What's Up, Buttercup

Our current foster dog Buttercup has had quite the saga that I haven't been keeping you guys up to date on.


Two days before she was scheduled to be spayed, she went into heat. Vets don't like to spay dogs that are in heat because it's hard on the animal, so we had to cancel the surgery. Any adoption will have to be delayed now until after her heat and spay.

Then, we noticed that a few funny looking little nodules/pimples/bumps that have been on her face since we got her were starting to look worse. I hadn't worried up until that point because I had assumed they were leftover irritations or indications of stress that would go away on their own.

When they got a bit worse, I got worried. Then, one abscessed. Her face swelled.

We went to the vet. She gave Buttercup a hard look, asked a few questions, and diagnosed the problem: porcupine quills. They had been in her face for at least three weeks, and probably longer. Her former owner had not taken her to the vet for these injuries, and as a results poor Buttercup has a whole lot of tiny quill tips still in her face, aching and festering. Her body is trying to eject them, which is why the raised bumps are appearing on her skin.

The vet managed to drain the abscess and sent me home with instructions to help keep down infection while the quills are working out. Then, a few days later, another of the quills abscessed. This one was different. It got bigger than the last abscess and was in a more difficult spot. This time the vet had to sedate her to drain it, and sent me home with more instructions and medication.

So here's poor Buttercup, in heat, with a face full of needles. This dog has been through a lot.

Something went right, though. In the midst of her medical troubles, a kind-hearted woman with a soft spot for Rottweiler mixes found Buttercup's adoption profile online, excitedly submitted an application, and was approved to adopt her!


We've had a few long phone conversations and the woman has been here once already to meet Buttercup, although we still can't send her home until she's spayed. The woman will be coming again this weekend to take her on a walk.

We're very happy. They seem like a really good match. We get to keep her for another few weeks, and she's so easy that we're happy to do it. I think Buttercup's luck in life is slowly turning.