Stray Thoughts
News, Events & Adoption Information
Winter 2018
Inside
Page 2:
General Information
Page 3
Ready for a Home
Page 4:
Ask the Trainer
Page 5:
Emails & Letters
Page 6:
Pet Watch with Dr. Main
Ways to Give
Page 7:
Hearty Thanks!
Page 8:
Volunteer Spotlight
Stray Thoughts is an official
publication of the West
Suburban Humane Society,
a not-for-profit, volunteer-
based animal shelter.
No city, state, or federal
funds support WSHS.
Donations are tax
deductible as allowed
by law. Please call
(630) 960-9600, ext. 25 to
submit articles or receive
donation information.
Adoption Center:
1901 W. Ogden Avenue,
Downers Grove, IL 60515
E-mail Address:
[email protected]
Phone: (630) 960-9600
Fax: (630) 960-9604
www.WSHS-DG.org
Meet Victor, A Happy Dog
in Need of a Happy Home
W
hen we got the call from one of our
rescue partners in Central Illinois
about an 8-year-old American Bulldog
that needed a home, we took one look
at his sweet face and knew we had to
take him. He had lived with one owner
his whole life but the owner’s apartment
complex changed the rules and would
no longer allow Victor to live there. When
Victor arrived at the shelter he was a ball
of energy. He was jumping, wagging his
tail and trying to give kisses to everyone he
met. While in the process of checking him
in, he was fine one minute and then the
next he fell down and seemed to struggle
getting back up. This happened three or
four times in a row. We immediately rushed
him to our vet and so began our journey
with Victor.
The vet couldn’t immediately find anything
wrong with Victor so he asked to keep him
overnight to monitor him. He did blood
work which came back normal. He took
x-rays which showed some minor arthritis
in his back. Nothing else was found so
Victor returned the shelter where we were
instructed to monitor his balance issues.
Once back at the shelter, Victor continued
to have problems with his balance off
and on. The vet recommended seeing a
cardiologist for an echocardiogram. We
had the test done and it came back normal.
All was fine with his heart but why was this
poor guy still having problems?
The vet then recommended that we see
a neurologist. Victor had a neurological
exam which again was completely normal.
The neurologist recommended that we
do further testing which included an MRI,
spinal tap, abdominal ultrasound, and
blood work. She did caution us that it
was very likely all of these tests would be
normal and we still wouldn’t know why
Victor was having episodes. Before any of
this could be done, she wanted Victor to
undergo a Holter Monitor test. The test
would be done over a 24 hour period.
Victor would wear a heart monitor and the
monitor would record any arrhythmias.
Unfortunately, the test couldn’t be done at
the shelter so we had to find a foster home
that would be able to watch him over the
24 hour period. One of our volunteers
stepped up and the test was done. Once
again, everything was normal.
Finally, we made the decision to not move
forward with the neurologist’s suggestions.
Continued on page 2