Ms. Stella the Star

 

I have been involved in animal advocacy for a couple of years now.  Mainly, I do tons of research work which I like to share with others concerning animal welfare, animal rights, puppy mills, class B dealers, laboratory animals, shelters, pet nutrition, holistic pet care, and spay/neutering.  This year I became physically involved by performing several rescues and helped people adopt animals from shelters and rescue organizations.

Stella's Rescue

About a month and a half ago I needed to purchase toothpaste for my cats.  I was in the Murray Hill neighborhood going to one of my favorite places for lunch and walked by the local animal hospital/veterinary clinic.  I decided to stop in to see if they had the toothpaste I needed.  Behind the receptionist area, this cute pooch named Stella was playing around.  I said hello to her, she jumped and licked my face.  The receptionist proceeded to tell me a little bit about her.  She was 5 months old, and had been abandoned outside the clinic.  The morning she was found her face was cut and swollen, and she was covered with mange.  A resident of the area said they had seen a bunch of boys beating and kicking her the day before. I imagine she was a stray.  Probably the result of some person who wanted a puppy and then decided for whatever reason they didn't want her anymore and threw her out on the streets.  My guess is that someone who didn't have experience rescuing animals tied her up outside the clinic so she could get medical attention.  The workers took her in, treated her for a month for the mange, and vaccinated her.  Now all she needed was a home.  A safe place with someone who was willing to train and house break her.
Although I found her irresistably cute, I  left that day with the intention of helping them find a suitable home for her.  Weeks went by, and she was still without a home. I decided to go visit her again, and that day I left with her.
I attempted to walk her home but because of her past abuse she was extremely fearful walking on the street.  I hailed a cab, and luckily found a driver who was dog friendly (some driver will refuse dogs because 1.they don't like them 2.its against their religion 3.they don't want them to mess in the cab, etc.).  My cabbie was Latin and he said Stella means star in Latin...hence Stella the Star.
 

Stella's Progress

When she got home she had a couple of accidents, but then I found good   puppy house training  information site on the web. I chose to use a crate and to teach her to eliminate outdoor rather than indoor on paper.
She is also being taught other various commands.  I found a good source of information at  Puppy Dog Training Obedience .  My believe is that with patience, and persistance a dog can be trained without the use of yelling, hitting, or inducing fear.  This is particulary important with rescued or abused animals. Another good tip someone gave me is to put some pennies in a tin can, when the dog is doing something dangerous, shake the can and say a firm "No". So far, everything is working well.
 

Diet and Holistic Care

Stella is eating a natural diet which lacks chemical preservatives.  At the moment I have her on Wellness dry food, mixed with Nutro Natural Choice wet food.  However, I am doing research on raw meat diets and vegetarian diets which seem fascinating. For treats she gets a combination of homemade vegetarian treats from the pet store which contain garlic, brewers yeast (good stuff like that which keeps fleas away), and beef liver treats for training.  I'm trying to keep the use of animal by products to a minimum not only because of my personal feeling regarding the farming industry but also because I feel the vegetarian treat have ingredients which are more benefical to her health.  She is receiving Vitamin C to boost her immune system.  Herbally I give her a combination of echinachea and goldenseal also to boost her immune system from the mange.
 

Training

Because of her past physical abuse she is  very skiddish on the streets and very difficult to walk, I have begun treating her with  Bach flower essences  in the hopes this will heal her emotional scars.  This can be a very powerful and successful method of healing if the correct essences are used.  To learn more about treating animals with flower essences check out  Spirit Essences which better describes the basis behind healing with essences.
 
Playtime
Stella gets to go to the park everyday, and on weekends she goes to the dog run.  She loves chasing squirrels, birds, and leaves. She also likes to catch leaves that are floating in the pond, but she hasn't taken the big leap in the pond yet. She's very playful with other dogs whether they are large or small.  She loves to run around the house with her kitty in her mouth (seen in the above picture).  She also like to hide the cat's toys and keep them all to herself. Her favorite toys are the "Kong" which is a great durable rubber toy...good for chewing. She also has a sock which I wet and freeze each day. That amuses her every morning and throughout the day. She has a ball (which is just a regular tennis ball) that she loves to bring to the park and share with other doggies. For toys it was recommended to stay away from the plastic squeakie chew toys as pieces can get eaten and damage the dogs insides. Plus they don't normally show up in x-rays so if the dog does ingest the plastic and develops a problem from it, it's very difficult for the veterinarian to diagnose. Stella has also taken a liking to Toby our youngest cat. The feelings seem to be mutual; however, both of them are still trying to figure out how to play with one another. Toby wants Stella to play like a cat, and Stella wants Toby to play like a dog. I am hopeful they will reach a compromise in the future.
Health Information

Stella was spayed a month after I took her home. When a female dog is spayed, the entire reproduction track is removed. Generally the operation takes about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes, and is done under general anesthesia. Depending on your vet's preference stiches, removable sutures, or disolvable sutures can be used to close up the incision. Stella was given disolvable sutures. It is also recommended that you do not feed or give water to your companion animal until 12 hours after surgery. I wasn't aware of this and when I got her home I gave her some broth and water. That went over like a fart in church. She was vomiting ever 15 minutes. I then decided to just give her ice cubes...wrong. Needless to say, I was besides myself, as this is the first dog I have had that I was fully responsible for. Finally, the next morning my second mom called and gave me some good advice. She told me I could feed her some baby food, and also Pedialyte (until the vomiting stopped). Well, that worked like a charm, and she was able to keep solid food down by the middle of the afternoon.
On the fourth day we removed her bandage. Would you believe she had a large lump where the incision was? That evening we called the Animal Medical Center here in Manhattan which is noted for it's fine staff of knowledgeable veterinarians. I was advised to put hot packs on the area because the area may have just been swollen. That didn't work and finally by the next afternoon I brought her to their emergency room. After being examined they determined that she had 1 of 3 things. 1.)a blood clot which would clear up on it's own 2.)a mass of fluid as a result of a possible reaction to the sutures or 3.) a hernia (which would need surgery). It was hard to diagnose without an x-ray and/or a sonogram. They said it wasn't an emergency situation (no fever, no infection, appetite was good, etc.) and to watch the area for a week or two. They dispensed antibiotics and sent her home. By the next day the area turned bright red, and appeared larger. Being the "Nervous Nelly" I rushed her back to the emergency room. This time I decided on the sonogram to see what was going on (at this point they were leaning towards a hernia diagnosis). The vet took her away, and told me it would be about a 20 minute wait for a technician to give her the sonogram. Five minutes later the vet came out with Stella and said "good news, I was pressing the area and it opened up...it was just fluid". So they sent me and the dog home with an e-collar and draining instructions. Now I don't know if you have ever seen an e-collar but it is the funniest looking thing. It looks like those things the cheerleaders use to shout into and it attaches around the dogs neck to prevent them from licking themselves. There I was, walking her on the streets of Manhattan with this ridiculous collar on. She recieved more than a few obnoxious comments and strange looks.
I took her to my regular vet that following week just so he could get a look at the incision. She got a clean bill of health. I'm happy to say that Stella is back to her usual self.
Needless to say, this was a pretty stressful event. Mainly because I was inexperienced with the spaying of a female dog. Personally, I believe she should have stayed overnight at the hospital, but granted everything did work out, and it doesn't change my opinion about spaying/neutering. I do believe it's a very important procedure to have done for the sake of your animals health, and to help control the pet overpopulation.

Update August 1999
Stella is about 16-17 months old, and has grow to about 45 lbs., which has increased the sizes of all her toys and collars. For instance rather than using paddleballs (which she had when she was 6 months old), she now has tennis balls which are too large to get stuck in her mouth or throat. I also eliminated the dental bones, and rawhide bones just because I was afraid of her choking on them. To clean her teeth I use a doggie toothbrush and doggie toothpaste which I get from the vet.
Her favorite thing to do is go to Central Park where she is allowed to be unleased until 9AM or after 9PM at night. At the park she gets to run free, swim, and social with other dogs. She "steals" other dogs toys and tennis balls to get them to chase her. She finally took the plunge into the water and turns out to be a great swimmer, now she gets pretty excited when we start walking towards the water.
Stella is still skiddish on the streets when she isn't familiar with the area. Certain things set her off such as large garbage bags, people in uniforms, and loud noises. I try to get her out of the city as often as possible. She had her first vacation to the Catskills Mountains and hiked Katterskill Falls with me. She loved it!


Update January 2003
Stella is approaching her fifth birthday. She now lives on Long Island with me and my family. We reside with another dog and a cat. The cat still has not warmed up to her and has given her warning swats from time to time. Stella still persists and maybe one day the cat will play with her. She loves to go for rides in the car, and her doggie friends houses for play visits. Her favorite past time is sitting in the doorway to the backyard. It seems a perfect spot to guard her yard against squirrels and neighborhood cats.  
Acquiring a Dog

I didn't realize the amount of work a dog could be.  It takes lots of time, patience, and love to raise a dog, particularly a puppy. Thankfully, I have all of the above to offer her as she is the brightest star in my sky, and I'm honor that the heaven's above would bless my presence with such a beautiful creature.

If you are considering aquiring a companion please think about the following:

  • does the animal need training?
  • does the animal need to be house broken?
  • do I have the patient for an animal?
  • am I willing to devote my time and energy for the animal?
  • am I willing to take care of this animal no matter what until it dies?

    • If you are living in an apartment, you also must be able to walk the dog frequently.
    Also consider this, and older dog is already trained, and it's personality is developed which may be easier should you want a companion. Millions of healthy puppies, and adult dogs are given to shelters and put to death because people don't consider the work involved.
     
    Links
     

     Alternative Veterinary Medical Information

     Kyle Laird Animal Rescue: find purebreed rescue organizations here
     
     

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