Eiro - Why Puppy Mills Need to be Outlawed
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A Before and After Miracle
Every dog is a miracle. All of them, good, bad, handsome, homely, thin, fat, friendly, terrified, they are all
God's creatures and they all perform amazing changes in the lives of the families who become their
guardians. However, Eiro (the Nordic God of Merciful Healing) is a true miracle. He was found
wandering as a stray. The family who found him took him to the vet who suggested euthanasia. You
see, Eiro had lost all his hair. He was sunburned with blisters that had popped and were beginning to
bad they impaired his ability to walk. For all practical purposes, perhaps Eiro SHOULD have been
euthanized. However, this family had previously adopted from me and took Eiro home and gave me a
call. I was (of course) full to the brim with four legged critters all needing something, food, water, play,
love, and I just could not take him - but I agreed to come take a look and see what I could suggest.
Upon arrival, I saw what was once a wonderful beautiful border collie, probably pure bred, and certainly
with a tremendous will to live. He smelled of rotting flesh and death. I had so little hope that my vet
could save him, but the look in his eyes, begging for relief won me over. Fortunately, Eiro was
microchipped back to a Petland store who looked up his owner and his origin. He came from a
Nebraska puppy mill and belonged to a lady about 10 miles from where he was found. Upon hearing
that we had Eiro (Rocky) she did not want him back. He had been badly neglected, tethered in his yard
and awaits trial - but in the interim, I got him to the vet. He was probably the product of puppy mill
inbreeding because his thyroid does not function.
Eiro came home with me, went to the vet and I was asked "Do you have ANY idea what you are getting
into?" He will require daily baths, in warm water with special shampoos, that means lifing 75 lbs of
dog (and I am handicapped). He will require FIVE different medications twice daily, he will require a lot
of attention and a lot of personal care. Initially, he will have to come back here every three days for
shots (and I live 30 miles from my vet). "Are you sure you want to take this on?" I sat on the floor and
wrapped my arms around that putridly smelly dog and asked him "Do you want to do this?" "Do you
want to live?" "Can you help me, help you?" and he licked my face - probably from the salty tears, but I
like to think he understood me and said yes. I had no job, no money and only hope. Hope for me that I
could help him and hope for Eiro that he wanted to survive. And hope that people would respond to his
plight and contribute generously to save him. He needed all the help he could get.
Eiro needs to lose a few more pounds he is rationed for his "ideal" weight which is 65 lbs, he needs to
find the perfect combination of medication to control his thyroid and he needs to regain some strength.
Then he will be ready for me to find a border collie rescue to take him. I do not have the space he
needs to run and be a border collie. This is a remarkable story of what can be done when people pull
together to save a dog.
Many many thanks to all who contributed to making Eiro whole again.
God's creatures and they all perform amazing changes in the lives of the families who become their
guardians. However, Eiro (the Nordic God of Merciful Healing) is a true miracle. He was found
wandering as a stray. The family who found him took him to the vet who suggested euthanasia. You
see, Eiro had lost all his hair. He was sunburned with blisters that had popped and were beginning to
bad they impaired his ability to walk. For all practical purposes, perhaps Eiro SHOULD have been
euthanized. However, this family had previously adopted from me and took Eiro home and gave me a
call. I was (of course) full to the brim with four legged critters all needing something, food, water, play,
love, and I just could not take him - but I agreed to come take a look and see what I could suggest.
Upon arrival, I saw what was once a wonderful beautiful border collie, probably pure bred, and certainly
with a tremendous will to live. He smelled of rotting flesh and death. I had so little hope that my vet
could save him, but the look in his eyes, begging for relief won me over. Fortunately, Eiro was
microchipped back to a Petland store who looked up his owner and his origin. He came from a
Nebraska puppy mill and belonged to a lady about 10 miles from where he was found. Upon hearing
that we had Eiro (Rocky) she did not want him back. He had been badly neglected, tethered in his yard
and awaits trial - but in the interim, I got him to the vet. He was probably the product of puppy mill
inbreeding because his thyroid does not function.
Eiro came home with me, went to the vet and I was asked "Do you have ANY idea what you are getting
into?" He will require daily baths, in warm water with special shampoos, that means lifing 75 lbs of
dog (and I am handicapped). He will require FIVE different medications twice daily, he will require a lot
of attention and a lot of personal care. Initially, he will have to come back here every three days for
shots (and I live 30 miles from my vet). "Are you sure you want to take this on?" I sat on the floor and
wrapped my arms around that putridly smelly dog and asked him "Do you want to do this?" "Do you
want to live?" "Can you help me, help you?" and he licked my face - probably from the salty tears, but I
like to think he understood me and said yes. I had no job, no money and only hope. Hope for me that I
could help him and hope for Eiro that he wanted to survive. And hope that people would respond to his
plight and contribute generously to save him. He needed all the help he could get.
Eiro needs to lose a few more pounds he is rationed for his "ideal" weight which is 65 lbs, he needs to
find the perfect combination of medication to control his thyroid and he needs to regain some strength.
Then he will be ready for me to find a border collie rescue to take him. I do not have the space he
needs to run and be a border collie. This is a remarkable story of what can be done when people pull
together to save a dog.
Many many thanks to all who contributed to making Eiro whole again.
The two photos below are of Eiro the day I met him. The peeling is from his sunburn from being
hairless and tied to a tether in this crazy woman's backyard.
hairless and tied to a tether in this crazy woman's backyard.
One of many of Eiro's difficult and probably humiliating baths -- but he took them like a champ and seemed to understand
that the result would make him better and certainly feel better
that the result would make him better and certainly feel better
are gone, he runs and plays and barks and gets around with ease, he has lost 8 lbs still needs to lose about 10 more but
this is all a result of his thyroid deficiency. We are still trying to adjust his meds to get a perfect reading. He still has some
problems with his ears, the fungal infection embedded deeply in his ears, but he should soon have perfect hearing again,
and is he not BEAUTIFUL NOW? And to think he was mere weeks from dying a natural death and moments from
euthanasia for being bald.
this is all a result of his thyroid deficiency. We are still trying to adjust his meds to get a perfect reading. He still has some
problems with his ears, the fungal infection embedded deeply in his ears, but he should soon have perfect hearing again,
and is he not BEAUTIFUL NOW? And to think he was mere weeks from dying a natural death and moments from
euthanasia for being bald.