I've found my furever family!

In May, 2023, SPIN was able to bring in two beautiful, red standard poodle eight month old puppies from a doodle breeding farm in Northern Ontario. A very looooong ground transport chain was arranged to bring them out of the breeding farm and into SPIN’s loving arms. We really cannot thank the people who willing spend their time, gas money and, sometimes, car detailing ….

Because the puppies were a delightful red, SPIN called the puppies the Spice girls and given the names Ginger and Chili.

Ten days later, the parents of Ginger and Chili were released and flown down with Pilots 4 Paws. We called them Ma and Pa Spice. Lol. We gave Ma and Pa Spice the names Tasha and Mav. Chili and Tasha were eventually adopted by their foster families. Mav was adopted just recently in November, 2023.

But back to Ginger. Ginger had to be one of the sweetest poodles to come into SPIN. Even though came in skittish and afraid...underweight and absolutely suspicious of everything around her, her foster, John at BlackDog Pet Resort recognized her inner amazing poodle and committed to helping her to grow and learn all about what being a poodle is really all about. Little did foster dad know what he was actually committing to undertaking...

You see, dear sweet Ginger began to develop some unusual medical issues. Still happy and bouncy and truly loving her fabulous new freedom life, Ginger slowly developed what looked at first to be some kind of cold as she was sneezing, but then by the end of July she was struggling to even breathe.  

Multiple vet visits meant xrays and blood work and EKG monitoring and antibiotics and an in-depth ear cleaning and more blood work and more antibiotics and a nasal flush. Nothing was working. It was even getting worse! What the heck?! Ginger’s vet thought she might have something in one side of her nose and Chili was referred to Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital for a nasal scope. Likely $3,000 ish

The medical team at Carter Veterinary Hospital in Bowmanville adored her! They thought she was the most incredible patient - always so gentle and forgiving of all their poking and prodding - tackled it all like a champ! That's just the way Ginger is. Easy going, chill, wanting to please.

SPIN went into full fundraising mode. Ginger was young and otherwise vibrant and healthy girl we felt her ongoing carewas a worthy use of donated funds. It turned out all of SPIN’s poodle peeps thought so too. Thousands of dollars were raised because people just genuinely wanted to see Ginger live her best, awesome life! Well that's going to happen for her.

By mid-August, our gorgeous Ginger was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition called NASOPHARYNGEAL STENOSIS. This condition is from scarring or a malformation at the back of the nasal passage that inhibits breathing. For Ginger the condition affects BOTH nasal passages and so she breathes solely through her mouth. To watch Ginger struggle to get air into her lungs was heartbreaking. Gurgling, snorting and puffing…

SPIN agreed to a procedure that had rarely been done. Using a CT scan to view the area at the back of Ginger's nose with an endoscope, new openings were created with a needle and then a balloon was used to open up the affected area in both passages.

We considered and rejected a stent placed across the damaged tissue to prevent recurrence of the stricture but there was even less guarantee of success than the balloon procedure. The problem with the balloon procedure was that Ginger had to endure multiple hospital visits for fully sedated procedures. Each visit was painful and took a few days to recover. The first procedure was Aug 18 and the next two on Aug 22 and Aug 24

This is the message from John after the first procedure:

Looks like they are finished with Ginger for today. They were able to get needle through both blockages and complete balloon dilation. Dr Porter will be calling SPIN to discuss further treatment options and cost estimates.  Since it's late in the day and there is going to be bleeding they will keep her for the night. I can pick her up when she is ready tomorrow.

Poor Ginger. Poor John!!! Both held up well through the three balloon procedures. Why were three procedures required? Well after each balloon dilation, the body would work to reclose the hole made by the balloon dilation. The hope was to eventually create a hole big enough that scar tissue would not reform over the entire area. After the first procedure, Ginger’s breathing seemed better, her appetite was really good and energy level normal. John said that it was going to be hard to to keep her on leash !

Now, throughout all of this, Ginger had her eye on a potential adoptive family. She really worked it. She charmed and pranced and played nice. They visited Ginger often, bringing their dog, a standard poodle, to play with her. They brought toys and treats and lavished love.

Ginger’s final visit to TVEH was in October. It seemed the three procedures had been effective and Ginger was able to get air in through her nose. I mean the passage is not fully open, but at least she is able to get more air in. There is a real possibility that the condition will eventually reblock the nasal passage.

But Ginger had worked her magic. Her adoptive family didn’t care. They loved her. They will cross that bridge when they come to it. For now they are simply  enjoying this beautiful girl’s warm, silly presence in their home. Those big eyes. That gorgeous smile. That beautiful poodle prance.

Congratulations baby girl. We love you.