finding permanent adoptive homes for ......happy tails - brantley brantley is the adorable chocolate...

tion, food, and fluids. To treat thisdisease in a home setting requiresskill, stamina, and a huge support

NOLA Lab RescueNews

February has been a toughmonth for our volunteers.During a transport, approxi-

mately twenty puppies wereexposed to the deadly parvovirus.Even though we thought theywere protected by vaccination andwe kept the puppies confined tocrates the entire trip,, eight pup-pies got very, very ill. Sadly threeof the puppies lost their battlewith parvo but the rest are well onthe road to recovery.

Proper care for the parvovirusis primarily supportive - medica-

Happy Tails - Brantley

Brantley is the adorablechocolate lab puppywhose previous home was

with someone who did not treas-ure him and make sure that hehad a safe environment in whichto grow. Brantley was allowed toride in the back of a pickup truckwithout a cage or any type ofrestraint - and when the inevitablehappened - he jumped out - theresulting injury caused him tolose his leg. Fortunately forBrantley, his new environmentwas full of generous people whodonated towards his care and

helped him to recover from thesurgery and return to his life as acarefree puppy.

(Continued on page 8)

FINDING PERMANENT ADOPTIVE HOMES FOR HOMELESS LABS

www.nola labrescue .org Winter 2015

We Love Volunteers

(Continued on page 7)

Why JoinNOLA?

Our mission is toprovide:

• Permanent adoptivehomes for unwanted,abandoned or abusedlabs

• Medical care and fosterhomes for rescued dogs

• Education to pet ownersregarding spaying/neu-tering and responsiblepet ownership

• Public information aboutirresponsible breedingpractices and animalabuse in an effort to endboth

Your MembershipSupports:

• Vaccination, sterilization,heartworm prevention,and veterinary servicesfor all dogs

• Heartworm treatment• Rescue of canine seniorswith high expenses

• Orthopedic surgery forrescued dogs in need

• Transportation of HWneg, fully vetted dogsfrom the overpopulatedSouth to pre-approvedfoster and forever homes

on page 9 to see the graph-ic created by Vikki Longthat shows the 894 pawsthat came through ourorganization in 2014 andthe name of each dog thatwe rescued. When timesare tough, we look to thelives we have touched forinspiration and the strengthto continue working with,fighting for, and loving thedogs that need our help.

Thank you for your sup-port in making this all pos-sible.

~Kim

NOLA News Winter 2015

Iwant to express my mostsincere gratitude for thegenerosity of our donors

and the support that wehave seen from a myriad ofold and new friends as wehave battled the dreadedparvovirus and struggled topay for the care needed byMidnight, Annie, andSirius.

This organization con-tinues to get stronger andstronger each year due toall of you - volunteers, fos-ters, and donors - and theresults bear this out. Look

From the President

Winter 2015 NOLA News

Page4

Faces of Adoption

Pooched EggsLooking for a Special Treat?

Have a recipe to share? [email protected]

The “I’ll Follow You Anywhere Treat”

It’s probably not a good idea to serve these every day, but these treatscould be the answer to your attention-getting troubles at training class!1 1/2 c whole wheat flour1/2 c wheat germ1/2 c melted bacon fat1 large egg1/2 c cold water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and combine all ingredients in a mediumbowl and mix by hand until dough forms. Add more flour if the dough istoo sticky and add more bacon fat or water if the dough is too stiff.

Roll out onto a floured surface to a thickness of just under 1/2 inch. Cutinto 1x4 inch bars and transfer to a cookie sheet. Poke divots into the barsand bake for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn theoven off, flip the bars, and place back in the oven until cool.

Because we care

Dr. Gary Levy

Dr. Erin Ribka

Dr. Clare Guichard

Dr. Matthew Levy

Dr. Marlowe Ward

www.lakeviewvet.com / 482-2173

We promise to pamper you and your pet with compassionate, uncompromised

veterinary care and joyful client service.

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-284/moc.tevweivekal.www

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Best In ShowThe best photos of your dogs

This Issue:Selfies!


Where to support NOLA in... Hamilton, Ontario

Pack your bags if you’re a Southernsupporter looking for a little fun! Ifyou’re one of our Canadian support-

ers, you already know that the Night for theDogs is an incredible evening with doorprizes, raffles, music, and premium foodand beverage.

Come out and support NOLA LabRescue, meet up with old friends, and havea great time!!!

Next issue: Opposites Attract - strange pairings of people and dogsSend responses & photos to [email protected]

Want to share the scoop on your favorite town? [email protected]

The Winner - Beaux!When a dog loves, it is unconditionaland not dependant on proximity or lasttime together. Katie goes to collegeand it had been a whole semester sinceshe had seen Beaux, who was adoptedtwo years ago from NOLA LabRescue. He hadn’t forgotten howmuch he loved her and leaped into herlap and refused to leave. You can seethe look of devotion on his face.

Second PlaceThird Place


Looking for Love? Adopt!

Luna Lovegood

Willow

last newsletter’s vol-unteer section, waspresent every day tohelp keep up with thenever ending cycle oflaundry and cleaning.Laura Grabowski fos-tered, cleaned forhours, and processedcountless applicationswhich is crucial forgetting the healthy

puppies into homes.And you’re never too young

to volunteer - Meadow is a com-passionate seven year old whotenderly held puppies while theyreceived the fluids they needed tokeep them alive.

There are many others whodonated, both old friends and newones, and their generous contri-

butions of supplies, money for vetbills, essential items to keep thehumans on their feet, and dogfood are very much appreciated.

While volunteering rarelyinvolves this level of commitmentand stamina, we are grateful tothese amazing volunteers who puttheir lives on hold and workedtogether to save precious lives.

network. Vikki Long is one

of our longest-servingvolunteers and con-solidated the puppiesthat hadn’t beenadopted at her home.Her volunteer effortsincluded feeding andmedicating puppies atall hours of the night,cleaning until bleachfumes burned her lungs, and ten-der care of every one of thecharges. She also spent her ownmoney on supplies and food.

Gaylina Barko and CareyShepherd provided invaluabletechnical assistance in hydratingand medicating the puppies whenthings looked the bleakest.

Courtney Rhodes, featured in

(Volunteers - continued from page 1)

Gretchen

Maestro

Copper


Brantley traveled to Ontariowith high hopes that hewould be able to findhis forever familythere. Amazingly, itonly took three hoursfor this heartbreakerto identify the familythat he would love tobecome part of.During his transport,he stopped in

London, Ontario for the day. While hang-ing out at the transporter’s workplace,Brantley met Mike. Mike called his wifeto come and see Brantley immediately.Mike and Jessica knew that they hadfound a gem and that evening, they let usknow that they would be sending in theirapplication and hoped to adopt Brantleyas soon as possible.

The rest is history - the kind of histo-ry that we love to hear and brag about.Brantley is a beloved member of his for-

ever family.He has all thetoys, food,and love thata puppycould possi-bly want. Heis participat-ing in therapyto make sure

that his posture is proper and heremains strong as he continues togrow. He gets to sleep whereverhe wants, climb into laps, andgive and receive unlimited kisses.What more could any puppy askfor?

Brantley is incredibly luckyand supremely happy. In addition,Brantley will never ride in theback of a truck again. He willnever be abandoned again.Brantley is home.

(Happy Tails - continued from page 1)

Proudly Supporting New Orleans Lab Rescue

New Orleans

Pet Care

A full-service

pet care team providing

Pet sitting

Overnight stays

Bed & breakfast

Walks

Transportation and

other services


Here in the deep1South, many of ourdogs’ allergic dis-

eases can manifest them-selves as ear problems.Most commonly red,itchy, smelly ears alongwith black or yellowishdischarge mean infectionis present.Chronic orrecurrentcases canleave acrusty orthickenedsurface onthe inner sur-face of theear flap.Your veteri-narian canexamine theears and (vis-ibility per-mitting)assure that the eardrumis not ruptured.Examination of some ofthe material from the earunder a microscope candetermine the source ofthe infection (bacteria(rods or cocci), yeast(fungus), or a combina-tion of the above) andmake appropriate treat-

ment recommendations.Treating the infection

often involves the useof:1) a cleansing solution2) antibiotic, antifungal,and/or anti-inflammatorydrug (many prescription

products contain allthree)

Cleaning method:Fill the ear canal(s) witha generous amount ofcleansing solution. Theear canal should start tooverflow which will letyou know that you haveused enough! Realize (as

pictured in the diagram)that you are filling first avertical ear canal of sev-eral inches as well as ahorizontal ear canal (likepeople have) of an addi-tional 2-3 inches. For afew minutes, gently but

firmly and repeti-tively massage theskin outside of andat the base of the earwhere it attaches tothe head to loosendebris in the earcanals. Using a tis-sue, gauze pad, orpaper towelwrapped aroundyour index finger,thoroughly wipeaway debris. NOQTIPS!! Repeat theflushing and wipinguntil the residue isgone. Repeat

weekly or as needed.

Next time: What are theunderlying causes for allof these ear problems??!!

Dr. Gary Levy, DVMLakeview VeterinaryHospitalNew Orleans, LA

A Healthier Pet - Ear Problems in Dogs


Nelson, a young Labradorretriever, is ready for hisforever home. He had

been fostered by NOLA Lab Rescueas young pup and adopted. He hada great family and a great life untilhe and his owner took a tumbledown a flight of stairs. Nelson hadsurgery to repair the leg while stillin his home but it wasn’t successful.His family surren-dered him to us inhopes that wecould give himwhat he needed.

Indeed, wedid. The leg couldnot be repaired forproper growth anda sturdy future andwas amputated.He has never once missed his leg,in fact, we are sure he is plentyhappy without it.

Nelson’s recovery processincluded extensive physical therapyto help him build muscles and prop-erly balance on his remaining threelegs. Because of his foster’s hardwork, Nelson can do anything afour legged dog can do, and does itwith endless enthusiasm.

Nelson is eleven months oldand 54 pounds. He lives in a housewith a variety of dogs - both bigand little - and has no problemsmaking friends. He even likes the

Adopt Me!!cat, especially when the cat isready for play; otherwise, heknows when to leave her alone.

Nelson is house trained, andvery well crate trained. Hedoes not chew things he’s notsupposed to. He loves to walkon the leash, though he coulduse some additional leash work,as his current focus is on bal-ancing properly during a walk to

train his spine toachieve a good straightposture. He knowsthe basic commands ofsit, down, off, andquiet. He does have abig bark and is alert tohis surroundings buthe is not a nuisancebarker.

He does really well with youngand energetic dogs or pups and likesto run and play mouthy games withtoys with them or while lying down.He has about 2 hours of stamina forplay with other dogs throughout theday, but no extraordinary needs.

He’s not picky about a set sched-ule and is content to skip play ses-sions if the need arises. He is quitea typical lab puppy with better man-

ners than many of his age. Heis content to either sleep withyou or in a crate and is silentthroughout the night.

His bladder control is excep-tional and he’s perfectly pottytrained. If he gets out 3-4times a day for short 10-15minutes of leashed or free playsessions, his business is doneand he uses the rest of his time

to enjoy the outdoors in self-engagedor interactive play. He does love thesnow and is able to maneuverthrough it well, but prefers a shov-eled area to potty. He’s very goodabout repeating his daily businessplace so the whole yard won’t be amess with this boy.

His perfect home would have atleast one young dog, a child (he doeswell with young kids but he loves theinteractive play a teenager brings tothe day), and a fenced yard for highenergy play time. Though none ofthe above are requirements, he’s gota wish list!

If you think that Nelson might beyour next family member, please sub-mit an application!

For more information and photos on this dog, as well as all othersawaiting forever homes with NOLA, please visit our website at

www.nolalabrescue.org or Petfinder athttp://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=LA259

Anika MarinakislPeninsula Humane Society & SPCA

Puppies should be runningfreely, rough and tumblingwith their siblings and fam-

ily. They should be full of ener-gy and their eyes should sparklewith mischief. They should growup to live long and productivelives, making a difference to thepeople in their family.

Unfortunately, for too manypuppies and dogs that NOLAsees, there has been a lack of theproper care that allows carefreeexuberance and long, healthy,and happy lives.

We thank our volunteers anddonors for making it possible tofight hard to save Elk, Grela andRex.

Run free little ones, andknow that we will not forgetyou.

In Memoriam

Training Tip

Vaccines are so critical, buteven with regularly administeredvaccines, puppies are still vul-nerable. We recently lost threeprecious lives to parvovirus.Even though we didn’t knowthem for long, NOLA LabRescue mourns their passing. Itseems so unfair that they weretaken just as their lives wereopening up to the possibility ofhomes with people who lovedthem and would care for themforever.

Springtime brings flowers,dreams of summer, and theresumption of outdoor

activities with your four-leggedpal. Unfortunately, it also bringsmud. Lots of mud on dog feet, inthe house, and on your jeans.You’re on your own to figure outhow to prevent your muddy dogfrom jumping all over you, buthere’s an option for teachingyour dog to wipe his paws on amat to at least keep some dirtfrom making it into the house!

As with most training, thisrequires a supply of tasty treatsto reward your pal and to inducethe preferred behavior. Squishytreats are not appropriate for thisactivity.

treat right at the edge of the mat.Then, once your dog figures outthere are goodies under the mat,you can start putting them fur-ther under to get your dog topaw enthusiastically at the mat.

Once you have a dog who isreadily pawing at the mat, youcan start saying the command“wipe your paws” right whenthey start the pawing action.

You’ll need to reward yourdog for a while when he doesthis behavior, but once your dogis a reliable paw-wiper all youwill need to do is say the magicwords when you arrive at yourfront door and your floors willremain squeaky clean. Assumingthey started out clean!

Take a treat and put it underthe corner of the mat you wishyour dog to wipe his paws on.Then let your dog try toget the treat out fromunder the mat. Some dogs maytry to lift the mat up with theirnose or mouth. If your dog triesthis, hold down the corner withyour hand. Eventually most dogsget frustrated and paw at themat. This is what you are look-ing for! Immediately when yourdog paws at the mat, say “yes!”and give him or her a treat thatyou have hidden in your hand.Then place another treat underthe mat and repeat this process.

If your dog has problemsgetting the idea, try putting the


Beloved departed pets always leave us withcherished memories. Share a photo and story

with us at [email protected]

NOLA Lab Rescue will be doing abig auction in the spring. Keep an eyeon our Facebook fan page for moreinformation on timing of the auctionand available items at: www.facebook.com/NOLA.Lab.Rescue

If you have any items that you’dlike to donate, please let us know [email protected]. Theseitems could be dog-related supplies,handmade treasures, home decoratingfinds, or anything else!

You can make the difference! Donations can be made online via our website at http://www.nolalabrescue.org/Donations.html

Will you help?

NOLA Lab Rescue432 Evergreen DrDestrehan, LA

Return Service Requested

Springtime Auction

finding permanent adoptive homes for ......happy tails - brantley brantley is the adorable chocolate...

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