Dear Loyal Supporters and Fans: Earlier today Oso’s veterinarian, his loving foster angel and rescue officers made a tough decision that we prayed we would never have to make. We would like to sincerely thank you, our rescue family, for the love and support that you have shown our latest rescue, Oso. It with devastated hearts that we bring you news that Oso has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We celebrate his loving spirit that suffers no more. Forever in our hearts you will remain, gone, but never forgotten.
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The diagnosis was uveitis caused by a fungal infection that was probably contracted 7 weeks ago – his symptoms were too obscure to be caught in time to make a difference in his quality of life. At this point it was already in his brain and was affecting his joints and mobility; the vet said there was irreparable neurologic damage. His fever spiked this morning and he was no longer moving but was aware of the loving family around him.
Unfortunately the Diagnosis came too late – treatment may not have made him any better … and even with treatment, diminished quality of life was a probable outcome. The Vet called this a bizarre complication and recommended discontinuing treatment; therefore, with his current suffering, Oso was put to sleep surrounded by his loving rescue angels.
We did our best to give him more but we gave him all we could. It was just too late to save this sweet soul.
Sometimes rescue isn’t the happy ever after but instead it becomes only the love that we can give in the moment. SWB would like each and every one of you to know that because of your generosity Oso came to us and found love and was cherished in the last days of his life.
Oso has been rushed to the vet again – Prayers … he is running a temperature of 104.1 with discharge in his “good” eye. Thank you for your help.
?Update on Oso??
06/15/2017: Oso is headed back to the emergency Vet this morning with a fever of 104.1 and discharge coming from he one GOOD eye. Please pray for Oso and consider a donation to help support his ongoing medical costs.
06/13/2017: It’s been a long day friends… most of all for Oso and his foster angels. Oso is back in his favorite bed where he is surrounded by love, but we still have no definitive answers. Oso has a fever and elevated white count and, in addition, we believe that he had a reaction to the broad spectrum antibiotics he was on. He has been taken off them and his appetite is returning, though we still are puzzled about his counts and fever. Oso has been through so much, yet he still wants to please and tries to follow directions … wags his tail and snuggles his head on his foster families laps.
Our plan of action is one of waiting and retesting – this was his fourth complete blood panel in a month and yet he patiently dealt with pokes and prodding by yet another vet. He is still 7 pounds down from his initial weight on intake to the shelter on 05/01.
He is having his temperature monitored several times a day and his intake and output monitored. We cannot express how special his foster family is … with Oso’s foster mommy having worked in a vet clinic for many years, he has the best caretaker at home, allowing him to rest there instead of a shelter or vet clinic where he has already spent 6 solid weeks of his life; we hope this will give him the best chance at healing.
Please continue to send well wishes or prayers for this sweet boy … we will update in a few days when he goes back for another blood panel, unless his fever increases before then … which would most likely require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics.
We are committed to helping Oso through this journey – we all desperately want him to have a happy ending. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of our rescue mission, donations are highly appreciated and are tax deductible. Donate
**** UPDATE **** 06/12/207 Oso had seemed to perk up yesterday and got to go on a field trip to water and a short walk. He doesn’t walk far as he is weak, but he eat a good breakfast and had a good day. He refused his dinner but it had been an exciting afternoon, so no one worried and let him fall fast asleep. Early this morning, Oso vomited and he seemed to take a turn for the worst. He has been rushed to the vet with a fever and vomiting. Please keep him in your thoughts as he continues to fight for life of happiness <3
We appreciate any assistance with Oso’s medical costs, please use this link and mark it for Oso: Donate
**** ARRIVED TO OREGON *****
Oso is a 2-3 year-old male GSD. He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on shots, heart worm negative and full of love!!
??? Oso’s story ???
You may notice, Oso looks a bit different than other dogs we have rescued in the past. Without a facility, financial means or foster homes that are qualified, we simply are not able to offer medical specialized rescue. Oso’s journey placed him with our rescue through a series of events and we would like to share his story. It is a bit long, but we want to share it in its entirety.
Oso is a 2-3 year old male who was already microchipped, picked up on the run in Northern California and taken to the Turlock Animal Shelter. In the shelter, it was discovered that his owner had suffered a traumatic and serious accident and would be hospitalized or in a rehab facility for a very long time. Unable to care for Oso, his owner signed him over to the shelter.
In the shelter, he was noticed by a trainer for Veteran’s support dog program. Young, sweet and social, Oso seemed to fit their criteria perfectly. When volunteer Bobbie took him from the shelter to meet the trainer, it was discovered that Oso had an eye injury and he was disqualified from the program without further information.
He was taken to Venetian Pet Hospital for treatment.
I received a call from the clinic manager at Venetian Animal Hospital, Terry. Venetian works with many rescue programs and takes very good care of our dogs. Terry is familiar with the types of dogs that enter our rescue and Oso’s friendly loving nature seemed to be a perfect match! At that time, it was felt that Oso’s injury was minor and we scheduled him for an thorough temperament assessment for the following week for intake.
Sadly, about 5 days later, I received a frantic call from Terry with the horrible news that Oso’s eye was not improving and that he was in a lot of pain. Our volunteer, Cara, was literally minutes away from arriving at the clinic to assess him for intake. After the assessment, Oso went to surgery, where it was found that his eye had suffered some horrific and significant impact injury. In essence, his eyeball was ruptured in the back (where you couldn’t see the injury), much like a boxer’s injury. There was no treatment other than removal.
We don’t know how Oso who was a beloved dog got this injury. Perhaps on the run, he was kicked or hit with something; we may never know. What we do know is that missing an eye didn’t take away from his dashing personality and loving sweet ways and we felt strongly about going forward with his rescue.
Oso has a special qualified loving foster family to help him recuperate and reach full recovery around his “one-sightedness”. Welcome Oso!
To apply to adopt any of our rescued GSDs, please apply here: Adoption Application
stay tuned for more updates on Oso as he progresses on his journey <3
