I picked up Mr B this afternoon and knew that he was in dire straits.  We stopped at the vets on the way home and spent the next 3 hours trying to prevent him from going into shock.  He is SEVERELY dehydrated.  We did 400ml subcu intravenous fluids which he quickly absorbed (and became MUCH brighter!!) - he will need this treatment every 12-24 hrs (which I can do here at home, I brought the supplies home from the vets) over the next couple of days.  I had a heartworm test done on him, which is clear, because he DOES have sarcoptic mange - so we have started him on 6 weeks of Ivermectin treatment - he is in strict isolation from the other animals during this time.  Sarcoptic mange is VERY contagious to other animals but they cannot reproduce on humans - it's just a little uncomfortable and the itching will go away.  He is full of whip worms which are draining him of any nutrition/sustenance that he can take in - the Ivermectin will take care of this situation as well.   It will be a long road back for this little guy, he will be rechecked next week and if all goes well, at the end of the six weeks, we will do a geriatric blood profile to check on the rest of his systems (heart, kidney function, immune system, liver) to see how much damage has been done to this little guy internally.  He is believed to be between 10-12 yro old, 3.2 kg, with Very poor teeth (the conditions inside his mouth are contributing to his overall poor condition) - another thing that will have to be done later.

Many thanks to Pauline Gallie, Leslie Remenek and Elaine Gaynor for trying to make a difference to this little guys quality of life and for springing him from the HS.

Anyone interested in helping to offset this little guys vet bills (which would be GREATLY appreciated!!) can send a donation to the Grand River Veterinary Clinic, 228 Argyle St. N., Caledonia, Ontario N2W 1K9 - marked for 'Mr B'.  With the intensive care that he will need, I sure could use some assistance.  For further info, contact Margo Illing.

Updates
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The End. Artie passes over the Rainbow Bridge