American Fox Terrier Rescue

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Sky's medical bills are high, and she really needs your help.

Please email Lee at leckholm@sbcglobal.net for a receipt for your tax deductible donation, and let Lee know you'd like your donation to go to Sky's care.  All funds are used for medical care for our wonderful fox terriers.  If we are blessed with enough for Sky, have no fear, other dogs are always in need of your support.

Sky will be forever grateful.  Even the smallest of donations will help begin healing this wonderful dog.

UPDATE 12/26/2007: Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to Sky!  Today she went back in to see Dr. Larocca and got a clean bill of health.  Her eyes have healed wonderfully, the pressure is good in both eyes, corneas good, lenses clear.  It couldn't have gone better!

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For more updates - see below...

~ Kathy Lauer

Sky's Story

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 In November 2007, the Vanderburgh Humane Society in Evansville Indiana contacted Cheryl Collins, head of the Midwest Fox Terrier Rescue group to tell her about Sky.  Sky was dropped at the shelter by her owners.  They told the shelter that Sky has juvenile cataracts and they didn't want to deal with her.  This little baby is only 10 months old.

She can still see well enough to get around, but eventually she will go blind if the cataracts are not addressed.

Cheryl agreed to take Sky and the process began.  Sky will be making her way to Iowa with some help from Mike S. and a few other rescue volunteers.  Once there, she'll be moved to Kathy Lauer in Minneapolis where she will see a DACVO Ophthalmologist to be evaluated and hopefully be a good candidate for cataract removal.

Cataract surgery in dogs has come a long way.  The can now replace the lens and with lens replacement and proper post-surgical care and follow up, have a 95 - 98% success rate of restoring the dog's vision!

We will continue to update Sky's story as we learn more from the doctors.

We are very excited at this news, but we need your help to give Sky her sight back.  She will require surgery and post-op care before she'll be ready to be adopted.

If you can help, please donate for her care.  You can either click the Paypal buttons at the top or bottom of this page, or mail a donation to the address noted.  We are participating in craft sales and other things to raise funds, but we have a long way to go to be able to restore her sight. 

Remember - your donations are tax deductible.  Just send Lee a note when you donate and she'll get a receipt out to you right away.

If you're interested in adopting Sky after her recovery, contact Kathy at kathy@kathysdogs.com

Help Sky move on in her journey and her road to recovery!  Please donate to Fox Terrier Rescue!

THANK YOU!

UPDATE 12/04/2007: Life with Sky has been an adventure, to say the least.  Keeping a 10 - 11 month old pup STILL and in a crate with a cone on her head, 3 different drops 4 times a day each - not to mention taking her out on a leash in the freezing cold and snow - it's been a TON of work.  She even went with me for the weekend to my brother's so that my dogs could have time without her around taking up so much of our energy.  When you have adult dogs, it's hard to remember how exhausting the young 'uns are!

But it's worth every minute of it when I see how awestruck she is with seeing things we take for granted.  Reflections in windows and mirrors are her latest fascination.  It's so cool to realize that she is actually SEEING now and is probably more than a little overwhelmed.  Kind of my own little Christmas miracle.  I keep telling myself that when she's grabbing my gloves or trying to pull something off the counter….  And this dog has an amazing ability to stand very easily on her back legs!  I call her Meerkat because that's what she looks like!

But the biggest new is:  tonight we are CONE FREE!  She is SO happy!  The problem is she is now 2 weeks worth of "wound up" and she is VERY active.  Her interaction ability is not very good - she gets so overly stimulated in about a second and actually overwhelms my guy Rebel - a dog who is not overwhelmed by much.  I am pretty sure it's just over-excitement and that she's not well socialized into the workings of the "pack" here at Casa de Naughty-dogs!  So the next few days will be pretty tense around here until I get a better read on her personality outside the cage, without a cone, and able to see.  Prior to surgery - when she couldn't see - she did really well, so I'm hoping that everything returns to that once she runs off about 10 tons of pent up energy.

So basically she's ready to go now.  Whoever adopts her will have a really nice little dog.  I'm hoping the perfect home is out there ready for her.

Thanks to all for who sent donations for her.

Merry Christmas, and thanks for all the good Karma - it worked for Miss Sky!

UPDATE 11/28/2007:  Sky had her one week post-surgery appointment today.  Her surgeon, Dr. Robert Larocca DVM, DACVO, said she looks great! Everything is as it should be, her lenses are "crystal clear" and her eye pressure is just about perfect!  We are so happy!  She is really very good at the vet and they like her there.  I am finding it so fun to take her for walks and watch her as she "sees things" - cars, leaves blowing, birds - she's looking around constantly at everything.  It's very touching to think that she could have been blind, but with the skill of Dr. Larocca and all of your donations, she now will live the life a terrier is meant to live - busy, busy, busy!

We are still looking for donations for her surgery and after-care.  Thank you to all who have donated or are planning to donate to her care - your generosity will give this great little girl a chance at a wonderful, sight filled life!

UPDATE 11/20/2007:  Sky had her cataract surgery today.  Her surgeon is Dr. Robert Larocca DVM, DACVO, owner of the Animal Eye Specialty Center; 13783 Ibis Street NW; Andover, MN; phone: 763-767-EYES.  I highly recommend them as everyone there is kind and caring and very nice to deal with.  Dr. Larocca feels her cataracts are most likely inherited in origin.  The cataracts were removed from both eyes today via phacofragmentation and aspiration.  This is the most advanced method of cataract removal. This procedure involves the use of a small incision and an ultrasonic break-up of the lenses. Following removal of the cataracts, artificial lenses were placed in both eyes.  Surgery went well with no complications.  She will have inflammation in the eyes, which should resolve over the next  2 weeks.  As the inflammation resolves, the vision will continue to improve. 

Her next two weeks will be spent confined to a cage or crate with a cone on her head, on a course of 3 types of eye drops, 5 minutes apart, 3 times a day!  Plus oral antibiotics 2 times a day.  She cannot run, jump or run the stairs. She can walk on a leash only with a harness - not a neck collar.  It's going to be a pretty intense time for all of us, I'm sure.

Currently she's out cold, which is nice for me because she HATES getting eye drops, and since she's unconscious, I can eye drop her without a fight.  It's going to be interesting tomorrow when she's awake and full of fight getting drops in her eyes 12 different times every day. Say a prayer that she eventually gets used to it and stops fighting me! 

In summary, surgery went very well.  If all goes well, she'll being seeing things for her first Thanksgiving and seeing even better by birthday at Christmas!!  She will start looking for a new home in the next few weeks once she's been cleared by the Doctor.  If you think she'd be a fit for your home and you're willing to give her the follow up care and get her to an eye doctor every year, feel free to forward applications to kathy@kathysdogs.com or ccswires@netins.net

We are still looking for donations for her surgery and after-care.  Thank you to all who have donated or are planning to donate to her care - your generosity will give this great little girl a chance at a wonderful, sight filled life!

To learn about our puppy mill dogs, go to http://www.foxterrierrescue.net/Millstory.htm .  The extraordinary donations that were received from the general public allowed these dogs to get the care they needed, and also care for other mill dogs that have since come in to rescue.

 We can never thank you enough for your generosity in helping to save dogs’ lives.

For donations to the General AFTR fund to help these and other dogs in the care of Fox Terrier Rescue, you can donate via PayPal using your Credit Card or send a check to: 

Fox Terrier Rescue
c/o Lee Eckholm
AFTR Treasurer
430 East Grant Street
Appleton, WI  54911

and Lee will send you a receipt for your donation.  We will be forever grateful.  Even the smallest of donations will help to begin healing these wonderful dogs. 

Click on the link below to donate by credit card via PayPal.  Please send Lee Eckholm an email giving her your address information so she can send you a  receipt for your tax deductible donation.  Email Lee at leckholm@sbcglobal.net