibly busy day!

BHRR’s Connery is settling in well to his emerge temp foster home. I so miss him yet he is in excellent hands! 

This is the ~15 month old emaciated Great Dane that was picked up as a stray in a really bad area(O. believed to be known and never claimed him) and is suffering trauma – believed to be a hit by car. 

His detailed bloodwork has come back as excellent and no surprises to note. it demonstrates that yes, he is battling an infection and he is on antibiotics – one for his eye infections and one for the back right hock that has the wound on it.

He is Deramaxx along with Gabapentin for his hind end and the strongly suspected blown cruciate and once he is no longer emaciated, we can move forward to sedation and doing x-rays as part of our further diagnostics.

His emerge temp foster home will take him in for regular weigh-ins, is feeding him small frequent meals and is providing him with so much love and acceptance, patience, understanding, structure plus consistency.

As his fecal tested positive for whips and hooks, the de-worming protocol is causing him to have some diarrhea and it is being monitored closely. 

He is eating and drinking and his emerge temp foster home finds him equally sweet, lacking manners and are loving their time with him. 

AND I remain completely and truly indebted to them for stepping up to emerge temp foster him after we could get him here, vetted him again – we had him vetted in January with his original rescue angels!

For I have the Dane Trio deaf/blind puppies that will have their eye removal surgeries on the 15th plus have BHRR’s Volt here too. 

From our home to all of our friends, family plus friends, good night wishes being sent! Be safe out there! It is a veritable ice rink at my place right now and for those who know our laneway/hill; it is not fun!

BHRR’s Connery!

I have just dropped him off with his emerge foster mama to be for the next couple of months and it was so hard yet he will be in excellent hands! 

I fell in love with him when we were first asked to assist in January and when I finally got to meet him yesterday when meeting the transport to pick him up, I loved him even more….if that were even possible! 

He just loves everyone and everything!

He is an absolutely incredible young man, about 15 months of age and his body tells the story of what a hard life he has has to date. 

He is full of pressure sores/callouses, healing wounds, scrapes and raw area’s.

He is emaciated at 109.78 pounds today. He has put on almost 10 pounds since he was first rescued by his angels and he has a long way still to go. That is his hip bone in the pic and if you enlarge it you can see every vertebrae plus rib.

The ulcer in his one eye – the right has now healed and his Vet today, did another flurorescein eye stain and also froze his eye to get a really great look at it. 

He is still battling horrible eye infections so more eye meds were dispensed. 

He has an infection on his back right hock from some trauma – agreement seems to be hit by car – and so he is on antibiotics for the next 10 days.

His ears are super waxxy and will be cleaned. He is in sore need of a bath too and I told his emerge temp foster mama that I will pay for him to be done once he settles in more.

As many know 98% of the dogs we help are really special needs and this sweet boy is no different. 

Both of his front legs/feet bother him and the left side of his body is worse – his back left hip pains him dearly and his Vet concurs that with his thickened left knee, that we are looking at a blown cruciate. 

His back right hip does not pain him as much yet he has severe atrophy happening in his hind end. He shifts his weight constantly and alternates holding a leg – front and back – up to attempt to get some relief. 

His Vet has put together a great pain management program for him – Gabapentin- and once we get the blood panel back that we did today – we will know more if we can also add Deramaxx as an NSAIDS to his pain management program. 

AND throughout all of his much needed poking and prodding plus blood work, he was incredible. To know that the level of discomfort that he is in has to be brutal and for him to be so good natured, is a true testament to his WOW personality.

As he is still so emaciated, it is not safe to sedate him to X-ray to determine the exact nature of his injuries etc. 

So, while I am worried re: any kinds of fractures, I am reassured by the expertise of his wonderful Vet that we need to keep getting him more physically healthy and then proceed with the next diagnostics steps. 

His Vet Bills between two Hospitals to date are just under $1,000 and this is just the beginning of his own long rehabilitation journey. 

Lindsay – thank you again so very much for meeting me partway tonight so I could hand him off to you for you and Josh to be his Emerge temp foster loving home for me. 

As I work to get the Dane Trio plus BHRR’s Volt healthy themselves, I am so grateful that BHRR’s Connery will have all that he needs with Josh & Lindsay! 

Fostering saves lives!! 

As I work my way back home in yet more freezing rain, good night wishes are being sent to all of our friends, family & supporters! It has been a very long day between work, BHRR’s Connery’s 1.25 hour Vet appointment and now the round trip drive to ensure that he got to Lindsay safely!

 

 

BHRR’s Connery!

He is here! Finally!

While most people have birthday breakfasts in bed, visit spa’s, have lunch out with friends, go shopping and/or have a romantic dinner with their partner to enjoy their special day, what I did today was drive in the freezing rain to meet the next leg of his transport to bring him home! 

I could not have wished for a better birthday present to see BHRR’s Connery here at last! 

He is no more than 15 – 18 months of age tops, most likely closer to 15 months of age. He has SO much maturing to do and he is still so emaciated.

He has been in safe keeping with his rescue angels for almost a month and I remain so grateful to them for saving his life.

He was picked up in a really bad area and while his owner was believed to be known, they never claimed him, which to me is a big relief as he is in terrible shape.

AND I must thank Jane of Just Paws also once again for helping to get him here!

Though, we had him vetted in January, it was hard to handle him at that time – just unsettled, not reactive or aggressive at ALL – and as he was in poor body condition, further diagnostics were not possible. The Vet believes that he was a HBC and/or has HD.

He was placed on a pain management regime and treated for eye infections. Bloodwork indicated that he was tick borne disease plus heartworm negative.

His fecal was positive for whips and hooks and he has been placed on treatment. He was also put on flea/tick meds.

He is coming to work with me tomorrow and we will get a treatment plan together for him. He bunny hops on the hind end, he is more ‘off’ on his left knee than his right – yet his right is not much better and his front legs, especially his left leg plus foot bothers him too.

THANK you’s sent out also to Lucy AND to all of his transport plus overnighting angels that helped him get here!

AND thank you to Lindsay plus Josh for stepping up to be his emerge temp foster parents for the next two months!

AND last but not least I wish to extend a deep thanks to The Maracles for the generous birthday donation. It was so touching and with Vet bills running high and food running at a crisis for us right now, it was so appreciated.

This is BHRR’s Connery! He put his head by the through the space of my barrier cage and was my co-pilot all the way home!

AND another comment from Natasha who met him last night on one of his transport legs:

“I met him last night . Oh he is so sweet .“

From another of his transport driving angels – Laura – that helped get him closer to us:

“We were also one of his transporters – London to Guelph. He is what we consider a “teddy Dane” & as he rested his giraffe-sized head on my shoulder during transport, we wished him the best in his new life. TY BHRR for all that you do for these giant breeds & wishing (and will follow) his journey.”

From one of his transport driving angels – Jacquie – that helped get him closer to me:

“I was one of his drivers on his freedom run on Saturday. He was certainly a transport favourite. Wishing him all the best in his new life in Canada.”

AND he is finally on his way!

The GD that we are calling BHRR’s Connery. 

He had been in safe keeping for us by his rescue angels Samantha and Karen for weeks and now he is ready to finally make the journey to BHRR.

Thank you also Jane for everything you have done to help get him to us safely! 

He started this AM and from what I am told, is safely in his first of two overnighter homes. 

Thank you to Lindsay and Josh for stepping up to be his emerge temp fosters for the next couple of months!

He has been battling eye infections and the Vet that saw him to date is not sure if his hind end is painful due to a possible HBC or if it is HD.

He was picked up as a stray(O. is believed to be known and he is always left by himself) and O.’s never claimed him. He was from a bad area. 

As he was so unsettled and emaciated(weight was barely over 100 pounds when first picked up and now is 113 pounds), it was best not to sedate him to investigate his back end further at that time.

He was placed on meds for his eyes and put on a pain management regime. 

He will be vetted again on February 4th at KAH. His ETA to BHRR is Sunday February 3rd – AND I could not imagine a better birthday present than driving to pick him up, another boy in huge need! 

 

 

Mantle GD – Male, ~2-3 years of age

Picked up as a stray in a bad area, emaciated(102 pounds – we had him at the Vet yesterday), trauma to his hind end – possible HBC.

Said to be ‘amazing.’ 

We are calling him BHRR’s Connery.

Thanks to Samantha & Karen for saving his life and picking him up! AND also getting him to the Vet so fast!