Bandit Pupdate #3

 Howdy folks! 

A lot happened today for our little fella! He had another big appointment at Texas A&M Small Animal Hospital today. This was another day similar to the last, minus having to do the radiographs again. 

We traveled to College Station the night before his appointment becasue he is an awful car rider & I did not want him to enter his appointment any more stressed out than he needed to be. So, we hit the road after school & headed to Aggieland! 

Bandit in the backseat, ready to go! 

Upon arriving in Aggieland, we stopped for dinner at good ole Chick-Fil-A. The sweet girl in the drive thru asked to see the puppy who was trying to poke his snout out my window. I rolled down his window & this ladies' man did his thing. He had all the drive thru girls oohhhing and aaahhhing over him and how handsome & sweet he was. I shared about who he was & why were were in Aggieland. They asked what he was allowed to have & my reply was that he does not really get human food, but dogs enjoy plain chicken. I thought nothing more of it! Well, we got to Uncle John's house, unpacked dinner...y'all, they packed up 1 grilled nugget for the boy.  

Bon Appetitie, Bandit! 

Bandit wastes no time making himself at home...anywhere. 

Bandit is 100% a creature of comfort & he deserves it! 

After a good night's sleep...Bandit the bed hog took up more than his share of the bed, it was time to head to his appointment! 

He's here!!

On our way in, we met a very sweet lady who was dropping off a Sheltie from the Stevenson Center. She could not believe how beautiful he was & that he was a rescue. Of course, we shared our story, and she comsierated with us about bathing collies. She said that Miss Rev XIIII is a thick coated girl too & takes all day to be groomed. 

The front desk was ready for us & this kid stopped to say hello to everyone! Again...ladies' man. 

We didn't wait long & went back to our room. We met our sweet 4th yr vet student who will be on his case, Kathleen. I gave her an update on his health & his condition. Then I think I answered about a million more questions. After this, they did his intial exam. 

Kathleen, Bandit's 4th yr Vet Student, who will be taking care of him & giving us our updates. 

We got fantastic news to start our day! Dermatology saw his super early in the morning & gave him in the all clear---wahoo! The medicated baths were all worth it! He also got another ortho exam....we are at a teaching hospital. They did not see a huge difference in his exm from his visit in October. They were pleased that he appeared to be status quo. Since he 'passed' his morning exams, we gave them the go ahead to begin his pre-op bloodwork & urineanyalsis. 

At about 3:30, I got a call from Dr. McAlexander. He was very pleased to see Bandit again & commented on his calm and sweet personality. He told me that everything was status quo with his exams. His bloodwork looked good and there were no red flags. His urine was good and did not show any signs of blood cells (white or red) nor any bacteria. 

This all means one thing! Sweet boy was APPROVED to have his surgery! Bandit is officially under the Orthopedics care at Texas A&M. I went back to see my sweet boy & give him lots of kisses & his ear scratches before I headed back home. 

Bandit will go in around 7-8am, and it can be a quite lengthy procedure. Please keep Bandit, and those opertaing on him & taking care of him in your prayers. 

We will do our best to keep his loyal following as updated as we are; please be patient.

Bandit's best little buddy at home, Evelyn, is very concerned that he is not home. We have told her that he is getting his leg all better so he can play with her. She takes the best care of her puppies! 

Bandit with his future little vet! 

We made a large down payment towards his care today. There is still time to donate if you would like. 

Ways to donate:

Venmo: @houstoncollierescue

PayPal: houcollierescue@yahoo.com

Bandit's Amazon Wish List https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19N5ZHBT9BDAV?ref_=wl_share

Bandit Update #2

Howdy & top of the evening to you!

Mr. Bandit is doing quite well! While he does not love getting 2 baths a week, he tolderates them quite well. It was reccomended by A&M that we give him a summer cut so that we can closely monitor his skin. Bandit is the cutest collie lion that you ever did see! I am also appreciating the shorter time it takes to get dry after our baths! 

Bandit is growing to love his little human that runs around the house! He even lets her share his bed now. His is actually the only name that she can pronounce well. She loves him dearly. 

Bandit is all about being comfortable. He is the King of the Dog Bed. 

He loves his summer cut, but the chilly weather caught us off guard! We ordered him a sweater for this cold weather! Pictures to come soon! 

Bandit was also diagnosed with a UTI as well while at A&M. I had noticed he was peeing in the house at night, gotten him tested at our vet, but nothing showed up. Well, it certainly showed up 5 days later at A&M.  After a round of oral antibioics, he is much better! No more accidents! I did not know infections could do that...I am learning so much with this boy. The teacher in me loves it! Not sure how much the vets appreciate all my questions though. :-) 

We are in November! Bandit goes back to A&M on the 29th! We are hopeful that he will pass with flying colors and be approved for surgery! If approved, he will have surgery the following day or 2 after his appointment. 

We have brought back Bandit's Collie Love TShirt Fundraiser! It did so well last time & we know that some people did not have the chance to order! Orders will close at midnight on November 15th!  The quality of the shirts is fantastic! 

https://www.bonfire.com/collie-love/

The Bandit Bulletin

 Welcome to the Bandit Bulletin! 

My name is Shannyn, and I am Bandit's Foster Mom! I will provide updates here as we travel with Bandit on his journey to being a fully healed pup from Hip Displaysia! 

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Howdy & Gig'em! 

Bandit had a big day yesterday at the Texas A&M Small Animal Hospital in College Station. He was seen by Dr. McAlexander and 4th yr. Vet Student, Natalie. We were so impressed by our whole experience all day long! 

When we arrived, we were checked in quickly...they had our paperwork ready seeing the collie walk through the doors. After a quick wait and some sniffs around the waiting room, we were called back.

Bandit after we sniffed around the waiting area. He was so well behaved & wanted to say hi to all the other pups! 

Bandit was a big boy and hopped up on the scale. He weighs in at 55lbs. Then we sniffed all the way back to our room. Here, we met with Patti, the Ortho Assistant. She gave us a run-down of what our day would look like and what we should expect. 

Patti took Bandit back for his intial wellness exam, very similar to what your vet would do on your pet's yearly visit. While that was being done, our vet student came and got what we know of sweet Bandit's history. I wish he could talk so that we knew more.

Then, he had an ortho exam done. They watched how he walked, sat, got up, laid down, ran, reviewed Radiographs sent in, etc.. 

After this, I was called back and met with the Ortho Specialist, Dr. McAlexander. He was super thorough in all of his explanations, and patiently answered all of my questions that I had for him; which was a lot. He first confirmed Bandit's initial diagnosis from Dr. McIntyre of severe Hip Dispaysia, and a Partial Sub Luxation of his right hip. He also confirmed that his left hip is deterioriating as well. 

I must say that being at a teaching hospital is great for this teacher! I learned SO much yesterday. As the Dr. presents, the vet student is present taking notes as well. 

After giving us his diagnosis, he gave us 2 options for treatment. We have opted for the Total Hip Replacement. As we want Bandit to have a full life with little side effects. Yes, we know that everything has potential side effects, but this is the lesser option for him to be able to play & play to his collie hearts content. He falls into the Tier 1 Category, and this estimated cost is about $8,500. This includes his tests before, surgery & post-op care in the hosptial. 

Bandit was then ready to begin the Pre-Screening they do before he could be 'ok'd' to have surgery. Their animals have to pass a Dermatology screening. This cuts down on possible post surgical infections for the pups. They put him under to get 4 different views of Radiographs to use for surgery. Then he would have to pass with no bacteria in urine & good bloodwork. 

Yesterday, Bandit was able to get his Radiographs done. After that, he recieved lots of snuggles as he woke up from Natalie. The bad news of the day was Dermatology. They found 2 little spots on his tummy. So, we have 4 weeks of 2/week medicated baths to clear any infections that might be brewing in all his fur that they may not have been able to see besides on his tummy. This is totally ok though! This gives us a little more time to raise some money, and get Bandit some items for his wish list. 

Bandit hanging out in the back with Natalie. 

We go back to Texas A&M on Wednesday, November 29. If Bandit passes on this day, he will have surgery the following day. Say some prayers that his skin clears up & stays clear! 

Bandit with his new best friend Natalie. Needless to say, this handsome fella drew lots of attention and we got to share all about Houston Collie Resue & our mission. He was a great little ambassador! When Natalie went to get him at the end of the day, she found him with a vet tech. She was brushing his coat just becasue. Sweet boy was most certainly spoiled yesterday. 

Sweet Bandit came home, ate dinner, and promptly tucked himself into bed!