Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Meeting Miss Esmeralda (Weatherwax)

Miss Esmeralda Weatherwax (The name I have given her) was confiscated along with over 150 birds and dogs & cats from a hoarder in the L.A. area.  She was in the shelter for month with severe ear mites; upper respitory infection; conjunctivitis; anemia; loss of fur and a host of other blood issues due to malnutrition; sitting for days on end in her own urine and feces. She has open mouth sores and lost several teeth. She favors her front left paw that she rarely puts down and walks on it funny when she does.   

The first two photos are what the shelter posted in April 2016.    I first saw her come up on my facebook page and for reasons unknown to me I could not keep scrolling.  (for heavens sake I really thought perhaps I was becoming a hoarder too after all I have three of my own cats and am currently fostering a mom & 5 kittens!)  On a moment of impulse I emailed my rescue coordinator and asked if we could help this poor darling girl. It was 1230 am.  I got an email back almost immediately (apparently I'm not the only one with insomnia) saying she would see what she could do in the morning. 

Next day we were told we could take as long as we understood the risks.  They sent her 19 page medical history over.  I was still undaunted.  There was nothing in there saying she wasn't likely to survive but it didn't really say she was out of the woods by a long way. 

Working thru the rescue I work with here in the OC we were able to spring her and by the following morning she was being picked up in L.A. from the shelter and transported here to the rescue vet in Santa Ana. 

She was given some antibiotics and released to my care that evening. And that's really where our story begins. 





The two bottom photos above were after her first bath.  Yes she's wearing a flannel dress I made her to keep her warm as her furs were all off her back. 

She already looked a 1000 times better!  

I was able to take her to my vet for a thorough examination this past Monday. Here she is with a size perspective.  She is 8 years old, front declaw. Cornish Rex.  

At the time of her appt. I had given all the medical records to Dr. Horn my family vet.  He said her respiratory infection required a different kind of antibiotic to really beat it back.  Thus far she had only been given some doxycyline (a few rounds) and it wasn't helping which is why I scheduled the appt. 
He said (and I agreed) we needed an xray of that foot to see what was going on though he seemed to be able to tell just by feeling there was a broken bone fragments in there.  That is when I took some friends advice and started her GoFundMe page. (button at top right).  I initially thought it would be for  her sedation, dental and tooth extractions.  Turns out... 


 there were three broken bones! 


If you picture that as your own hand, I mean to say.  Miss Esme is truly a bad ass to only have a limp with all that unrepaired and what must be painful damage.  
Dr. Horn referred her xrays to an ortho surgeon.  He will in turn give us an estimate.  Dr. Horn says the two likely outcomes will be 1. Surgery with pins or 2. Surgery with bone fusion.   

Since folks are still donating and it's only been a week, I'm leaving her gofundme open.  You can also donate direct thru paypal if you prefer to stacyhurt at rocketmail dot com. 

Her furrs are coming back in on her back. She will always have a short nap.  I call them Marcel waves.  She's a curlie girle! 



She needs to be touching me always.




Here she is meeting The Queen. HRH Ms. Stella O'Houligan. 
Enough for now.  More updates to follow.  

xoxo