URGENT!!!! "Bubba Chuck" Needs Help
Ditty Dats & Dogs Rescue
UPDATE : 2/2/2008 @ 5:30PM - This will be the final update in the Blog for sweet Bubba Chuck.
Yesterday I brought Bubba to see Dr. Bradley for his last checkup. Everything went great. Dr. B
said that Bubba can now be treated like a normal dog with no restrictions. He recommends
more and more exercise to beef up the muscles in that leg. Also, I had the bittersweet
privilege of bringing Bubba to his new home in Maryland today. He is going to be much loved
and very spoiled! He will have a sister to play with - a lab mix girl who is just too cute! And, he
will also have a little girl who is going to give him lots of hugs and kisses.
Take care Bubba Chuck - many people love you and we all hope that you have a long happy life!
UPDATE : 1//14/2008 @ 10:30PM - I did the home visit tonight for the family interested in
adopting Bubba Chuck. Good news -- they have been approved! They are very excited about
making Bubba a permanent member of their family! Bubba goes to see Dr. Bradley in a few
weeks and I'm hoping that he gives me the green light to allow Bubba to go to his new home!
Bubba will stay with me until Dr. Bradley gives me the all clear on his health. Thanks again to
everyone who made this possible! Bubba has come a long way since being found hit by a car
on the side of the highway on December 8th!
UPDATE : 1//12/2008 @ 8:00PM - Bubba is doing great. He has TWO adoption applications
pending on him right now. I am scheduled to do the home visit for the 1st app on Tuesday, Jan
15th. I'm hoping that he will have a permanent loving home soon! Today he started barreling up
and down my staircase - and they're hardwood! He's starting to use the injured leg more and
more. He still prefers to hold it up, but while out walking him he will put the foot down and take
about 5-8 steps on it, then hold it up again. I've been doing his daily exercises with him and it
seems to be helping. He gets the most use out of the leg when he plays with Cookie. The
"accidents" in the house are still happening occasionally. He now goes to the front door and
will pee right there! He forgets to come tell me that he needs to go out! LOL. But that doesn't
happen very often. My foster kitten Joy has decided that she has a crush on Bubba! I keep
finding her going over to him and rubbing up against him. This morning I woke up to find Bubba
sleeping on the floor next to my bed, with Joy curled up with him! Too cute!
UPDATE : 1//5/2008 @ 1:00PM - Well, Bubba Chuck has only had one accident in the house in a
week now. I'm getting more confident that he's housebroken - or at least darn close!!! He
seems to have a fettish for napkins and paper. He loves to shred it! Other than that, he doesn't
really mess with my stuff in the house. He LOVES his toys and one of his favorite things is to
play tug-o-war with my dog Cookie. So far, the only time that Bubba puts his foot down (the
right way!) and uses it is when he's playing with Cookie. I think it's because he's too busy
playing that he's not thinking about his foot. He was getting around pretty good using that leg
today while he was circling Cookie trying to figure out the best way to steal his stuffed toy! I
think with some more Cookie Play Time that he'll start to use that leg more and more.
UPDATE : 1//2/2008 @ 11:30PM - We have raised ALL of the money for Bubba Chuck's surgery!!!
Yay!!!! Thanks again to EVERYONE who so kindly donated for him. Bubba Chuck teamed up with
my foster kitty, Fiona, tonight! She jumped up on my kitchen counter and was knocking things
onto the floor for him! Had to go fetch some markers from his mouth before he ate them! LOL.
That's all we need - for him to eat a Sharpie!
UPDATE : 1//1/2008 @ 8:30PM - Bubba Chuck starred in his 2nd movie!!! It's been posted above
for everyone to see how good he's doing. Bubba also wanted to wish everyone a Happy New
Year and thank you all again for helping him have his surgery! Hope that you all have a
wonderful 2008!!!!
UPDATE : 12/31/2007 @ 1:40PM - Well, Cookie Monster got down right miffed that Bubba Chuck
was using his crate all the time! That is, after all, where Cookie likes to hoard all of his
treasures that he collects on a daily basis! Cookie had stolen my empty water bottle off the
coffee table and immediately ran to his crate to store it away for safe keeping only to find
Bubba in there snoozing. He barked at him! LOL. Then he proceeded to go in the crate
anyways, stepped on Bubba Chuck and irritated him enough so that he got out!!! Oh my, I about
peed my pants I was laughing so hard. I know I should have been a good mommy and stopped
Cookie, but I couldn't stop laughing! Needless to say, I dragged one of my crates in the
basement up here, put a nice soft comforter in there and now Bubba Chuck has his very own
crate. KIDS!
UPDATE : 12/31/2007 @ 12:00AM - Bubba Chuck appears to be having nightmares. He cries out
in his sleep - he's done it like 5 times today. He'll let out a very loud yowl - this has woken him
up from his deep sleep several times. A few times he slept through it though. I keep wondering
if maybe he's dreaming about being hit by the car. The times that he wakes up from yowling he
will always immediately jump up and look around confused. It's pretty sad. Hmmm.... maybe
he's getting "charlie horses" in that left leg from holding it up when he walks instead?
UPDATE : 12/30/2007 @ 2:00PM - Okay, so my excitement was short lived about Bubba Chuck
being housetrained!!! LOL. He had a peeing accident in the house today. Thankfully I caught
him "mid-stream" and was able to tell him no then promptly took him outside! Two days of no
accidents is a good sign though right? This is just a minor set back! ;-)
UPDATE : 12/29/2007 @ 9:30PM - Either Bubba is used to living in a dog house most of the time,
or in a crate - because this boy likes to spend most of the day sleeping in Cookie Monsters
crate. He has free range of my house and yet he chooses to stay in there a lot. He will come
out to play with Cookie some, get a scratch and rub from me, then go back in there! Must be a
comforting feeling for him - kind of like a den I suppose. He hasn't had any "accidents" in the
house for 2 days now! I'm getting pretty excited about that!!! He thoroughly enjoyed baying at
my neighbors guests today! I had taken him outside to go potty and their guests were getting in
their cars to leave. Bubba just let out this very LOUD bay to them - saying HELLOOOOOO!!!!
They thought it was funny. It's been a while since I've heard a hound dog bay - nothing quite like
it! LOL.
UPDATE : 12/28/2007 @ 7:30PM - Ha! Bubba Chuck is now the kitties best friend! He took one of
their old cat toys and pulled some of the stuffing out of it. Well, this particular cat toy had cat
nip in it. It's a fairly old toy and the cats couldn't sense the catnip in it anymore. But, once
Bubba ripped it open it's been a complete kitty love fest over there because now the catnip is
working it's magic! LOL.
UPDATE : 12/28/2007 @ 7:00PM - I took Bubba lo see Dr. Bradley today. He had his sutures
removed - made it very challenging for the vet tech because he was a constant moving target!!!
She was up to the challenge though! Dr. Bradley seemed pleased with Bubba's progress so far.
He has instructed me to do some range of motion therapy at home with him 3 times a day to
help remove the stiffness and encourage him to start walking on that left foot. The biggest
reason why he still won't put that foot down is because of the nerve deficit, but Dr. Bradley
thinks that he can overcome this. I also need to start walking him up hills because that should
start to force him to put that foot down to gain traction. Bubba Chuck is also making progress
on his housetraining! He has had no accidents in the house today! It seems that if I take him
outside to go potty every 4.5 to 5 hours he does splendid. If he holds it any longer than that,
then he will pee in the house. He also loves to sleep in Cookie Monsters crate! I always leave
the door open to it, and I've been finding Bubba curled up in there sacked out lately!
Surprisingly, he is also doing well with the cats too. I was worried that he may chase them
because he is after all a hound which was most likely used for hunting. Maybe he was a bad
hunter and that's why he was running at large? LOL. Also, another $25 was sent directly to Dr.
Bradley's office - unfortunately, they didn't write the persons name down, so I don't know who it
was that donated! Please don't get upset if you don't see your name on the donors list!!! Thank
you very much for sending in the money - Bubba Chuck surely does appreciate it! Only $102
more to go for us to reach our goal to pay for Bubba Chuck's entire surgery. So very close!
UPDATE : 12/27/2007 @ 8:30PM - Bubba lost his foster home tonight due to no fault of his own.
Unfortunately, Nena's two dogs got into a dispute last night and her older girl, Jessie, was
injured pretty good in the neck area due to puncture wounds. Nena didn't want Bubba to get
hurt in case Reese decided to go after him, so he is back home with me. If you know anyone
who would like to foster or even adopt this sweet goofy hound dog, please send them my way!
UPDATE : 12/26/2007 @ 10:30AM - We have raised a total of $2,623 for Bubba Chuck's surgery!
Only have $127 more to go to pay for the entire bill. We would have reached the goal, but once
the fees were taken out by Fundable it put us back by $150. Bubba is scheduled to have his
sutures removed on Friday, 12/28. His foster mom, Nena, will be bringing him and we're hoping
for a good report back from Dr. Bradley on his progress.
UPDATE : 12/23/2007 @ 9:30PM - Bubba Chuck went to his new foster home today!!! Nena is
very excited about giving him a place to hang his leash until he's adopted. He'll be able to play
with her two "ladies" - an older golden retriever and a young chocolate lab. I think that he'll have
fun staying there. He really seemed to enjoy playing tug of war with Reese! He's so funny
because he's absolutely petrified of hardwood floors. He does great on vinyl floors, concrete,
pavement, grass, carpeting - but dreads hardwood!!! Nena has hardwood in part of her house
and he soooooo badly wanted to go explore but couldn't get past his fear of the floors. She had
to line up some scatter rugs on it so that he could make his way across the room like a frog
going from lilly pad to lilly pad! Nena also bought him a stocking so that he could enjoy the
Christmas festivities too!!!
UPDATE : 12/15/2007 @ 7:30PM - Bubba is settling in well. He's funny because he does this
deep moan when I rub his ears in just the right spot! Then he starts to lean really good! The
little imp also managed to get past the barricade that I put up to keep him in my morning room.
When I came home from SAM's Club he happily greeted me at the door!!! He's still not using
that foot like he should. He holds it up when he walks and it seems to dangle. I keep hoping
that he starts to use it again.
UPDATE : 12/13/2007 @ 12:30AM - A new Fundable Account has been set up to raise money to
cover some unexpected vet bills for some of the other dogs at Ditty Dats & Dogs Rescue. If you
would still like to pledge money to cover the remaining balance on Bubba Chucks vet bill for his
surgery, you can pledge on this new Fundbale:
https://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2007-12-13.3390805943/groupaction_view
UPDATE : 12/12/2007 @ 1:40PM - The Fundable Account has been closed out so the money can
be given to Dr. Bradley to help pay off Bubba's surgery bill. The account brought in a grand total
of $2,000. Thanks again to everyone who pledged money so Bubba could have his surgery!
UPDATE : 12/12/2007 @ 8:00AM - Bubba had a good night. Today he is still reluctant to stand up
too much. Very understandable. Bubba was neutered yesterday since he was already under
anesthesia, vaccinated for rabies and he also tested Negative for Heartworm! Yay! It looks like
Bubba will still be able to come home tomorrow.
UPDATE : 12/11/2007 @ 1:30PM - Bubba is out of surgery. He did very well. The doctor advised
that he did everything as planned. Bubba is back in recovery and is still very groggy. They do
have a urinary catheter in him right now, but that will be taken out once he's not so groggy.
Bubba will stay at the hospital until Thursday then I can go take him home. But, as far as we
can tell - Bubba came through with flying colors and should be back on his feet in no time! I'm
sure that tomorrow he'll be wagging that cute little tail of his too!
UPDATE : 12/10/2007 @ 7:05PM -We have raised$1,925!!! I just got back from dropping Bubba
off at the vets office. Dr. Bradley has decided to do the surgery in the morning instead now as
Bubba is very stable and will be okay for the night. Dr. Bradley also assessed Bubba's
neurological status in the left leg, and everything looked okay - he has feeling and can still
ambulate the leg. This is awesome, as a worry all along is that if he had nerve damage in that
leg, then it would have to be amputated. But, things are looking good for our Bubba Chuck! The
surgery will cost $2,700. Bubba needs to have 2 procedures done, but thankfully they can be
done at the same time. The doctor will have to put in a plate to stabilize his pelvis. He will also
be doing an "FHO" (Femoral Head Ostectomy). This is where they remove the head of the
femur to allow a false joint to form by the muscles. The two procedures is why the surgery is
so expensive, even with a rescue discount. I will send out an update tomorrow once Bubba is
out of surgery to let you all know how he is doing! Also - some wonderful news - Bubba already
has a potential new Mommy & Daddy!!! A woman that works at one of the vet offices that I
called today is very interested in adopting Bubba to make him part of her family. Let's keep our
fingers crossed that not only will this boy have his pelvis fixed, but have a new home too!!!
UPDATE : 12/10/2007 @ 11:20AM -We have raised $1,520 so far between the Fundable Account
and PayPal!!! This morning I have been on the phone constantly with different clinics to find the
best place to take Bubba for his surgery. Most of the doctors are in surgery right now, so I'm
waiting for all of them to call me back. The future looks bright for Bubba as we only have
approximately $980 more to raise to meet the goal of $2,500. Bubba is doing as well as can be
expected. He seems quite bored and you can tell that he REALLY wants to get out of bed
(typical man!!!). My cats keep going over to say HI!, but I have a feeling that if Bubba had two
good legs that he'd be chasing those cats! LOL. He whines when they come over, with his ears
perked up and his eyes bright. He is a hound so I'm sure that he's thinking he should not be
friends with the little furies. He seems to like sleeping during the day and keeping me up all
night long. He wants me with him when he's awake - basically because I spoil him and rub his
ears and head constantly and he's just loving up the affection! If I leave him while he's awake
he whines until I come back. He's a very sweet boy. I will update later today once I figure out
the vet that will be doing surgery. Thanks again everyone who has donated for his surgery!!!
UPDATE : 12/09/2007 @ 7:10PM -We have raised $1,000.00 for Bubba Chuck's surgery! The
outpouring of love, support and donations has just been overwhelming. I want to thank
everyone from the bottom of my heart. There have been so many emails from people sending
their best wishes for a speedy recovery. And the donations have just flowed in all day long! I
have received my Christmas Miracle! We now have half of the money for Bubba's surgery. I
just know that tomorrow morning when I call the vets offices that I will be able to convince them
to operate and let me have more time to raise the rest of the money for his bill. Again, thank
you all for your support!
UPDATE : 12/09/2007 @ 8:30AM -We had a rough night last night. Bubba cries and moans when
I leave his side. So basically I've been with him most of the night stroking his velvet soft ears.
Needless to say, we're both exhausted. The meds have taken most of the edge off his pain, but
he's still extremely uncomfortbale and yelps when he tries to move. He has urinated on himself
3 times now. I'm hoping that it's just because he can't stand up to go potty, and not because
he's going to be incontinent now. The e-vet said that his bladder was intact last night and didn't
look injured and I haven't seen any blood in the urine either. Keeping my fingers crossed on that
one. He's still licking my hand and thumping that cute cropped tail of his when I come back from
leaving him for a short while. He seems so happy to see me! If I'm able to save this boys life, I
have the feeling that he's going to be spoiled rotten, as he already has me wrapped around his
little paw!
UPDATE : 12/08/2007 @ 11:30PM - I just got back from the e-vet. They were packed tonight. The
lobby was full. I left 5 hours ago, and just now getting home! I now have the full story of what
happened today with this sweet boy. After my driver saw a dog pop his head up from the side of
the road, they took the next exit and went back to see if the dog was hurt. They did find the dog,
he was laying in the cold mud, his whole body trembling from the cold. They covered him with
the blanket and called 911. A fireman and a police officer showed up. Both gentlemen (and I use
that term loosely!) had just gotten off duty. They told my driver that "this here is just a stupid ole
hound dog, the nearest vet is 60 miles away, I'm off duty so I ain't taking the dog in." He then
proceeded to go get his gun to shoot the dog, "because whoever owned him would just shoot
him anyway and go get another hunting dog." My driver and his wife were appalled, so they
quickly scooped the injured dog up and called me. Once my driver got to my house, they told
me that they had already named the dog, because of course he needs a name! He is now
affectionately called "Bubba Chuck"! Don't ask me why - they thought a country hunting dog
needed a hillbilly name!!! And, he was dubbed Bubba Chuck after the two officers who stopped
to "help"! They were kind of "Larry the Cableguy-ish"!!! LOL. Bubba is definitely a Plott Hound.
Bubba is a young guy - only 6 to 8 months old. He also has a very cute docked tail - not the really
short kind, but about half way cropped off. I've never seen a Plott with a docked tail before! He
did have a dark green collar on, but no ID tags. We all trooped down to the vet with Bubba. The
doctor sedated him so they could take x-rays. It's apparent that Bubba was hit in the hind end
as his front end came out unscathed. His pelvis is broken in 3 places on the left side. This injury
will not heal on it's own, and will require surgery. The e-vet gave me the ballpark figure for the
cost of surgery which is between $2,000 to $3,000 to repair his pelvis. As he is such a young
boy, she expects that he will bounce back quickly from the surgery and make a full recovery.
The vet bill from tonight was $465. Shen sent Bubba home with me with a Fentanyl Patch,
Metacam and Tramadol for the pain. She also gave him a Buprenex injection and valium before
he left. Bubba slept on the way home and for about 1/2 hour once he got here. But, it breaks my
heart as he is now moaning in pain. I gave him some canned dog food as well as some dry
kibble - he ate it all with a voracious appetite, which is a good sign. At this time, I do not have
the funds to pay for Bubba's surgery. The meds that I have to manage his pain is for 4 days. So,
that gives me 4 days to raise the funds to pay for the surgery. On Monday I will be calling all of
the orthepedic surgeons that the vet gave me to see which one can do the surgery for the
cheapest. I will be begging for a rescue discount too! I am drafting up a plea now to send out to
the message boards that I belong to in the hopes that I can raise the money to save Bubba's
life. He is such a sweet hound, and he is too young for his life to end now. I am hoping for a
Christmas Miracle! If you can find it in your heart to donate to help save this sweet boy, please
email me. Once I have confirmed on Monday which vet will give me the best rate, I can email
you back with the vets information so that you can make donations directly to the vets office so
you can feel comfortable that your money is going to save Bubba's life. Or if you like, you can
PayPal the money directly to me. Go to www.PayPal.com click on "Send Money" then have the
funds sent to Barbara.Tilton@dittydatsanddogsrescue.com.
12/08/2007 @ 1:30PM - I have a transport enroute right now for two dogs coming from the Clark
County Animal Shelter in Winchester, KY coming to me in Martinsburg, WV. One of my drivers
has found a black & tan coonhound on the side of the road that has been hit by a car. He pulled
over, called the police like any good samaritan would do. The officer told him that they don't
have Animal Control in their county, so the dog would be put to sleep that day. Steve scooped
him up and now the injured pooch is enroute to me! The dog has an obvious injury to it's back
leg - most likely broken. I will be taking him to the emergency vet upon his arrival here in a few
hours. As this unexpected "Christmas Gift" is now coming to me, I am going to need to raise
some quick funds to help with his vet bills. If you can donate, please do! Donations can be sent
to me via PayPal (see Ways To Help for directions on PayPal donations).
Yesterday I brought Bubba to see Dr. Bradley for his last checkup. Everything went great. Dr. B
said that Bubba can now be treated like a normal dog with no restrictions. He recommends
more and more exercise to beef up the muscles in that leg. Also, I had the bittersweet
privilege of bringing Bubba to his new home in Maryland today. He is going to be much loved
and very spoiled! He will have a sister to play with - a lab mix girl who is just too cute! And, he
will also have a little girl who is going to give him lots of hugs and kisses.
Take care Bubba Chuck - many people love you and we all hope that you have a long happy life!
UPDATE : 1//14/2008 @ 10:30PM - I did the home visit tonight for the family interested in
adopting Bubba Chuck. Good news -- they have been approved! They are very excited about
making Bubba a permanent member of their family! Bubba goes to see Dr. Bradley in a few
weeks and I'm hoping that he gives me the green light to allow Bubba to go to his new home!
Bubba will stay with me until Dr. Bradley gives me the all clear on his health. Thanks again to
everyone who made this possible! Bubba has come a long way since being found hit by a car
on the side of the highway on December 8th!
UPDATE : 1//12/2008 @ 8:00PM - Bubba is doing great. He has TWO adoption applications
pending on him right now. I am scheduled to do the home visit for the 1st app on Tuesday, Jan
15th. I'm hoping that he will have a permanent loving home soon! Today he started barreling up
and down my staircase - and they're hardwood! He's starting to use the injured leg more and
more. He still prefers to hold it up, but while out walking him he will put the foot down and take
about 5-8 steps on it, then hold it up again. I've been doing his daily exercises with him and it
seems to be helping. He gets the most use out of the leg when he plays with Cookie. The
"accidents" in the house are still happening occasionally. He now goes to the front door and
will pee right there! He forgets to come tell me that he needs to go out! LOL. But that doesn't
happen very often. My foster kitten Joy has decided that she has a crush on Bubba! I keep
finding her going over to him and rubbing up against him. This morning I woke up to find Bubba
sleeping on the floor next to my bed, with Joy curled up with him! Too cute!
UPDATE : 1//5/2008 @ 1:00PM - Well, Bubba Chuck has only had one accident in the house in a
week now. I'm getting more confident that he's housebroken - or at least darn close!!! He
seems to have a fettish for napkins and paper. He loves to shred it! Other than that, he doesn't
really mess with my stuff in the house. He LOVES his toys and one of his favorite things is to
play tug-o-war with my dog Cookie. So far, the only time that Bubba puts his foot down (the
right way!) and uses it is when he's playing with Cookie. I think it's because he's too busy
playing that he's not thinking about his foot. He was getting around pretty good using that leg
today while he was circling Cookie trying to figure out the best way to steal his stuffed toy! I
think with some more Cookie Play Time that he'll start to use that leg more and more.
UPDATE : 1//2/2008 @ 11:30PM - We have raised ALL of the money for Bubba Chuck's surgery!!!
Yay!!!! Thanks again to EVERYONE who so kindly donated for him. Bubba Chuck teamed up with
my foster kitty, Fiona, tonight! She jumped up on my kitchen counter and was knocking things
onto the floor for him! Had to go fetch some markers from his mouth before he ate them! LOL.
That's all we need - for him to eat a Sharpie!
UPDATE : 1//1/2008 @ 8:30PM - Bubba Chuck starred in his 2nd movie!!! It's been posted above
for everyone to see how good he's doing. Bubba also wanted to wish everyone a Happy New
Year and thank you all again for helping him have his surgery! Hope that you all have a
wonderful 2008!!!!
UPDATE : 12/31/2007 @ 1:40PM - Well, Cookie Monster got down right miffed that Bubba Chuck
was using his crate all the time! That is, after all, where Cookie likes to hoard all of his
treasures that he collects on a daily basis! Cookie had stolen my empty water bottle off the
coffee table and immediately ran to his crate to store it away for safe keeping only to find
Bubba in there snoozing. He barked at him! LOL. Then he proceeded to go in the crate
anyways, stepped on Bubba Chuck and irritated him enough so that he got out!!! Oh my, I about
peed my pants I was laughing so hard. I know I should have been a good mommy and stopped
Cookie, but I couldn't stop laughing! Needless to say, I dragged one of my crates in the
basement up here, put a nice soft comforter in there and now Bubba Chuck has his very own
crate. KIDS!
UPDATE : 12/31/2007 @ 12:00AM - Bubba Chuck appears to be having nightmares. He cries out
in his sleep - he's done it like 5 times today. He'll let out a very loud yowl - this has woken him
up from his deep sleep several times. A few times he slept through it though. I keep wondering
if maybe he's dreaming about being hit by the car. The times that he wakes up from yowling he
will always immediately jump up and look around confused. It's pretty sad. Hmmm.... maybe
he's getting "charlie horses" in that left leg from holding it up when he walks instead?
UPDATE : 12/30/2007 @ 2:00PM - Okay, so my excitement was short lived about Bubba Chuck
being housetrained!!! LOL. He had a peeing accident in the house today. Thankfully I caught
him "mid-stream" and was able to tell him no then promptly took him outside! Two days of no
accidents is a good sign though right? This is just a minor set back! ;-)
UPDATE : 12/29/2007 @ 9:30PM - Either Bubba is used to living in a dog house most of the time,
or in a crate - because this boy likes to spend most of the day sleeping in Cookie Monsters
crate. He has free range of my house and yet he chooses to stay in there a lot. He will come
out to play with Cookie some, get a scratch and rub from me, then go back in there! Must be a
comforting feeling for him - kind of like a den I suppose. He hasn't had any "accidents" in the
house for 2 days now! I'm getting pretty excited about that!!! He thoroughly enjoyed baying at
my neighbors guests today! I had taken him outside to go potty and their guests were getting in
their cars to leave. Bubba just let out this very LOUD bay to them - saying HELLOOOOOO!!!!
They thought it was funny. It's been a while since I've heard a hound dog bay - nothing quite like
it! LOL.
UPDATE : 12/28/2007 @ 7:30PM - Ha! Bubba Chuck is now the kitties best friend! He took one of
their old cat toys and pulled some of the stuffing out of it. Well, this particular cat toy had cat
nip in it. It's a fairly old toy and the cats couldn't sense the catnip in it anymore. But, once
Bubba ripped it open it's been a complete kitty love fest over there because now the catnip is
working it's magic! LOL.
UPDATE : 12/28/2007 @ 7:00PM - I took Bubba lo see Dr. Bradley today. He had his sutures
removed - made it very challenging for the vet tech because he was a constant moving target!!!
She was up to the challenge though! Dr. Bradley seemed pleased with Bubba's progress so far.
He has instructed me to do some range of motion therapy at home with him 3 times a day to
help remove the stiffness and encourage him to start walking on that left foot. The biggest
reason why he still won't put that foot down is because of the nerve deficit, but Dr. Bradley
thinks that he can overcome this. I also need to start walking him up hills because that should
start to force him to put that foot down to gain traction. Bubba Chuck is also making progress
on his housetraining! He has had no accidents in the house today! It seems that if I take him
outside to go potty every 4.5 to 5 hours he does splendid. If he holds it any longer than that,
then he will pee in the house. He also loves to sleep in Cookie Monsters crate! I always leave
the door open to it, and I've been finding Bubba curled up in there sacked out lately!
Surprisingly, he is also doing well with the cats too. I was worried that he may chase them
because he is after all a hound which was most likely used for hunting. Maybe he was a bad
hunter and that's why he was running at large? LOL. Also, another $25 was sent directly to Dr.
Bradley's office - unfortunately, they didn't write the persons name down, so I don't know who it
was that donated! Please don't get upset if you don't see your name on the donors list!!! Thank
you very much for sending in the money - Bubba Chuck surely does appreciate it! Only $102
more to go for us to reach our goal to pay for Bubba Chuck's entire surgery. So very close!
UPDATE : 12/27/2007 @ 8:30PM - Bubba lost his foster home tonight due to no fault of his own.
Unfortunately, Nena's two dogs got into a dispute last night and her older girl, Jessie, was
injured pretty good in the neck area due to puncture wounds. Nena didn't want Bubba to get
hurt in case Reese decided to go after him, so he is back home with me. If you know anyone
who would like to foster or even adopt this sweet goofy hound dog, please send them my way!
UPDATE : 12/26/2007 @ 10:30AM - We have raised a total of $2,623 for Bubba Chuck's surgery!
Only have $127 more to go to pay for the entire bill. We would have reached the goal, but once
the fees were taken out by Fundable it put us back by $150. Bubba is scheduled to have his
sutures removed on Friday, 12/28. His foster mom, Nena, will be bringing him and we're hoping
for a good report back from Dr. Bradley on his progress.
UPDATE : 12/23/2007 @ 9:30PM - Bubba Chuck went to his new foster home today!!! Nena is
very excited about giving him a place to hang his leash until he's adopted. He'll be able to play
with her two "ladies" - an older golden retriever and a young chocolate lab. I think that he'll have
fun staying there. He really seemed to enjoy playing tug of war with Reese! He's so funny
because he's absolutely petrified of hardwood floors. He does great on vinyl floors, concrete,
pavement, grass, carpeting - but dreads hardwood!!! Nena has hardwood in part of her house
and he soooooo badly wanted to go explore but couldn't get past his fear of the floors. She had
to line up some scatter rugs on it so that he could make his way across the room like a frog
going from lilly pad to lilly pad! Nena also bought him a stocking so that he could enjoy the
Christmas festivities too!!!
UPDATE : 12/15/2007 @ 7:30PM - Bubba is settling in well. He's funny because he does this
deep moan when I rub his ears in just the right spot! Then he starts to lean really good! The
little imp also managed to get past the barricade that I put up to keep him in my morning room.
When I came home from SAM's Club he happily greeted me at the door!!! He's still not using
that foot like he should. He holds it up when he walks and it seems to dangle. I keep hoping
that he starts to use it again.
UPDATE : 12/13/2007 @ 12:30AM - A new Fundable Account has been set up to raise money to
cover some unexpected vet bills for some of the other dogs at Ditty Dats & Dogs Rescue. If you
would still like to pledge money to cover the remaining balance on Bubba Chucks vet bill for his
surgery, you can pledge on this new Fundbale:
https://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2007-12-13.3390805943/groupaction_view
UPDATE : 12/12/2007 @ 1:40PM - The Fundable Account has been closed out so the money can
be given to Dr. Bradley to help pay off Bubba's surgery bill. The account brought in a grand total
of $2,000. Thanks again to everyone who pledged money so Bubba could have his surgery!
UPDATE : 12/12/2007 @ 8:00AM - Bubba had a good night. Today he is still reluctant to stand up
too much. Very understandable. Bubba was neutered yesterday since he was already under
anesthesia, vaccinated for rabies and he also tested Negative for Heartworm! Yay! It looks like
Bubba will still be able to come home tomorrow.
UPDATE : 12/11/2007 @ 1:30PM - Bubba is out of surgery. He did very well. The doctor advised
that he did everything as planned. Bubba is back in recovery and is still very groggy. They do
have a urinary catheter in him right now, but that will be taken out once he's not so groggy.
Bubba will stay at the hospital until Thursday then I can go take him home. But, as far as we
can tell - Bubba came through with flying colors and should be back on his feet in no time! I'm
sure that tomorrow he'll be wagging that cute little tail of his too!
UPDATE : 12/10/2007 @ 7:05PM -We have raised$1,925!!! I just got back from dropping Bubba
off at the vets office. Dr. Bradley has decided to do the surgery in the morning instead now as
Bubba is very stable and will be okay for the night. Dr. Bradley also assessed Bubba's
neurological status in the left leg, and everything looked okay - he has feeling and can still
ambulate the leg. This is awesome, as a worry all along is that if he had nerve damage in that
leg, then it would have to be amputated. But, things are looking good for our Bubba Chuck! The
surgery will cost $2,700. Bubba needs to have 2 procedures done, but thankfully they can be
done at the same time. The doctor will have to put in a plate to stabilize his pelvis. He will also
be doing an "FHO" (Femoral Head Ostectomy). This is where they remove the head of the
femur to allow a false joint to form by the muscles. The two procedures is why the surgery is
so expensive, even with a rescue discount. I will send out an update tomorrow once Bubba is
out of surgery to let you all know how he is doing! Also - some wonderful news - Bubba already
has a potential new Mommy & Daddy!!! A woman that works at one of the vet offices that I
called today is very interested in adopting Bubba to make him part of her family. Let's keep our
fingers crossed that not only will this boy have his pelvis fixed, but have a new home too!!!
UPDATE : 12/10/2007 @ 11:20AM -We have raised $1,520 so far between the Fundable Account
and PayPal!!! This morning I have been on the phone constantly with different clinics to find the
best place to take Bubba for his surgery. Most of the doctors are in surgery right now, so I'm
waiting for all of them to call me back. The future looks bright for Bubba as we only have
approximately $980 more to raise to meet the goal of $2,500. Bubba is doing as well as can be
expected. He seems quite bored and you can tell that he REALLY wants to get out of bed
(typical man!!!). My cats keep going over to say HI!, but I have a feeling that if Bubba had two
good legs that he'd be chasing those cats! LOL. He whines when they come over, with his ears
perked up and his eyes bright. He is a hound so I'm sure that he's thinking he should not be
friends with the little furies. He seems to like sleeping during the day and keeping me up all
night long. He wants me with him when he's awake - basically because I spoil him and rub his
ears and head constantly and he's just loving up the affection! If I leave him while he's awake
he whines until I come back. He's a very sweet boy. I will update later today once I figure out
the vet that will be doing surgery. Thanks again everyone who has donated for his surgery!!!
UPDATE : 12/09/2007 @ 7:10PM -We have raised $1,000.00 for Bubba Chuck's surgery! The
outpouring of love, support and donations has just been overwhelming. I want to thank
everyone from the bottom of my heart. There have been so many emails from people sending
their best wishes for a speedy recovery. And the donations have just flowed in all day long! I
have received my Christmas Miracle! We now have half of the money for Bubba's surgery. I
just know that tomorrow morning when I call the vets offices that I will be able to convince them
to operate and let me have more time to raise the rest of the money for his bill. Again, thank
you all for your support!
UPDATE : 12/09/2007 @ 8:30AM -We had a rough night last night. Bubba cries and moans when
I leave his side. So basically I've been with him most of the night stroking his velvet soft ears.
Needless to say, we're both exhausted. The meds have taken most of the edge off his pain, but
he's still extremely uncomfortbale and yelps when he tries to move. He has urinated on himself
3 times now. I'm hoping that it's just because he can't stand up to go potty, and not because
he's going to be incontinent now. The e-vet said that his bladder was intact last night and didn't
look injured and I haven't seen any blood in the urine either. Keeping my fingers crossed on that
one. He's still licking my hand and thumping that cute cropped tail of his when I come back from
leaving him for a short while. He seems so happy to see me! If I'm able to save this boys life, I
have the feeling that he's going to be spoiled rotten, as he already has me wrapped around his
little paw!
UPDATE : 12/08/2007 @ 11:30PM - I just got back from the e-vet. They were packed tonight. The
lobby was full. I left 5 hours ago, and just now getting home! I now have the full story of what
happened today with this sweet boy. After my driver saw a dog pop his head up from the side of
the road, they took the next exit and went back to see if the dog was hurt. They did find the dog,
he was laying in the cold mud, his whole body trembling from the cold. They covered him with
the blanket and called 911. A fireman and a police officer showed up. Both gentlemen (and I use
that term loosely!) had just gotten off duty. They told my driver that "this here is just a stupid ole
hound dog, the nearest vet is 60 miles away, I'm off duty so I ain't taking the dog in." He then
proceeded to go get his gun to shoot the dog, "because whoever owned him would just shoot
him anyway and go get another hunting dog." My driver and his wife were appalled, so they
quickly scooped the injured dog up and called me. Once my driver got to my house, they told
me that they had already named the dog, because of course he needs a name! He is now
affectionately called "Bubba Chuck"! Don't ask me why - they thought a country hunting dog
needed a hillbilly name!!! And, he was dubbed Bubba Chuck after the two officers who stopped
to "help"! They were kind of "Larry the Cableguy-ish"!!! LOL. Bubba is definitely a Plott Hound.
Bubba is a young guy - only 6 to 8 months old. He also has a very cute docked tail - not the really
short kind, but about half way cropped off. I've never seen a Plott with a docked tail before! He
did have a dark green collar on, but no ID tags. We all trooped down to the vet with Bubba. The
doctor sedated him so they could take x-rays. It's apparent that Bubba was hit in the hind end
as his front end came out unscathed. His pelvis is broken in 3 places on the left side. This injury
will not heal on it's own, and will require surgery. The e-vet gave me the ballpark figure for the
cost of surgery which is between $2,000 to $3,000 to repair his pelvis. As he is such a young
boy, she expects that he will bounce back quickly from the surgery and make a full recovery.
The vet bill from tonight was $465. Shen sent Bubba home with me with a Fentanyl Patch,
Metacam and Tramadol for the pain. She also gave him a Buprenex injection and valium before
he left. Bubba slept on the way home and for about 1/2 hour once he got here. But, it breaks my
heart as he is now moaning in pain. I gave him some canned dog food as well as some dry
kibble - he ate it all with a voracious appetite, which is a good sign. At this time, I do not have
the funds to pay for Bubba's surgery. The meds that I have to manage his pain is for 4 days. So,
that gives me 4 days to raise the funds to pay for the surgery. On Monday I will be calling all of
the orthepedic surgeons that the vet gave me to see which one can do the surgery for the
cheapest. I will be begging for a rescue discount too! I am drafting up a plea now to send out to
the message boards that I belong to in the hopes that I can raise the money to save Bubba's
life. He is such a sweet hound, and he is too young for his life to end now. I am hoping for a
Christmas Miracle! If you can find it in your heart to donate to help save this sweet boy, please
email me. Once I have confirmed on Monday which vet will give me the best rate, I can email
you back with the vets information so that you can make donations directly to the vets office so
you can feel comfortable that your money is going to save Bubba's life. Or if you like, you can
PayPal the money directly to me. Go to www.PayPal.com click on "Send Money" then have the
funds sent to Barbara.Tilton@dittydatsanddogsrescue.com.
12/08/2007 @ 1:30PM - I have a transport enroute right now for two dogs coming from the Clark
County Animal Shelter in Winchester, KY coming to me in Martinsburg, WV. One of my drivers
has found a black & tan coonhound on the side of the road that has been hit by a car. He pulled
over, called the police like any good samaritan would do. The officer told him that they don't
have Animal Control in their county, so the dog would be put to sleep that day. Steve scooped
him up and now the injured pooch is enroute to me! The dog has an obvious injury to it's back
leg - most likely broken. I will be taking him to the emergency vet upon his arrival here in a few
hours. As this unexpected "Christmas Gift" is now coming to me, I am going to need to raise
some quick funds to help with his vet bills. If you can donate, please do! Donations can be sent
to me via PayPal (see Ways To Help for directions on PayPal donations).
The following amazing people have donated to help pay for Bubba Chuck's surgery. Thank you all so very much! Bubba sends all of his love to each and every one of you!
|
Surgery Costs = $2,750 Donations Received = $2750 GOAL REACHED!!!! |
Bubba Chuck is being treated here: Veterinary Surgical Referral Practice of Northern Virginia Dr. Richard Bradley 8614 Centreville Road Manassas, VA 20110 Phone# : 703-361-0710 |
| BUBBA CHUCK ON THE MEND!!! |
| BUBBA IS HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL!!! |
| LATEST VIDEO -- BREAKFAST TIME FOR BUBBA CHUCK!!! |
| TYPICALLY, BUBBA CHUCK WILL RUN IN CIRCLES WHEN I GET HIS BREAKFAST. THEN HE'LL SIT LIKE A GOOD BOY FOR ME TO PUT THE BOWL DOWN. BUT, THIS MORNING BECAUSE I HAD THE CAMERA RUNNING HE WOULDN'T RUN IN CIRCLES! LOL. THE VIDEO IS STILL CUTE THOUGH!!! AND AT LEAST YOU CAN SEE THAT HE IS ACUTALLY USING THAT FOOT REALLY GOOD NOW! |
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