From commentor Prometheus Shrugged:
Nya, a 10-month-old beagle, labrador mix, was rescued from the Humane Society of Imperial County on January 10, 2015. This scrawny puppy had been overlooked at the shelter for two months and needed a rescue to save her. We took one look at Nya’s protruding ribs and knew we needed to help. Nya was placed in a loving foster home where our first step was to put on some much needed weight. Despite being parasite free, Nya proved to be a very picky eater – almost to the point of being anorexic. Her blood work looked normal, leaving us perplexed. Our goal was to find a food, any food, that Nya would eat.
On February 20, 2015, Nya was rushed to Veterinary Specialty Hospital after she went into respiratory arrest after a larger-than-normal meal. Chest X-rays revealed that Nya had a diaphragmatic hernia – a small hole in her diaphragm that allowed her liver, stomach, and small intestines to migrate into her chest cavity. Her food-filled stomach was pressing on her heart and lungs, causing a rapid heart rate and labored breathing. Our vets believe the hernia was congenital, since Nya has no injuries that indicate the condition was caused by trauma. Dr. Fryer performed a flawless surgery the following day and for the first time in our care, Nya’s lungs were able to fully expand in her chest cavity!
We have been fostering dogs for “The Rescued Dog” here in San Diego for a couple of years, and Nya, is, hands down, the sweetest dog I’ve ever been around. She loves all humans unconditionally and has been great with the other pets in our house (AKA our “foster failures”). The surgery, though expensive, seems to have been a success. Assuming she heals properly, and regardless of any fundraising, she should soon be adoptable.
She would make an ideal companion for anyone wanting or needing a little love and affection–i.e. approximately everybody. I would be happy to provide more details to anyone who might be interested. We’ve had her for more than a month now, and I took all the non-hospital photos on the webpage (the obligatory “dogs making the bed” shot should look familiar). So I have a reasonable sense of her personality. As I said, unadulterated sweetness.
As far as I can tell, most rescue operations seem to be noble organizations, and “The Rescued Dog” is no exception. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way other than providing a foster home.) Their strategy is to go to the rapid (5-day) kill shelters throughout Southern California and rescue the ones that seem most adoptable. They pay for all medical expenses prior to adoption (including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and, occasionally, major medical expenses such as Nya’s) and then make the adoption process as painless as possible. Their track record for choosing the most affectionate dogs has thus far been impeccable. However, like most rescue organizations, they do operate on a shoestring budget; not surprisingly, vet bills like Nya’s totally wipe them out.
Poor girl, I’m guessing she’s been a ‘picky eater’ because a full stomach was so uncomfortable for her. If you can, please spread the word (Facebook, etc.). And if you’re interested in giving Nya a permanent home, or know someone who might be, leave a comment or contact me (click on my name in the right-hand column or annelaurie at verizon dot net).
trollhattan
Just look at that face.
Dee Loralei
totes adorbs. Paging MaryG, in case Ginger doesn’t work out, one closer to home.
elmo
ye gods. She looks just like my brother’s dog who died about a year ago, aged about 14 or so. He’s in San Diego. I’ll give him a ping.
WereBear
What difficult, yet vital, work.
MissBarbie
I’m not ready to adopt a dog while still working full-time, and I have 5 cats(!?). I threw in $25.She does sound ideal for MaryG.
Elizabelle
I would be so tempted if I was in SoCal. How much does Nya weigh now, and what does the vet think will be her grown full weight?
Crossing my fingers and toes that Mary G ends up with Ginger or Nya. (And Nya’s even closer! She’s a California girl.)
Sweet counts for a lot.
realbtl
Interesting. I’m currently in Bozeman MT getting ready to rescue a Weimanraner, about 320 miles from home. !40 mi to get her tomorrow and back to Bozeman then home on Sunday. Rescue dogs are the best.
MomSense
I love her! Something about her face just speaks to me. I will chip in to help pay for her care.
Laertes
She’s beautiful. I chipped in $25. I hope she finds a forever home soon.
Prometheus Shrugged
@Elizabelle: She’s currently 17 lbs and her appetite has improved noticeably a week after her surgery–good sign. So she will undoubtedly fill out, but her frame probably won’t get much bigger. She’s still a lap dog and probably always will be–fortunately, she’s not picky about whose laps need crawling into or whose ears need to be muzzled.
TaMara (BHF)
Well I FB it to all my California friends. What a sweet face. What amazing work you do.
BTW, everyone probably already knows this, but you can go to http://smile.amazon.com/ and designate a charity to receive a % of your purchases.
That is if you’re not already ordering through the BJ link.
trollhattan
@Prometheus Shrugged:
Awww, with that pedigree she probably should have been more in the 30-40 pound range, but having been malnourished since birth she’s going to stay small. Those dainty paws and the shot of her on the bed with the big ol’ upside-down lug tell the tale.
Scamp Dog
My niece had something similar (I think it may have been a mal-rotated bowel), so she couldn’t eat much and wasn’t gaining weight–really disturbing in a not-yet-2 year old. Once they figure out the problem, she started “eating like a pig” according to my brother, and made it back to average height & weight on the growth chart. He said it was the first time he was pleased she was just average.
I just got done making a donation, kicking in the de facto Balloon Juice $25. Good luck sweet girl!
Beeb
I’m in. Good luck to Nya. She deserves it. And thank you for letting us know about her.
Prometheus Shrugged
@trollhattan: Truth be told, I’m not too convinced of the beagle/lab mix label. I have a vet friend that says chihuahua/greyhound mixes are relatively common in northern Mexico, close to where she was found; and that mix seems more appropriate to me. Not that it matters much, unless someone plans to sequence her DNA.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (BHF): I tried to enter BJ as a charity when I got that notice from amazon last night. I can’t believe they don’t think BJ is a charity! :-)
Mary G
Well, I thought I left a comment earlier; I know I typed it out, but must have been eaten by FYWP or I just spaced and didn’t hit “submit comment.” She is quite a bit younger than I was planning to adopt, and lab/beagle sounds like more active of a dog than I might be able to handle, but she is adorable. I did contribute a mite while I think it over.
ETA: Do you have cats? Does she get along with them?
trollhattan
@Prometheus Shrugged:
You just blew my mind. :-) I might be too suggestible but think I can see Lab in her face, or even golden, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the beagle part. No matter–she’s simply adorbs, as noted above.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
Win!
WereBear
@realbtl: Congrats. And we want pics.
Prometheus Shrugged
@Mary G: We do have a 19 year old cat. Nya is very curious and sometimes invades the cat’s space, trying to play with it. But she is never aggressive.
However, she is quite active. She doesn’t seem to be a compulsive digger or a shredder or a chewer, but she does enjoy running around, like most <1 year olds. And she is not 100% certified house trained yet, though I don't know how much her condition contributed to her occasional presents inside the house.
Violet
I hope Mary G sees this! Nya reminds me of Lily. Total sweetheart.
feebog
I can see the lab and beagle. She’s too small for my 80 lb. Dutch Shepard/Golden mix, who really likes to roughhouse with other dogs. Mary, I hope you decide to adopt her, seems like about the right size, and she should be pretty mellow.
Violet
@Mary G: Oh, good! I’m glad you saw this. She looks like a total sweetheart. Maybe you could find a way to meet her to see if she might be a good match?
PurpleGirl
I’ve seen that diaphragmatic hernia on a number of reality medical shows. Feel sorry for Nya and am glad it was found and could be fixed. She’s adorable now and will be a looker when she fills out.
Ashley Corrigan
I am one of the co-founders of The Rescued Dog and have been the primary point contact for her medical case – her foster mom was one of my PhD thesis committee members. Last Friday night I had my first date night with my husband in over 2 months (rescue work takes priority more times than I want to admit). I some how managed to drag him to Fifty Shades of Grey. Half way through the movie, I received two missed calls from Nya’s foster mom. Anytime I receive late night calls from a foster parent, I know it is likely due to an emergency. I excused myself from the movie and received news that Nya was on her way to the emergency vet. I stayed up until 2am talking with the vets and approving procedures as they began to diagnose her condition. Given the fact that we had failed to put weight on her since rescuing her 6 weeks ago, I was convinced we were going to lose her that night. Thankfully the vets at VSH were able to diagnose her condition.
I am so thankful to all of those that have donated to her care! A large vet bill like Nya’s is a huge financial blow to a small rescue like ours. We are applying for emergency medical grants, but we have not been successful in the past receiving much from them. I’m currently at work in tears watching the donations come in for her care.
A heartfelt thank you,
Ashley Corrigan Steffey
Mike J
Has BiP shown up to tell us Boris Nemtsov got what was coming to him?
Prometheus Shrugged
@feebog: Before her surgery, she did hold her own with our other two dogs, both of which are in the 80-100 lb range (one is 14 and the other is 1; the 1 year old especially likes it rough.) @Violet: I’m happy to facilitate any meetings.
PurpleGirl
@Ashley Corrigan: Thank you for the work you do. I’m acquainted with a young woman who started a cat rescue and shelter and finds homes for kittens and cats. I know how hard it can be to do rescue work and rehome an animal and do your own human work at the same time. (Cassie is a respiration therapist and can work different shifts.)
ETA: Balloon Juice is political blog which talks about a lot of things — companion animals being pretty important to just about everyone who reads and comments here.
PurpleGirl
@Mike J: So far, not that I’ve seen. Then too, I haven’t gone to any of the previous threads to see if he stopped by after I left.
Anne Laurie
@Prometheus Shrugged:
In this pic, her head looks pure beagle to me, but her back end could certainly be greyhound — and she’s got a very very sighthound expression in the post-surgery pic at the top of her fundraising bleg!
Every (retired racing) greyhound I’ve met has just been a sweet, sweet love sponge… and, despite their cranky reputations (they’re one-person dogs!) chihuahua crosses also tend to be extremely affectionate dogs (like our Blogmaster’s Lily!). Here’s hoping Nya quickly finds her permanent person(s) to share all the love you can see in those shining eyes.
Freemark
Its amazing how much she looks like a yellow lab and a beagle at the same time. Its almost like one of those ambiguous image illusions.
She is beautiful.
Kristine
Donated.
Hope Nya can be adopted soon–such a sweet face.
debit
In for $50. She looks like such a sweet dog. Hope her recovery goes well.
serge
Well I am going to contribute. One of our rescues of many years past had the exact same thing. We didn’t know it until we found her in the backyard screaming in pain. Her organs had extruded into her chest cavity…the ER vet could keep her alive only by massaging her heart, and she perished.
Her name was Princess, abandoned in the Francis Marion national forest, and the first stray I let my young daughter adopt all for herself. She was uncommonly smart, and she loved everything – people, animals, anything alive. I am so happy that this beastie was saveable.
Riley's Enabler
Oh, that face! In for some support for the dear girl. I hope they can find her a loving home.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
You’re a good Joe, Prometheus Shrugged. I kicked in a little. Best of luck to Nya and thanks for helping her.
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@serge: What a heartbreaking story. I know it was a long time ago, but I am still sending hugs your way.