My name is Gianna and I'm a sweet Southern girl. My former owner couldn't keep me anymore, so they brought me to Col. Potter to find a new forever home. I'm spayed, heartworm negative, and up-to-date on all my vaccinations. I'm housebroken, very well-mannered, and basically a quiet, indoor kind of girl. Foster Mom says I'm very ladylike. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like sharing my foster home with other four-legged house mates, but I've decided I like having step-brothers to wrestle with - 'cause I always win!
I also adore going for walks and I'm an excellent traveler.

I was recently diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus. Foster Mom started me on insulin injections twice a day, and along with a healthy diet, I'm feeling better already.

For updates on Gianna, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under CA.

Update 6/28/07: In January 2007 I was asked if I would foster Luise, a Cairn female being surrendered by her owner. My current foster was about to get adopted so I jumped at the chance for another Cairn foster kid to fill that void. Her arrival here was delayed because of weather, so another Col. Potter volunteer graciously offered to keep her for a week.

Col. Potter knew this little girl had allergies to wheat, corn and grass, but I soon received emails from the other volunteer outlining her poor condition and obesity. Our volunteer did a wonderful job of cleaning her up and removing the mats from her coat, but Luise had a raging yeast infection on her skin and the powerful odor filled our car on the drive home. Dealing with a yeast infection was not new to me but the severity of Luise’s was like nothing I had seen before.

On her first visit to the vet, the vet brought up the possibility of Cushing’s Disease because of her appearance. The initial test showed elevated Cortisol but was not conclusive, so Col. Potter authorized the additional test; luckily it was negative. I put Luise on a corn and wheat free diet and started giving her a medicated bath every week. After about 10 weeks on the new diet and bath regimen, the yeast condition improved tremendously and she had hair growth over her entire body. But in late April Luise started to scratch again and she was losing hair around her hindquarters. Her skin became red and very warm, and she licked and chewed at those areas. Col. Potter’s knowledgeable volunteers offered advice for several things to try but I saw no improvement. I was instructed to get her to an allergist to discover what was causing this condition.

On June 23rd, Luise went to her all day allergist appointment. She was on her best behavior for such a long day. Her appointment was at 8:30 a.m. and I received the results at 4:30 p.m. The results were shocking.

Luise’s tests showed she is allergic to 43 - yes 43! - different items; fleas of course, but other insects too, as well as dust, grass, wool and many other things. I was stunned when I received the list. There was a very long list of substances, and most had a numerical level of reaction alongside. I had a hard time finding anything she wasn’t allergic too. Her reaction to many of the items was extremely high.

Can you imagine being allergic to 43 items and how uncomfortable and itchy that must feel on the skin? The vet had never seen such results and Luise's report was a topic of discussion for the entire staff.

The allergist can only place 12-16 different antigens in one vial so Luise’s treatment for the allergies will have to be contained in three separate vials. Her series of injections will alternate between the three vials. She also has a staph infection and still has small areas of yeast on the areas of her body that tend to stay moist. I received a 30 day supply of antibiotics to combat the infection and was asked to give her a pre-wash bath every week with a one shampoo, followed by another bath with the medicated shampoo. This I am more than willing to do for Luise.

However, Luise’s medical bills are tremendous. Col. Potter has been very generous on Luise’s behalf. But some dogs require so much more care than others that I now come to you to ask if you would be willing to click on the Guardian Angel link above and proudly post your name under her photos by making a small donation for Luise, so we can finish up her treatment. All those wonderful small donations add up - and together we can give her a better life!

For updates on Luise, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under FL.

This week began with the arrival of 13 Cairns from a puppymill, six adults and 7 puppies - each of them named for a composer. One little 5 month old Cairn girl from this group was named Chopin. She was a last minute addition to the group, undoubtedly because she was so sick. When she arrived in Col. Potter's care on Monday, she was near death and was rushed to the vet. Her temperature and heart rate were dropping. Chopin had hung on as long as she could and couldn't hang on any longer. She was severely dehydrated and her eyes were so infected, they were crusted over and swollen shut. Her body was emaciated. I don't know how long she had been without sight and too weak to walk. Here is her progress during her first week at Col. Potter:

Monday: Chopin arrived and was rushed to the vet. Her eyes were cleaned up and medicated and she was given intravenous fluids. When Chopin came home that night she still couldn't open her eyes very much and she was too weak to hold up her head.

Tuesday: Chopin stayed at the vet all day for more fluids via IV. It was determined that she also has dry eye. Whether this is because of her dehydration and is reversible has not been determined, but she is receiving additional treatment for her dry eyes. She is able to hold her head up a little today, but can't stand for very long.

Wednesday: This morning Chopin was standing at the door of her crate when I went in to get her up. She was able to walk around a little and ate a good breakfast. At lunchtime she was drooling excessively and grinding her teeth. She hasn't lost many of her baby teeth, even though most of her adult teeth have come in. She has a double row of teeth. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. She went back to the vet Wednesday night and x-rays were taken for possible CMO. This is a painful condition where the bones of the jaw do not develop in the normal way. Puppies usually grow out of it after several months, but it is very painful in the meantime. The x-rays were inconclusive. However, she was unable to maintain her footing and the vet suspected she might have a liver shunt. A liver shunt is when one or more of the vessels leading to the liver for cleansing bypasses the liver and grows/develops outside of the liver. The blood passing through these vessels does not get cleansed and the toxins continue through the system and back up into the brain, causing neurological symptoms.

Thursday: Chopin returned to the vet in the morning for a bile assay test to determine if she has a liver shunt. She also had a urinalysis and full blood panel done. Chopin is not showing the behaviors that are symptomatic of a liver shunt, but the test is the best diagnostic tool. Chopin explored the kitchen and living room tonight. Her eyes are open and are getting much better. She is walking better and even trotted around a little.

Friday: Chopin starting wagging her tail today. The vet also called today with the results from the tests. The tests indicate that she may have a liver shunt. We are scheduling an ultrasound for her as soon as possible to see if there is a shunt and what it looks like. She is beginning to trust us and will come to us and let us pick her up.

Going forward, Chopin will need the ultrasound and possibly surgery. She will also need to have her baby teeth removed. Chopin hung on for 5 months until we could be there to help her. These procedures are costly and Chopin needs our help. Please help Col. Potter bring this little girl back to health by donating whatever you can. Click on the link above to become a Guardian Angel to Chopin - every little bit WILL help!

For updates on Chopin, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under MO.

Please welcome Dina to the Col. Potter family. She arrived in serious need of loving care after a hard life. She had surgery to remove dead, infected skin last week and has just arrived at her foster home. Please help us by keeping Dina in your hearts and in your prayers. Dina will be up to date on her shots this week, she is spayed, and hasn't had any accidents in the house. She is quite shy of humans as a result of her past. We're working to win her over with gentle care and food. I have managed to get her to take a bite of scrambled eggs and ham from my fingers, so I'm confident that with the tincture of time and loving care, Dina will be ready to enjoy a wonderful family. She has an amazingly strong spirit to come through years of abusive living conditions and be as gentle and sweet as she is.

For updates on Dina, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under OH.

Please welcome Durango to the Col. Potter family! He is a year and a half old male whose owner could no longer keep him. He is a typical young Cairn - very busy and curious, but also very sweet, loving and affectionate. He is a beautiful color, one you don't see very often in Cairns; silver wheaten with black ears and muzzle.

So why has Durango been designated as needing a Guardian Angel? He came into Col. Potter with a broken leg. The break is a fracture of the tibial crest and will require surgery to repair, and needs a screw to be placed in his leg. His surgery is scheduled for June 11, so please keep him in your thoughts and check back for updates on his progress.

Durango has been neutered, is up to date on his vaccinations and is heartworm negative. Once he has recovered from his surgery, he will be ready for his own special forever home. Could that be you? Would you like to help with his surgery costs? Just click on the Guardian Angel link to the right of his pictures, and know that any amount will help put this boy back in tip top shape!

For updates on Durango, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under TX.

Servus is one the rescued groups of Cairns called the 9/11 Heroes. He is named after one of the real canine heroes who served after the tragedy of 9/11. He is a hero in his own right, having survived 8 years in a breeding facility, and now looking forward to overcoming the mental, emotional, and physical problems he incurred in his former life.

He will now have the opportunity to enjoy so much more comfort than he's ever known in his previous experience. He can fall asleep in a soft bed, with fresh water available, and cool air. Just being able to give these simple things to such a sweet Cairn brings me to tears. I'm so thrilled to be fostering this guy, knowing that I am making a big difference in his little world. He is quite unsure of everything right now, but he's going to be fine and will be so handsome, once his coat grows back. He was badly matted, and the vet's groomer had to trim off most of his coat, including his muzzle.

Servus has heartworms and so I am keeping him quiet. So far, there are no signs of any complications with the heartworm treatment, but the next two weeks are the most critical as the heartworms start to break down/degrade. Dogs that have been treated for heartworms enter a critical stage as the heartworms die and degrade, to be reabsorbed by the body. We want to keep Servus' stress level to a minimum, as any activity will speed up the heart rate and possibly cause the dead heartworms to move through the arteries into the brain or the lungs, causing stoppage, which could be fatal. We are unsure how long Servus has had heartworms, but after 8 years, it could have been a very long time.

Servus has a heart murmur, which is often a side effect of heartworms. Some heart murmurs will resolve once the heartworms have been killed and reabsorbed. We can only hope that Servus will live through this treatment and will one day become the happy little dog that I can see waiting just beneath the fear.

Servus could use some financial help with his medical treatment. Won't you consider helping him by becoming his Guardian Angel and giving him a chance to know what life is supposed to be like for a good little Cairn guy?

For updates on Servus, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under TX.

UPDATE 8/16: Polly came home today, but she doesn't have a stricture. The Endoscope of her colon was done and 2 senior clinicians did not find a stricture. What they did find were several ulcerated lesions. They took 8-10 biopsies which will be back in a week. Quite frankly they don't know what is the causing the problem and don't know where to start to fix it until the biopsies come back. At this time they suspect anorectal mucosal disease. They stated they have seen this in German Shepherd's called perianal disease, but it is not normal for Cairns.

I just don't know what to think, and neither do they at this time. She has been put 2 additional medications in conjunction with those she received during her first visit last week. They want to try and clear up the severe dermatitis in the meantime, until her biopsies come back and if her skin infection can be successfully treated, then it’s hoped her immune system can focus on her anorectal disease. We'll just have to wait until the biopsies return and go from there. To say the least we are dumbfounded, as are the Doctors at NCSU. I was hoping for some better news.

UPDATE 8/15: Polly went in to NCSU Monday morning for testing and I’d love to report they did the procedure Tuesday and all went well, but her intestines didn’t clear out from eating nothing but fluids all day Sunday, so it had to be delayed until today, Wednesday. She’s so tiny it was very, very hard to withhold all solid food, but she’s doing okay just on liquids, and I have heard from NCSU twice today. She is all cleared out now and will undergo the procedure this morning. They said her bloodworm and urinalysis came back fine and she is very healthy. This will aid in her recovery and doesn't pose any new problems to watch for. She's made everyone fall in love with her and ALL the doctors at NCSU are very proud to be working with a rescue group compassionate enough to give this sweet girl a chance at a good life. They are confident this will work - by all they have seen so far. I'll post any new news as soon as I can and hopefully we will be headed home with our healing little girl in tow, but if not, surely by Thursday morning.

UPDATE 08/11: Polly went to NCSU this week for an assessment of her stricture, enlarged secum and infected skin on her rear. It was determined Polly was not a good candidate for the surgical removal of this stricture due to it's location, just on the back side of her anus because it would most likely leave her incontinent. That would make it impossible to find a home for her.

She is returning to NCSU this Monday, August 13th, for blood work and preparation for a procedure called 'Bougienage' , which will be done on the 14th. This treatment involves inserting a tool inside her rectum to stretch the stricture and applying an antibiotic ointment to prevent the stricture from growing back together. Hopefully, this one treatment will solve her problem, but if not she will return in a week to have the procedure done one last time. Once the colon is open and she can drain properly, the other problems created by this condition should resolve on their own. Polly is on antibiotics and we are treating the black, infected skin on her rear with medication. It is unbelievable that this small girl has lived this way all her short life. Polly's cries of pain tear our hearts out. She seems to understand we are making an effort to help her so she runs to us with those big eyes staring up, begging for the immediate help which we can't give. We can only comfort her during these episodes – and feel helpless.

We pray this will solve her problems. It is her only good option. This little girl deserves to have a life free from this misery, and to spend time in the arms of someone who will return all the love she has to give. The soft desperate sounds she makes from the suffering she has to endure make us very, very anxious to see this end for her. Prayers are greatly needed here and any donations would be appreciated because the bills continue to grow as we move forward to help her.

UPDATE 8/6/07: Polly continues to have good days and bad ones, yesterday being a fairly difficult one for her. Her stools always hurt and continue to make us cry as she screams in pain. Sometimes, she just doesn't seem to feel well at all. She moans and whines a bit, pants a lot and seems to alter her breathing as she just lays about and rests. She acts a little more needy, yet doesn’t want to be handled, and she's a bit more unpredictable, and "snippy". We know her moods now and can tell better when she's uncomfortable. She's more trusting of us so we don't worry about her biting, even though we sense she wants to. Her initial vet visit discovered a "swollen appendix" and that may be causing this discomfort but we don’t know for sure, and are hoping this is something that can be easily addressed by the doctors along with her intestinal stricture.

Today Polly seems to feel good, moving about the house more and with a comfortable look about her. We always enjoy these days. They let us see more of her personality, as she is just SO sweet and affectionate when she’s feeling better.

NCSU has passed her case from the Internal Medical group to the Surgical Team. They have moved her appointment up to this Thursday, Aug 9th when they will have all her medical records, X-rays, and the summary from Dr. Wickman. Then NCSU will be able to examine her themselves and give us a prognosis of her condition now and after the surgery, plus an estimate of what her medical bill will run.

We would appreciate any donations for little Polly. We already know this will be expensive, especially if 2 surgical procedures are needed. Wayne will be taking Polly in while I stay home with the other 5 dogs. He knows I will be a basket case during the wait because I want so badly to be with her too. But I know she's in good hands and cares very much for Wayne. We continue to ask for prayers and donations so Polly has a chance at a good life without pain - and full of love. We pray mostly that the vets determine she CAN have the surgery to repair her stricture as well as whatever has to be done with her appendix. Everything depends on the prognosis of what her life would be after she has the surgery if it's even possible.

Polly continues to leak constantly, and we know that if this is not "fixable" with the surgery, we can never expect to place her in a home. We give her as much freedom as we can which means everything in our home is covered with towels, blankets, and pads, changed many times during the day. She loves being with us and can't help that she leaks. It requires extra effort to give her this freedom, but we want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. She is only a little over a year old, so we are hopeful there will be a new beginning - the best part of her life - shortly ahead.

Polly is only 13 month old; an owner surrender whose family was unable to deal with her physical problems and was going to turn her in to a shelter to be euthanized. She was fortunate to have had an "angel" who was helping the owners, and contacted Col. Potter to jump in and help. This Angel did all she could to help Polly, but it was apparent her needs were very complicated. Col. Potter quickly stepped in and arranged an emergency transport to get her moved to her present foster home in Virginia.

Polly has an anal stricture which makes all her stools very painful, and apparently she has been sick most of her life with giardia, hook worms, and ear infections. Polly only weighs a tiny 11 pounds , but can never have a normal life until this colon problem is sorted out and the pain is eliminated. Polly holds her stools until she just can't hold them anymore. She seems to understand that food is good, but eventually causes pain. What a way to live!

Because of her health issues, Polly seems unsure as to whether or not you want to fuss at her, or pet her. She has the biggest eyes (although they are sad) and looks at us as though she just doesn't understand why life has to be so hard. She's just adorable and was dealt a very bad hand in life, so we're hoping she can be treated and given a chance at a long and happy life.

She needs our prayers and donations now, to give her the chance that she so desperately deserves.

For updates on Polly, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under VA.