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Victoria is an adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She is also a puppy mill victim and survivor. Victoria came to the Animal League as part of a collaborative puppy mill rescue the Animal League took part in. Puppy mills are mass breeding operations that run solely for the purpose of making a profit. In these mills, the health, happiness or well-being of the animals is of no concern. |
Because of the total disregard for medical care in puppy mills, Victoria's vision became impaired. Eye problems are common to her breed; however, they can be prevented or postponed with appropriate veterinary care. Victoria also has a mild heart murmur which will remain with her for her entire life. Though the murmur currently does not require any medication, it still needs to be monitored with regular checkups, as it will likely progress with age.
In addition, she has mitral valve disease (MVD). MVD is a degeneration and fibrosis of the heart's mitral valve (one of four sets of valves in a canine's heart. This valve is designed to prevent the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium of the heart. Unfortunately, as the disease progresses, the valve no longer fully closes after each pumping action and blood moves backwards into the atrium again. This eventually causes the heart to enlarge.
She is still also feeling the effects of severe dermatitis. It is not known yet whether her constant itching, scratching and licking are caused by environmental allergies or not. More testing may have to be done.
Regardless of her harrowing ordeal, Victoria is an incredibly loving dog. She enjoys cuddling close and being held like a baby. While many puppy mill victims often experience behavioral issues from their abuse and neglect, Victoria has remained true to her breed - an eager, affectionate tail-wagger who wants nothing more than love and companionship.
The Animal League is happy to oblige Victoria her needs and gladly welcomes her into the Sponsor Program. With the help of generous monthly Sponsors like you, Victoria will live out the rest of her days as healthy and happy as possible. We hope that you will choose to be her Sponsor Program Pet Parent - thank you!
Victoria’s Updates
3rd Quarter 2010
Victoria has learned to like stuffed toys. We don’t think she ever had them before, but when she first went home she watched the other dog carry them around in his mouth. Now, when her foster mother comes home from work, they both grab toys and run around the living room excitedly. She’ll shake it around like it’s a prey item. The dogs even carry them out into the dog run and backyard. Victoria’s mother has to check the bushes every once in a while to look for missing toys. Unfortunately, Victoria likes to chew on the ears so they have to watch her closely. There are many earless stuffed puppies, elephants and squirrels around the house! Victoria’s next routine chest x-ray and echocardiogram are coming up so that we can check on her heart murmur and the mitral valve disease. We’ll keep you posted on the results.
2nd Quarter 2010
Victoria continues to bring joy to her family. She is always happy and loves everyone. Her adopted mother and Animal League Associate, Lauraine, often wonders who is helping who and looks at it as they are helping each other. Victoria is outdoors more now that the weather has become nicer. Even though she is on special food to determine what’s going on with her allergies, she continues to scratch. Her mother gives her soothing baths. They are working on better leash walking – she’s still pulling them on her walks around our neighborhood and even though she is small, they think all that pulling might be stressful for her. The veterinarian advised that due to her heart condition she needs to be on a harness. She can’t have any constriction around her neck. Her mother bought a gentle leader and will be starting to train her to this. Right now, if she spots a squirrel or bird, it is difficult for them to hold her back. We can’t blame her for getting excited—flushing out birds and small animals is part of her spaniel instincts.
1st Quarter 2010
After her last echocardiogram, the veterinarian said Victoria does not have to return for another six months. That's good news! Her new family is still working on her obedience training. She will "wait" before going out a door, but she barks the entire time. There was a recent snow storm of 18+ inches. We don't know if Victoria has ever seen snow before. When it was just 2-3 inches, she could walk through it, but when it piled up to over 12 inches, she did her business in a small shoveled patch of the dog run and wanted to come right back inside (and so did her dog friend, Hunter). We can't say that we blame them at all!
4th Quarter 2009
New to Program! We are thrilled to report that Victoria has found a loving foster care home. She will be fostered by an Animal League Associate and her family. She has fit right in with all family members and even another small dog. Now that she knows what a "walk" is, she gets very excited. Her "Cavalier" King Charles spaniel instincts are very strong-she's ready to chase any small creature that moves. If she hears some birds chirping, she cocks her head to listen and then she must find them. She also enjoys just relaxing on the couch and cuddling with her new human brother. When they fall asleep on the couch together, you can imagine what an endearing sight it is!
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