American Spaniel Club Inc. - Home of the Cocker Spaniel

MELVIN'S SECOND CHANCE

SECOND CHANCES
This article is about a wonderful little cocker spaniel named "Melvin" and the team of good Samaritans who came together to help him.

All of us who "do rescue" know we couldn’t do without our veterinarians. These dedicated men & women donate their time and monies (via reduced pricing services) to help not only our beloved cocker spaniels, but the 150+ other purebred and mixed breed dogs, cats and plethora of other species. All too frequently we forget to publicly honor them for their aid. We literally could not rescue so many dogs without their assistance. So to the Dover Area Animal Hospital, Dr. Dave Pike and staff who were instrumental in Melvin's treatment, please accept the appreciation of the ASCF cocker spaniel rescue committee, and the membership of the American Spaniel Club.

The vast majority of dogs that come to a rescue organization are pulled from local animal shelters and/or humane societies. As with our vets, these organizations are working with cocker spaniels as well as all breeds & species of animals. The shelters are horrendously understaffed, under financed, and usually have inadequate conditions. The burn out rate for shelter employees is astronomical. Due to financial limitations & space constraints, the shelters are unable to provide the quality or quantity of care most private rescues wish. The shelter workers have one goal: process the animals in the most expedient way - try to get it out to foster or kill it. This is not the employees choice, but it IS their jobs. Rescuers frequently forget this and castigate the shelters for "not doing enough". The end result is that there are fewer and fewer shelters who will call a rescue group to pick up an animal. They would rather risk the animal being euthanized than submit themselves to further slur and degradation by the breed rescue groups. Our Wanda Kefauver of Castaway Cocker Spaniel Rescue in metro-Philadelphia, PA has cultivated a wonderful relationship with the staff at the Ocean County Animal Shelter, North in Jackson, NJ. Without their initial care and help, Melvin would not be here today. The ASCF cocker spaniel rescue committee, and the membership of the American Spaniel Club wish to thank the shelter staff for their dedication to the animals. Yours is not an easy job.

Melvin was fostered and cared for by Wanda Kefauver, Castaway Cocker Spaniel Rescue, metro-Philadelphia, PA. Now let me tell you about Melvin's Second Chance.

MELVIN'S DIARY
Written by Wanda Kefauver

March 8, 2003

Melvin is about a year old. He was taken to Ocean County Animal Shelter, North in Jackson, NJ as a stray some time in January. The people at the shelter took care of him and provided veterinary care. We saw Mel's picture on Petfinder in March, and we called the shelter to offer our assistance for Melvin. We were welcomed with open arms. Some of the volunteers even took up a collection to send along with Melvin to help with his care.

Actually we are told that Melvin has improved since he first arrived at the shelter. As bad as he is, I cannot imagine how this poor boy has suffered. These photos really do not show the true extent of his condition... he actually looks worse in person.

We loaded him up in a vari kennel for the trip home. He just curled up and laid down in the kennel. We didn't hear a peep out of him during the whole trip.

As soon as we got him home, he went into the tub for a medicated bath. It was after hours Saturday afternoon, so I phoned the vet and asked what meds to start him on. He told me what to start him on, and said I should bring him up to the office at 9 am on Sunday. Have I mentioned that our vet is a real peach? He is always there when we need him, no matter what time of the day or night it is.

Mel's little body is just covered with crusty, scaly stuff. When you bath him and wash it off, the hair comes along with the crud, leaving raw, red, and angry looking skin exposed. Through all this, Mel just submitted to everything we did to and for him.

He is so thin -- he only weighs 14.5 pounds -- he just lays in his bed and shivers, so we made a coat for him out of soft polar fleece -- borrowing a pattern from our Friends at Cockers in Need.

March 10, 2003

Mel loves to be covered. He will just lays and keep the blankets on. He is becoming more active and is cruising around with his tail up and wagging.

March 11, 2003

Today Melvin came over to the gate and stood up on his hind legs to greet me. This was the first he did this.

March 31, 2003

Melvin has gained about two pounds. He seems to be improving with the medications and baths, but his skin is still in bad shape. We have to believe that he is feeling somewhat better, as his activity level increases on a regular basis, and his personality is really starting to surface. Every time he sees someone, he stomps his feet and "sings" until you give him something to eat.

April 3, 2003

Melvin is slowly gaining weight, but we are not making any kind of fast progress with his skin problems. Some days it looks like he is getting better, and then the next day, he is raw again. He is returning to the vet this coming week, to see what the next approach is going to be.

April 8, 2003

When Melvin got his bath today, we noticed he is starting to grow some hair on his tail. He has about 8 hairs on the very tip of his tail, and if you look closely, you can see some peach fuzz starting on the shaft of the tail. We had to laugh... he is such a clown, and he is growing hair on the tip of his tail first! We told him it's in character with his silly personality. I can't get over the change in him. Just the difference in the look in his eyes is amazing to me. I guess there is more improvement than I had initially thought. I know his personality has certainly changed.

April 9, 2003

Melvin paid another visit to the good Dr. Pike. He tipped the scales at 19 pounds -- which means he has gained a total of four and a half pounds, in 4 weeks. He is still thin, but we are pleased with his progress. Since we have seen improvement in the last 5 days, we are going to continue the current course of treatment for a couple of weeks.

April 19, 2003

When Mel got his bath today, we did not find any scabs on his feet or legs -- only a few small ones on his tummy. His back and ears are still scaly. It's almost like he is healing from the ground up. He is continuing to gain weight.

We've been buying bottles of STAT liquid to supplement Mel's regular meals. It's a high calorie liquid that also contains electrolytes. He didn't seem to be able to handle higher quantities of food, so we decided to try this. Since we put him on the STAT he is slowly, but steadily gaining weight. We just drizzle a couple of tablespoons over his regular meals of California Natural food.

May 11, 2003

Mel continues to improve. We've gotten more weight on him, and he only has a few scaly spots about the size of a pencil eraser on his back. He has gained weight and is much healthier than he was. The yellow, dingy color of the hair he did have, has turned to white.

June 9, 2003

The vet wanted to see Melvin again, to see how he was progressing. When we took him up, Dr. Dave came out in the waiting room. When he spied Melvin, he got a big grin and a twinkle in his eye. He said that Mel looks like a million bucks, and he wouldn't have recognized him, if he hadn't known we were bringing him. I told him we make one heck of a team.

All the emotion that goes along with rescue tends to build a close relationship with our vet. He is right there with us, no matter what we are dealing with. We share our grief when we lose one, so it's certainly nice to be able to share the joy when we save one. We try to always let him know how much we appreciate all his help with our rescue dogs, but words could never really convey the depth of our gratitude and appreciation. Without him, we wouldn't be able to accomplish nearly as much. Doesn't matter what day of the week it is, or what time of the day or night -- he is there for us, whenever we need him.

July 3, 2003

Melvin's Adoption Day!

July 16, 2003

Someone in his past has taught Melvin to shake. In his new home, he went up to the 18 year old son and offered his paw to shake. He gives one paw and then the other. His new owners were dumbfounded because no one there taught him this. Now, when he wants something to eat, he goes to the kitchen and talks, and if that doesn't work, he offers to shake.

Melvin's story is certainly a tribute the to success that is possible when everyone works together. Shelters often get the short end of the stick in public opinion because of euthanasia issues. This shelter certainly went above and beyond for Melvin. Shelters have much higher numbers to deal with, than rescue does. They do the best they can with the resources they have available. They did what they could for Melvin, and had him there for close to two months. Then he found his way to our care. With Melvin, it's highly unlikely that anyone would have adopted him in the condition he was in. Once we got him, we needed the expertise of our vet to lead us along the way, and there was a tremendous amount of work put into Melvin in the form of frequent baths, monitoring food, and giving medications. This just goes to show what can be accomplished when everyone works together.

In this case, it was the shelter, their vet, our vet, and the general public who generously donated to help with Melvin's expenses. Rescue is only the facilitator that brought everything together to make it work. We could not have done it without the help of all involved. Thank you every one.


Dr. Dave with a happy, healthy Melvin!