Crystal 2

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Update 7/24/05: Crystal seems to be her same self again, but this sweet gal has had a little setback over the last couple of weeks. When symptoms similar to a stomach virus in humans started to plague her, her foster mom took Crystal to the vet who in turn kept her for 2 days and nights. Crystal had continued to eat her food as usual but wasn’t keeping it down. Nor was she drinking enough water. Her glucose was starting to get too low and she was dehydrated and lethargic.

Her brief hospitalization allowed the vet to get her past the virus and back to a safe place with her glucose count. She is doing much better, is home now and on a special diet and on antibiotics. She really had her foster family worried, but she is making a good recovery in their watchful care and should be playing with her foster brothers very soon again!

Update 4/25/05: When Crystal visited the vet today for her two-month checkup, her glucose numbers were high. She will be rechecked in a few days and if necessary, adjustments in her insulin or diet can be made.

Despite the glucose count, she seems to be just fine. All her normal activities have not changed. She likes to play with soft squeaky toys. When she takes them outside, she’ll lay them down, and if nobody bothers them, she will be able to find them again. In the mornings, her foster dad says she will run right through her resident brothers, just about knocking them over, so she can be first to go out.

Everyone she meets takes to her right away. She has not had the opportunity to be around children younger than 5. Children she has been in contact with have been a little older, mostly at the vet’s office and she loves the attention they give her. She loves to ride in the car. As soon as her foster mom puts her harness on, she gets very excited and runs right to the door.

There is some construction going in Crystal’s foster home right now and traffic was redirected to another door. She got used to the new location real fast; she is a very remarkable girl. She loves to roll around in the grass and rub her head in it. She follows her foster mom everywhere she goes and lays down in that room as close as she can get. When she is being petted and loved on, she will talk. One can’t help but love her.

Crystal would do well in a family with older children and other dogs as she likes to play. It might be well if there were no cats in the home as she is afraid of the resident cat in her foster home. Also, gating full flights of stairs for her safety is important. She is full of love and affection and is waiting for a family to share that with.

Update 2/28/05: Crystal visited the vet today for a checkup and passed with flying colors!! Her glucose count is at a safe number and she has gained some more weight, coming in at 49.5 lbs. Weight control will always be important for her well-being, and, it’s now time to start cutting back her food a little as she is getting a bit plump.

She loves the snow. She will roll around and rub her face in it. She still has her favorite little toy but has found some others to occasionally play with. She’s still a couch potato, and when she wants to snuggle, she will walk over to her person and let her know. She is totally housetrained and reliable for at least 6 to 7 hours, although during the day, her foster mom lets her out more often.

Crystal is just so cute that one wants to squeeze her all the time. She is low maintenance but likes her visit to the groomer to get her bath. With consistent and vigilant care taking of this beautiful little girl, she can live a long healthy life. Can she share your heart and couch??

Update 1/11/05: Crystal came through her recent surgery with flying colors. Fortunately, the mammary tumors and lump by her tail were NOT cancer. She was spayed and has shiny white teeth again. After an overnight with the vet, both Crystal and her foster mom were excited when she went home. It felt a bit empty around the foster home while Crystal was gone, but she is back and is keeping her foster family busy again. She is on antibiotics and returns to the vet in 2 weeks to get her stitches out. With attentive care from her foster family, her diabetes is under control, and, her weight and blood count have leveled off.

Crystal’s temperament is excellent around adults, male dogs, and cats. She hasn’t met any female dogs since in foster care or small children. She had her first experience around other adults in her foster home this past weekend. She was a bit shy to begin with, but she got over it very quickly, as everyone ooohed and aaahed over her with petting.

At times Crystal is vocal with her raspy voice but she is not a barker. She loves to be around her foster mom as much as possible and gets very excited when her foster mom returns from an outing. Crystal is still working on commands, gradually becoming a bit more familiar with the basic ones. She is definitely a coffee table surfer. She recently enjoyed a lunch that her foster mom had left on the coffee table for herself. Needless to say, her foster mom is more careful now!

Crystal still has to go out often to do her business and would benefit from having someone home with her often or from a carefully placed doggie door. She is a real good girl, sweet as can be, and will be a wonderful addition to someone’s family.

Original: Crystal was relinquished to MAESSR when her owner could no longer care for her properly. At 35 pounds, she was pretty skinny, with her ribs and back bone easily felt. This was probably due to her diabetes. She is on insulin twice daily, and, that will be a permanent part of her life. When she visited the vet with her foster family, the type and amount of insulin was changed. She is doing better, but it will take a few weeks to find the right combination for the best regulation. After that is accomplished, her foster family will deal with other known health issues which are spaying and the removal of mammary tumors. Through all of her vet work, Crystal has been very cooperative.

Crystal is housetrained and has only had 2 accidents since in her foster home. To assure this, her foster mom sees that she goes out often. At bedtime she goes in her crate and settles down for the night, at least 7 hours. She can and should be crated during the day, if no one is home. Her foster mom believes the crate is necessary, for her own well-being, when no one is around to keep an eye on her. A good alternative is taking Crystal along as she is very good in the car and loves to ride. Some stairs are an issue for Crystal. She navigates half flights well, getting off and on the deck without much prompting. Full flights should be gated off as she goes up well, but becomes apprehensive and needs to be guided down. Otherwise, she is good around the house despite her blindness. She wanders around, finding her way, and also responds to sounds.

Her activity level is more like a couch potato, but she’s active at times and likes to play with the resident male springers. At other times she will just walk around the house or the yard. She doesn’t have much interest in toys and she pays no mind to the resident cat. How she is with female dogs or children of any age is unknown, but her foster family would recommend older children who would understand her blindness.

When Crystal arrived at her foster home, she was a bit dirty and stinky and in need of grooming. With one trip to the groomer, she felt like a new girl and it could be seen in her actions. She gets very excited when she hasn’t seen someone for awhile and she will jump up. A firm “NO” and some loving settles her down. She loves to be around her people and will follow them to any room, if it’s accessible to her. She’s either on the couch or lying on the floor next to her foster mom’s feet. She doesn’t counter surf or beg, although no food is left on the coffee table, nor is trash out. It has been her foster mom’s experience that Crystal may or may not go for it. Her commands are very rusty and need work. She understands “no,” “outside,” “inside,” “crate,” and “come.” Response will take a minute while she locates where the voice is coming from. She will pull on her leash. She shows no food aggression and is not on a special diet. Despite her medical problems, Crystal looks and acts healthy.

Crystal is a very good girl who does surprisingly well in daily life. She gives kisses and love back to the people who love and care for her. It would be best if she was adopted by a family with someone home all the time, so she is not crated all day and all night. She would do well with or without other dogs, although she enjoys the company of the resident springers, and doesn’t feel lonely, if left alone, when she has their company. There must be a very special family out there who can take this very special girl into their hearts and home. Would that be you?