Forrest was brought in to Maricopa Animal Care and Control as a stray, a tiny young pup abandoned and alone on the streets. By all accounts, Forrest is an adorable and energetic puppy who should have found his fur-ever home quickly..but it soon became apparent that Forrest is different than the other dogs.

Forrest has a seizure disorder that causes his tiny body to shake violently multiple times a day. Because of his disorder, Forrest was scheduled to be euthanized, having never known what it means to have a family of his own, to have toys, treats and a warm bed…to have the life every dog should.

M.A.I.N. couldn’t let that happen to this little boy, so eager to start a new life. He will be taken to our partner vet where we will determine the best course of action to help Forrest live a normal life. As all of you with fur-babies out there know, vet care is expensive and now we need YOUR help to save Forrest. Please, our generous donors and supporters, share Forrest’s picture and story and if you are able, donate to his medical care by clicking the link below.

Medical Update, March 12th: No Valley Fever or Tick Fever. Liver values are OK, just show that he is a young, growing pup. Need to do a bile acids test to check liver function – that is an all-day test and he would need to be dropped off in the morning fasted so that we can get fasting blood work. Then we feed him and draw blood a few hours after he eats.

 

Forrest’s updates:

Forrest has been adopted! Congrats to this adorable cutie and his fur-ever family. He has a Corgi sibling at home to keep him company!

Update on Forrest, May 7th: Forrest got his final shots today. He is four months old. He has gained 1.5lbs! No seizures and gaining weight is a good sign. In two weeks, he will be available for adoption and we will start going to events!

Medical Update, March 23rd: Forrest’s bile acids test is consistent with portosystemic shunt (liver shunt) and we will start neomycin and metronidazole.

Here’s some info on shunts: A portosystemic shunt (PSS, portasystemic shunt, portocaval shunt, portacaval shunt, or porto-systemic vascular anomaly) happens when a pet’s venous blood from the intestine bypasses the liver. The pet can be born with the shunt (congenital) or can get it later (acquired). About three-quarters of the cases are congenital, although sometimes a pet can have both types. During pregnancy, the portal blood vessel in the fetus bypasses the liver (i.e., the mother’s liver filters out toxins for the fetus). Normally this shunt closes within three days after birth. In affected animals, the shunt doesn’t close and the blood continues to bypass the liver. Because the liver filters toxins, if the liver is bypassed, the toxins build up in the body. This results in the puppy or kitten having slow or nonexistent growth (failure to thrive). If left untreated, puppies and kittens are not likely to survive. The signs you will see depend on the location of the shunt and how many toxins have built up in the body. Some pets will only have one sign, while others could have several.

In some pets, a change of diet can be enough to control the signs. A typical diet would involve low-protein, low-magnesium, high zinc, and high Vitamin E, in addition to lactulose. Medical management is more a matter of avoiding certain things (diuretics, NSAIDs, barbiturates, infections, etc.).

How well the pet does with medical management or surgery depends on many factors, such as where the shunt is located, if the pet has both acquired and congenital shunts, etc. The overall success rate is about 85%. Some animals will not respond to any treatment, and will have to be euthanized.

From Forrest’s foster mom, March 15th: Forrest has had no seizures at all. He goes in on Tuesday for another test and Friday for his 2nd immunization series. He was negative for Valley Fever and Tick Fever. His liver tests were ok- showed he is a growing puppy. We will know more next Friday.

Forrest stopped by for our Summer-time Photo Shoot at Don’s house!

We enjoyed meeting this super cute young guy! We couldn’t get over how adorably big his ears are!

You Can Be Forrest's Hero!

M.A.I.N. is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are 100% Volunteer Based, so 100% of your tax deductible donation goes straight the dogs!

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