360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
| Leila - 7.5 month old female |
|
|
|
Leila (11 lbs) and her office buddy Arnie (160 lb mastiff mix) Word has it she flirts with him all day
|
|
Yep, the little dynamo is home at last Leila is now with Vicki - a vet tech who is going to take great care of this little one. Leila had an absolute blast playing with her two pugs--Rosey age 6 and Reiley age 5. Reiley is a very busy boy and he and Leila ran around and around. They also have a cockatiel who is very musical (lives in a cage) and Leila found the bird song very interesting. Vicki is going to send us a photo in a few days once things settle down. |
|
My bags are packed - I'm ready to go Leila is a delightful 9 month old girl. Her house training is pretty good, but being as small as she is, she cannot be expected to hold her bowel or bladder for a full working day. She will need to have her general health status monitored in case her liver shunt issues re-arise. She "toes out" badly on her front legs and may, in the future, have some elbow or arthritic issues. She is a bit snortier than the average pug, especially noticeable in the cold weather, so she may have smaller than normal nares. Her hunched back is markedly better since her liver shunt surgery, but she seems to still have a bit of a hunch. There is no skeletal explanation for this and she may grow out of it. She was the runt of the litter, was purchased at 6 weeks of age (too young) and has not been in tip top health most of her life. While she is in quite good shape now, an adopter will need to be aware of her fragile history and have an eye out for potential future health issues.She is very bright and learns quickly, but will push the boundaries so needs an owner who can set limits with gentleness and consistency. She loves all people, but is not a "Velcro" pug and will wiggle and squirm if picked up when she wants to be down playing. Because she is tiny and will likely remain tiny, she should not be in a home with a rambunctious big dog who could hurt her accidentally, nor be with small children who will want to pick her up and carry her around or might leave small objects on the floor that she will eat. Her recall is pretty good for a puppy, but she will need to be protected from her own curiousity and recklessness. House will need to be puppy proofed and the yard MUST be fenced. She will put anything into her mouth and swallow it. She is fast as greased lightning and could get away from an owner in a heart beat. Given her rough start in life, maintaining a healthy immune system will be key to her health. As a result, the adopter must be willing to take a conservative approach to vaccinations. She should not be vaccinated annually and what vaccines she does get should be administered with extreme caution. |
|
Donations to help with Leila's vet bills If you wish to donate to help little Leila and receive a chartiable tax receipt then click on this link Canada Helps, K9 Rescue Me page Click the Donate Now button On the following page you will see a “drop down menu” with the words “Scroll Down To Choose a Rescue To Donate to” Select Pugalug Club Enter the donation amount and click continue When you have finished, Canada Helps will email you instantly your tax receipt. Thanks and Pug Slurps to the following people who have donated: |
|
Update - January 16 Leila has had her bile acids re-tested. While they are significantly improved, they are still higher than normal so she will have to have them re-done in three weeks time. Dr. Mason of the VEC was not overly concerned at this point, but we would all like to see her results normalize.She is, however, a very busy and happy little girl. Her appetite is great, her energy boundless and her love of a good game of tug unending. |
|
Play Time - Leila visits Donnie (one of our rescue pups) and Buddie
|
|
Update - Dec 29 Leila has had her stitches removed and the incision has healed nicely. She has also gained a full kg of weight and the vet confirmed that her hunched back is significantly improved. She will need to get her bile acid levels re-checked in mid-January, but she is currently doing very well indeed.She loves to play and run--especially enjoying a good game of chasing her tail. Her house training has come along beautifully and she has been accident free for 10 days, including being clean overnight. She loves to play with stuffed toys and throws them around with great abandon, all the while "chatting" to them. She has learned to sit for a treat and has pretty good recall (for an 8.5 month old puppy). She is the personification of the happy young pug these days. She loves the older pugs and tries to engage them in play at every opportunity. |
| Leila and Tank snuggle together.
|
|
Update - Dec 19 Leila is back home in foster care and busy as a little snow flea. She will be on medication until we re-do the acid bile tests in a month. Thanks again to everyone who helped with their time, labour, and money to see this little one on the road to recovery.Stay tune for more puppy stories from Foster Mom Blanche in the new year. |
| Leila plays happily (and vigorously) with her new stuffed owl
|
|
But even Leila needs some downtime
|
|
Update - Dec 16 Dr. Boyed found the shunt had applied the constrictor. The surgery went well and Leila is recovering in ICU. We will have a better idea in the next couple of days.She is not out of the woods yet, so send some prayers and good thoughts her way |
|
Foster Update - Dec 4 Little Leila suffers from a congenital liver malformation called Liver Shunt. In a liver shunt, the vessels that carry blood to the liver are diverted around the liver so that it doesn't go to the liver. She will need surgery to correct this. She is fortunate in that her type of liver shunt has the best prognosis for surgical repair.A liver shunt impacts on the body's ability to absorb nutrients (hence her small and emaciated condition) and clean out toxins from the blood. She will be on meds for the next two weeks to strengthen her and to de-toxify her system in preparation for the surgery which is scheduled for December 16th. There are still risks associated with the condition and the surgery, but if she can get through the surgery and the early post operative weeks, her outlook should be good. We still aren't sure why her back is so hunched. There appear to be no skeletal issues to account for it. It may be a developmental response to her liver condition. |
|
|
|
Foster Update - Dec 3 Leila's bile acid tests were very abnormal--ten times higher than they should be. So she is scheduled for an ultrasound at the VEC for Thursday. This should tell us more clearly what we are dealing with, but the likelihood of a liver shunt is now high.My vet also X-rayed her and there does not appear to be any skeletal abnormality to account for the hunched back, but the liver appears smaller than normal on the radiograph. Her urinalysis and fecal were normal, thankfully. She continues to be a pretty happy little girl and I'm not having any trouble getting her to eat.
She will remain on a mixture of the Medi-Cal low protein food and Canine LIfe until instructed otherwise.
Depending on what the ultrasound shows, she may need surgery to correct the shunt (if it is a shunt). |
|
|
|
Introduction - Nov 30 Leila is an owner surrender who asked us to take in Leila due to surgery she will require. There is a problem with her liver that will have to be investigated. She will go in on Monday for an examination and get full blood work, U/A and fecal.She is 3.2 kg but is very lethargic for a puppy. Other noticeable behaviour is a hunched back, head bobbing and a lot of swaying and not much of an appetite. Leila is with Blanche and so will be getting the care and attention she needs at this point to get back to a healthy life |
|
|
