On February 10, HRI was notified of that the Oxford (Chester Co) PA home of Michael Wolff was raided and 335 dogs were confiscated, many in poor condition. Over half of the dogs confiscated by SPCA were Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, with the remaining half consisting of English Bulldogs, Papillons, and Havanese. As the owner is refusing to surrender the dogs to the county, the SPCA is retaining control pending Court proceedings. HRI has submitted the Breed Placement Rescue form and submitted our forms and 501(c)(3) as required. We were advised that once they have an order in place, we will be contacted. These cases can take months. Sometimes the judge will return some, all, or none of the dogs to the owners. We won't know what we have until the Court hearing. As we want to be prepared, anyone who may be interested in doing foster care, is requested to complete a Foster Care and Volunteer Application so approval is completed when we are called in to assist.

Jack (pictured), Jill, and Swiffer are three purebred Havanese who were surrendered to HRI following a diagnosis of liver shunts. Their systems are unable to process meat protein, and the toxins build up in their systems. This can cause neurological symptoms such as circling, head butting, etc. Without the Hills L/D diet, specifically formulated for liver disease, the dogs generally become ill following each meal. It's only natural than, than many become anorexic, rather than go through that. Yet, once on the Hills L/D diet, and lactulose and metronidazole to help rid them of toxins, their appetite increases as they no longer become ill after each meal. Life, indeed, had become a daily struggle for them.

Jill has shown considerable improvement on her Hills L/D diet. She does have a cyst on her kidney, which they are watching. Her Protein C test was 69%, which is slightly below the 74% and above considered normal. She is being maintained by diet.

Early Monday, March 6, both Jack and Swiffer will undergo their ligation procedures, under Dr. Harvey's surgical team at Cornell University. While Nancy would love to be there to hold their paws, she's been assured that these boys have quite a fan club at Cornell, in part because they are rescue dogs, but especially because they are extra special Havanese. Keep them in your hearts and prayers, as they continue their journey to a healthier future. Watch for Part 4 of the Chronicles of Jack, Jill, and Swiffer next month.