Sponsor Me - Meet Jorge

	One of our volunteers was notified about this precious baby sitting in a shelter so 'smelly and ugly' no one would touch him; wearing a sweater that was literally stuck to him with all of the gunk, puss and blood coming from his severely damaged skin. His prognosis was dim and upon first sight the vet offered to just euthanize him on the spot.
Our first concern was that we not prolong his misery especially if he was not likely to make a full recovery. We have been assured that although treatment and healing would be quite lengthy and very expensive, Jorge would only improve and ultimately feel better not worse. After lengthy conversations, discussions and second (third, fourth) opinions we felt that we needed to give this sweet, sweet boy a chance at a happy, healthy life.
	Jorge has a very severe case (the worst that many have seen) of Demodectic Mange complicated by the fact that he is Heartworm positive. His treatment will be long and arduous but from the moment he was pulled from the shelter he has made significant steps towards healing as well as feeling much better. As we have to treat Jorge’s conditions in layers, first treating the mange in hopes of getting him healthy enough to undergo Heartworm treatment, he may also have other underlying issues that will have to wait to be addressed. We are very pleased with his progress and feel it is because of stories like Jorge’s that many of us are involved with rescue. He is a testament to everything we believe in and work so hard to accomplish.

We'll update this page as he progresses.

Update for 21 March, 2007

Jorge seems to enjoy all the attention he gets at the vet's office. He has a great appetite and loves his mixture of his food with organic yogurt. He is very sweet and likes to stay close to me. He slept in his crate next to my bed. He whined a few times as I'm sure he would have rather been in the bed along with the rest of us.

Update for 23 March, 2007

Jorge had his first dip for mange on Tuesday and some adjustments on his medications. On Wednesday night and Thursday morning he was very lethargic and would not eat or drink. I was concerned but have seen this reaction before after initial dips (it is nasty chemical stuff they are exposed to). After a few hours he was bright-eyed, wagging his stubby little nub of a tail. I decided to see if he would eat, and to my happy surprise, he did. He had a good appetite this morning as well.

Update for 31 March, 2007

Jorge’s skin has improved ever so slightly following the second treatment. It still looks bad but no open areas with drainage. It still smells pretty bad as well. He is starting to look and act like he feels a lot better, doesn't scratch at himself nearly as much. He is still an 'easy keeper'. He is starting to bond rather strongly with me. He seems to be on the mend.

Please help us help Jorge and get him ready to find his forever home.

Remember - we are 501c3 non-profit, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Jorge sends his thanks! Jorge's Sponsors:
Jen Montgomery
Jeanmarie Ragan
Carol Krusey
Sharon Sapp
Kathy Smith
Tony C.
Destiny Masters
Dianne Wampler
Suzanne Hankard
Jaana Piira
Aimee Font
Joanne Lewis
Lora Christoffel
Rebecca Haggie
Georgia Randall
Classic Cresteds Forum Members
Jean Perry
Jeffrey and Helena Gandell
Jeffrey and Linda Amedee