Continued from the previous entry. Originally from the January 2003 Ohio Maltese Rescue newsletter.

That weekend, Ruby arrives in Ohio. I meet the driver at a gas station along the highway on a Sunday, December 16th. She tells me Ruby is pretty much terrified. She brings her out of the car. I am in shock. This is the saddest looking dog I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of sad dogs! I get her home, and try to take stock. She is all skin and bones, and almost certainly full of every worm in the book. Her back has a terrible humped shape. She has cataracts, and is almost blind. Her ears are filled with black gunk from infection and ear mites, and both ears will forever carry the tattoos from the hellhole puppymill she came out of.. Her mouth is absolutely awful, her teeth are rotting so bad it smells like carrion, and several teeth are so loose I am able to pull them out easily with just my fingers. Her coat is very matted, and when we make even the slightest effort to comb her, the hair comes out in chunks. She has a high stepping walk from the long toenails. Her face is white with age, and we are guessing her at about 12-14 yrs old. I curse the puppymillers who have used up her life and left her in this condition. I am also angry at the woman she came from - I know there was no money to vet her, but she could have at least cleaned out her ears and cut her nails. Oh well, she is here and safe now. She is completely terrified of people, and would run if she could, but she is weak and old. Once you catch her, she doesn't struggle, she is resigned to her fate.

I start antibiotics for the dental infection, clean and medicate those ears, and then into the bathtub. By the time she is done with her grooming, there isn't a lot of coat left. I show her where the food and water is, and then let her find a hidey hole to curl up in. It is enough for one day.

First thing Monday morning, I call the vet for an appointment that afternoon. Our appointment is with one of the newer partners, fresh out of vet school, and you can tell she has never seen anything like this dog! As Ruby stands there terrified in the exam room, the young vet makes a comment that she looks like a possum. She is right - poor Ruby with her white face, and her humped back; the name sticks and we will always lovingly think of her as our Possum Pom. We worm her, and then they make room in the schedule for surgery for her on Thursday. Her dental disease must be addressed immediately, and we will spay her at the same time. We don't want to have to put her under anesthesia twice. Thursday afternoon, it is time to pick her up. She has lost all of her teeth except the canine teeth. I take her home and put her in my bedroom, where she won't have to put up with the more active fosters here. She immediately heads for the water bowl. She drinks and drinks and drinks. It seems like she will never stop. I realize that her mouth has hurt her for a long, long time, and now she can drink cool water without pain. Finally, she stops just before I think she will burst. Ten minutes later, I hear retching, and she is throwing up all the water. No problem, just wipe it up. But then she goes back to the water bowl, and starts drinking again. I take the water away, she is completely overdoing it. We go through this at least three more times that evening. As soon as I give her access to the water bowl, she drinks and drinks until she throws it all up.

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