One of our veterinary specialists in Spokane today examined the tiny dog with 'brain damage.' (See the original post below.) A volunteer, Lee T., had picked up the little thing yesterday from the Spokane Animal Control shelter, fostered it overnight, and then took it to the vet appointment this morning.
The specialist could find no signs of neurological problems. Other than being blind, the dog was in good shape. As we suspected, her circling behavor was most likely a function of her blindness. Blind animals tend to circle in new environments to help them make a 'mental map' of their surroundings.
With the good news from the specialist, Lee hopped in her car and drove straight out to Montana to bring the little girl to us. She arrived about 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. Thank you, Lee!
Lee brought the dog into the house in a crate and we opened the door to let her out. And out she came ... skittering across the floor, circling for a bit to get her bearings, then heading off to explore in a new direction. She wandered around the house with a surprising amount of confidence.
We bet what happened is this: The little dog went blind and began circling. Her family never took her to a vet, but instead assumed she had 'brain damage' ... and didn't want to deal with it. So they dumped her at Animal Control to get rid of her. As a final injustice, they wrote 'brain damage' on her card before driving off.
We now know the dog doesn't have brain damage, but we can't be sure about her family.
The last paragraph tells it all, why we are in rescue in the first place. Thanks for folks like you two!
Posted by: Jean in Nevada | August 04, 2005 at 12:22 AM
I am so happy that she is fine and will live a wonderful happy and safe life. .
Posted by: Leigh | August 03, 2005 at 12:59 PM