An Update On A Dog That Has Captured

The Nation’s Attention

By Shannon Hicks

Pom-Pom continues to improve.

 That’s the word this week from Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals, where the Pomeranian that was found badly burned in the Exit 9 commuter lot on July 16 has been receiving treatment for more than three weeks.

“His ears are alert, he’s very bright. You say ‘Pom-Pom’ now and he looks at you with much more confidence,” hospital manager Dana Scuderi said last week. “He’s such a different dog from the scared, shivering dog that arrived here a few weeks ago. He’s a very happy dog these days.”

The dog had been discovered with severe burns covering about 75 percent of its body. It was taken at that time to The Animal Emergency Clinic of Danbury. Newtown Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason picked the dog up from the Danbury clinic on July 17, and brought it to the Newtown animal hospital, where it is staying for the first part of its recovery from the third-degree burns that covering the majority of its body. Ms Mason is hoping to foster the dog at her home when it is well enough to be released from the hospital. She will allow Pom-Pom to be adopted only when she feels he is medically ready to go to a new home.

The Newtown Bee first ran a story about the dog in its July 21 issue, and several local newspapers and media outlets have since followed suit. CNN, in fact, even picked up the story from Channel 8/WTNH and broadcast it, bringing national exposure to the plight of Pom-Pom.

“People are calling from all over the country, asking how he’s doing, and sending a lot of money for his care,” said Brian Silverlieb, VMD, of Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals. “A lot of the care we’re doing here we’re doing gratis. We’re really trying to keep these costs to an absolutely minimum for everybody.

“I think everyone just wants to see this little guy taken care of and see him go into a good home.”

When he was found in mid-July the dog had no tags and no collar, so no one knows who its previous owner or name was. There is also no way of knowing whether Pom-Pom was abandoned by someone using the commuter lot as a quick dropping point from nearby I-84 or if he ran away from a home in the Hawleyville area.

Within the first week of the dog’s stay at the animal hospital, staff members had taken to calling him Pom-Pom.

Pom-Pom is still staying at the animal hospital, but he did spend a few nights away from the hospital last weekend when he was released into the temporary care of Ms Mason. She and her daughter Melissa visited Edmond Town Hall and the police station on Monday morning before it was time to get Pom-Pom back to the animal hospital.

While Ms Mason talked with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and his staff at the town hall, Pom-Pom walked confidently from room to room, first from the first selectman’s suite of offices across the town hall lobby, poking his head into the town clerk’s office, then back across the lobby toward The Mary Hawley Room. He even headed toward the entrance to the auditorium before returning to Ms Mason. Although he is still heavily bandaged, his appearance this week is a far cry from the frightened dog that cowered in a kennel at the animal hospital a few weeks ago.

“They’re spoiling him over there,” Ms Mason said with a laugh, referring to the affection and attention that has been lavished upon Pom-Pom by the staff of Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals. “He’s getting great medical attention, plus lots of love and toys.

“I’m so impressed by what Dr Silverlieb is doing,” she said.

Brian Silverlieb has determined that the dog is about 2 years old. He says the young Pom has “a wonderful disposition” and that aside from the burns that put him into the hospital the dog is in “excellent health. He’s an exceptionally nice dog.

“This dog is doing really well,” said Dr Silverlieb. “He’s a happy little guy — he loves it when we work on him, and he has been responding very well to his treatments.”

Pom-Pom is still on antibiotics and pain medications, said the vet. The dog is bathed daily in a solution of Chlorhexiderm, which is an antiseptic solution, and then clean biodressings are put. The dead tissue from the burns has slowly been removed.

“We were able to cut it off a little at a time, and he’s got a nice bed now of healing tissues,” said Dr Silverlieb.

Dr Rick Mitchell, an equine veterinarian in Newtown, donated two Acell Vet patches to the hospital. The special patches promote the restoration of tissue in acute and chronic skin wounds and surgery. The tissue-engineered bandages, called scaffolding, form a netlike cover called epithelium.

“It’s quite an expensive product, and he donated it, which was really so generous of him,” said Dr Silverlieb.

The first patch was applied last week, and the veterinarian was pleased with it.

“What happens is the epithelium will spread right along the scaffold, and that helps heal the wound,” Dr Silverlieb explained. “What we’re hoping is that it doesn’t become necessary to do a skin grafting. The wound is huge, but it’s looking really good.

“He’s doing really well, and I’ve very optimistic that he’s going to be just fine.”

Since the story broke about Pom-Pom’s injuries and the dog’s uphill battle, the hospital and the town’s animal control office have received dozens of calls from people.

Those wishing to make donations for the dog’s care have been referred to Canine Advocates of Newtown.

“We have received about $2,000, and it’s coming from all over the place,” Canine Advocates President Virginia Jess said on August 9. “We’ve had emails from all over the place. Children have written to us saying they hope Pom-Pom will get better. Other people have sent donations with notes saying they are the owner of a Pomeranian, or they own a rescued dog.

“People have sent everything from $5 and up,” Ms Jess continued. Updates are offered on the Canine Advocates website (CanineAdvocates.org), and Ms Jess has been so overwhelmed by phone calls that she is asking people to use the email link from the group’s website to contact her.

Carolee Mason mentioned last week that she and assistant animal control officer Amy Andras have received an average of 40 calls daily from people looking to make donations to Pom-Pom’s recovery or to ask about adopting him.

“We’ve had people calling from Oklahoma and Texas in addition to those calling from across the state,” Ms Mason said. “We’d like to keep him in the area so that we can keep track of how he’s doing, but we aren’t even thinking about the adoption process yet. It’s too early to think about that, but I promise you he’ll go to a good home.”