Mei arrived from overseas April 2nd, and we’ve already fallen in love with this goofy girl!

Even though she has a lot of medical stuff going on that’s at the least very uncomfortable but more than likely quite painful, Mei is a happy beagle, and a HUNGRY beagle!

She is very playful, running around the yard with other beagles, and starting to come in close for gentle pets.

She’s had her first veterinary exam and has started medicine for her ears and eyes and she seems to be feeling better.

She loves a cozy bed, loves attention, and did we mention Mei is quite fond of food?

Mei made a very long trip from Beijing to Los Angeles in hopes of getting some medical help for her eyes and ears. Though Mei is only three years old, this sweet little beagle girl has been suffering with undiagnosed eye and ear maladies for a long time. Mei had been rescued by a one-woman rescue who had several dogs, and when she passed away, other rescuers tried to take dogs into their care. We were asked if we could help Mei come to the U.S. and get medical help, and we were happy to be able to say yes.

Mei’s ears are both completely closed due to severe infections; she screamed when the doctor touched her ears. Due to the severity of the infections, it’s not even possible to look into her ears or clean them; no cleaner can penetrate the closed ear canal.  Mei tilts her head and walks in circles and appears to have impaired hearing, probably from the infections. 

To add to her discomfort, Mei has a condition called Keratoconjunctivitis sicca – dry eye, so severe there’s a film over her one eye that looks like a cataract. She can see but it does seem like she has some difficulty.

She’s been started on medications for her ears and will go back to the vet in a week for another treatment. We’re hoping that the first treatment will have helped to open the canal somewhat. We’re trying to avoid a surgical procedure.

Mei is now having three different eye medications administered twice daily and we’ll monitor for improvement.

With all of this pain and discomfort, you’d think Mei would be sad and grumpy but in true beagle fashion, Mei is a happy little thing! Yes, she’s a little chubby and we’ll have to address that, too, but she’s already running around the yard with the other beagles and finding her way to claim a favorite spot on the couch.