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BuggieMom · 02-11-2008, 09:16 AM

Where to start? I've been lurking for a couple of weeks, and looking at all of the members beautiful yorkies, I didn't feel particularly compelled to introduce my scraggly, dreadful looking little Bug.

In September, it will be 3 years since her rescue. It all started with a phone call from my mother in Florida. Apparently a young girl down there had been breeding Yorkies (and some other small breed as well) in a filthy trailer. The story goes that her father died unexpectedly (he had been sick with cancer but she didn't expect him to die...ah...youth). Anyway, the girl stopped at a neighbor's house (a lady my mother knew from work) and said she had to move back to Ohio. She gave the woman a key to her trailer and left.

When the woman went to the trailer to retrieve the animals she found several dogs living in horrilbe conditions. The trailer was filthy and full of fleas. There were litters of puppies under beds and behind dressers. The living puppies were crawling over their dead littermates and trying to nurse from their malnourished mothers!

The woman had no trouble finding homes for all of the dogs and puppies...except for one...the one who is now my Bug. Little Bug was approximately 8 months old, and had been a "gift" for the dying father, who apparently didn't feel up to taking care of a new puppy...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the poor man didn't even know he had a puppy (he obviously didn't live long after receiving her).

When I heard about this poor dog that nobody wanted my heart melted. I put my then 19 year-old daughter on an airplane to retrieve her asap.

What she found when she arrived was a tiny tiny tiny little 8 month old Yorkie (under 1 pound), who was anemic, severely malnourished, almost hairless, and barely strong enough to raise her own head.

Flash forward...within about a year she was up to 2.8 lbs, and healthy, with a decent coat of hair...Flash forward another year...and she is back down to 1.8 lbs of skin and bones with a terrible coat.

She's been to two very good vets, and there is nothing wrong with her! Her heart is freakishly strong (they always expect her to have heart problems when they first see her, but she doesn't). Her thyroid is fine, her sugar is fine, and her liver is fine! I started her on Innova Evo a couple of weeks ago, and when I took her to the vet last week, she was up to a whopping 2.1 lbs.

Her new vet thinks she may have an absorbtion problem, so I have added Prozyme to her daily regimen (along with Omega oil, and nutrical).

She's really more of a project than a pet. I know that sounds terrible, and I do love her, but the poor little thing doesn't act like a dog. She is afraid of her own shadow (unlike many of your dogs, she KNOWS how small and vulnerable she is), she hates to eat, and she hides from the world most of the time. The only time she isn't hiding in her tent bed, or hiding under the sofa, is when she is sitting on my lap.

So this is my poor ugly little Bug. She's not beautiful like the other little ones on this site, but she is a tender, sweet little soul with a heart that simply doesn't give up.

I'll post some links to photobucket so you can see for yourselves in a minute. I haven't figured out how to attach pictures on here yet.

02-11-2008, 09:16 AM	#1
BuggieMom Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NC Posts: 63	Introducing...the Bug Where to start? I've been lurking for a couple of weeks, and looking at all of the members beautiful yorkies, I didn't feel particularly compelled to introduce my scraggly, dreadful looking little Bug. In September, it will be 3 years since her rescue. It all started with a phone call from my mother in Florida. Apparently a young girl down there had been breeding Yorkies (and some other small breed as well) in a filthy trailer. The story goes that her father died unexpectedly (he had been sick with cancer but she didn't expect him to die...ah...youth). Anyway, the girl stopped at a neighbor's house (a lady my mother knew from work) and said she had to move back to Ohio. She gave the woman a key to her trailer and left. When the woman went to the trailer to retrieve the animals she found several dogs living in horrilbe conditions. The trailer was filthy and full of fleas. There were litters of puppies under beds and behind dressers. The living puppies were crawling over their dead littermates and trying to nurse from their malnourished mothers! The woman had no trouble finding homes for all of the dogs and puppies...except for one...the one who is now my Bug. Little Bug was approximately 8 months old, and had been a "gift" for the dying father, who apparently didn't feel up to taking care of a new puppy...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the poor man didn't even know he had a puppy (he obviously didn't live long after receiving her). When I heard about this poor dog that nobody wanted my heart melted. I put my then 19 year-old daughter on an airplane to retrieve her asap. What she found when she arrived was a tiny tiny tiny little 8 month old Yorkie (under 1 pound), who was anemic, severely malnourished, almost hairless, and barely strong enough to raise her own head. Flash forward...within about a year she was up to 2.8 lbs, and healthy, with a decent coat of hair...Flash forward another year...and she is back down to 1.8 lbs of skin and bones with a terrible coat. She's been to two very good vets, and there is nothing wrong with her! Her heart is freakishly strong (they always expect her to have heart problems when they first see her, but she doesn't). Her thyroid is fine, her sugar is fine, and her liver is fine! I started her on Innova Evo a couple of weeks ago, and when I took her to the vet last week, she was up to a whopping 2.1 lbs. Her new vet thinks she may have an absorbtion problem, so I have added Prozyme to her daily regimen (along with Omega oil, and nutrical). She's really more of a project than a pet. I know that sounds terrible, and I do love her, but the poor little thing doesn't act like a dog. She is afraid of her own shadow (unlike many of your dogs, she KNOWS how small and vulnerable she is), she hates to eat, and she hides from the world most of the time. The only time she isn't hiding in her tent bed, or hiding under the sofa, is when she is sitting on my lap. So this is my poor ugly little Bug. She's not beautiful like the other little ones on this site, but she is a tender, sweet little soul with a heart that simply doesn't give up. I'll post some links to photobucket so you can see for yourselves in a minute. I haven't figured out how to attach pictures on here yet.