Puppy/Leyla Status

" Leyla's birthday was fun, she had no clue what was going on. I bought her one of those dog frozen treats at Publix and gave them to her and other dogs as birthday cake.

She got 2 new beds, she likes to stretch out and a bag of chicken strips. She is so spoiled. "

" We took Leyla camping this weekend and had a great time. She did great on the boat ride and didn't mind wearing her life vest. We camped on a small island about 1 mile from Clearwater and she had tons of room to run and explore.

She got in the water all by herself and played all day until she couldn't play anymore. For her first time she did great. We can't wait to do it again.

She is such a good girl and a lot of fun to have with.

I am attaching a few pictures."

" If our estimate for Leylas age is correct, she should turn 1 year old this month. I plan on having a little party for her with other dogs to celebrate later this month.

She did great after her hysterectomy and she never licked or pulled her stitches. She is microchiped and her DNA results came back.

Her DNA shows that she has 25% Pitbull, 25% Argentine Dogo and Mastiff/Catahoula. The she is definitely very special. I haven't checked her weight in a while but I think she is around 55 lbs now. She is not fat but she is solid and muscular. I walk her every day and take her to the lake so that she can run and release some of her energy.

She is already house broken for the exception of the occasional toilet paper parties she has. We call her sometimes LT, for Leyla trouble or Little trouble. She can shred a roll of toilet paper in no time. She is just the sweetest dog and a great companion.

This weekend I plan on buying getting her beach and boating gear. She needs a life preserver and a new reflective collar for the beach. If the weather improves she will go on her first camping trip at the end of the month. She is going to have such a great time."

2/02/10: Leyla is doing great, she is now 46 pounds and all muscle. Leyla is scheduled for her spay and microchipping on February 9th. She is a very fast runner!

1/13/10:

"Leyla is doing great. Right before the big freeze in Florida, Leyla and I went shopping at Petsmart for a few winter coats for her. She looks adorable in them. She just won't stay still long enough for pictures.

She is very well adapted to the house, our friends and family. She seems like a normal dog and people can't believe what she went through when they see her now. She looks healthy and is not as timid as she was. She is now a very energetic and happy puppy.

She still needs a few more shots to get her up to date and then we can schedule her surgery for February. We couldn't be happier and pleased to see her doing so well.

She is now a spoiled rotten little girl."

12/30/09: No one can say it better than Leyla's mom (photos below!):

"Took her to the vet this morning for a follow up. She is now up to a healthy 49 lbs. Dr. thinks 2-3 more pounds and she will be perfect. We don't want her to look like a stuffed christmas turkey. She got her shots today, rabies, flu, bordatella, Dhlpp and got the heartguard and frontline to get her started on Friday. In 3 weeks we go back for more blood test to make sure she is ready for spaying and micro chip.

Her hair is getting thicker, she is extremely spoiled and has enjoyed the holidays surrounded by family. My nieces want to take her home. Her grandparents and great-grandfather think she is a doll. Everyone loves her, and my husband and I feel very lucky to have her. She is such a great loving little girl. She is smart and full of life. She is learning how to sit and come on command. We could not ask for a better companion. Her previous owner is missing out on a great beautiful dog. His loss is our gain. When we go for walks everyone stops to ask us what type of dog she is. She is the best.

The other thing I wanted to ask you about was, my husband and I think Leyla needs a companion since she lost her brother and really enjoys having other dogs around. We also would like to expand our 4 legged family since we don't have kids."

12/23/09: Leyla is now 37.7 pounds and is parasite free. She goes for longer walks now, (about a mile) and is building up her muscles and strength. Leyla will be having some furry friends over for Christmas to play with. Her first Christmas and in a loving forever home. Merry Christmas Leyla.

12/17/09: Leyla gained an additional 5 pounds in a week! She is now 35 pounds. Still has the tapeworms. Not the typical dog tapes that come from fleas, she has the Echinococcus granulosus type, that comes from eating raw meats, fish.

12/08/09: Leyla has gained 6 pounds. Her pneumonia is gone and she has fewer (but still some) parasites. She is acting like a puppy, enjoys her walks, looks up at planes, birds and the world!

12/06/09: Leyla's momma sent some photos of the little tyke along with some great status:

"Leyla is having a fun weekend. She played all day yesterday and learned how to chase a ball and destroy her stuffed animals. The rabbit I bought her did not last 3 days.

She is now learning how to get treats out of a kong ball. She is a lot more active and we need to watch her more so she doesn't get in trouble.

This morning I took her out on her leash. She was scared so I had to carry her outside but once outside she enjoyed sniffing the neighbors yard."

Click on any photo to see a larger image:

12/02/09: Leyla is eating a bit, but is not really gaining weight. She is still on meds for various things. Her tapeworms are gone! Lyla plays with toys and enjoys going in her backyard. Her mom and dad love this sweetest girl so very much. We are all happy that Leyla has a loving home.

11/29/09: Leyla is home. Her appetite has improved. She has a vaporizer by her bed and it seems to have helped with her breathing. Leyla is on her way!

11/25/09: There are angels everywhere. First and foremost are Leyla's mom and dad, of course. Leyla ate a little this morning, her organs are all healthy, X-rays show her lungs are clean but she has an inflammation on her bronchial airways due to the pneumonia. She has anemia and low white blood cell counts.

Leyla's vet will be taking Leyla to his home for Thanksgiving so he can watch her and give her medications. What a truly great and caring person he is.

Leyla's mom and dad visited Leyla at the vet's office this morning. Leyla wagged her tail and got lots of love.

11/24/09: PM. Her name is Leyla.

She is at the vet and she has a touch of pneumonia. Being in such compromised health, our little Leyla needs many prayers. She was put on IV fluids and ate some I/D for the vet. Yay for Leyla. She will be given more meds tonight. Her vitals are GOOD! More test results tomorrow. Before going to the vet Leyla got to go to her new home for a few hours and slept on her momma's bed. Hopefully, that is what little Leyla will dream about tonight. She has had quite the 24 hours!

11/24/09: afternoon. The little girl is in her new mom's care. The pup is wagging her tail and as sweet as can be. New momma did comment that the pup is skinnier in person than in her photos! This girl is going to have a great new start. Thank you to EVERYONE out there who helped, tried to help, wanted to help and sent such great wishes her way. YAY! Pup's health is still an issue, of course. If we hear of any updates, they will be posted here. What is known at this point is that the pup does not want to drink or eat and has a severe upper respiratory infection that could lead to pneumonia.

11/24/09: AM. The girl is out of the shelter and on her way! She should be in her new mom's arms at 1:30 PM and then be taken straight to the vet's office. She is so cheery! She is traveling with her medication (Doxi) for her URI to help thwart off pneumonia.

Click on the smaller image for a larger image

New Life Begins	Thanking Shelter Staff	Preparing For The Ride
Goodbye Brevard County	Here We Go	Goodbye and Thank you, again
What's Next?

11/23/09: PM. Both pups were brought to Emergency Medical Center this evening for a final going over. The boy had stopped eating Tues or Wed of last week. An xray of his stomach showed 'something', could be a tumor or some kind of obstruction. He was only 20 pounds and can not survive much invasive procedures. The vets decided the boy was suffering and they have euthanized him at the Emergency Center. We tried, so many of us tried, but it was just too late. The girl has a severe upper respiratory infection and, at this time, is still scheduled for rescue.

11/23/09: Paperwork to release from "hold status" is processed. Pups will be pulled, as planned (see below) on Tuesday morning. Sincere thanks to all the numerous parties that made this happen. Pups are not out of the woods yet re: their health. But they will be getting treatment ASAP.

11/22/09: Both pups are still at the shelter. The paper work to release them from custody should be completed early this week. At that time we will likely have to pull them out of the shelter ASAP.

Bambi from Catahoula Rescue has found an adopter for these two babes. The logistics have not yet all been worked out on how we are getting the pups to their new home. And, of course, until we have them out of the shelter and in their new home, nothing is cast in stone.

The pups are not healthy. It is thought they both have URI. Boy is not interested in eating. Boy's paw swelled up Saturday morning, unknown cause. He was being treated with Cephalexin this morning and a Penicillin shot. A volunteer saw to it to put a comforter in their pen with them and she said they were cuddled up on it when she left.

The pups will be going straight from the shelter in Melbourne to the adopter's vet's office in Largo.

We are hoping we can pull the pups on Tuesday. If so we have arranged a three leg transport from Melbourne to Largo, the last leg being filled by their adopter.

Until the paperwork is complete we don't have any for sure dates for this, but a whole heck of a lot of people are trying to get this to happen!