German Shorthaired Pointer

UPDATE: I would like to thank Liz and Pat for their wonderful donations for Liza. Also, to the Zielinski's for their sizable donation to make up the difference to make it possible to help Liza with her expensive procedure. Unfortunately, she's not been well enough to have it done, hoping to have it done by the first of April. She doing much better, and striving to improve everyday. She did have a set back -- she's had problems with her immune system, but is thriving now. We have not as yet found the cause for the health issues she's had. She is doing well, though. Thank you for all the great emails checking on how Liza is doing!

A Note From Liza:
Hi, I'm Liza, and I just wanted to say a few words. Like most puppies, I like a good bone, cuddling with my stuffed "babies", a soft spot in a nice patch of green grass, and playing playing playing. Sometimes though, if I play for too long, I get really sore. That's no fun. The nice people here say there is something wrong with my hips, and that's what makes me sore. I get to go to see Dr. Weaver sometimes and he makes me feel better -- he's so great! And the people here give me medicine that helps too. But sometimes I dream that I'm able to run and play just as long as I want without it making me hurt -- like other puppies do -- and for a family of my own to play with too! I might not be able to do those things today, but I'm hoping someday my dreams will come true! You can read all the details about me and about how you can help in the notes below. Come and visit me soon!
XOXO,
Liza

HELP US MAKE LIZA PAIN-FREE
Help us raise the $1,100 needed for Liza's Gold Bead Injection treatments. If successful, this procedure will eliminate the need for additional acupuncture treatments, chiropractic treatments, and (best of all) pain medication! If you can help us with a donation, please make your check payable to Western Ave. Animal Hospital or GSP Rescue-Liza. A donation receipt will be mailed to your return address for tax purposes. Please mail donations to:
GSP Rescue - Liza
13650 N. Sheridan Rd
Montrose  MI  48457
Thank you so much for your generosity! Together, we can make this sweet little girl's dreams come true.

UPDATE 9/24/07: Dr. Weaver is Liza's guardian angel! We've been taking Liza to meet with him for acupuncture treatments and chiropractic care for the last few months. In that period of time, she has gone from a sad little girl who barely moved to behaving like any happy, healthy, 12 month old puppy! Because of the way she has responded to these treatments, Liza has become an outstanding candidate for a procedure called Gold Bead Injections (to learn more about this procedure click here or here). This is a kind of "permanent acupuncture" which, if successful, will eliminate the need for additional acupuncture treatments, chiropractic treatments, and (best of all) all that pain medication! Liza's procedure will be done by Dr Terry Durkes, a pioneer in this field since the 1970's. It's an expensive procedure and we will need help to raise the necessary funds, but we feel it is worth it to give Liza the chance of living a normal, healthy life without pain. Please see the notice at the top of Liza's story for more details on how you can help us take away this little girl's pain.

UPDATE 8/25/07: Liza is now 11 ½ months old. Before seeing Dr. Weaver, it had gotten to the point where Liza had to be either walking or sitting/lying down -- she was unable to stand in place for any length of time. She couldn’t scratch at all. She wasn’t even able to squat to urinate; she was always on her tippy-toes. In the mornings, Liza could play a little. Much of the day, however, she would prefer just to lie in the grass watching everyone else play... how hard that must be for a puppy! By nightfall, Liza could barely move. She never slept soundly because of the pain. She couldn’t get up on the couch without help -- not even up on the futon, which is lower -- and she would cry. Even with high levels of pain medication (Previcox and Tramadol), Liza was in extreme pain... all day, every day, 24/7.

What a change since we’ve been taking Liza to Dr. Weaver for her acupuncture treatments and chiropractic care! She's had approximately 4 treatments so far, and the change is unquestionable. Now Liza can stand and just look around; no longer is it a choice of "move or sit" for this little girl. She runs, she plays -- she even wrestles with the other dogs! She can scratch her shoulders -- even behind her ears! -- and *ahem* potty-time is no problem anymore. She is just as agile at night as she is in the morning. She is still sore, but nothing like she was before her treatments. In fact, to illustrate how well she responds to her treatments... a week ago Liza was sitting in the yard minding her own business when all of the sudden -- *WHAM* -- another one of our GSP's running at top speed ran right into her! The other dog was just playing, but he hit her so hard that she was almost in as much pain as she was before the acupuncture and chiropractic treatments. Five days after the accident, she visited Dr. Weaver for another treatment. By that evening Liza was right back to feeling good again! Her response to the treatments is amazing.

UPDATE 7/07/07: Liza has been in a great deal of pain due to her hip dysplasia. We were so lucky to find Dr. Weaver and talk to him about Liza's condition! If not for his help, Liza might have already crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Dr. Weaver has started acupuncture and chiropractic care on Liza, and she is already starting to feel a little better! If the treatments continue to help her improve -- and we're keeping our fingers crossed -- then she might be a candidate for a more permanent solution to her pain.

UPDATE 5/7/07: Liza has been VERY shy, and it has taken some time for her to become comfortable around us. At first, she wouldn't even let us get close enough to pet her or show any affection. However, she has made great progress and now allows us to be affectionate with her. In the last few months (she is 8 months old now), we've noticed her walking strangely, and yesterday we took her in for x-rays. The x-rays show that Liza has severe hip dysplasia in both hips. Her hip sockets are shallow, and the ball of each hip joint is larger than normal. We have started her on Rimadyl to help with the inflammation in her hips and some muscle pain (she caught her leg on the corner of the couch and pulled some muscles). Most of the time when she feels tired or in pain, she'll lay down and rest. Other times, we need to remind her (she IS a puppy, after all). Don't misunderstand -- she can get around with the best of them! But she needs to take it easy; too much activity is very hard on her hips. I try to let her set her own pace, but sometimes I need to remind her to rest for a while. Liza is spayed, up to date on vaccines, and has been dewormed. She is on heartworm preventative and has been micro-chipped. She will need just the right family, one with tons of love and patience. If you think you're the family for her, please email me at: rescuegsp@cs.com

INITIAL ENTRY 1/10/2007: The five purebred German Shorthaired Pointer puppies have arrived and Liza is one of them. She is a little over 4 months old, and is spayed, and up to date on vaccines for her age. She has been dewormed and micro-chipped, and has been started on heartworm preventative and flea protection. A fenced yard is mandatory (physical fence or invisible fence acceptable) -- no tie outs. If you live in a condo, please contact me. If you are interested in adopting Liza, please email me at: rescuegsp@cs.com