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Blueberry (Bayou)

Sanctuary, not for re-homing

Description

Blueberry came to our care early November 2017 as an owner surrender.
Blueberry came to BARCs Rescue from Bakersfield California in the summer of 2017 and was adopted by people who ended up not being the best match.
By this time, we were core volunteers for BARCs Rescue and we received the message from his former owners that we needed to take him back right away or else. Of course we said yes and the owners dropped him off at our house.
It was explained to us that somehow Blueberry got a hold of a kitten on their property and in an effort to save the kitten, the owners used every means available, including a nearby shovel, to get Blue off the kitten.
Whether that actually happened or not is unknown but we can confirm that Blueberry was in terrible shape when he came to us.
He had cuts and abrasions all over his body and was limping on a front leg and rear leg. We took him to our veterinary partners for investigation and treatment.
Turns out Blueberry was hurt badly with a torn shoulder muscle, bruised spine and pelvis, broken tail and a mild concussion but that wasn't the scary part...the vet concluded that Blueberry had an enlarged heart and he was given 6-24 months to live. We decided at that point that he was therefore unadoptable and he became our second sanctuary dog with BARCs Rescue.
Blue gets along very well with all our dogs, even the small chihuahua and he has never shown any interest in cats or squirrels or any prey drive whatsoever so we are confused about his reasons for coming back into rescue. He is a scary-cat who is afraid of the dark, of thunder and fireworks and runs away from any conflict. Either way, we love him and are happy he is in our home.
Amazingly, without medications, Blueberry has lived well beyond his time limit and it's more his whole body failing him than his heart.
Turns out Blueberry has degenerative myelopathy which is a slow degeneration of his nerves that starts in his extremities. His mobility is impacted by this disease and we often have to help his 90lbs weight up stairs or even just off the floor when he loses his balance.
The disease has slowed down his digestion so that he gets constipated easily and is on medications to keep his gut motility moving and the disease will eventually work its way to his lungs which will impair his breathing. A very minor occasional cough has already started.
For now, we manage Blueberry with a good diet, keep his weight managed and of course copious amounts of love and cuddles.
Many thanks to BARCs Rescue for saving this boy from his former abuse in California as a lonely dog tied to a brick wall with an embedded collar and his eventual way into our home and hearts.

If you would like to contribute to the monthly costs to care for Blueberry, please EMT donation@barcsrescue.com with Blueberry mentioned in the subject line.