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Posted on August 22, 2024 by admin

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© [y] Piglet International Inc., Melissa Shapiro, DVM<br>The Disabled Pets Project and website, disabledpets.org, is supported by Piglet International Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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Today's Disabled Pets Project Feature is Latke Lov

Today's Disabled Pets Project Feature is Latke Love🩷
a 4 year old blind French Bulldog with Hydrocephalus.

Rescue Organization: Present Moment Rescue & Sanctuary, @presentmomentrescue

From Latke's mom:
Latke was born with hydrocephalus and fully blind with congenitally malformed eyes which are more like cysts or globes of tissue than functioning eyeballs. He also has seizures. Latke was pulled from an LA shelter at 8 weeks old into another rescue that relies on boarding versus in home fostering which is not ideal for a hydro puppy to thrive. We were sent his info from a fellow special needs foster family and brought him in to Present Moment Rescue as a permanent sanctuary resident when he was 3 months old.

How do you take care of him?
Latke takes daily medications and supplements to manage his hydrocephalus, seizures, mobility and promote cognitive function. Because he is blind we do a lot of scent and texture related enrichment activities for him by way of toys, foods, treats and environments. We do annual neurology exams and twice a year bloodwork to ensure his body and vital organs are handling his medications safely.

What's a funny or cute thing he does?
When Latke snorts or barks he does it with his whole body. He hops up and down like a bunny when he is vocalizing to communicate and play with his pack mates. He also has a very deep voice that sounds like Batman talking. He also loves being cuddled in a heart to heart connection position and sunbathing outside.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Latke may have a slightly different life than a neuro typical dog but it is filled with love, amazing experiences, opportunities and joy for both him and everyone in our home. Caring for a uniquely abled pup is no more difficult than caring for any pet. It sometimes requires a little extra creativity in navigating life, which as an artist I welcome with an open and excited heart and mind.

Taking the dis out of disability and normalizing disabled pets.

Visit our new website disabledpets.org, submit your disabled pet to be featured, and follow @disabledpetsproject

Join our Facebook group, The Disabled Pets Community.

Today's Disabled Pet's Project Featured Pet is Rub

Today's Disabled Pet's Project Featured Pet is Ruby!

Meet Ruby, a 9ish year old Chihuahua with Erosive PolyArthritis. Ruby was rescued from Dogs Without Borders.

From Ruby's dad:
We fostered her after someone dropped her at a high kill shelter at around age 4. She has a progressive autoimmune disease that slowly degrades her bones and joints, likely from breeders trying to breed smaller and smaller dogs (she is only 3.5 lbs, normal chihuahua weight is 8-12). My wife and I quickly foster failed!

How do you take care of him/her?
She cannot walk on hard surfaces, so we put blankets down all throughout the house wherever it isn’t carpeted! She gets 3 “walks” per day, but her mobility is severely impaired so really she mostly rides in our arms enjoying the smells with the occasional put down to potty. We were put in touch with a canine orthopedist who made a custom brace for her to use as a walking boot. She loves the boot, but hates us putting it on her! This is for her worst off leg, which has only a dangling paw and no connective tissue so she has no movement of the limb. All 4 of her legs are impaired in some way, and sadly it gets worse with age, so we are doing our best to manage it!

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
Everything! She thinks the heated blanket is hers, so if you try to move it she will run up and jump on it with all her weight as if to say “that’s mine!” She does this with anything cozy but especially the heated blanket

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Once you find a routine, it isn’t as hard as it seems. Ruby needs 5x oral injections of medicine given 2x daily, and every day we put the boot on in the morning and take it off at night. But this is our schedule now and it really doesn’t seem like that much work to us!

Visit our new website disabledpets.org to learn more about disabilities in pets. And submit your pet for feature here on @disabledpetsproject

Join our Facebook group Disabled Pets Community!

#adoptadisabledpet #disabledpetsproject #normalizingdisabilitiesinpets #takethedisoutofdisability

Meet Today's Disabled Pets Project's Featured Pet!

Meet Today's Disabled Pets Project's Featured Pet!

Name: Little Bit
Age: 3
Breed: potcake/italian greyhound
Disability: Hind limb paralysis and incontinence
Rescue? Yes
Rescue Organization: Pima Animal Care Center
Instagram Handle: @far_fetched_adventures. @thefarfetchedvet

From Little Bit's mom:
In the beginning of 2023, Little Bit was brought to the county shelter where I volunteered and she was unfortunately slated for euthanasia. I agreed to foster her but I’m happy to say that she’s now a permanent part of our family.

How do you take care of her?
My partner works from home so Little and the rest of our furry family constantly have a parent at home to heed to their every whim. Little needs her bladder expressed several times per day and in addition, she wears reusable, cloth diapers for those instances when she has “accidents”. Keeping her clean throughout the day is top priority so, she gets pampered quite a bit.

She gets lots of exercise time in her wheels throughout the day but when she gets tired, she lounges and takes naps on the sofa or her gigantic bean bag chair.

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
Little is VERY expressive. When she’s excited, she makes a cooing sound like a dove and does “tippity taps” with her feet until she gets what she wants.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Disabled pets require a lot of parenting with hands on effort, patience and an unwavering commitment to their special needs. It’s also one of the most incredible experiences you might ever have. Their resilience and joy in spite of challenges is a lesson we all could learn a lot from.

Normalizing disabilities in pets!
Adopt a disabled pet!

Submit your disabled pet for feature at disabledpets.org and visit the website for support and resources for vets, pet parents, and rescuers who care for disabled pets.

#disabledpetsproject #disabledpets

Meet Zoé, today's Disabled Pets Project Featured

Meet Zoé, today's Disabled Pets Project Featured Pet!
Age: 4
Breed: Poochon
Disability: Paralyzed
Rescue? Yes
Rescue Organization: Eleventh Hour & Angels for Animals Foundation
Facebook Handle: M1ckeysworld
Instagram Handle: @m1ckeysworld

From Zoe's mom:

Zoé was hit by a car in China, her owners didn’t want her so they left her in the street with some water (which she couldn’t get to). She was rescued by a kind lady who took her to a local shelter, she was covered in urine burn and had bedsores down to the bone. Zoé’s spine was broken and due to this she is double incontinent.
Eleventh Hour had been trying to find her a home without success. Angels for Animals offered to help, we offered to foster her as she had a much better chance of being adopted once in the UK. As soon as we picked her out of her flight crate she stole our hearts, she’s been with us ever since.

How do you take care of her?
We express Zoé’s bladder 4 times a day, and her bowels twice a day.
She has a wheelchair to get around outside, inside the house she can get around really well. She has a stroller for longer outings, but she much prefers her wheels.
We make sure she has a nutritionally balanced, healthy diet, we also supplement her with turmeric, bladder support capsules, pre/pro biotics and apple cider vinegar.
She is bathed frequently to prevent urine burn, and we check daily for pressure sores.

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
She does a little dance when her dad gets home, spinning in circles in her own little way.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Caring for a disabled pet isn’t as difficult as you might imagine. There is a huge community of other disabled pet owners out there who are always willing to support or give advice.
They have so much love to give and often get overlooked, with a little bit of adaption they live just like any other pet.

Normalizing disabilities in pets.

Submit your pet for feature at disabledpets.org. And check out our website to learn more about the resources available for vets, pet parents, and rescuers who are for disabled pets.

@m1ckeysworld

Meet Today's @disabledpetsproject Featured Pet! P

Meet Today's @disabledpetsproject Featured Pet!

Pet's Name: Stevie Edward
Age: 5 yrs
Breed: Shihtzu mix
Disability: Cerebellar Hypoplasia
Rescue? Yes
Rescue Organization: Homeward Bound Schnauzer Rescue
Facebook Handle: @eddiesranch
Instagram Handle: @eddieonwheels

From Stevie's awesome mom Lisa🩷

Stevie Edward was born with Cerebellar Hypoplasia. He was discarded in a crate and found on the side of the road. A wonderful person found him and brought him to a vet who later connected him with a local rescue. I was the lucky adopter and it’s an honor to care for Stevie Edward. He has no control of his muscles and uses wheels to get around.

How do you take care of him?
Stevie needs me for everything. He cannot stand or walk. He needs to be carried and cannot be left alone for long periods of time. It’s second nature to me to always have him in my arms.

What's a funny or cute thing he does?
Stevie hides behind all the pillows on the couch. He buries himself there every night.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
It’s all routine! Don’t be intimidated it is the most rewarding thing you can do and the bond with your “special” is amazing.
Follow@eddieonwheels for more of Stevie Edward and his pack.

The disabled Pets Project was created to Normalize disabilities in pets! Our new website disabledpets.org is a comprehensive resource for vets, pet parents, and rescuers who care for disabled pets. Check it out and share with others!

And- please submit your awesome disabled pet for feature on disabledpets.org!

Join our Facebook group- The Disabled Pets Community for sharing experiences and support.
#disabledpets #disabledpetsproject

Today's Disabled Pets Feature is Yuki! Yuki is a

Today's Disabled Pets Feature is Yuki!

Yuki is a 2 year old Indian Spitz who has malformed bones due to severe confinement and malnutrition. She was rescued by @pawsitivesanctuary
Be sure to follow @Amira.amiracle to see more of Yuki and her family of special pups.

From Yuki's mom:
Yuki was found in a trash pile in India, very near to death. She had been starved and kept in a cage too small to move or grow for the whole first year of her life. She couldn’t walk or lift her head. Pawsitivesanctuary nursed her back and even taught her to walk again.

How do you take care of her?
We have Yuki on many supplements for her joints and for pain. We have a stroller for when she gets tired, and we lift her slightly in her harness when she goes for walks, so that there isn’t as much weight on her bones. We also have installed ramps outside and always carry her down from the second floor. She taught herself how to climb up them, though!

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
She’s obsessed with squirrels. She chatters at them and chases them all over our backyard. The squirrels are her PT (physical therapy)

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
It does require more time, work, and patience, but what you give to these special dogs, they give back a thousand times over!!! They teach us so much about resilience and living in the present instead of always thinking about the past.

Submit your pet for feature and help us normalize disabilities in pets!🩷

Meet EchoLalia, Today's Disabled Pets Feature! Evh

Meet EchoLalia, Today's Disabled Pets Feature!
Evho is a blind 4 yr old Australian Shepherd, Labrador Retreiver, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle mix adopted from Every Pet Needs a Home. Follow her on @echolaylea

From her mom:
Echo was a 12 week old blind double merle puppy when she came into my life. She and two of her littermates had visual or hearing disabilities as a result of an accidental breeding of two merle dogs. I had been looking at adopting a special needs puppy. I saw her bio online, and her picture melted my heart. I said a little prayer when I submitted the application that she finds a good home. I was overjoyed when it would be my home. Echo was initially believed to be both blind and deaf. It didn't take long to figure out she could hear. As she settled in, and felt secure, Echo's bigger than life personality started to emerge. She is so in tune with with what is happening around her.

How do you take care of him/her?
I started giving consistent specific labels for items, commands, actions, names of people/animals-pretty much everything. She knows at least 100 words and the list keeps growing. Echo is very interactive, expressive and animated with her body language and various vocalizations. She makes her wants well known. I will tell her what is happening i.e., putting her collar on. I use a combination of verbal and touch/tap cues if a physical assist is needed. Echo does want my help getting off my bed, and out of vehicles. There are 2 other dogs in my household. Echo is an integral member of the pack. They cut her no slack most of the time, but it's clear they do watch out for her.

Taking the dis out of disability.
Submit your pet to be featured on our website disabledpets.org.

Continued in the comments.

#disabilitiesawareness #normalizingdisability #disabledpetsproject

Today's Disabled Pets Project's Featured Pet! Mee

Today's Disabled Pets Project's Featured Pet!

Meet Moet, an 11 year old Blind Persian Kitty.

She was rescued from Al Qurum Vets

From Moët's mom Emily:
Moet was rescued from an unregulated pet store where she had caught cat flu cup, got sick, and lost her eyesight, a place where she was being left to die in a cage. A dirty cage with no toys, a wire floor, very spa food and water and absolutely no love and care. She was thankfully taken out of that situation by an animal rescuer who took her to a local vets. The vets nursed her back to health and removed her ruptured eyes to save her life. She was adopted by me in 2014 and has become my soul animal ever since.

How do you take care of her?
She is so easy to care for, just like a regular cat! That’s often the thing about blind cats and people always have questions about how they find their food and litter box. But it’s just like any other Cat does. Sure, I have had to make the home safe for her so there is nowhere she can fall or injure herself. But having done that she is a happy fulfilled cat.

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
Moet loves to sleep in the fruit bowl on my coffee table! It has become one of her characteristics that people seem to love.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Just that disabled pets can be so easy to care for but much more than that rewarding in a way that cannot be put into words. I now have two blind cats and while I love them both, I guess Moet is my absolute world. She is my soul animal. She brings me joy. She was the one that got me through cancer treatment… We were separated during that time and the thought of being reunited kept me going. You will be rewarded 1000 times over with the Love you will get from a disabled pet and believe me, it’s not as hard as you think it is.🩷

Follow Moet on Instagram and Facebook @moetblindcat

#blindcat #disabledpetsproject #disabledpets

Today's Disabled Pets Project Feature🐶 Meet P

Today's Disabled Pets Project Feature🐶

Meet Peaches aka.Magoo!

Magoo is a 5 year old double dapple blind dachshund.

From her mom:
Magoo is a double dapple and was born blind. I adopted her from a very nice lady, whose other puppy used to terrorize her. I adopted her in 2021 when she was about a year and a half.

How do you take care of her?
When she gets excited and might run into the wall or any other thing that might be an obstacle I give her a little no and she corrects herself. Other than that she is just like the other dogs.

What's a funny or cute thing he/she does?
Magoo loves to be rubbed, whether it's belly rubs or ear scritches she will hit you with her nose until she gets what she wants.

She is also typical doxie, she can't get enough of digging in and under the blankets. If ever I can't find her, I just look for the lump in the bed. She also loves her furry siblings, but if she has had enough she lets them know it.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
Sometimes it can be rough, but it is always rewarding. Especially when she cuddles up to me and just lets me love on her.
Magoo is blind, but she doesn't let that stop her from doing anything.🩷

Taking the dis out of disability!

#blinddog #doubledapple

Meet Today's Disabled PetsProject Featured Pet Lun

Meet Today's Disabled PetsProject Featured Pet Luna!

Luna is a 6ish Treeing Walker Coonhound Tripawd
rescued from Sierra's Haven for New and Used Pets
@speaktucker_luna

From Luna's mom:

Tell us a little bit about your disabled pet's story...
Luna was hit by a car and found in southern Ohio. She was taken in by the rescue who got her the vet care she needed and that included amputating one of her back legs.
I was looking for a friend for my dog Tucker, and I missed having a coonhound. Luna was little for a coonhound, and when I met her with Tucker she seemed like a good fit!

How do you take care of her?
Luna's biggest challenge is not her missing leg, it's reactivity and anxiety. We have done a lot of training and practice with Luna and she has overcome a lot with her anxiety.
Agility classes have improved her strength, as well as her confidence!
Patience, lots of walks, and daycare days keep Luna a happy pup!

What's a funny or cute thing she does?
Luna leverages her big hound ears to her cute advantage anytime she wants something. It usually works.

What do you want people to know about caring for a disabled pet?
A disabled pet will thrive with love and care. And you may find the disability (a missing leg) is not a major hindrance for them.
Have patience and get to know your pet. They'll show you what they can and want to do.

Taking the dis out of disability.

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