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
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."
