The Houlton Humane Society is known for compassion and for going the extra mile when a critter is in distress so it was no surprise when we had a call from the State, asking us to assist with a case they were involved in. Several dogs had been taken in and were in pretty bad shape. They had already lost a couple of them they were so far gone, and we were asked to take a pup and see what we could do to help him.
Our Director Heather Miller was a saint in a former life, or at least breathed on by a saint, because she just has this gift with these animals to know what they need and the minute she saw little Nanook she knew he was in trouble. Our wonderful shelter vet Dr. Brown did the initial exam and made a diagnosis that poor Nanook had lice, mange and fleas, was extremely thin and dehydrated. After a couple of days of treating Nanook for these conditions, it was obvious that he was not thriving, so Heather reached out once again to Dr. Brown who recommended Nanook go into specialized care to see if he had any other underlying issues.
God Bless Dr. Amber at Aroostook Veterinary Services for taking over the case and running tests. It was finally decided that Nanook needed surgery and during this lengthy operation it was determined that the little pup had enlarged mesenteric nodes, a small amount of serosanguinous fluid, a stomach that was enlarged with gas, a wall that was swollen and thick-walled small intestines with very prominent blood vessels as well as peristalsis.
Ok, I don’t know what all that means either, nor do I know if I even said it right, but you get the point. This was one very sick puppy. The cause? He was so hungry he was eating garbage and that garbage seriously screwed up his insides.
After his surgery, it was touch and go for several days. Liz Neal from Aroostook Veterinary Services sent daily photos to the shelter with Nanook’s update, and you can see photos of him on our Facebook page – beautiful blue eyes, sad little face, just the most gorgeous little pup. He did not deserve the way his life started out, but he is being pampered and loved now.
After a week at the vet on IVs, Nanook is slowly starting to recover, even getting a bit of a puppy “attitude” which is very good news. Once released, he will go to the Miller house for rehab. He needs to get some weight put on him and have some socialization before he’ll be eligible for adoption. It’s still touch and go for Nanook but we are confident in his will to survive and the skills of the medical professionals who have attended him so lovingly, and of course he will thrive in the Miller household!
The expense of his treatment will be high, and many of you have stepped forward and donated via pay pal, dropped off checks, or mailed donations to help with these bills. We are forever grateful for all your kind support and your prayers. We will keep you posted on Nanook as he recovers but the best way to follow his progress is to check out Houlton Humane’s Facebook page where there are daily updates and photos.
Please keep in mind that Nanook cannot be placed up for adoption, or be seen by the public, for at least four weeks while he recovers. We need to be certain that he is 100% recovered and he will not be in the shelter during this time. He will recover in a private home. Please wait until he is listed for adoption to request an application.
Many thanks to Heather, Dr. Brown, Dr. Amber, all of Aroostook Veterinary’s staff, especially Liz Neal, and to the Houlton Humane Staff who have all fallen in love with this sweet little boy and have been helping Heather care for him before he went to the hospital.
If you would like to help with Nanook’s medical expenses, any donations would be gratefully accepted. You can mail your checks, payable to Houlton Humane Society, to PO Box 548, Houlton, Me 04730 and put “Nanook” right on your check so it will go into the dedicated fund for this purpose.
Stay tuned for more updates. We are confident that a full recovery is in this little guy’s future. Thanks for all you to do help us help them. We can’t do it without you!
