Meet Squirrel: Maranda Fund Recipient

We sometimes take in dogs who need an unusually extensive procedure — major surgery, an MRI to look for brain damage, a challenging and complex dental on a fragile little jaw that must be done by specialists, etc.  Spending a large chunk of money on one of these major medical procedures takes funds that would pay for intake expenses on several dogs, leaving us with a terrible choice: help one dog, or save several?

 

 

The Maranda Fund is set aside specifically to fund these major procedures in order to give a few dogs a chance for a happy retirement. This special fund is named after Maranda, (see left photo) a young senior that landed in a big shelter as a “stray” in 2009, maybe turned loose because both her knees were very damaged. We felt she deserved a chance for adoption and a comfortable future, but surgery to repair her torn knee ligaments was very expensive, despite generous discounts by the surgeon and her foster family’s home clinic. After a lengthy recovery in her foster home, she was adopted to a forever family, with the assurance that Old Dog Haven would cover future surgeries if required. This was not just  Maranda’s only chance for adoption, but also for moving without pain. Her story motivated us to begin this fund.

Since the creation of this special fund many Old Dog Haven dogs have been helped over the years and this week I want to tell you about Squirrel—a Maranda Fund recipient. When you read Squirrel’s story, as told by her foster mom Dianne, you’ll understand the importance of the Maranda Fund.

 

 

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“Squirrel is a feisty herding dog mix with a cat’s nine lives. She was found at a remote rural dump site in very poor condition: skinny with missing hair, dermatitis, and numerous mammary tumors spread down both chains, a consequence from having not been spayed. Once in the shelter, it was determined that she was likely 12 years old and also had severe renal failure. Being an overly anxious girl, she did not tolerate shelter life well, crouching and crawling on walks. Fortunately, I went to the shelter one day to evaluate seniors and decided to spring her. Squirrel leaped fast and high into the transport crate, earning her new name!

 

 

 

 

“Unfortunately, Squirrel soon went into heat and developed an obstruction to her urinary tract. She was taken for urgent spay and resection of her mammary tumors, but due to the risk of the procedure and number of tumors, not all could be removed. The day after the surgery, Squirrel suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Emergency surgery was performed, blood was transfused, and her spleen removed, as a tumor was found during the exploration. Though she was given poor odds for survival, Squirrel pulled through in her usual fashion—fast and frisky!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Squirrel is a very energetic and quirky-fun dog, but due to her anxiety and chronic renal failure, she will stay in her Final Refuge home for life. She has to urinate every one-two hours, as she cannot concentrate her urine, and she takes medication for an inflammatory skin condition. She loves tennis balls, hours of fetch, playtime at Dogwood Play Park, every dog bed in the house, and anything food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Squirrel would not be alive today without the generosity of Old Dog Haven donors and the ODH Maranda Fund. If you’d like to donate to the Maranda Fund to help more dogs like Squirrel, just click here”: