Twiggy joined our team in January 2011 at the age of 12 years. When we first saw her she was emaciated, cold and could not even stand due to malnutrition. At this point she was one of the thinnest dogs we had ever seen. In addition, on initial exam we found dental disease, areas of severe frostbite, arthritis and a mass on one upper eyelid. Her laboratory results indicated diabetes, hypothyroidism and a positive lyme test. Her sores were treated with daily washing, and topical and oral antibiotics. She was immediately started on insulin for diabetes, thyroid supplementation, pain medication for arthritis, antibiotics for skin sores (from frost bite) and eye drops. We also had to remove large patches of gangrenous tissue resulting from the frostbite. After the first week there was unfortunately the need to make a hard decision since no owner had come forward. Due to her many problems and advanced age it was unlikely that we would be able to find a new home for her. The other option we were given by the department in charge of animal welfare was euthanasia. The whole staff had however fallen in love with her and we requested permission to adopt her. She was released to our care and had become a member of our Selkirk Animal Hospital family. She began now jogging slowly and reached a healthy weight.
She then had a full dental cleaning, Lyme disease treatment and mass removal. She became blind due to the diabetes but had become so accustomed to our clinic that she got around very well. Twiggy was a very affectionate and loving dog. She spent most of her time chasing toys, stealing Chevy's food, sleeping and putting her head on anyone's lap she can reach. We did make a change to her type of insulin and had even better control of her diabetes with it. In December 2011 she helped us to demonstrate how to apply an oxygen mask for a pet to the fire department. She was of course a big hit with the fire fighters! The article appeared in the Selkirk Record along with another article in February 2013 to help us promote Cupcake Day.
Sadly, in July of 2013 we had to say goodbye to Twiggy when she passed away peacefully at the clinic. She will be greatly missed.
