BBR Canine Chronicles

Bottle Babies Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit foster based animal rescue that covers most of Southeast Michigan. We have fosters, adopters and supporters across Wayne, Washtenaw, Monroe, Livingston, Oakland, Lenawee counties and many more. We maintain a good relationship with many local municipalities, rescue pulling dogs and cats in immediate need when space allows. We have a continued special interest in neonate care, bottle feeding and providing critical care for the smallest of paws. We are part of a large transport network, bringing dogs from underprivileged areas where euthanasia rates are much higher and resources fewer.

As we say almost every year around this time, 2022 is one for the books. We accomplished so much this year and saved the lives of almost 1,200 dogs and cats! This is a huge number and we are proud to carry it. We have seen nearly every disease in both dogs and cats. We saw puppies pull through one of the most fatal viruses, Parvo, and watched cats flourish after being pulled from their overcrowded condemned home. All of these things are an undertaking for any non-profit. Working as a community of rescuers, fosters, and supporters we continue to be able to take on cases like these. Every day we work towards a better place for animals and hope that someday we won’t have to. But the sad reality is we will probably never see that day in any of our lifetimes as it only seems to continue to progress. Sometimes all we can do is the best we can do and know that everything we do is not in vain as we assure any animal that comes into our care is warm, fed, loved and gets the best parts of us. Here’s to a successful 2023, see you in the new year! 

Holiday dangers are all around this time of year and knowing how to avoid them and what to do should they happen can save you and your furry family member a lot of distress. We all know most of the dangers involving pets and holidays usually requires the pet to ingest something inappropriate. Much of the time this isn’t even actual food items, even though those dangers are also around in abundance, but rather inanimate items. Ribbons, tinsel and lights make a one stop danger tree for pets distracted by shiny objects. These dangers can induce gastrointestinal obstructions which may require emergency intervention and we know with the holidays many veterinary clinics are taking much needed breaks overloading the emergency clinics. 

If you believe your pet, dog or cat, has ingested any  string or thread like item contact your regular veterinary clinic or local emergency clinic to decide if it warrants a trip to the clinic. Be prepared to answer these questions:
– How much does your pet weigh?
– What is the item ingested?
– If string or thread like, how long or how much did they ingest?
– How long ago did they ingest the item?

These questions will help determine if it is likely to cause a problem or if intervention is needed. If intervention is needed can more conservative options be used, such as inducing vomiting, or more extreme exploratory surgical procedures to remove the item. In many cases inducing vomiting is not an option for fear of causing additional issues when the items take its return path. 

To avoid these dangers:
– Keep tinsel and ribbons to a minimum. 
– Keep these items out of reach of pets.
– Only allow contact when you are able to monitor pets. Even if this means isolating to a safe room or crating when your not there. 
– Pick up all wrapping paper and ribbon immediately. 

Classic signs of GI obstruction are inappetence, vomiting, diarrhea and painful abdomen. If any of these signs are present you should contact your veterinarian to discuss possible causes, diagnostics and needed treatments as these can be related to many different things and not always an obstruction. 

Foster – to take care of or to bring up for another. To me, that definition is woefully incomplete. Fostering in my mind is to love, cherish, and nurture a dog or cat until they can go to their forever home. I’m Ann T and I’ve loved animals all my life. Owning and training cats since college and dogs since 1997, I’ve found an extra special passion through joining Bottle Babies Rescue and helping more dogs and their people. Fostering means more than words can express – it means filling my heart. I am proud to be part of the BBR family!

Ann has provided many of our foster families with sound advice for training and working through the struggles of dogs coming from unknown backgrounds. She always responds when she can help a poor lost soul be it two legged or four legged. Ann is just another example of how we manage as a rescue to work as a team and keep saving more lives.