Summer at the Sanctuary

My friend (and our Director) Sher often writes to me and shares what is happening at the Sanctuary since I am a remote member of the crew.

Recently she shared that this has been the hardest month she can remember for a while. Some of it is just day to day things, but the ones that seem to impact her the most are the ones with the pets.

We're going to share three stories, and not all of them will have a happy forecast. But we think it is only right that you as our supporters and friends, get the "Inside Scoop" along with those on social media.

Jacqueline Raymo, Social Media

Ashley - Forever Foster

Here she is just arriving at Friendship Veterinary Hospital with her "Barbie Bag"

In late 2023 we learned about 10-year-old Ashley, who was with a German Shepherd Dog (GSD) rescue. She was in foster care and the foster Mom had to work away from home 12 to 13 hours a day.

Ashley had previously lost the use of her back legs. She also developed pressure sores. Over time the sores worsened and would not heal. The foster reached out to House with a Heart in hopes that we would be able to offer 24/7 care to Ashley.

Since we knew our good friend Katie had a soft spot for GS dogs we collaborated with Katie to be Ashley’s foster Mom. HWAH is providing daycare during the week and as needed on weekends.

The GSD rescue agreed to allow Katie to foster for them with HWAH assisting to be sure it was a good fit. As you can see, we have been able to get her into a wheelie cart and she is able to be mobile once again!

June 10th:

So... Ashley was scheduled for an ultrasound on Wednesday, but she had different plans! She wasn’t feeling her best over the weekend, with a slight fever and just not being her usual self. Her amazing foster mom, Katie, was up all night keeping an eye on her, taking her temperature every hour to make sure things didn’t get worse.

This morning, Katie took Ashley to the ER just to be safe. Blood-work revealed a raging UTI!! While she was there, they went ahead and did an ultrasound, which showed a new nodule on her liver and a smaller one on her spleen. Not the best news but as of right now they do not seem to be bothering her. Ashley is still at the ER getting IV antibiotics and fluids for her UTI, and we can already tell she’s starting to feel a bit better.

We should know more about her condition early tomorrow morning. Our top priority is keeping her happy and comfortable, so we’re taking it day-by-day and hour-by-hour with this sweet girl. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers! �

June 11th:

Baby girl is back home and enjoying her yummy dinner! She is feeling better and SO happy to be home. Unfortunately, she is still very sick. Her splenetic mass is showing more signs of being cancerous, and the tumor is big, angry, and ugly, so we know it can go south very quickly. We are doing everything we can to make sure the time she has left with us is the best it can be. ❤️ Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

June 13th:

Ashley’s last day of daycare!

Now that school is out, her forever foster mom, Katie, will be spending some quality time with this sweet girl! Ashley had a good day today, and as long as she’s still happy, then we’re still happy! Although her time is limited, we know she will be spending the rest of her days with her favorite person. ❤️

June 17th:

Ashley passed Monday night from a blood clot either to the heart or brain... it was immediate with no warning - she was there and then she was gone!

Katie is having her transported to the place where they do a service for the Owner and then the cremation. She will wait to get Ashley's ashes...

This was so unexpected, but much better than suffering.

#LoveLivesHere 💕💕💕💕💕

To help with Ashley's medical care to date, please consider a gift to sponsor her:

https://housewithaheart.com/sponsor-a-pet/?petid=12632

As always, please only donate if you are able, we appreciate all of your support and gifts.

As you can see, we have been able to get her into a wheelie cart and she is able to be mobile once again!

Pals Joie and Ashley, hanging out at the Sanctuary

"Striking a Pose" in her Barbie Pink

Meiko and the Tornado Alert

It's been a tough few days for our sweet Meiko!! He had a severe pancreatitis flare-up, and since he didn’t want to eat, we were very concerned about how this would affect his diabetes and getting his insulin.

Our regular vet treated him all day for pancreatitis but as soon as he got home, his stomach doubled in size and he was visibly VERY uncomfortable.

We were considering taking him to the ER when a tornado alert forced us to move all 17 dogs to the basement! Once the storm passed, we noticed his stomach started getting back to normal but he was still extremely uncomfortable.

With ERs being at capacity or closed, Emily decided to stay overnight at the sanctuary to keep an eye on him. By morning, he was a bit brighter but still very uncomfortable and wouldn’t eat, so we took him to the ER.

An ultrasound revealed a very angry pancreas, confirming our suspicions of pancreatitis!! He stayed overnight at the ER with a feeding tube and received supportive care. While there, we also had him checked by a cardiologist for a heart murmur. The echo-cardiogram showed only mild heart disease—good news for our boy!

Meiko is back home and on the road to recovery, eating, and resting comfortably. Now we can focus on getting his diabetes back under control!! We have an appointment with an internist soon and hope to get some answers.

If you would like and are able to help Meiko with his vet bills, you can donate on our website: https://housewithaheart.com/sponsor-a-pet/?petid=10454 and please make sure to write “Meiko” in the comment box! ❤️

An ultrasound revealed a very angry pancreas, confirming our suspicions of pancreatitis!! He stayed overnight at the ER with a feeding tube and received supportive care.

Someone didn't quite make it to the bed!

He has a FreeStyle Libre inserted into his skin that monitors his glucose. It will help us figure out his correct insulin dose without having to nick his skin twice a day!

Piper and Her Weight Loss Journey

Piper has been on a diet without success, so now the real work begins!!

Piper (a fan favorite) is a small Beagle. She needs to be closer to 14 lbs. so she doesn’t hurt her back.. maybe even 12…. But at 16 lbs. she is really a chunky monkey!!

In addition to Piper's struggles with weight, she is on many medications for her liver disease and gets ultra-sounds 2 to 3 times a year to monitor her liver.

As if that was not enough, she needs to have some serious dental work done that can only be accomplished by the Dental Specialist.

Since she will have to be sedated for the dental, we wanted to be sure all is well before she has the dental work done. Her medical checkup included having a growth on her side analyzed.

The results of that analysis showed that there is a 75% likelihood of a malignant tumor on her side and she needs to have it removed. We now have a surgery date of July 10th.

If you would like to help with Piper's treatments and medical expenses, please consider sponsoring her:

https://housewithaheart.com/sponsor-a-pet/?petid=4340

As always, please only donate if you are able, we appreciate all of your support and gifts.