# Our Rescue Story



## Chastity (Jan 7, 2009)

We've had our Buster for about a month now. He had been severely neglected and was left in a high kill shelter. The shelter has no funding and he had no care there either. He weighs 10 pounds, so he's a good size. He's allergic to fleas and lost most of his hair. His skin was so irritated that parts of it were beet red. He had chewed his feet and his tail so bad that I thought they would have to dock his tail. The hair that he had was matted. I don't know if he'd ever been to a vet, his breath is horrible and he doesn't have many teeth. His condition was really terrible, but his spirit was still so great. 

We got him home and gave him a bath. He instantly took to my husband and they snuggled and enjoyed some chicken and rice together. The next day I took him to the vet. We wormed him and they gave him some frontline. I was to scared to do it at home because his skin was so irritated, but it didn't bother him. His skin was already looking so much better. The vet guesstimated him to be around 10 years old. I told her that he had been peeing a lot and she mentioned doing some bloodwork. We'll have that done within the next month, along with having his teeth cleaned and some pulled. She mentioned that he may have cushings or maybe diabetes, but it was hard to tell since he hasn't been taken care of and his symptoms could just be the result of neglect. 

I've been feeding him chicken and rice with veggies and some wet food. He can't eat dry food, not even the tiny bites. He has been spoiled and he really deserves it. His hair is growing back great. I think he'll have a beautiful coat in no time. For now I'm enjoying buying him sweaters.  He's really fallen into place with our pack and is all about protecting his home. He's very attentive to people walking near our yard. (We live next to a middle school) He's kinda like, "Hey, this is MY yard!" He gets along with my cat and my kids wonderfully. My kids understand that he's little and needs extra love. I'm so proud of them with him. I'm glad that he fits with us so well. I can't believe how I fell in love with him and the Maltese breed. After we get Prince Buster (my kids named him) healthy we plan to add another later this year. 

Here's a picture of Buster and my son. Buster gets this goofy expression on his face when you love on him.


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## Morkie4 (Oct 13, 2006)

Congratulations on Buster.........wonderful story and I hope that any heatlh issues are not serious and can be fixed with meds or that maybe some of the health issues are just due to neglect and with the wonderful care you are providing, he will blossom and they will clear up with time.


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## Dixie's Mama (Mar 19, 2008)

What an adorable picture. Buster is so cute (so is your son!). What a heartwarming story. Thank you for loving Buster. It was easy, I'm sure. With your love and care I'm sure he will improve in no time. I hope the health issues are due to neglect and aren't permanent issues. Poor baby being neglected for so long. I just want to hug him. 
BTW :Welcome 1:


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## Max & Rocky (May 20, 2004)

Wow. Great job Chastity!!! :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: 


Hope to see you a lot more around here.



Errr...a... any bad stuff anyone tells you about me... isn't true!


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## njdrake (Apr 23, 2007)

Bless your heart. Buster sounds like an adorable little guy and did I mention LUCKY. I'm so glad you took him into your home and I know he'll be happy for the rest of his life. That's a great thing you did. This is a sad story with a happy ending. Thank you for sharing it with us. :wub:


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

:bysmilie: What a beautiful story with the best ending to it :grouphug: :grouphug: 
Both your little guys are too cute for words :wub: 
You are a life savior , loved your story and welcome to SM :wub:


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## lillykins (Oct 15, 2007)

Oh, I am melting! Bless you for loving Buster.

I'm so pleased you took him to a vet straight away.
You mentioned that Buster has been peeing a lot. Does he drink excessively? Did they check Buster for a UTI? Crystals?

I hope I don't sound accusatory; I'm merely interested to learn. Thank you for joining & for sharing your story.


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

Oh :wub: :wub: :wub: Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story and family with us. What you have done, is worth all the gems in the world and then some.

Bless you, that beautiful heart, your beautiful son, and that very special boy Buster.

Please give him extra hugs from all of us. :grouphug:


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Buster is just a doll! :wub: :wub: :wub: 

If Buster is diabetic, it's pretty easy to diagnose. Lady's been diabetic for going on eight years now. Cushings can be hard to diagnose.

Where in North Carolina are you? Lady sees an opthamologist at VSH. They are wonderful! If your regular vet is having difficulty diagnosing Buster's disease, I would highly recommend them.

http://www.vshcarolinas.com/


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## Chastity (Jan 7, 2009)

QUOTE (Lillykins @ Jan 8 2009, 11:05 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=701581


> Oh, I am melting! Bless you for loving Buster.
> 
> I'm so pleased you took him to a vet straight away.
> You mentioned that Buster has been peeing a lot. Does he drink excessively? Did they check Buster for a UTI? Crystals?
> ...



You don't sound accusatory at all. I appreciate the help. And, you know, they didn't check him for a UTI. I'll have to give them a call. He doesn't seem to be drinking excessively, but to be honest I'm not sure how much he should be drinking. I haven't had a dog his size since I was a kid. He's not drinking so much that I've taken notice when I change his water bowl. I'll monitor it tomorrow to see. What's a good average for a 10 pounder? Please don't worry about giving advice or asking questions. If it will help, I'm all ears!


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

What a happy day for Buster, the day you saw him at that shelter! He is under a lucky star! He is adorbale.
:Welcome 2:


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## KandiMaltese (Mar 27, 2007)

What a wonderful story and a big heart you and your family have! Buster is so lucky! Your son is adorable and he looks so happy! I hope you stay on here and get all the advice you need.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Congratulations to you and Buster!! Sounds like a perfect fit. I'm so happy you found us, and I hope we see more pictures of Buster and your family. :wub: 

:Welcome 3:


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## drclee (Jul 16, 2008)

Bless you for taking Buster in and finally giving him the life and love he deserves! That is a precious picture and I hope you and your family continue to spoil and love Buster to no end!


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## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

Thank you for giving Buster a furever home. You will be rewarded a hundred times over from him. Rescues are the best.


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## chichi (Apr 12, 2007)

:Welcome 1: :Welcome 3: Thank you for rescuing Buster. He is lucky to have a furever home.


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## SueC (May 23, 2007)

Thank you for sharing your story. Rescues are the greatest! Extra work at first, but forever grateful they have a loving home.


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## cindy6755 (Mar 20, 2005)

Thank you for saving Buster. What a sweet picture of buster and your son. :wub:


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## maltilover (May 6, 2006)

Bless you Chastity for taking in this little guy. What a lucky boy your Buster is for having your family rescue him from the shelter and take such good care of him. He's so cute, as is your son.  And Becky has a good point about the UTI, hopefully something as simple as that. Welcome, and I look forward to seeing pictures of your Buster as he blossoms.


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