This little 8-pound Chihuahua mix arrived a few days ago, sent to us by Rebecca Y. at Becky's Bridge, a rescue group in Shreveport, Louisiana. She had pulled him from a shelter in Garland, Texas, the week before. The lady who transported him for Rebecca described him as "really sweet but filthy - wet with urine and feces." When he got to Rebecca's place, she found he also has a mouth full of rotting teeth, many of which were black and green.
You get the idea -- along with that bulging eye, you can tell this boy has been the victim of real neglect.
When Rebecca took him to her vet clinic for the interstate health certificate for his travel to New Hampshire, the vet was actually pulling teeth out with his fingers during the exam. They were that loose and ready to fall out. That's how bad his mouth is. We have a vet appointment for him on Monday for a dental and to remove the bulging eye; we planned to do it as soon as he arrived but our vet wanted him on antibiotics for the oral infections to keep them from spreading via his blood during surgery.
Rebecca had named him Wilbur because he's round and sounds like a piglet. Yes, he snorts and grunts all the time. In fact, when we introduced him to some of the blind dogs on Thursday, they weren't sure what he was. This tiny, grunting thing didn't seem like a dog. We suspect the snorting may be from a fistula, or hole, in his mouth that opens into his sinus cavity. So whether he still sounds like Wilbur the pig after his surgery remains to be seen.
He is blind in his left eye but seems to have limited vision in his right eye. I did both a pupillary light reflex test (shining a light into the eye to see if the pupil constricts) and a menace response test (by moving an object quickly towards the eye to see if he blinks) and he passed both, so we know there is some vision there. Yet Wilbur does seem to be surprised by certain movements, and occasionally bumps into things, so it's not clear what's going on in that eye. We'll know more after his medical appointment.
He is a sweetheart -- a cuddlebug, very quiet, who is content to lie in his bed in the living room all day, curled up under a fleece blanket. He's not only the newest member of the gang at the farm but also the smallest -- even Clyde, Fuzzy and Daisy dwarf this little guy.
And with that, Wilbur would like to excuse himself. "It's been nice meeting you," he says, "but I need to get back to napping":
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Blog Break: I will be traveling the rest of this week to visit family and will not be able to post on the blog until the following week. Alayne and Kate will be here. I'll have an update on Wilbur then.
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The new Shelter Challenge started Monday, January 9 and ends at midnight on March 18. Grand prize in this round is $5,000, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
*** Okay, this is important, folks: We are now LISTED UNDER OUR NEW NAME, ROLLING DOG FARM. State is still NH for New Hampshire. ***
Please remember, you can vote every day ... consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
We won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the last contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
I was one of the lucky to get to transport Wilbur. Thank you so much for helping him when noone else could. He is a little snorter.
Posted by: Linda Van Ness | March 24, 2012 at 05:54 PM
Sweet little guy. I imagine it was painful for him to eat. He may have had a big belly bc of worms or malnutrition. He's exactly where he needs to be and it's so awesome what this place does for animals in terms of vet care.
Posted by: Lindsey | January 30, 2012 at 10:59 AM
I love you wilbur. Hang in there you are in a good place now little guy. Can't wait to see how blossom after loving care.
Posted by: Robin | January 25, 2012 at 03:36 PM
I've been voting every day, twice, at work and at home. It is one small way for me to try to help you keep doing what you are doing for little guys like Wilbur.
Posted by: Anne in FL | January 21, 2012 at 04:53 PM
Greetings and a warm welcome to NH. I am a resident of Nottingham in the "seacoast" region of NH. I have just heard about you through the Shelter Challenge when I looked up NH to see if the rescue I work for was on the "board" yet for the state. What a great place you have. Another Tail to Tell specializes in hard to place dogs. We accept animals from other rescues that have behavioral quirks, extreme fear, or for some reason just don't seem to be drawing in any interested adopters. The nature of our rescue combined with receiving most of our "hard cases" from inner city shelters/pounds in Mass and NY means we seem to have at any time at least 5 dog aggressive pitbulls! Anyway, I hope someday to get up that way to see your place. It is truly special and you are remarkable people! This February I am headed to visit Loki Clan in Chatham, NH (White Mountain region too) who specializes in caring for wolf hybrids. If you need a field trip, I would suggest it! To contact them, just Google it!
Posted by: Jill Brown | January 21, 2012 at 11:35 AM
Hoping for some good news about Wilbur. I want him to feel better.
Thank you for all you do.
Posted by: Mary Ann | January 20, 2012 at 03:32 PM
Wilbur's definitely in the best place now.
Posted by: Dave Shaw, Lakewood, WA | January 19, 2012 at 12:05 PM
So glad Wilbur has joined the RDF family! He's adorable. I hope he gets a decent report from his medical visit. Steve, safe travels for you this week, and good luck to Alayne and Kate holding down the farm.
Posted by: Ashley | January 17, 2012 at 03:05 PM
Enjoy your time away, Steve! Looking forward to hearing more about Wilbur.
Posted by: Kelly | January 17, 2012 at 12:33 PM
Oh how sweet he is, Glad that he found you all to take care of him. May God richly bless you all.
Posted by: Nantahala Farms & Nursery | January 16, 2012 at 11:12 PM
Oh goodness, what a sweet little guy. We are certainly glad he landed in your loving care. We look forward to more updates on him.
Posted by: Junior, Orion, Sammy and Meowm Rhonda | January 16, 2012 at 03:25 PM
I hope Wilbur makes it. Bad eyes, stinking body, stinking, rotting mouth. Yep! We love him! How could he get so fat with a mouth that had to hurt like that one? Oh! Wait! Just the same way I do......Never mind! Fix him some of your scrambled eggs and he'll be fine in no time. Roo and I can't wait for more Wilbur stories. Aside to Steve, I hope all your family is fine and you just decided to "desert" the girls for a lovely vacation this next week.
Hugs.....
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | January 16, 2012 at 01:32 PM
I feel so sad about Wilbur's previous life, up until getting to you guys. I try to take a lesson from how resilient the animals are after such experiences. I'm thankful you are there to help them!
Posted by: Dawn | January 16, 2012 at 11:27 AM
Good Morning....and a *very warm* welcome to sweet Wilbur, from frosty southern Manitoba! Looking forward to updates on how you are settling into your new loving warm home....Cheers, Valerie xo
Posted by: Valerie | January 16, 2012 at 11:10 AM
WELCOME HOME WILBUR WELCOME HOME
Posted by: Eric | January 16, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Oh Wllbur, you are adorable! So glad you found your way to paradise and have settled right in.
Posted by: Barbara Techel | January 16, 2012 at 09:59 AM
Wishing you a good visit with your family, Steve.
So happy to see Wilbur getting some deep rest finally. We are looking forward to your updates on him. Prayers are being sent that all his medicals go smoothly.
Posted by: Chloe | January 16, 2012 at 09:52 AM
Rest up little Wilbur. You will now get to see what the other side of life is like, the good side! The healthy cared for side of life. Steve, have a good visit with family, family connections are important ones to keep up. Travel safe.
Posted by: Anne in FL | January 16, 2012 at 09:37 AM
So precious and thank God he found his way to you through some other wonderful people! Travel safely!
Posted by: Linda Murphy | January 16, 2012 at 09:07 AM
Welcome, Wilbur. You'll soon be out from under that blanket and exploring with the rest of your brothers and sisters. May you have many, many happy years in your new home.
Posted by: Kathy Hertzel | January 16, 2012 at 08:21 AM
Welcome, Little Wilbur. You have hit the doggie jackpot. Smiling, through happy tears as I type, that this little one has arrived home. I think the Dex Man may have a rival for my puppy crush!
Posted by: Mary H. | January 16, 2012 at 07:13 AM
God bless the poor wee guy! What a lot to deal with - so glad you have him and will help him feel a lot better with treatment and care. Thanks for all you do! Rest up, Wilbur, you'll feel happy and safe there and a lot better once the doctors see you and get you well again. Sweet baby!!
Posted by: Joanne Standen | January 16, 2012 at 05:42 AM
Welcome home, sweet Wilbur!!
The picture of him under his cute little blanket just melts my heart...
It's great to know he's safe and quite the opposite of neglected now and for the rest of his life!
Have a nice trip, Steve, and God bless you, Alayne, Kate & Rebecca for all you keep doing on behalf of animals in need.
Posted by: Carla Polastro-Nigro | January 16, 2012 at 02:23 AM
Oh, he is just adorable! I know that when he gets done with all his vet treatment he will be feeling like a million bucks! Welcome to RDF, Wilbur...you will be a cherished member of the family :)
Enjoy your time with your family, Steve!
Posted by: Ann | January 16, 2012 at 02:09 AM
Welcome home Wilbur, so looking forward to get to know you better.
Posted by: Sandra | January 16, 2012 at 02:00 AM
Welcome, Wilbur. He truly is a lucky little fella to have landed at RDF!
Posted by: Carolyn Kupferschmid | January 16, 2012 at 01:26 AM
I LOVE you all for rescuing Wilbur!!!!! His chances in a shelter were NONE!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | January 15, 2012 at 11:25 PM
What a sweet little guy!
Posted by: Tricia Taylor | January 15, 2012 at 10:33 PM
My Chihuahua mix, Piglet, also got her name partly from the snorting she does. Like Wilbur, she also loves to burrow under a blanket for her naps. Hang in there little buddy! You are in good hands now.
Posted by: Marla from KC | January 15, 2012 at 10:21 PM
Wilber knows he's safe and probably has a lot of sleep to catch up on. It's been a busy few days for the little guy. Before long he'll be full of pep and applying to be Widget's adjutant.
Posted by: Bob | January 15, 2012 at 09:19 PM
Have a safe trip, Steve!
Poor little Wilbur, he's had a bad life for a long time judging from the description you gave. I won't be surprised if he finds a new home with an RDF reader as soon as he's well.
Posted by: Moon Rani | January 15, 2012 at 08:39 PM