Category: Awareness

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Ruby Update

The work we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose Inc. often causes a lot of heartache; after all we put ourselves through an emotional roller coaster of working with abused, neglected and unwanted dogs.

Today, we come to you with both good news and bad. Ruby has truly begun to open up and come out of her shell; she has even started giving out little kisses. 

The morning right after she received her Convenia Injectable, she actually got up and ate breakfast with the other seniors for the first time. It’s obvious to us that choosing to give her the antibiotic this way was the right decision for her. Each day we continue to see great progress and she is even interacting more with the people caring for her as well as some of the other senior pups. 

Now for the not so good news; just as we suspected, Ruby does have medical reasons for feeling so crummy and NOT just listlessness due to depression over the loss of her mommies. Her blood work results came back showing that Ruby is in kidney failure. 

It goes without saying that we will do whatever is necessary to help Ruby feel her best and be the most comfortable she can be. We have discussed treatments over with our Veterinary team and will begin with fluid therapy. Due to Ruby’s age, fragile state, and heart murmur, we feel this is the best treatment option for her at this time. Ensuring optimal hydration is the single most important aspect in treating insufficient kidney function.

Quality of life above all else is very important to us here at Paws Give Me Purpose. Ruby is 16, has had a good, long and well loved life. We will continue to love and spoil her, but will not be putting her through any extreme treatments. If her mommies are calling, we let her cross the bridge on her own terms from our loving arms straight into theirs.

Please continue to send prayers for Ruby. With you by our side, we can give Ruby, and many more seniors like her, a fighting chance to have the opportunity to live out their golden years to the fullest. 

This is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose. Even though there is a cloud of sadness over our heads, our hearts are full because we know at the end of the day we make a difference in the lives that we are responsible for.

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Prayers For Ruby

We have been very concerned about Ruby since her arrival to Paws Give Me Purpose Sanctuary. We were trying to give her the time she needed to decompress and get acclimated but she has been doing poorly so we pushed up her Vet visit to today. 

Ruby is clearly depressed over the loss of her family and confused about what’s going on and where she is. She has not been eating, she mostly sleeps with little to no interaction at all with humans or dogs. We literally need to go take her out of bed and get her out or she will just sleep continuously. At night between the hours of 3am-5am she paces the floor and spends time circling over and over again. This has been going on every night. 

In light of these observations we can’t just assume it’s all depression, and want to rule out any medical issues we are not aware of. 

We do know that in addition to being blind, Ruby does have a heart murmur, some dental and some tummy issues. Our Vet did confirm these issues but also saw her dental issues are a lot worse than we thought; the remaining teeth she has, and there aren’t many are pretty bad. 

Due to her advanced age and current condition a dental surgery is not advised and because she is not eating, short courses of antibiotic therapy will only irritate her stomach more. In light of this, we opted for a Convenia Injectable which is a long-acting antibiotic that exerts its antibacterial effects for approximately 1-2 weeks but stays in the body for over 2 months. The cost is higher, but Ruby is worth it!

We also had a full senior blood panel performed and we will have those results back in a day or two, so stay tuned for the update. Ruby has not made a sound since her arrival, and for the first time today we heard her cry when they had to take her blood. Being blind, not knowing where she is or being able to see what was happening is a very difficult thing. We could literally feel her pain and sadness. 

In the meantime, we will continue to engage Ruby, take her outside for some fresh air and entice her with homemade food and treats to get her to eat.

Please pray for Ruby so she can live her life out to the fullest – she deserves this second chance to be happy, loved and cherished.

Paws Give Me Purpose Inc. treats every dog that comes through our doors with excellent care, compassion and love. Our promise to beautiful Ruby is to provide her with a safe and loving environment for the rest of her life and we are committed to keeping this promise. 

We ask that you please consider making a donation to help us with Ruby’s care. If anyone is interested in sponsoring Ruby’s lifetime care in Sanctuary, please reach out to us directly.

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/pawsgivemepurposeinc

Venmo: @PAWSGIVEMEPURPOSE-INC

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Ruby’s Story

Sadly, we are all familiar with the heartbreaking stories of animal abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Some are left behind when people move, left to starve or fend for themselves. Some are left abandoned in the home, others left chained outside; some are even left in a box on the side of the road. Some are left at shelters, dumped out of cars on the road, left confused at a park or running around on the street; the list can go on and on. 

But sometimes the heartbreak takes a different form, and Paws Give Me Purpose was there to catch this beautiful soul when she lost everything and everyone she loved. 

Meet Ruby! This beautiful 16-year-old girl was a beloved family member her entire life until one day she lost the only family she has ever known to cancer. Not once, but twice. Ruby had two very loving mommies who sadly both passed away from cancer just 3 weeks apart.

Although she was loved and well taken care for most of her life, her family members’ illness did take a toll on their ability to continue to care for Ruby. 

Knowing their lives were going to be cut short, Ruby’s family asked their neighbor to promise to make sure Ruby was safe and had someone to love upon their passing.

Sadly that day came and Ruby was alone and very confused. The neighbor kept her promise and reached out to find Ruby a safe place to spend her golden years where she would be cared for, loved, and spoiled the rest of her life like she deserves. 

Ruby arrived this past Saturday, she is very sweet, a bit shy, and we can clearly see her sadness. She is confused about where she is, and is taking time to decompress and acclimate to her new surroundings and schedule. 

We do know that in addition to being almost blind, Ruby does have a heart murmur, some dental and tummy issues. Once she’s a bit more settled, she will be seeing our Veterinarian to address her medical needs and we will run a full senior blood panel; stay tuned for that update. 

Although it is not known how much dogs really understand about death, it’s clear that dogs can become extremely depressed after a companion dies whether it be human or canine. 

Ruby is clearly in mourning, she often paces around, spends time alone, not really wanting to interact much, sleeping often with a seriously decreased appetite. There is a huge void in her life and she needs help dealing with her loss, and we are here to help her through it. 

Ruby needs some time to mourn, and we will keep encouraging her to get up to eat, play and get outside for some fresh air. With a little extra love and attention we will get her engaged in the world again. 

Paws Give Me Purpose will give this beautiful soul her best life daily with unconditional love for the rest of her life.

Please help us with Ruby’s care.

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/pawsgivemepurposeinc

Venmo: @PAWSGIVEMEPURPOSE-INC

If anyone is interested in sponsoring this beautiful little girl or any of our other Sanctuary residents, please head over to: 

Our Sanctuary Residents