Natural Disaster Strikes Pug Hollow

Pug Hollow Sanctuary was one of the locations hit by the May 24th tornadoes in Oklahoma. All structures on the property, including the house, barn, and kennels are considered to be a total loss.
Despite taking a direct hit from an F4 tornado most of the sanctuary residents came through ok! 22 dogs and 6 cats were in residence at the time. Of those 28 animals we lost one dog and one cat. We had one critical injury: Stranger, a chihuahua who came to us from Tulsa Animal Welfare, suffered massive head trauma and the loss of an eye. He spent almost a week at the vet, but has recovered well.
Also among the injured are Trey, a pug, who took a blow to the jaw and broke a tooth and Edgar and Thomas, both pugs, who lost their hearing in the event.
All but 8 of the dogs, and all of the cats have been sent to a temporary foster residence on a farm in Texas.

Please help us rebuild! We lost not only the home that sheltered all of our small dogs and cats, but the kennels and large yard that sheltered our large dogs, the barn that sheltered our horses, and all of our fencing for everyone.  We also lost the bulk ingredients for our home cooked food, dog bowls (due to health conditions and the large amount of medications we give, everyone has their own colored or patterned bowl that was individual to them), pet beds, dog toys, crates, water dishes, towels, harnesses, collars, halters, horse blankets, and dog houses.

We plan on rebuilding the home as a 100% earth sheltered dwelling, and building a bigger, better set of kennels (with A.C., running water and a safe "cage" room!), barns and fences. Insurance will cover temporary shelter for those of us who remain on the property, and the rebuilding of the home, but it will only partially cover the outbuildings, fencing, kennels and animal accessories.  It also doesn't cover vet bills on Stranger or the tooth removal that Trey will need.

We can use all the help we can get! The more money we can raise the faster we can bring the other dogs and cats home!

Tax deductible donations can be made to Pug Hollow Sanctuary at either:
P.O. Box 144
Dibble, OK 73031

or to our Paypal account at:

If you would like to donate goods or services please contact Kara at Pug Hollow.

Diva update part 2

Miss Diva had her surgery on Tuesday. The vet said that was one of the scariest surgeries she's done in a long time. The bones had not fused together in any signifigant manner and everything in the leg was all twisted around the two broken pieces. The vet said she doesn't know how Diva managed to not sever her femoral artery at some point. 

The Divalicious came home on Wednesday. She has a pillow of defeat (as opposed to a cone of shame) to wear when we can't monitor her. When we can we use bitter yuck gel, but she's pretty good about rubbing it off on the dog bed so we don't trust her with just that when we're not around.

She seems to be feeling pretty good all things considered. She's already back to her usual self. She even seems to like not having the leg flopping around so far. I'm sure she'll like it even more once the stump is fully healed.

Update on Miss Diva

Miss Diva came through surgery today with flying colors. She's recovering at the vet this evening, completely loopy on painkillers and off in happy land for the night.

I will know more about the outcome of the surgery when I am able to speak at length with the vet tomorrow morning.

Thank you to everyone who has donated. It has made a difference.

Diva needs a Christmas Angel

Do you feel like being a Christmas Angel to one tiny little sweetheart?

Let me introduce Miss Diva, the Supreme Queen of the Hollow. She's got more personality and moxie in her 6 pounds than a dog ten times her size. She tells the pugs and mutts how to step and commandeers pillows with a will.

Diva is a 7ish year old female Chihuahua who came to Pug Hollow this spring from a kill shelter. She came to us because she was "unadoptable" with a badly broken and poorly healed hind leg. We were told upon taking her in that the leg had been x-rayed, and that it was fully healed, though nonfunctional. We were told that it presented no danger or problems for the dog.

Unfortunately for Miss Diva, they lied.  **The following description may not be for the faint of heart or easily upset. If you're one of those and want to just help out, skip to the bottom.**

On Sunday, 11-28-10, we noticed Diva wasn't feeling well. As we cuddled and inspected her we found a lump on Diva's abdomen. It was in the correct position to be a mammary tumor. We had an appointment at our vet with one of our heart patient pugs and so we called on Monday morning and appended her to his trip. Because of the scar tissue and deformity of her lower abdomen due to the broken leg, we didn't notice the lowest mammary gland was also swollen.

In the 24 hours between discovery and vet visit, the lowest mammary gland suppurated, and began expelling pus.

The vet and I both palpated the area, and immediately made an appointment for x-rays the very next morning (we were the last appointment of the day and were already there after hours by this time).

When I walked into the clinic to pick up Miss Diva today the vet was waiting with the x-ray film. She put it on the light screen and I only had one thing to say. "We have to take the leg."

The leg that we were told had healed safely, if not functionally, is a shattered mess of jagged knife edges and icepick points.  The primary break in the femur is a full break through the thickness of the bone. The bone ends resemble two knapped flint blades. The bone is no longer aligned but overlaps by a full half inch, grinding and shifting with each hop she takes. The entire leg below the break is held on only by the flesh surrounding it. *Edited because the vet called me today to say that she was reviewing the x ray and found that Diva's hip on that side is also severely dislocated.* That Diva has been such a happy, loving, demanding lady is a testament to the sheer amazing spirit of this beautiful girl.

However as bad as the break sounds, it's far more dangerous than the above description alone. The ragged edge and vicious point of the lower portion of bone is sawing into the lowest mammary gland, creating the infection that is already spreading to her other mammary glands and could cause septicemia if we don't remove the problem.  The equally ragged end of the upper portion of the femur lies dangerously close to the path of the femoral artery.  A wrong shift of the bone could sever her artery and kill her.

The leg is literally a dangling death trap for this tiny little dynamo, and it absolutely has to come off. We have scheduled Diva's surgery for Tuesday, December 7th, as the earliest safe possibility. This gives us a week to throw antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs into the fray to reduce the infection as much as possible before we operate.

Because we are not yet a 501C sanctuary I avoid asking for contributions if at all possible. However we can use all the help we can get this time. Diva's surgery will cost around $500, and we are scrambling to cover that cost on such short notice. Any contribution you can make will make a huge difference.

Contributions can be made to:
Diva's Surgery (Kara Stanley "owner")
C/O
Newcastle Animal Hospital
113 South Main Street
Newcastle, OK 73065-5402
(405) 387-5684

Recipe of the Week: Diabetic Dog Treats

• 1/2 cup almond or coconut flour (whole wheat flour can be substituted if absolutely necessary)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 pounds beef liver, cut into pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
2. Place the liver into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. If you have room, add the flour and eggs, and process until smooth. Otherwise, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the flour and eggs using a wooden spoon. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm. Cool, and cut into squares. The treats will have a consistency similar to a sponge. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

From Russia, With Love

 Zdravstvujtye comrades! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ivan Yuri Nicholai Mikhail Pugovich. My friends call me Vashka.

I came to the People's Republic of Pug Hollow in 2009. I had been caught wandering without papers, and sent to the local Gulag. I was on my last day when an Angel swooped down and freed me from my wrongful imprisonment.

Though I, unlike many of my Brothers and Sisters here in Pug Hollow, have no current major health conditions, I have the sensitive soul of a Great Russian Poet, and traumatize easily. Even now, after living in this paradise for over a year, I still hide under the bed when I hear "Edgar! Get out of that!" yelled across the living room. (Edgar has lived his whole life in paradise and has no respect for the state. He doesn't realize that there are places where a shout would be followed up by more than a gentle tap on the haunch. But I do!)

Because I am so thankful to be here now, I always make sure that my people receive the full benefit of my devoted attention every night. My dedication knows no bounds! If I cannot be nose to nose with my people, I will selflessly collapse in any position so that they may have the pleasure of rubbing my luxuriously furred chest!  It is such a sacrifice that I make!

I look forward to many more years at Pug Hollow, where I can act as goofy as I want, and still be loved!

Recipe of the Week: Honey Peanut Butter Training Treats

Recipe created by: K. Stanley

Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat flour **
2 cups peanut butter melted (chunky or smooth)
1 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1 cup honey
1 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Resulting mixture should be firm and slightly sticky.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil (I like to use spray olive oil). Roll dough into a ball and place in the middle of the sheet. Using your hands flatten the dough to an even thickness across the baking sheet. (This doesn't always work the way it's supposed to... just do the best you can.)


Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges of the dough begin to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.


Using a large knife or a cleaver cut the dough into squares of appropriate size. I like 1/4 inch squares.
Store in an airtight container.

If you only have one dog, you can portion out about 1/4 of the resulting cookies and freeze the rest in a vacuum freezer bag.

** (whole grain rice flour can be substituted for wheat if your dog is sensitive, but you'll need to add 5 minutes to the cooking time.)