Odin's Law
This is not about Marshfield's Constantine "Odin" but a rescue dog. I wrote most of this before we put Odin down on August 28th.
Odin didn't deserve the end of his life to be like this. He might have had several good years ahead of him. If he did not, he could have been euthanized in the presence of the woman who loved him. I owe it to Odin to make some changes to see to it that this doesn't happen again.
Odin and Freya were rescued a few years ago by a woman in the Air Force who was stationed in New Mexico. When she was transferred to Germany, the dogs bounced back to rescue. The good folks in GSP rescue found a home in Maine. The dogs were vaccinated by a New Mexico veterinarian and given heath certificates to travel.
A volunteer set up the transportation route and found volunteers to relay the dogs all the way across the country. More than 29 people drove the dogs cross-country in one to two and a half hour “legs” on two weekends with a week-long foster in the middle. Three others fostered the dog for at least one night.
The volunteer effort was enormous. I estimate (with good fuel efficiency and cheap gas) over $500 was donated in fuel, and at least 86 hours of people's lives were spent driving over 5000 miles. You have to double each trip, because folks go round-trip. I tried to add it all up and something like 50 people have volunteered some time to make this adoption possible. Each one did a fantastic job and should be applauded.
Within a couple of weeks, it was clear Odin wasn't going to work out. He'd snapped at at least one of the kids, and others in the family. The family veterinarian in Maine ran a simple blood test called 4DX, which showed Odin had Ehrlichiosis. It's a tick-borne disease uncommon in New England. She recommended blood work for Odin, which the new family refused. She recommended four weeks of antibiotics and they paid for three. The veterinarian did not diagnose any medical reason for Odin's behavior. I really can't blame the adopters for not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars for a dog who they weren't going to keep.
That's when I got the call from GSP Rescue. I picked up Odin and Freya the next day and observed while the family said good bye. I noticed he was sore in his hind end almost immediately. I noticed one of the children was afraid of Odin, but not afraid of Freya. This backed up the claim that he snapped at at least one child, and even if the mother exaggerated the story a little to protect her son, that's what mothers are supposed to do. Odin seemed a little depressed, but did not strike me as an aggressive dog, nor a fearful one. It seemed odd he'd bite anyone. I felt I was rescuing the dogs from the family and the family from the dogs.
My wife is a veterinarian, she is also one of four certified animal chiropractors in the state. She took one look at Odin and said “He's lame on his left front.” She pointed out he stood with more weight on his right foot, and he does. I did a double take and noticed his left “wrist” was thicker than his right. She later diagnosed knee problems, hip soreness and pain in his back. The extent of those injuries need to be verified with x-rays.
Dr. Temm (my wife's boss), my wife and I all read Odin's medical record. He's been treated for and cleared of heartworm. He's had a fungal infection called Valley Fever that has infected his lungs, his joints and even his anal glands. Apparently once the fungus was killed, the veterinarian and original owner stopped managing pain or even worrying about arthritis in his joints. Odin had pain constantly. It ranged from mild to severe, but he was a stoic fellow. The signs were easy to see, but you do had to look. I always will believe he snapped at people because he was afraid they would hurt him.
Odin needed treatment for his ehrlichia, and that required money. He needed a blood panel done immediately to see if he needed further treatments and if his organs were functioning normally. He also needed a work-up for his pain to see how to manage it. He also needed a professional evaluation that says he's OK to place with someone.
In the alternative, his bite history made him a poor candidate for adoption, and treating him would be expensive (taking resources from easier to place dogs in the system), so euthanasia was not out of the question.
I asked for the money to test him and got it. Had we gotten the approval to run his CBC/Chem the day we asked for it (without paper estimates) and then gotten permission to treat aggressively, Odin's tale might have a happy ending. But delay was a sure death sentence. When we ran his CBC/Chem. His kidneys were failing and even with aggressive treatment he likely wouldn't make it. I honestly don't believe spending a lot of money on a dog who might not make it – and if he does, might bite someone – is a good use of rescue dollars.
I would have preferred we knew this earlier, because it's harder to put the needle to a dog who you've spent time with and come to enjoy. Odin was having a bad day pain-wise and he snapped at me too. I honestly was surprised, but not really.
I'd like to propose “Odin's Law” to help prevent a situation like this happening in the future. I don't believe any rescue dog should be transported across state lines without a clear 4DX. The 4DX is a simple and relatively inexpensive test that checks for heartworm, ehrlichia, anaplasmosis and Lyme. The first three are fatal if not treated early enough. The surrendering party should pay for it, and if they can't or won't the adoptive family should. If they can't or won't, they don't have enough money to pay for proper medical attention in the first place. Odin's Law would:
We made Odin happy for the first time since we met him. He became a typical pain-in-the-butt German Shorthaired Pointer. My surrender evaluation was totally inaccurate because his calm, stoic demeanor was all due to pain and suffering. To keep him comfortable, we had him on medications at dosages that would destroy his liver in a matter of months. But his kidneys were so damaged, he had weeks at best to live. His happy demeanor made it hard to destroy him.
I read everything about Odin and Freya that I had available several times. Odin was the perfect example of a dog who didn't need any special testing. From what I can glean from the records, his “mom” did everything recommended in his vet records. I can tell from her words and deeds she loved these dogs very much.
She bought premium dog food from the veterinarian's office. She unfailingly purchased heartworm medication and flea prevention. There is no indication that she ever refused anything her veterinarian recommended. As far as I can tell, she spared no expense and cut no corner. Only with 20/20 hindsight vision did I notice that he hasn't evidently been on tick prevention, and he hasn't ever had a 4DX.
As I said before, I owe it to Odin to make sure his last few weeks weren't totally wasted. Frankly, GSP Rescue owes it to all volunteers in general and me specifically to run a 4DX immediately prior to transport. Neither his veterinarian, nor his owner, nor anyone in rescue had any reason to suspect Odin had Ehrlichiosis, but he did. And that's why “Odin's Law” needs to be enacted and enforced.
I'm sure you can understand why I will not foster or transport any dogs unless they have had a recent 4DX. I hope “Odin's Law” can be drafted and passed for EVERY RESCUE GROUP in the country with a minimum of parliamentary procedure.
Until then, you as a volunteer or local chapter can do the following:
Please send the link to this blog entry. Do not copy and paste the text. I'd like to keep tabs on how many people read it. blog.marshfieldkennel.com/2009/12/09/odins-law.aspx
UPDATE: Odin's Law is the law of Maine Click Here
Odin didn't deserve the end of his life to be like this. He might have had several good years ahead of him. If he did not, he could have been euthanized in the presence of the woman who loved him. I owe it to Odin to make some changes to see to it that this doesn't happen again.
Odin and Freya were rescued a few years ago by a woman in the Air Force who was stationed in New Mexico. When she was transferred to Germany, the dogs bounced back to rescue. The good folks in GSP rescue found a home in Maine. The dogs were vaccinated by a New Mexico veterinarian and given heath certificates to travel.
A volunteer set up the transportation route and found volunteers to relay the dogs all the way across the country. More than 29 people drove the dogs cross-country in one to two and a half hour “legs” on two weekends with a week-long foster in the middle. Three others fostered the dog for at least one night.
The volunteer effort was enormous. I estimate (with good fuel efficiency and cheap gas) over $500 was donated in fuel, and at least 86 hours of people's lives were spent driving over 5000 miles. You have to double each trip, because folks go round-trip. I tried to add it all up and something like 50 people have volunteered some time to make this adoption possible. Each one did a fantastic job and should be applauded.
Within a couple of weeks, it was clear Odin wasn't going to work out. He'd snapped at at least one of the kids, and others in the family. The family veterinarian in Maine ran a simple blood test called 4DX, which showed Odin had Ehrlichiosis. It's a tick-borne disease uncommon in New England. She recommended blood work for Odin, which the new family refused. She recommended four weeks of antibiotics and they paid for three. The veterinarian did not diagnose any medical reason for Odin's behavior. I really can't blame the adopters for not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars for a dog who they weren't going to keep.
That's when I got the call from GSP Rescue. I picked up Odin and Freya the next day and observed while the family said good bye. I noticed he was sore in his hind end almost immediately. I noticed one of the children was afraid of Odin, but not afraid of Freya. This backed up the claim that he snapped at at least one child, and even if the mother exaggerated the story a little to protect her son, that's what mothers are supposed to do. Odin seemed a little depressed, but did not strike me as an aggressive dog, nor a fearful one. It seemed odd he'd bite anyone. I felt I was rescuing the dogs from the family and the family from the dogs.
My wife is a veterinarian, she is also one of four certified animal chiropractors in the state. She took one look at Odin and said “He's lame on his left front.” She pointed out he stood with more weight on his right foot, and he does. I did a double take and noticed his left “wrist” was thicker than his right. She later diagnosed knee problems, hip soreness and pain in his back. The extent of those injuries need to be verified with x-rays.
Dr. Temm (my wife's boss), my wife and I all read Odin's medical record. He's been treated for and cleared of heartworm. He's had a fungal infection called Valley Fever that has infected his lungs, his joints and even his anal glands. Apparently once the fungus was killed, the veterinarian and original owner stopped managing pain or even worrying about arthritis in his joints. Odin had pain constantly. It ranged from mild to severe, but he was a stoic fellow. The signs were easy to see, but you do had to look. I always will believe he snapped at people because he was afraid they would hurt him.
Odin needed treatment for his ehrlichia, and that required money. He needed a blood panel done immediately to see if he needed further treatments and if his organs were functioning normally. He also needed a work-up for his pain to see how to manage it. He also needed a professional evaluation that says he's OK to place with someone.
In the alternative, his bite history made him a poor candidate for adoption, and treating him would be expensive (taking resources from easier to place dogs in the system), so euthanasia was not out of the question.
I asked for the money to test him and got it. Had we gotten the approval to run his CBC/Chem the day we asked for it (without paper estimates) and then gotten permission to treat aggressively, Odin's tale might have a happy ending. But delay was a sure death sentence. When we ran his CBC/Chem. His kidneys were failing and even with aggressive treatment he likely wouldn't make it. I honestly don't believe spending a lot of money on a dog who might not make it – and if he does, might bite someone – is a good use of rescue dollars.
I would have preferred we knew this earlier, because it's harder to put the needle to a dog who you've spent time with and come to enjoy. Odin was having a bad day pain-wise and he snapped at me too. I honestly was surprised, but not really.
I'd like to propose “Odin's Law” to help prevent a situation like this happening in the future. I don't believe any rescue dog should be transported across state lines without a clear 4DX. The 4DX is a simple and relatively inexpensive test that checks for heartworm, ehrlichia, anaplasmosis and Lyme. The first three are fatal if not treated early enough. The surrendering party should pay for it, and if they can't or won't the adoptive family should. If they can't or won't, they don't have enough money to pay for proper medical attention in the first place. Odin's Law would:
- Prevent volunteers illegally transporting a heartworm positive dog into a state that forbids it, and
- Assure the adoptive family that the dog they are adopting is free of easily screened diseases, and
- Prevent the waste of money, volunteer time and emotional investment in a dog who has a fatal disease, and
- Prevent spreading these diseases (most of which are zoonotic) to the mosquito or tick populations in adoptive foster families' yards which would protect the people and pets in the entire neighborhood, and
- Might diagnose one of these diseases early enough to save a life.
We made Odin happy for the first time since we met him. He became a typical pain-in-the-butt German Shorthaired Pointer. My surrender evaluation was totally inaccurate because his calm, stoic demeanor was all due to pain and suffering. To keep him comfortable, we had him on medications at dosages that would destroy his liver in a matter of months. But his kidneys were so damaged, he had weeks at best to live. His happy demeanor made it hard to destroy him.
I read everything about Odin and Freya that I had available several times. Odin was the perfect example of a dog who didn't need any special testing. From what I can glean from the records, his “mom” did everything recommended in his vet records. I can tell from her words and deeds she loved these dogs very much.
She bought premium dog food from the veterinarian's office. She unfailingly purchased heartworm medication and flea prevention. There is no indication that she ever refused anything her veterinarian recommended. As far as I can tell, she spared no expense and cut no corner. Only with 20/20 hindsight vision did I notice that he hasn't evidently been on tick prevention, and he hasn't ever had a 4DX.
As I said before, I owe it to Odin to make sure his last few weeks weren't totally wasted. Frankly, GSP Rescue owes it to all volunteers in general and me specifically to run a 4DX immediately prior to transport. Neither his veterinarian, nor his owner, nor anyone in rescue had any reason to suspect Odin had Ehrlichiosis, but he did. And that's why “Odin's Law” needs to be enacted and enforced.
I'm sure you can understand why I will not foster or transport any dogs unless they have had a recent 4DX. I hope “Odin's Law” can be drafted and passed for EVERY RESCUE GROUP in the country with a minimum of parliamentary procedure.
Until then, you as a volunteer or local chapter can do the following:
- Do not transport, foster or adopt any dog without a recent 4DX test. You might be breaking the law and putting your pets and family at risk.
- Ask whenever you get a call or email to help "What are the results of his latest 4DX test and when was it done?"
- Send a note to your local chapter and national charter of your rescue organization asking them to require 4DX prior to interstate transport and adoption.
Please send the link to this blog entry. Do not copy and paste the text. I'd like to keep tabs on how many people read it. blog.marshfieldkennel.com/2009/12/09/odins-law.aspx
UPDATE: Odin's Law is the law of Maine Click Here
This story while compelling is hard to follow as written. It needs some editing to make the sequence of events clearer. As well, white type on black background is very hard to read in a small typeface. If you want people to read something, don't make it hard to see. Print it in black type on a white or very light background. I wound up copying the article onto another location so I could read it.
As for whether there should be an Odin's law, yes, but I think that's part of a larger picture--the tendency of so many rescue groups and shelters to move out dogs and cats as fast as they can without regard for the individual animal's health issues that might be more than the adopting family can afford to treat.
In some states, puppy lemon laws require pet shops to make sure they are selling healthy animals or make good on them if not. But we don't hold shelters and rescue groups to the same standard.
I think Odin is the tip of a big iceberg. Shelters and rescue groups are not holy entities. They need to be held to the same professionals standards that we demand of breeders and other wholesale and retail animal sellers.
Roberta Pliner, New York
Thank you. I wrote most of this immediately prior to and following euthanizing a rescue dog in my care. Perhaps some editing is in order. The sequence of events is:
1) Odin was surrendered in Arizona and adopted by a member of the military stationed in New Mexico.
2) Odin was treated for preexisting ailments and well taken care of while in New Mexico.
3) His owner was transfered her to Germany and Odin (and another dog) was surrendered yet again.
4) Odin (and another dog) was transported by volunteer relay 2,500 miles to Maine.
5) Odin snapped at/bit members of his adoptive family.
6) Odin was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis and Odin was not diagnosed with pain or any other medical reason for his behavior. According to veterinary records, Odin's new adoptive family declined recommended diagnostics and recommended treatment.
7) National called me directly when nobody stepped up to help and I violated my "no foster" policy for this special case.
8) Odin required either further diagnostics to determine his condition (and treatment), or an order to euthanize him.
9) We requested money to run diagnostics -- verbal estimate.
10) We got word that we needed a written estimate, which we generatred.
11) We waited.
12) We got verbal approval to do the test, but now needed written approval, which we got quickly.
13) CBC/Chem revealed irreversible renal (kidney) failure likely the result of Ehrlichiosis.
14) We euthanized Odin a few days later when the drugs we had him on didn't stop his pain.
I have white letters on dark green, which I selected because it's actually easier on the eyes than dark on white. It's something like #2 after white on blue. The font size is determined by your browser. I have looked at my site on a variety of computers and with a variety of browsers and it looks nice.
I'd like there actually to NOT be any extra laws on the books. I think the rescue groups need to (and can and will) fix this internally. GSP rescue is one of the best organizations I have ever worked with and I'm pretty certain we will clean this up. Laws tend to punish the law-abiding, not those who don't care. There is no money in Maine to investigate or prosecute domestic animal protection laws and won't be for maybe a decade.
I also agree that this is the tip of a big ice floe. Dr. Amanda has seen about nine newly acquired pets in the past year with nasty problems that were present at the time of acquisition. Four were shelter adoptees (some with exceptionally high adoption fees), Odin was one, the rest were pet-store purchases. All nine issues were easily diagnosable at the time of acquisition. I don't think the pubic is aware enough that some shelters and rescue groups are better than others.
Odin's story- Having done rescue for many years now this is such a true story, but naking a law would condemn thousands of dogs. IN the shelters that I pull from- the option of heartworm testing is given to me- at a fair price-may be just heartworm opr a 3 or 4DX.
If the dogs is heartworm positive my vet sends a note along for the transport that the dog is being shipped so they can be treated.
Potentially adoptive familied need to realize that the adoption fee doesn't guarantee a healthy dog- thangs canhappen. The rescue group needs to be responsible to make sure adoptive families know this- as well as do the 3 or 4DX test if not already done.
Odin's story is a sad one- may.maybe not preventable, but there are around 30 very happy/healthy heartworm/or Ehrlichia positive dogs that have been treated and placed in loving homes- that by this suggested law would never have had a chance.
Shelters/rescue groups that charge large fees then have problems have done the pets a disservice if that pets is returned for financial reasons. The emotional drain on the owners/rescue and shelter workers when this happens burns out them then those that have done such good things are no longer willing to adopt/pull/ post those pet that so deserve to have a chance.
There is no easy answer- taking responsibility and being aware of what possibilites(financial/emotional) is the best we can do.
Let me state again what I am proposing: That rescue organizations make it a matter of policy that no dog be adopted across state lines without a 4DX test.
I'm suggesting Odin needed to be diagnosed while in New Mexico, not Maine. Scores of people wasted countless hours and thousands of dollars on this dog. That is not a good use of rescue resources.
Odin's sad tale was 100% preventable. If rescue required a 4DX prior to surrender, his treatment could have started weeks earlier and he'd likely be happy with his new family. Or if he was already untreatable, he'd have been euthanized with his owner, and not me. Rescue has three resources: money, volunteer time and adoptive homes. Odin wasted all three. In addition to the bills he racked up, the money and time spent to transport him were wasted. The adoptive family was as well as they won't take in another rescue and I'm fairly certain nobody they know will either. My commitment to GSP rescue has been reduced. I don't know if I will ever get involved with a dog from outside the region.
It's already illegal to bring a Heart Worm positive dog into Maine even with a doctor's note, but southern shelters send them here all the time. These sick dogs infect their environment and need to stay put. Dr. Amanda has experience with this and the folks are told the treatment will cost a few hundred dollars. It can cost in the mid-thousands to treat heart worm here.
I respectfully disagree that these dogs should be adopted at all. Until we find homes for all the healthy dogs, we are wasting resources on sick ones. The 30 sick dogs you write of are alive, but hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dogs are euthanized in shelters in the US each year. Those 30 dogs took the place of 30 healthy ones and at much greater monetary cost. I hate to make it about money, but it's a limiting factor for shelters, rescue organizations and the limiting factor for whether a dog's family pays for veterinary care or euthanasia.
But, I am ONLY trying to make 4DX testing mandatory prior to interstate adoption as a matter of rescue policy. That's all.
First off, why would people slam someone for taking once again precious time out of their life to help and share information. I think we were all able to understand and take from the article what was needed.
Second I like the idea of not bringing all the southern rescues up to the northeast. All beings deserve a great life but you cant fix the problem by sending the dogs north. People need to be held accountable and I know in my town they know exactly what I have for dogs and have to register them. All testing should be done when breeding or giving dogs up for adoption whether purebred or mutt. The current culture in this country to adopt mixes and stay away from purebreds just feeds into this rescue problem. If all dogs must be tested there will less problems and heart breaks. Great breeders and health testing is the answer. I have never bred and sold a pup that has ever ended up in rescue because Im responsible for my dogs and line and everyone should be the same.
While I tend to agree that rescue dogs should be dealt with in the state or region they originate, it's a numbers game. There are more unwanted dogs down south than there are homes to adopt them, and more adopters than we have rescue dogs to go around in the northeast.
Irresponsible breeders exist because 1) there aren't enough responsible breeders to produce enough pups to meet the demand and 2) people are so cheap when it comes to shopping for a puppy they are willing to purchase pups from breeders who don't do proper evaluations and screenings.
The folks who spay and neuter their pups because they are responsible are the ones who would likely make the most responsible breeders. It's a Catch 22.