Giving the Gift of Health this #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is December 1st and we need your support more than ever this year. Please help spread the word by sharing this post. Thank you for your love and support!
Below is a heart-wrenching story that has touched all of us deeply and will show you that your love and support truly helps us be able to save and change the lives of so many dogs in need. With your continued support and donations this #GivingTuesday, we can continue our amazing efforts!
Here at Mackenzie’s, our mission is to help dogs in need! With the love and support of people like YOU, we are able to give abandoned, abused, and neglected dogs the gift of time to heal, to feel safe and loved, and to get the medical care and attention they need. After all this time, love, and care, the best part of all is when we find them their forever homes.
On November 5th, a local county shelter was dealing with a horrific hoarding situation and reached out to us for help. We were able to take in four momma dogs and their 24 puppies. These dogs came from horrendous living conditions, and we believe many of them would not have survived much longer without intervention. Each dog, including all the puppies, had a severe flea infestation, you could see their fur moving as the fleas scurried around. Fleas aside, all these dogs were full of intestinal parasites – the puppies’ bellies were so distended that they looked like they were going to pop. They all had ear and skin infections, and all four moms were extremely emaciated and were so afraid of human contact and interaction.
The purpose of Mackenzie’s is to be there for dogs in need, and these dogs were in desperate need. We are incredibly thankful that we were able to give these innocent dogs a second chance at a happy, healthy life. To show them what it is like to have guaranteed food and fresh water, every day. To show them the joys of soft beds and warm blankets. To treat their infections, heal their wounds, and make them healthy again. And to show them how loving human contact and interaction can be.
These dogs all were on hold through the court until animal control could get relinquishment from the extremely unfortunate situation these beautiful souls were in. We are so relieved to announce that Mackenzie’s gained custody of all 28 dogs on November 19th.
We would like to introduce the newest members of Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary!
Rosalind and her four puppies: Cordelia, Viola, Portia, and Oberon
Sequoia and her seven puppies: Tahoe, Smoky, Acadia, Royale, Zion, Joshua, and Cappy
Mirin and her seven puppies: Sashimi, Tofu, Miso, Mochi, Soba, Bento, and Panko
Moira and her six puppies: Johnny, David, Roland, Patrick, Alexis, and Jocelyn
Now we are going to share the struggle we went through to help these sweet pups during their court ordered stay with us.
A medical emergency happened a few days after we took them in. One of the puppies, Cordelia, who was almost two weeks old, started acting lethargic. Her gums turned white, she was cold, and she no longer wanted to nurse. Her mom, Rosalind, was also becoming ill with a suspected upper respiratory infection. Aside from nasal and eye discharge, Rosalind was emaciated and becoming dehydrated. We immediately rushed Rosalind and her four puppies to Blue Pearl.
Cordelia declined rapidly. One of her lungs filled with fluid, she struggled to breath, and her heart rate was elevated. Even though she was given all efforts of life support (IV fluids, antibiotics, being placed in an oxygen cage, and much more), she continued to decline, and within a few hours, Cordelia’s tiny body could no longer fight whatever was attacking her. Much to our heartache, Cordelia crossed the rainbow bridge at 11:20 PM. We only had Cordelia for a short time, but we gave her everything we could to help her thrive. We wish more than anything that we could have gotten them out of their situation sooner so we could have prevented this heartbreaking outcome.
Rosalind and her other babies stayed at Blue Pearl for a few more days so they could get the medical support they needed. The doctors were concerned for Rosalind’s other three puppies as they were still unable to diagnose what exactly the litter was dealing with. They were put in the oxygen cage to help their lungs and give them extra support.
While Rosalind and her puppies were still at Blue Pearl, we shifted our focus to Sequoia and her 7-week-old puppies. In the 21 years Mackenzie’s has been in business, we can honestly say that Sequoia’s seven babies had the worst flea infestation we have ever seen. The fleas were taking so much of the puppies’ blood, it was causing their red blood count to be low. Some fleas were so big, we were not able to pluck them off with a flea comb, we had to use our fingers.
It soon became apparent that Sequoia’s puppies were taking a turn for the worse as they also were battling the same infection as Rosalind’s puppies. The Mackenzie staff came together to help our veterinary technicians gather the puppies’ vitals for their transfer to Blue Pearl; checking blood pressure, getting oxygen levels, giving oxygen, helping with x-rays, assisting with blood draws, and taking down information from the technicians. One of our board members, Jimmy Azzar, helped transfer the three sickest puppies as they were declining fast. We then rushed the remaining puppies to Blue Pearl after gathering their vitals and assessing their need for urgent care.
Thankfully, Rosalind and her three remaining babies and Sequoia and her seven puppies are back in Mackenzie’s care. Mirin and her seven puppies, and Moira and her six puppies are being treated for upper respiratory infections back at the sanctuary, without urgent medical intervention from Blue Pearl. We have successfully treated all the dogs for their fleas. We are still treating them for worms and the respiratory infections. Once we have them in better health, the moms will be getting dental cleanings and the entire pack of 27 dogs will be getting spayed and neutered, to prevent the cycle of unnecessary litters.
They have a long way to go, but Mackenzie’s will do everything in our power to make sure each dog is happy and healthy. The road to recovery can be expensive though. The emergency care Rosalind and her puppies received totaled $10,000. This does not include the continued expense for their medical care at Mackenzie’s, nor does it include the cost of their spays and neuters all of which we estimate will come to another $10,000.
These expenses are only for Rosaland, Sequoia, Mirin, Moira and all their puppies. In addition to them, we have 50 other resident dogs that are also in our care.
Like many other nonprofits, Mackenzie’s has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Every in-person fundraising event we had planned this year was canceled. On this Giving Tuesday, we ask for your help making a difference in these dogs’ lives by giving a monetary donation toward their care. They have been through so much already in their short lives, and they truly deserve the best that we can give them.
If someone you know is struggling with animal hoarding, please call your local animal control, police department, or animal welfare organization. Your phone call could help the individual and the animals get the help they so desperately need.
Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1034736347041918/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Other options to support Mackenzie’s:
Through our website – Click Here!
Postal Mail:
Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary
8935 Thompson Rd.
Lake Odessa, MI 48849
