Small Paws Rescue

November 10, 2001
URGENT MEDICAL EMERGENCY
UPDATE
December 3, 2001
Hammie is now home with his new Mom, and is a normal Bichon Baby, thanks to your donations and prayers!

Baby Hamlet ("Hammie") was born August 8, 2001, in a Puppy Mill in Mo., with a hole in his heart. He needs the same life saving surgery we have done eight times before.
Small Paws® Rescue: Bungee Goes to Texas A&M Vet School
It is the same surgery that warranted National attention for Small Paws® Rescue from "Animal Planet". You may see this life saving surgery again on Animal Planet's "A Pet Story", on November 21, 2001 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

URGENT EMERGENCY 11/10/01
Hammie's Heart
Baby Hammie has a grade 5-6 heart murmur and will die without surgery. Even though we just paid for baby Cameo to have this surgery, last month, we now have Hammie's surgery to deal with. Can you help us to help Hammie? He sure didn't ask to be born this way. The surgery will cost about $1500.00 at Texas A&M University Vet School. It needs to b done right after Thanksgiving
Small Paws® Rescue: How to Donate Using a Credit Card
UPDATE 11/26/01

Hammie will have his surgery on Thursday, November 29, 2001
Subj: Hammie's Surgery
Date: 11/26/2001 9:54:57 PM Central Standard Time
From: rasdalec@aol.com (Hammie's New Mom, Cynthia_
To: Pup3@aol.com

Robin,
Hammie goes in for pre-op on Wed. His surgery is Thursday. We were at 4.5 pounds on Saturday and he is a FAT LITTLE BUTTERBALL! So he has passed his 4 pound requirement. He is supposed to be able to come home on Saturday, I will have to console Smidgie until Saturday and I really worry about Hammie, because they are so bonded. I hope they give him "good drugs" until I can put him back with Smidgie. They now sleep in "puppy heaps."

Hammie weighs 3.75 pounds. One fourth of a pound short of the required 4 pound weight, in order to have the coil technique surgery. We have 4 days to put this tiny bit of weight on him. (I figure since I can gain 3 pounds in one evening, I am the logical one to put this weight on Hammie...what can I say...it is a gift. )
He is coughing already and is in congestive heart failure. His heart is enlarged on the x-ray. He is already on lasix for the fluid build up. He has a darling personality and is playing with Itsy Bitsy Smidgen, one of our other rescue puppies, right now. Smidgen will go to her new Mama in a few days.

I need to be able to take Hammie to Texas A&M next Wednesday for surgery on Thursday. Our budget was just not ready for this. Can you help us to help Hammie? I will give daily pictures and updates on Hammie's progress, if we can raise the funds for this surgery.
Small Paws® Rescue: How to Donate Using a Credit Card

November 13, 2001 UPDATE
When I got to Texas A&M University, my computer died, and so I sent the update on Hammie, to the mailing list, through my husband Dale.:)

Subj: This is Robins Husband Dale
November 13, 2001

Hi you guys,

Well, I am writing to you from a computer at the local Kinko's in College Station, Texas.

My laptop passed away last night, at 9:03 P.M., and the Dell Technician will come to the house to fix it when I get back home. It is under a full warranty, thank God.:)

My husband Dale, is sending this out to you guys for me. He gets the husband and dog Dad of the year award...I don't know what I did to deserve someone so wonderful, with whom to spend my life.:)

Ok, here is the news about baby Hammie. We made it to Texas A&M Vet School. An echocardiogram shows that he does have a grade 5-6 heart murmur, but unlike the rest of the babies we have brought here, he does not have a PDA heart murmur.

His heart murmur is called Pulmonic Stenosis. They need to go into the jugular vein, and put a catheter in there and send a little tiny balloon into his vein, and pump it up, so that the blood can then flow properly.

They have to order the balloon part for the procedure, just to fit baby Hammie, and will do the procedure the week after Thanksgiving.

They discharged Hammie tonight, and I sent Hammie home with Dr. Cynthia Ragsdale. She lives about an hour south of here and can bring him back for the procedure. She adopted baby Smidgen (Itsy), and is going to foster baby Hammie for us. (I predict she will adopt him too...wanna BET??) She lives close enough to A&M that she can bring him back for monitoring. Hammie is so attached to Smidgen, whom even Dr. Ragsdale was calling "Itsy." I think I am whooped on this one and that baby's name is Itsy.:)

Hammie feels good and will be fine until the procedure can be done.

Now the bad news. I talked to the President of the Vet School about a possible financial break, and he explained to me that they have the same cost involved for the eighth one as they do for the first one. They lose money on each case, just like we do. He told me he would look into seeing what he could do, but I got the feeling his hands were pretty well tied. He loves Small Paws® and what we do...you can just tell by talking to him.

The valveoplasty to save Hammie's life, will cost $1500-2000, including today's bill of around $300.00.

We are going to need to raise that for him. If you would like to help us, to help Hammie, by sending your tax deductible donation to Hammie's Heart Fund, the link to do that on a major credit card is:

Small Paws® Rescue: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Card

If you want to send a check, the address is

Small Paws® Rescue Inc.
%Robin Pressnall
S 3316 72nd W. Ave.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74107

I am going to start for home tomorrow morning. Thanks to Carol, Mary Domery, Mary Dowling, Christine, Lynda, Barb, Lois, Bonnie, and Sandy for keeping Small Paws® going while my computer in unconscious (not dead..only sleeping...not dead..only sleeping)..and I am away. We have SOME team, I tell you!

Thank you all for loving and caring about Hammie. He is going to make it, and have a mostly normal life-span thanks to you guys. More when I get home. Love, Robin

November 15, 2001 Update
I am back home this morning, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hammie is doing well with Cynthia, down in Texas, awaiting his procedure to fix his heart murmur. As the time approaches, we will have more updates! Thank you all for saving this baby boy! Love,Robin

UPDATE 11/26/01