360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Ellie (aka Ella) - 2 year old fawn female

Ellie bounces to her new home - January 11

Here is Ellie, with Alyssa, Ryan and her new fur brother Reggie. They make an adorable pair of energetic pugs. At Ellie's home visit, she took to investigating her possible new home and was quite happy about what she saw! There were great toys, a fun little pug and lots of new things to conquer! She figured out how to scale the couch, to get on a high stool and surf the kitchen counter!

Alyssa and Ryan will have their hands full, but are excited by the prospect! They left me a message, after the first night, to say she is fitting in very well. Hopefully, we can get an update on how things are going. Maybe they are too busy, keeping her out of mischief! Have fun!


Ready for a new home

Ella would do best, with a young dog or an active family. She shouldn't be with young children, as she is quite a chewer and will find little things around the house and possibly swallow them. She has also taken to barking at my cats, because she wants them to play. So if there are cats, they have to be playful.

Ella has totally recovered from her surgery. She had the staples removed, nails clipped and vaccinations given. It didn't seem to bother her at all. In another week, she will get her rabies shot and microchip. She is ready to start the adoption process.

She is a very happy, energetic girl. She would do best, with another lively playmate, who doesn't mind having their cheeks, ears or neck pulled on. She likes to bounce off her playmates and try to entice them to play. It's all done in the spirit of play. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, but it is a bit much for my guys. Ella doesn't pay any attention to my cats. It's toys, fetch, chase, wrestle. All those fun puppy things.

Ella or Ellie, as we like to call her, is very affectionate and loves to cuddle. She has a very sweet nature. She is housetrained, but can have an accident, in this miserable weather. If taken out and watched, she will go. I have included a picture of her incision. It is amazing that she recovered so quickly.

She transitioned, to my house very easily. A week ago, Blanche and I switched fosters - Basil - someone who is home all day, for his housetraining and we thought Ella would be happier with a bit younger crowd. She definitely needs a younger crowd. Her playmate should be around her age.
Candace



Foster Update - November 24

She was discharged this evening. She is on antibiotics (Clinacin and Baytril) for another 7 days, Tramadol for the next four or five days and she is as active as she can be.

A couple of interesting things:

The cardiologist went over her x-rays just for safety's sake and there is NO enlarged heart. They also cannot find a murmur. Her temp continues to be 36.6 and stays there. No matter what they do. They are speculating that for whatever reason, she is just a "cooler" pug than normal, but said that might change.

They also noted that she eats a good morning meal, but won't eat an evening meal. She did eat when she got here--I gave her some minced steak and iron fortified pablum. She thought it was pretty tasty as long as I fed her from a spoon. Too much activity for her to risk the bowl right now, I guess.

She has stuck to me like glue, been yelled at by Lola, found the toys and the bones and is crashed at my feet now. She doesn't seem particularly freaked out and should be a real going concern when she's 100%. She has done all her business outside with no trouble, but we'll see if that lasts.



Foster Update - November 23

Ella is still struggling a bit with pain. They tried to decrease her pain meds without success so she's back on a pretty heavy dose. Unfortunately, when her pain meds increase, it suppresses her appetite so she is again not eating much. She will remain in ICU for the time being and they will try to reduce her pain meds again tomorrow. I'm hoping that she can be discharged on Sunday, but at this time a conservative approach to her care is the best option.


Vet Update - November 22 - Evening

Ella was keeping them hopping at the VEC this afternoon. The bleeding issue had been resolved but her temperature was much lower than it should have been. She was kept in ICU. And she was reacting to the various pain medications they were giving her.

By evening she was up and about - much more comfortable. They were going to see if she would eat some dinner. They found a pain medication that she was fine with so she getting and responding to the attention



Vet Update - November 22

Ella was transported from her Wellend home last night during the rush hour. Pug Hero Justin battled the traffic and the inclement weather to get Bella to the Veterinary Emergency Clinc where foster mom Blanche was waiting. The Wellend vet had faxed the records over. It was reported that she had both and enlarged heart and a heart murmur.

The VEC did an initial investigation last night. There appeared to be no issue with the heart nor was there any indication of any severe cardiac abnormality. However it was discovered that there was a foreign object in her stomach as well as the pyometra in her uterus. She then went in for surgery

Blanche called the vet this morning and sent the following report:
"She came through surgery pretty well. Bad news is that she bled alot more than they were expecting, but feel that it is under control. Good news is that she vomitted up the foreign object when they intubated her so they didn't have to surgically remove it. It was a piece of some kind of plastic. There was a lot of pus in the uterus so no question about pyometra. Assuming that her bleeding continues to not be an issue and her pain management is okay, she might be coming home tomorrow."


Introduction - November 21

Ella has come to us because she has developed Pyometra - a disease of the uterus that can be fatal if left untreated. The owner cannot afford the treatment so has asked us to provide that and find Bella a good home. She is being transported today an will be seen by a vet immediately to determine the state of her health. She is currently on medication to help with the disease but it will most likely she will need and emergency spay.