Help Alexander the Shelter Dog Fight for His Life
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UPDATE 8/27/19:
Hurray! The cardiology results are back and it is very good news for our boy, Alexander!!! His heart disease is not at a stage that will prevent him from receiving the surgeries he will need to lead to a healthy, happy life. However, he will now need an additional surgery to reduce his soft palate and open up his airways so he can breathe better. His surgery consultation is scheduled for September 11th and his first surgery will take place soon after that appointment. Once he recovers from his soft palate surgery he will be able to have his dental surgery. Correcting both his oxygen intake and dental disease should help improve his heart significantly and slow down further damage.
It's still a long road ahead for this sweet boy, but fortunately looking like sunnier skies for the next step of Alexander's journey. Alexander continues to amaze us with his gentle, sweet nature. On behalf of Alexander, thank you for helping him receive a second chance.
Video: Alexander receives the royal treatment with his spoon-fed meals
UPDATE 8/12/19:
I wish that there was more news to share on Alexander's progress at this point, but we are still eagerly awaiting his cardiology appointment on August 20th. This appointment will give us more answers about Alexander's heart disease and weather he will be strong enough to make it through surgery. In the meantime, Alexander has settled into life here at North Country Animal League quite nicely. He has found comfort in his daily routine and the attention he has received from his now familiar staff friends. He seems to enjoy his (very slow) walks in the sunshine and making new friends wherever he goes - with all creatures great and small! Please check back for updates after the 20th and send positive thoughts Alexander's way!
Photo: Alexander and his new friend, Toad.
UPDATE 7/26/19:
We all knew that Alexander had a huge heart (he certainly has everyone's heart who meets him), but we didn't realize that because of his huge heart, his time is running out.
Alexander was scheduled for his life-saving dental surgery this morning. His teeth are in such horrific condition from a lifetime of neglect that it is incredibly painful and difficult for him to eat even soft food and the severity of disease untreated has gone on to create much more significant health problems for Alexander.
A chest x-ray taken of Alexander's heart prior to anesthetising him for surgery revealed significant heart disease. The surgery that he desperately needed this morning had to be cancelled due to the significant risk of his heart failing under anesthesia.
We will not give up on him - we are really all he has. Alexander will be scheduled for a full cardiology work up at a Specialist which will hopefully reveal an anesthesia plan that will minimize the risk and allow his life-saving surgery to move forward. This all needs to happen as soon as possible as the degree of his dental disease is causing further heart failure.
Rescued only weeks ago from a high-kill shelter in the South and brought to NCAL, Alexander's time is once again running out - now for a very different reason. What first seemed like a straightforward treatment plan has now become a fight for his life. The difference is this time he is not alone.
Alexander needs your help now more then ever. Please help him in the fight for his life so that he can for once realize a life free of pain and neglect. Thank you for standing by him and showing him that he is not alone in this world.
Photo: Alexander likes to make a nest for himself in the comfortable blankets and quilts in his kennel.
UPDATE 7/23/19:
Thank you so very much for all who have contributed to Alexander's care thus far. Alexander continues to thrive with the attention he is receiving at North Country Animal League - especially the attention from children! Despite not being able to see them, he seems comforted by their presence. This week's "Be a Vet" campers worked with Dr. Emily Bond, Alexander's veterinarian, to learn more about Alexander's condition, the medical effects of neglect on animals, and the campers even learned to take Alexander's vital signs. His good nature and trusting spirit amazes all of us, despite the hard life he has lived. While Alexander is being treated for his multiple medical issues and his skin infections have begun to heal, unfortunately his blood tests came back yesterday with less than positive results. The results showed that Alexander has a cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of his heart due to stress from heart disease. He will need to have a x-rays and additional testing to show the extent of disease before he can undergo anesthesia for the surgery that was scheduled for August 1. Please keep Alexander in your thoughts. For now, it looks like the road to recovery and adoption for this very sweet boy got a little longer.
Alexander's Story:
Alexander came to North Country Animal League as the victim of severe neglect. Completely blind in both eyes due to a deteriorating condition and untreated infections, he has gone through quite the journey to safety and had to blindly trust all of the people who were involved in saving his life along the way. His lifesaving journey took him from a high kill shelter in the South where his time was up to the safe haven of North Country Animal League in Vermont, where he is promised treatment, loving care, and a second chance.
Upon Alexander's arrival on Wednesday, it was evident that he needed immediate medical attention. Beyond discovering that he was blind, Alexander's skin and ears were so severely infected and severe dental disease was discovered. A small mass was found on his right side. Many of Alexander's teeth were infected causing gingival hyperplasia, bone erosion, and gum recession. All of Alexander's teeth will need to be extracted due to rot, abscessing and the pain and difficulty that it is causing him to eat.
Despite the confusion and pain and discomfort that Alexander is in, he has quickly won the hearts of our staff members who have cared for him. He is trying to make sense of his new environment, but has quickly warmed to his caregivers and loves getting the attention that he has been deprived of for so many years. It is hard not to fall in love with this face and we know that we can show Alexander that humans can be caring, despite the neglect that he has already endured in his life.
While we commit to treating all of our animals to the very best of our ability, often the costs of treatment for animals who come to us in extreme need - like Alexander - exceed our budget and we ask for additional help to provide Alexander with the treatment that will give him a second chance at life and the promise of finding a loving, nurturing family.
Please consider contributing to Alexander's medical expenses. We will provide regular updates on Alexander's progress through his surgeries recovery, and hopefully (eventually) his adoption story!
North Country Animal League maintains a separate restricted fund for the medical needs of our shelter animals. NCAL's Medical Fund directly provides emergency treatment for homeless animals in need at North Country Animal League. All donations made will help Alexander directly with any additional donations to go to our Medical Fund and used solely for the purpose of medical treatment for the homeless animals we care for. Please help us help them!
North Country Animal League is a nonprofit no-kill animal shelter located in Morrisville, Vermont. Founded in 1994, NCAL’s mission is to promote compassionate and responsible relationships between humans and animals. NCAL accomplishes this through adoptions, education and outreach, spay/neuter programs, support of cruelty prevention, and the sheltering of homeless animals. To date, NCAL has cared for and found homes for more than 13,000 dogs and cats. To learn more about North Country Animal League, visit https://www.ncal.com/.
Hurray! The cardiology results are back and it is very good news for our boy, Alexander!!! His heart disease is not at a stage that will prevent him from receiving the surgeries he will need to lead to a healthy, happy life. However, he will now need an additional surgery to reduce his soft palate and open up his airways so he can breathe better. His surgery consultation is scheduled for September 11th and his first surgery will take place soon after that appointment. Once he recovers from his soft palate surgery he will be able to have his dental surgery. Correcting both his oxygen intake and dental disease should help improve his heart significantly and slow down further damage.
It's still a long road ahead for this sweet boy, but fortunately looking like sunnier skies for the next step of Alexander's journey. Alexander continues to amaze us with his gentle, sweet nature. On behalf of Alexander, thank you for helping him receive a second chance.
Video: Alexander receives the royal treatment with his spoon-fed meals
UPDATE 8/12/19:
I wish that there was more news to share on Alexander's progress at this point, but we are still eagerly awaiting his cardiology appointment on August 20th. This appointment will give us more answers about Alexander's heart disease and weather he will be strong enough to make it through surgery. In the meantime, Alexander has settled into life here at North Country Animal League quite nicely. He has found comfort in his daily routine and the attention he has received from his now familiar staff friends. He seems to enjoy his (very slow) walks in the sunshine and making new friends wherever he goes - with all creatures great and small! Please check back for updates after the 20th and send positive thoughts Alexander's way!
Photo: Alexander and his new friend, Toad. UPDATE 7/26/19:
We all knew that Alexander had a huge heart (he certainly has everyone's heart who meets him), but we didn't realize that because of his huge heart, his time is running out.
Alexander was scheduled for his life-saving dental surgery this morning. His teeth are in such horrific condition from a lifetime of neglect that it is incredibly painful and difficult for him to eat even soft food and the severity of disease untreated has gone on to create much more significant health problems for Alexander.
A chest x-ray taken of Alexander's heart prior to anesthetising him for surgery revealed significant heart disease. The surgery that he desperately needed this morning had to be cancelled due to the significant risk of his heart failing under anesthesia.
We will not give up on him - we are really all he has. Alexander will be scheduled for a full cardiology work up at a Specialist which will hopefully reveal an anesthesia plan that will minimize the risk and allow his life-saving surgery to move forward. This all needs to happen as soon as possible as the degree of his dental disease is causing further heart failure.
Rescued only weeks ago from a high-kill shelter in the South and brought to NCAL, Alexander's time is once again running out - now for a very different reason. What first seemed like a straightforward treatment plan has now become a fight for his life. The difference is this time he is not alone.
Alexander needs your help now more then ever. Please help him in the fight for his life so that he can for once realize a life free of pain and neglect. Thank you for standing by him and showing him that he is not alone in this world.
Photo: Alexander likes to make a nest for himself in the comfortable blankets and quilts in his kennel. UPDATE 7/23/19:
Thank you so very much for all who have contributed to Alexander's care thus far. Alexander continues to thrive with the attention he is receiving at North Country Animal League - especially the attention from children! Despite not being able to see them, he seems comforted by their presence. This week's "Be a Vet" campers worked with Dr. Emily Bond, Alexander's veterinarian, to learn more about Alexander's condition, the medical effects of neglect on animals, and the campers even learned to take Alexander's vital signs. His good nature and trusting spirit amazes all of us, despite the hard life he has lived. While Alexander is being treated for his multiple medical issues and his skin infections have begun to heal, unfortunately his blood tests came back yesterday with less than positive results. The results showed that Alexander has a cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of his heart due to stress from heart disease. He will need to have a x-rays and additional testing to show the extent of disease before he can undergo anesthesia for the surgery that was scheduled for August 1. Please keep Alexander in your thoughts. For now, it looks like the road to recovery and adoption for this very sweet boy got a little longer.
Alexander's Story:
Alexander came to North Country Animal League as the victim of severe neglect. Completely blind in both eyes due to a deteriorating condition and untreated infections, he has gone through quite the journey to safety and had to blindly trust all of the people who were involved in saving his life along the way. His lifesaving journey took him from a high kill shelter in the South where his time was up to the safe haven of North Country Animal League in Vermont, where he is promised treatment, loving care, and a second chance.
Upon Alexander's arrival on Wednesday, it was evident that he needed immediate medical attention. Beyond discovering that he was blind, Alexander's skin and ears were so severely infected and severe dental disease was discovered. A small mass was found on his right side. Many of Alexander's teeth were infected causing gingival hyperplasia, bone erosion, and gum recession. All of Alexander's teeth will need to be extracted due to rot, abscessing and the pain and difficulty that it is causing him to eat.
Despite the confusion and pain and discomfort that Alexander is in, he has quickly won the hearts of our staff members who have cared for him. He is trying to make sense of his new environment, but has quickly warmed to his caregivers and loves getting the attention that he has been deprived of for so many years. It is hard not to fall in love with this face and we know that we can show Alexander that humans can be caring, despite the neglect that he has already endured in his life.
While we commit to treating all of our animals to the very best of our ability, often the costs of treatment for animals who come to us in extreme need - like Alexander - exceed our budget and we ask for additional help to provide Alexander with the treatment that will give him a second chance at life and the promise of finding a loving, nurturing family.
Please consider contributing to Alexander's medical expenses. We will provide regular updates on Alexander's progress through his surgeries recovery, and hopefully (eventually) his adoption story!
North Country Animal League maintains a separate restricted fund for the medical needs of our shelter animals. NCAL's Medical Fund directly provides emergency treatment for homeless animals in need at North Country Animal League. All donations made will help Alexander directly with any additional donations to go to our Medical Fund and used solely for the purpose of medical treatment for the homeless animals we care for. Please help us help them!
North Country Animal League is a nonprofit no-kill animal shelter located in Morrisville, Vermont. Founded in 1994, NCAL’s mission is to promote compassionate and responsible relationships between humans and animals. NCAL accomplishes this through adoptions, education and outreach, spay/neuter programs, support of cruelty prevention, and the sheltering of homeless animals. To date, NCAL has cared for and found homes for more than 13,000 dogs and cats. To learn more about North Country Animal League, visit https://www.ncal.com/.
Organizer
Tracy Goldfine
Organizer
Morristown, VT
North Country Animal League
Beneficiary