Safe Harbor will be the featured rescue at Quality Paws Natural Pet for their First Friday Fundraiser this month.

Buy an XL Kong for $15 ($27 value) to donate to Safe Harbor Lab Rescue. Dogs will receive the Kong at adoption, to ease their transition and give them a job in their new home.


Thank you to Wag and Train and Quality Paws for including us in this fun event. Come on out for a great evening, support Safe Harbor Lab Rescue, and enjoy South Broadway First Friday.

Nikki is one darling 9 year old yellow Lab who had a difficult journey to Safe Harbor. She was hit by a car last July, resulting in a paralyzed face, shattered teeth, and damage to her eyelid.

Nikki was lucky to land with fosters Chris and Ed. They have been most creative in caring for Nikki, from designating a carpet square where she can easily pick up her food, to taking her swimming at a doggy pool. She continues to re-learn how to drink. Nikki loves toys but has a difficult time picking them up - a tennis ball with a portion cut away solved that problem!

Thank you, Chris and Ed, for the extra care you took in rehabilitating Nikki. And thank you to all our generous supporters - we very much appreciate your thoughtful donations that are so helpful in getting Labs like Nikki (and Sawyer, below) the care they need and into wonderful homes. What would we do without you!

Click here to provide help for the Labs of Safe Harbor, or click here to learn how to provide foster care for a Safe Harbor Lab.

We are happy to report that Nikki was adopted 3 days ago in a very special adoption. Sally, who had previously adopted Annie from Safe Harbor, adopted both Sawyer, recovering from heart worm, AND Nikki this week! Thank you, Sally and friend Kim Lee.

Q & A with Dr. Steen, DVM,
Director of General Practice, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital
Consulting Vet, Safe Harbor Lab Rescue

Lab Gab: What is bloat?
Dr. Steen: Bloat is the term for gastric dilatation and volvulus, or GDV. A GDV occurs when the stomach becomes distended with food and air, becomes rotationally unstable and flips on its axis. This traps the food and gas in the stomach, and with nowhere to escape, the stomach becomes more and more distended. As the stomach becomes bigger, it occludes the major blood vessels in the abdominal cavity, trapping blood in the back legs, which causes shock.

Lab Gab: Do certain breeds tend to get bloat more than others?
Dr. Steen: Large, deep chested breeds are more likely to bloat. In a study done at Purdue University by Dr. Glickman, the incidence for giant breeds was 21.6% and for large breeds it was 24%.

Lab Gab: How could my dog get bloat?
Dr. Steen: We still do not know what triggers bloat, but it may be associated with large meals, excessive water intake, exercise or stress after a meal and aerophagia (swallowing air).

Lab Gab: How do I know if my dog has bloat?
Dr. Steen: The most common sign of bloat is a non-productive retch where the dog is attempting to vomit but nothing is coming out. Most of the time there is obvious distention of the abdomen, pain (the dog will pace or act uncomfortable), rapid breathing, drooling and signs of shock (pale gums, weakness, rapid heartbeat).

Lab Gab: Is it serious?
Dr. Steen: Bloat is is a surgical emergency - without surgery it is 100% fatal. If you suspect bloat in your dog, call your veterinarian or go to the nearest emergency hospital. An x-ray will confirm bloat, after which dogs are treated for shock and taken to surgery to untwist the stomach.

Lab Gab: What can I do to help prevent my dog from getting bloat?
Dr. Steen: If your dog is at risk for bloat, you can elect to have a preventative procedure called a gastropexy, where the stomach is surgically attached to the wall of the abdomen to prevent it from flipping. The failure rate for this procedure is very low and it can be done with a laparascope, minimizing invasiveness. We often perform gastropexies at the same time we spay and neuter at risk breeds.

"I came to Colorado for a change of scenery and to look for a job. I didn't find a job, but I rebuilt my dog family." How fortunate for Sunny and Star, and how fortunate we were that a friend of Kara's introduced her to Safe Harbor!

In addition to adopting her two new Labs, Kara has facilitated adoptions, checked references, served as photographer when needed, and transported dogs here and there, and, as she says, "Helped out in a pinch!"

Early in May, Kara and her lovely Labs will move out of state where she will attend graduate school, pursuing a Masters in Accounting. From afar, she will continue to edit our Lab Gab - Hooray!

Kara's "special memories" about her year with us? Photographing last year's LabFest - 115 wet, shaking, ball-chasing, swimming dogs as well as completing a couple of transports on "extreme" weather days. Brave woman on both counts!

We are grateful for Kara's continuing commitment and excellent work as editor of our Lab Gab, and will miss her wonderful and caring perception of what dogs and people do for each other.

Thank you to our "pup" reporter, Ginny Smith, for the Spotlight articles, and for Nikki's story.

Follow this link to find out how you can become a Safe Harbor Volunteer.