[Click on logo to view the story]

[Click on Logo]

We have had our share of characters here at Marley’s Mutts but this little guy might take the cake. His name is Kenny Powers and he is a 1½ year old, Old English bull dog. Kenny came to our attention a month or so ago when he came in as a stray to the Bakersfield Animal Shelter; he was extremely skinny and stunk SO BAD that, despite his cuteness, it was hard to share space with him. The Vet staff found that he had several problems including a major cleft pallet, both soft and hard that needed repairing. To make matters worse, someone had shoved a towel into the hole in his pallet in a half-witted attempt to solve his issues. The vet removed the stinky clog from his mouth and sutured closed his soft pallet problem.

We need to have an oral specialist fix his cleft pallet, which is really a gaping hole in the roof of his mouth which causes a variety of problems. For starters, he has a difficult time keeping down food and has to be fed special concoctions like chicken with lasagna noodles (to help it slide down his throat). He also has difficulty breathing and sounds like a farty-sneeze with sleep apnea!!! I’m taking him to a specialist in LA on Friday (May 11th) to get a proper assessment. We know the procedure will cost a few thousand dollars and we need to raise at least that much to cover his care. He is part of the pack now, and despite being difficult to swallow (no pun intended) for some of the other dogs, he has been welcomed in.

Please help us get Kenny the necessary care that he needs and deserves. He’s made it this far and deserves the best of care.

KENNY SURGERY UPDATE: jut got the estimate in from the Oral Surgeon for Kenny’s cleft pallet surgery and we are looking at a cool 5000.00!! That’s quite a chunk of change but he needs it or he could die if he aspirates something. I meet with the specialist in TO on Monday morning to go over the procedure. We need to not g up the donations and try and make our mark. Thanks everybody– SPREAD THE WORD!!!

Hey Everyone,

Wanted to share the video that was made showing the girls as they progressed through treatment.  This is the video that will be presented at the rep lease party down in Thousand Oaks on the 19th of May…

Hey Everyone,

Well what a weekend for Marley’s Mutts. Zach received his Red Cross Real Heroes award last night and it was a blast (pictures and video to come in a later post). But right now in keeping with the theme of helping others we have a Boy Scout that has offered to build kennels for the mutts up on the mountain. Ryan is asking all the followers of the site to give him a hand in raising the money to build the kennels via the ChipIn below. So help out Ryan with his boy scout project and give the mutts a place to hang out all at the same time!!!

Just a quick note:  Ryan plans on starting this project in June so the ChipIn goes through June 1st so spread the word…

Quick update:  A few folks have been donating and it hasn’t been showing up.  We found that there was an issue on how this ChipIn was created it has now been fixed.  For those who have donated the money was received and we thank you for your generosity.

PUPPY UPDATE 10:44 am 4/30/12:

Our girls are doing very well in foster care. Natalia has a big brother named Kobe (I guess they’re not Clipper fans) who keeps her occupied and entertained. She also has some feline siblings that she gets along with very well–except for when Natty steals the cat beds to nap in, which happens often. Phe Phe is a pistol, that’s the best way to put it. She has transferred very well into foster care and gets along famously with her two, new canine siblings. Natty and Phe get to see each other pretty often and are excited when they do.

REMEMBER GANG, Burn Survivor Puppy Party on May 19th at the Canejo Valley YMCA from 11-2!!  BE THERE!!

[4031 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks CA 91360, 805.523.7613]

Puppy Update-11-22 4/27/12

Phoenix has completely healed and Natalia has only one, quarter- sized spot on her lower back (see image at right). They have both been released to foster care (each of their new moms work at the hospital) and will begin their therapy training shortly. Our girls will have their first chance to be of service at the Grossman Burn Center’s Burn Survivor Family Camp at the end of May–should be a blast.

Puppy Update-7:01 pm 4/20/12

Natalia tore her ACL and will probably need surgery. Her natural walk is hampered due to the stretching from her burns and this most likely exacerbated the situation. She is doing fine and is being medicated accordingly. Natalia may require additional surgery (called a “Z” cut) to help relieve pressure from tissue stretching and may get her knee surgery done at the same time. Her injury has just occurred so nothing is for sure right now. She will heal up from this just like she has everything else. Keep pulling for our girl!

PUPPY UPDATE-3:55 pm 4/11/12

NEW Update! Puppy Burn Survivor Release Party! Mark your calendars – May 19th  - the Thousand Oaks Pet Hospital and Specialty Clinic.

More details to come!!! YAAAAAYYYY, we are so excited for these girlies!

PUPPY UPDATE-4/7/12

News story about the girls.

PUPPY UPDATE-6:05 pm 4/3/12

Our burned girls are doing great. Going to see them tomorrow and do a follow up interview with the Ventura County paper. Phoenix’s ears and tail are crooked from the burns and that she has considerable scarring, but that’s about it.

PUPPY UPDATE-10 pm 3/26/12

Just returned home from a wonderful trip! Our Burned Pups (Natty and Phe Phe) have made shocking progress. I wish I could more adequately convey what a miracle their recovery has been. Chelsea (their primary care nurse) has learned so much from Dr. Grossman and, along with Dr. Werner and team, cares for our girls with patience, skill, love and pride. The man upstairs was sure looking out for these girls! Raw, painful, smelly burns that once dominated the vast majority of Natalia’s skin are all but gone. Natty has a wound in the shape of a web that is getting smaller every day and doesn’t even cause her to itch! Natalia is just a dog now and that’s all we could have asked for.

PUPPY UPDATE-11 am 3/24/12

Natalia and Phoenix have been getting treatment in the new, highly pressurized hyperbaric chamber. Phoenix’s bandages are off and Natalia is looking at a few more weeks. After that, we have THE PUPLY RELEASE PARTY!

PUPPY UPDATE-8:45 am 3/23/12

HUGE BURNED PUPPY NEWS!! Phoenix has healed to the point that she no longer needs bandages! Unbelievable!! No more daily dressing and redressing. Third degree burns once covered more than half her body and now she has nothing but well-healed scars and new skin! Way to go Pet Emergency Hospital!!!!

PUPPY UPDATE-3/22/12

Natalia and Phoenix had treatments in the new hyperbaric chamber yesterday!! Dr. Grossman came by and dressed their wounds and gave them a clean bill of health. Phoenix’s wounds have nearly completely healed! Natty is progressing very well but she was just a little worse off to begin with.

PUPPY UPDATE-3/13/12

Meeting with Dr. Grossman tomorrow at the Pet Emergency Hospital to treat the girls and put together a tenative plan for their release. We will be throwing a big party down there when they are released.

PUPPY UPDATE: 9:00 am 3/13/12

Off to the Pet Emergency Hospital! The girls are more playful than they have ever been and act just like puppies– not “burned within an inch of their lives” puppies. Phoenix steals Natalia’s bed and then hold it hostage, its very funny and I’ll post it later. Will have very good updates by the end of the day!

PUPPY UPDATE-3/6/12

Dr. Grossman met with the pups today and he couldn’t be more pleased with their progress–in fact, everybody involved with this great endeavor is blown away. After examining the pups and re-dressing their burns, we had lunch and talked about their recovery. The general consensus is that Phoenix is well on her way to recovery and Natalia, whose burns are worse WILL NOT require skin grafts. Furthermore the girls will stay in TO until they are ready to leave, whenever that may be. They could not be at a more loving capable facility and Dr. Werner, Chelsea, Natalia and staff seem all too happy to have them. I continue to be awestruck by the generosity of those involved but we must all continue to keep the girls in our thoughts and prayers.

PUPPY UPDATE-3:15 pm 3/5/12

Just left the Pet Emergency and Specialty Hospital and you would not believe how well these pups are doing!!! The staff there are spectacular and make us feel like family. Phoenix’s wound is shrinking rapidly and Natalia is closing the gap! Just amazing! We had play time for about an hour and they were going a million miles an hour the entire time.

PUPPY UPDATE-9:20 am 2/29/12

We are organizing a trip next week for the original family of the puppies to go and see them. They are a great bunch and this has been an emotional rollercoaster ride for them as well. Hopefully Dr. Grossman will be back from his trip and they will get to meet him too. They lost a lot of sleep during this process and having them see the girls will really brighten them up, hopefully. (Pic is of the lovely Chelsea and our girls)

PUPPY UPDATE-1:13 pm 2/28/12

Many of you have asked about the future of our girls; will they go to a therapy school, will you keep them, will they be adopted–if so, by whom, etc. For now, we are just going to take it one day at a time. Our hope is that one or both of our girls will be well suited for therapy (at Grossman and elsewhere) but that is putting the cart before the horse. For now, we just want to focus on their recovery (which is plenty to keep us occupied) and the rest will unfold later as it should. Keep up the positive wishes and prayers and we’ll keep updating! Thanks!

PUPPY UPDATE-12:35 pm 2/27/12

We just pulled Natalia and Phoenix out of hyperbaric and they are starting play time. What do you all think of Natty’s dress? She’s not thrilled…

PUPPY UPDATE-10:22 am 2/26/12

Our girls are doing very well! Play time continues to be very helpful to their progess. Natty and Lil’ P look like two normal sisters rollin’ around on the floor together. The only diferenceis is that they are completely wrapped in special bandages and sometimes half undress each other. Natalia’s back end–which we were worried about– continues to build muscle and improve. Looking at them now, you can honestly start imagine their potential. They are getting more vivacious every day and are on their way to becoming therapy dogs!

PUPPY UPDATE-9:10 am 2/24/12

PUPPY UPDATE-11:02 am 2/22/12

PUPPY UPDATE-12:30 pm 2/20/12:

Zach and Dr. Grossman relaxing between procedures.

PUPPY UPDATE-10:35 2/19/12 (GRAPHIC PHOTO):

This image shows the grafted tissue from the bovine fetus as it is bonding with Natalia’s body and tissue. The hope is to “fake out” her immune system to think that the skin is her own. Her grafts cover her entire back aft of her neck but this image show progress and acceptance. Natalia is off her IV and eating well but has a mild pneumonia (chest cold) that has shown to be a problem yet. KEEP HER IN YOUR THOUGHTS TODAY.

Zach was named one of Kern County’s Real Heroes by the American Red Cross. Kelsey Thomas interviewed Zach on April 9, 2012. [click logo]

This is the last week to purchase tickets for the Real Heroes dinner on April 14.

For More Information or to order tickets please call 661-324-6427 or email jperfect@kernredcross.org
American Red Cross Kern Chapter
5035 Gilmore Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93308

www.KernRedCross.org
Phone: (661) 324-6427
Fax: (661) 321-0744