Over the past several weeks, we’ve brought you stories about some of our latest Kitu’s Fund cases. We’ve covered shattered bones, surgical interventions, amputations, and other life-threatening situations that required high-cost veterinary treatment. We’ve also seen how sometimes, after evaluation, the condition isn’t as severe as we anticipated. Thank goodness. In Titan’s case, after the initial outlay to evaluate his condition, we learned that he didn’t need surgery after all. Taken together, those are the most common Kitu’s Fund scenarios. But Rescue Ranch also helps dogs with special needs who would suffer needlessly, even die, without ongoing care. We believe all dogs deserve a chance to live their best life.
How Kitu’s Fund also helps dogs with special needs
There are a number of ways that Kitu’s Fund helps dogs with special needs. In some cases, the challenge starts with just tracking down the cause. In other instances, the condition is known. There may be no cure but, properly managed, it may not be fatal either.
Mystery medical cases: Aslan and Noble
Aslan was found wandering in the grows back in May. The young Newfoundland was listless and could barely stand. His thick brown and white coat was filthy and stank. Even more alarmingly, he only weighed 112 pounds: that’s 44 pounds below his current healthy weight of 160. No wonder he could hardly walk!
Giant breeds don’t mature as quickly as other dogs, so at about two years old, this poor boy is barely out of puppyhood. Aslan’s general demeanor is passive. Although he’s gentle and appears to enjoy attention on some level, he’s also detached. His ability or desire to interact at this stage is minimal. It’s difficult to tell how much of that is a coping mechanism and how much is caused by his medical issues.
Early in June, Sanctuary Operations Manager Laura Finley described Aslan’s “episodes” to me. He would suddenly slip into an altered state and run around panicked for hours. Once, in a frantic moment, he injured himself and needed stitches. His enclosure now has 24-hour camera surveillance. A fur analysis came back with off-the-chart aluminum and other high levels but was inconclusive as to cause.
Now well cared for and at a healthy weight, Aslan should be doing better. Unfortunately, his episodes have evolved. He now has full blown grand mal seizures. Animal Medical Hospital vets have put him on both phenobarbital and gabapentin in an attempt to control his condition.
Curiously, something similar happened to Noble, now in the care of a loving foster. Some of you may recall the young German shepherd found near death last August. Once recovered, he began seizing as well.
The two dogs came from grow areas, but at different times and locations. It’s easy to imagine that they ingested contaminants, which are a feature of the grows, but vets are now looking in another direction: the high levels could be biproducts of bacteria or parasites in the brain. Only time and testing will tell.
Long-term chronic cases: Molly and Cleo
Last year’s poster dog for Kitu’s Fund 2023 was Molly, the senior St. Bernard. She is still going strong with our amazing long-term fosters Rajiv and Marianne Hotek. Molly suffered from chronic ear infections. So much so that she underwent surgery in one ear to alleviate her discomfort. That ear is now completely closed off. She has residual hearing in her other ear, which also has issues that have been successfully managed with medication, so far.
We first introduced Cleo, a senior German shepherd, way back in March 2022, when we put out an appeal for a foster. Cleo has an incurable disease that affects her spine: degenerative myelopathy (DM). Sadly, her condition will not improve over time. We could manage her pain and anxiety, but she needed a home of her own, a calm environment, someone to love, and someone to love her. She found Kristin and has been thriving in her care.
I caught up with them a few weeks ago. If possible, the two are even more attached than when we visited a year ago. Ever enthusiastic, Cleo was very excited to have a visitor when I stopped by to get some pictures. So much so, I kept my visit short to minimize her stress.
Cleo has so much energy, it’s hard to believe she’s a senior dog: sniffing, exploring, tugging on the leash, and, of course, playing in her pool. She doesn’t care that her hind leg buckles when she gets tired, or that she can’t walk very far. It’s as if she’s trying to make up for lost time.
The danger is that because she doesn’t know she’s ill, she sometimes injures herself. We had a couple of scares earlier this year in January and in March. Cleo was in pain, and we feared the worst. But both times she rallied to fight another day. Kristin knows that the time is coming when Cleo will no longer be able to walk unaided. We’ve provided a mobility cart for her to try when the time comes.
Cleo’s story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Thanks to ongoing support through Kitu’s Fund she has the medications and vet support she needs. But even better, she has Kristin. That bond is the best medicine we could have hoped for.
Kitu’s Fund helps dogs with special needs, but when that help is combined with long-term fosters like Rajiv and Marianne, Kristin, or Noble’s foster parent, that’s when the magic happens. We don’t know what the future holds for Aslan and Noble, but we hope that once vets get a handle on what is going on with them, they’ll have a chance at living their best lives. Just like Molly and Cleo.
Give to Kitu’s Fund to help dogs like Aslan, Noble, Cleo, and Molly
Kitu’s Fund covers high-cost veterinary expenses for sick or injured puppies and dogs. Costs range from several hundred to many thousands of dollars. We never know what to expect: Seizures? Degenerative Disease? Broken bones? Parvovirus? Heartworm? Foxtail infections? Prolapsed uteri or recta? Pregnancy complications? Crush injuries? Heart defects? Without your help, many dogs would suffer needlessly or die. Our special campaign has ended, but you can still give to Kitu’s Fund.
