When we look at Mochie, we feel a tugging at our heart. We think it's a heart-to-heart connection, because Mochie's heart is in trouble. And she needs help! And although she has the sweetest heart, it is crippled. And Mochie (pronounced Mo-kie) will not make it without surgery…expensive surgery! And you know what that means?!

Mochie was turned into rescue by a couple who didn't want her anymore. Can you imagine looking at that sweet face and then dumping her and walking away? Mochie has spent most of her 2-3 years of life locked in a cage standing in urine. On her feet, she actually had urine casts which had to be cut off and required that Mochie be sedated. Naturally, she had ammonia burns on her pads.

Mochie didn't know how to play with toys, but she is learning fast! This little rose is blossoming into a playful little girl. It just goes to show you how far a little TLC will go! But all the TLC in the world won't fix Mochie's heart.

The good news is her condition is correctable by surgery. The bad news is it will be expensive, from $1,500 to $3,000. She has Patent Ductus Arteriousus (PAD) with left ventricle enlargement, severe continuous retrograde flow in the pulmonic artery. In layman's terms, there is a small vessel that is close to the top of the heart connecting the aortic and pulmonic arteries that is supposed to close off after birth…but hers didn't. Now the blood flowing from the aorta is pushing through the vessel to the pulmonic artery and back through the pulmonic valve and into the heart causing a severe overload on the left side of her heart. She has blood flowing both ways in the pulmonic artery. Human babies with this condition were once called "blue babies". Mochie is scheduled to see Dr. Gompf a heart surgeon at the University of Tennessee late in October to start her on her road to recovery.

We would love to find a family who would pay for all or part of Mochie's surgery. As long as that family meets our criteria, they will become Mochie's new family. She is a deserving young girl who will return your investment in her health with a wealth of love and entertainment.

Please open your hearts and resources to little Mochie. She has doggie-dreams of her own family…show her that dreams really can come true!

Because of you, I'm doing much better! It's been a while since you first heard about me, but I'm all well now. I had to have two surgeries to remove these things called mammary tumors. I probably got them because of all the babies that mean old puppymill lady made me have.

My foster mommy says I've been spayed, so, no more babies for me! My ears are doing a lot better to. I am deaf, but that doesn't stop me from getting around just fine.

I'm still looking for my new forever home, I know it will come along soon. My foster mommy says that I'm such a special little girl that I'll have to go to a very special family. I sure do hope they find me very soon.

I want to thank everyone for helping me get better. A lot of rescues would not have taken me because I was so sick. I guess Wesley and I are the lucky ones. I know if SCMR didn't have people like you, they wouldn't be able to help little girls like me. Thank you for helping me get well!!

From rags to riches, our Joan is living like a princess today thanks to so many who helped with her surgical expenses, lots of "Angels" who contributed to Joan's vet bills and many, many well-wishers who sent prayers and good vibes for Joanie Baloney!

From the start, we knew we had something special in this small package of dynamite! Joan was one of the dogs Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue was able to liberate from a life of breeding misery. Katherine Culbertson of Bartow County, GA died back in April leaving 206 small dogs to be auctioned off for her estate. The auction took place on April 29, 2006. Right away, Joan's heart condition became apparent. It was not possible to hold her 4.3 pound body and not feel how hard her tiny heart was working. Her heart murmur was quickly assessed as 6 out of 6, the worst it could be. But Joan didn't know that! She bounced and played as if she had an unlimited supply of energy!

Once Joan was placed in her foster home, her foster mom had her examined at Riverview Animal Clinic and diagnosed with Pulmonic Stenosis. Joan was given a referral to Dr. Rebecca Gompf, a veterinary cardiologist with the vet school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. And then suddenly, everything shifted into high gear!

On July 25th, Joan conquered the vet staff at UT! Dr. Gompf examined her and declared, "We can fix this girl!" Joan was scheduled for surgery at 9 a.m. the next morning! And her foster mom found herself meeting with Dr. Karen Tobias who would be Joanie's surgeon. Dr. Tobias is world famous as the leading expert on liver shunt condition in dogs and is a full professor of small animal surgery at UT. We feel like Joan got the star treatment!

Joan sailed through her surgery and even surprised her surgical crew with how rapidly she recovered. Within 24 hours, she was playing and eating and back to her usual sparkling self-- oblivious of her enormous incision which reached from her sternum under her left front leg to her shoulder blade. Ten days later, Joan's stitches came out!

There remained one more hurdle to jump before Joan could go to her forever home. We waited one more month before having Joan's spay and dental procedures. Her weight increased to 5.5 pounds, a perfect weight for her according to Dr. Allen at Riverview. Again Joan sailed through her procedures like a little champ!

And then came the BIG DAY! Katherine Pfaff drove from North Carolina to take Joan home to her new life. Joan is now the princess of her own domain (and makes sure everyone knows it!), a lovely horse farm with a big wonderful old house to explore. And Joan has a new wardrobe of pretty harnesses and leashes for taking lots of walks around the property to see the horses. Now, is this a Cinderella story, or what?!

Gourmet Dog Biscuits

My name is Wesley, and I was very sick. I was living on the streets of Winter Haven, Florida until the animal control officers found me and took me to live where they take all of the animals they find. The conditions were not all that great, but I hung in there. And then one day a new friend came to break me out of that place.

My new friend had no way of knowing how sick I was. The animal control people had "fixed" me the day I left and said it was okay to take me. But I had a lot more going on than just trying to recover from surgery. I had to go to see Dr. James when we got to Gainesville, and after she looked at me, she said I was going to die if she did not help me. She said I was in critical condition and would be lucky to survive 24-48 hours. Dr. James worked really hard to help me, she said that I had no white blood cells because I had really bad infections in my eyes and ears, skin, and lungs. I was very anemic, my temperature was abnormally low, I was dehydrated, and my stool was black making her think I was bleeding in my upper GI tract, And I was trying to recover from being "fixed" on top of all of this!

As you can see, I am doing much better now and am ready for my new forever home. Without your support, I wouldn't have a future to look forward to! Please help SCMR continue to save little ones like me. I sure would appreciate it!!!!

Just as parents 'childproof' their home, so should pet owners 'petproof' theirs. Four-legged members of the family, like infants and small children, are naturally curious and love to explore their environment with their paws, claws and mouths. But they can't know what is dangerous and what is not... so it's up to you to make your home a safe haven. The following tips can help ensure that your pet enjoys a long, happy and accident-free life in your care.

• Screen windows to guard against falls.
• Don't let young pets out on balconies, upper porches or high decks.
• Many house plants, including dieffenbachia, elephant ear, spider plants and more are poisonous if eaten. Remove them or put them out of reach in hanging baskets.
• Puppies love to chew when they're teething, so unplug, remove or cover electrical cords.
• Don't leave a room unattended where a fire is lit or a space heater is being used.
• Plastic bags may be fun to play with, but they can suffocate.
• If your pet can put something in his mouth, he probably will. Don't leave small, sharp, easily swallowed objects lying around.

As a result of advances in veterinary medicine, more knowledgeable care and improved nutrition; dogs are now living much longer, healthier lives. But, just as for humans, the passage of time has its effects, and you may begin to notice that your once-frisky pet seems to have slowed down a bit. Being aware of the natural changes that can occur as your dog reaches his or her golden years, as well as what you can do to help keep your pet as healthy, active and comfortable as possible, can ensure that you both enjoy this final stage in your dog's life to the fullest.

1. Take your dog to his or her veterinarian for twice-yearly checkups.
2. Become informed about conditions and diseases common to senior dogs, be on the lookout for symptoms and, should they arise, inform your dog’s veterinarian promptly.
3. Feed your dog the best food you can afford and consider giving him two small meals a day rather than one large one.
4. Don’t overfeed—obesity causes many health problems and may shorten your dog’s life.
5. Consider, on your veterinarian’s recommendation, the use of dietary supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin for arthritis. Your veterinarian may recommend daily pain medication.
6. Make sure your dog receives adequate exercise, according to his physical capacities.
7. Look after your dog’s dental health. Brush his teeth daily and have them cleaned professionally when your veterinarian so advises.
8. Have your veterinarian do a risk assessment to determine an appropriate vaccination protocol for your dog.
9. Do your utmost to control ticks and fleas and make sure your dog and his environment (his bed, play area, etc.) are always spotlessly clean.
10. Give your dog lots of love and attention and do all you can to keep him interested, active, happy and comfortable.