National Pyr's Neediest Cases
Rescuers face heart-wrenching decisions when pulling dogs from shelters. We can't help them all but just helping the healthiest is unfair to all the good dogs who may have suffered some sort of injury or trauma. Expensive surgery and other urgently needed medical care cannot be covered by adoption fees alone. We need your help to fix our neediest cases, so please chip in and give what you can.
Your donation not only assists these deserving Pyrs, it reinforces their rescuers' commitment to saving more lives. Please click on the chip-in icon to support the dog of your choice, or click here to make a donation that will help all of them. And please keep in mind that many of these wonderful dogs need fostering prior to adoption once they recover.
Thank you for helping National Great Pyrenees Rescue help our neediest Pyrs.
KentaroNew! Kentaro/Georgia
Kentaro is a 5-year-old boy who was picked up from Animal Control in rural Georgia. He was found as a stray, traveling with a female boxer. Animal Control was able to locate the owner, but the owner said he didn't want his dogs anymore, and had released them. The shelter arranged to have him neutered prior to pickup, but when we got him we realized something was not quite right. Kentaro's testicle sac had become extremely swollen — think "grapefruits" — but this poor boy never complained or became agitated when being examined. Antibiotics were started, and warm compresses applied every couple of hours, but the enlarged sac never shrank. By the third day, we noticed ulcerations and decided we had to act quickly, the sac had to go. He remained sweet and calm throughout the ordeal. When the surgeon reopened up Kentaro's surgery site, many problems were detected, including tubes left to drain into the sac and areas that should have been removed but were not. The vet said Kentaro must have been in extreme pain. After he had his surgery, Kentaro was even more lovable, always ready with gentle kisses and a paw for shaking. He is a gentleman who never jumps or paws roughly.
What Kentaro needs: help with the $900 in veterinary costs that were incurred for fixing his botched neuter. He is going to a foster home in Florida.
Please make Kentaro smile by donating to his ChipIn.
AikenNew! Aiken/New York
Aiken came up to New York in January from the Bowling Greene, KY kill shelter. He was found wandering on a highway looking very lost and out of place. Several Pyr rescue groups were contacted about him and Jean Harrison of Big Fluffy Dogs said that she recognized him because of his truncated tail and the limp in his left hind leg. She saw him months ago when clearing several dogs out of a known crack house in KY but his owners wouldn't give Aiken up. Finally, after months more abuse and trauma, Aiken was picked up by Animal Control, limping along on a busy highway.
What Aiken needs: he has been diagnosed with an luxating patella (slipped kneecap), which will cost $1,500 to repair. Rescue has already spent $300 on Aiken but needs help in raising money for his operation. Aiken needs a foster home, too, so please e-mail director@nationalpyr.org if you can foster him. He is four and could have a good life ahead of him once his leg is fixed.
Please give Aiken a hug to start his new life by chipping in for his operation.
Rocky SeniorNew! Rocky Sr./Alabama
Rocky Sr. was an owner surrender. Well, sort of. The animal control officer in Alabama told the owner he wouldn't prosecute him for animal cruelty if this senior Pyr was turned into the local shelter, a gassing shelter, which might have been better than seeing him slowly starve to death. A rescue volunteer pulled Rocky from the shelter and brought him to her vet, who could find no physical reason for Rocky Sr. to be so thin. He is a 2 out of 9 on the scale (0 is starved to death & 9 is severely obese).
What Rocky Sr. needs: a full blood panel to confirm that it's OK to neuter him at this late date, plus neuter costs, vaccinations, and a sponsor or donors to pay his boarding until he can gain enough weight to be neutered and find someone to take him for the last years of his life. The estimate of $690 includes neutering, additional blood work and vaccinations and boarding until a foster can be found. Rocky Sr. needs a foster, so please e-mail director@nationalpyr.org if you can foster him.
Send a kiss to Rocky by donating to his ChipIn.
Neediest Cases Updates
Violet being released from the hospitalViolet/Texas
Violet came through surgery like a champ! She had pulmonic stenosis without PDA (which is great). They were able to do the surgery with a catheter through her jugular vein, using a balloon to expand her pulmonic value. Her pressure was reduced from around 100 to approx. 40. Normal pressure is about 25, so this is very good — the vet said she can live a full, happy life without any restrictions. She will be on medicine for six months to a year but after that, no medicine is required. She has a full life ahead of her! Violet is acting like a normal 6-7-month old pup!
The cost of Violet's operation was $3300. $1200 was raised by the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society, her fostering rescue group, $1,041 by contributions to National Pyr and the remaining $1,059 was covered by a generous donor.
Rocky after surgeryRocky/Indiana
Rocky was the victim of an extremely abusive situation until he was surrendered to rescue. He was chained and neglected after his owner died. Rocky was positive for heartworm and needed TPLO surgery on his knee so he could walk again. National Pyr contributors gave $640 towards the $3000 cost of Rocky's TPLO surgery. Rocky is doing great post-surgery but needs someone to love and adopt him. Please contact Jane@IGPR.org if you know someone who can give Rocky a good home.
Mamie/Missouri The cost of Mamie's $2,500 TPLO operation has now been covered by National Pyr donors. She is scheduled for surgery on 2/17 at the Missouri Veterinary School. A January appointment was rescheduled due to heavy ice and snow in the area.
Arthur/Missouri Arthur spent January with a vet in MO being evaluated. He has recovered from his collision trauma but he is still being tested to determine why his resting testosterone is so high. One possible reason is Cryptorchidism, a condition in which either one or both testes (testicles) fails to descend fully into the scrotum. As soon as we know more about Arthur's condition, we will post an update. National Pyr donors raised $500 towards Arthur's expenses.
Chloe/New York Chloe is being scheduled for a second veterinary opinion at Flannery Animal Hospital in Newburgh, NY to move her ahead with her TPLO operation. National Pyr raised $ 1,135 towards Chloe's surgery. Her foster and friends are trying to raise the remainder of her expenses through local fundraising.
