Entered: 12/15/2018
Status: Adopted
Age: 6
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 69 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Severna Park, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, receiving increased dosage of inexpensive medication to regulate under-active thyroid, transitioned to a kibble to help her attain a healthy weight, treatments for UTI and ear infections successfully completed
Temperament: Good with people as young as 4 (younger unknown), good with other dogs, cats unknown
Update 03/25/2019: “It is obvious that Dee is feeling better; she recently started coming up and down the stairs more often and has grown more rambunctious at the dog park.”
Dee Dee continues her journey toward health and fitness. Her latest thyroid test shows improvement, but because her levels are still low, the vet increased the dosage of her pill. She is scheduled for another test in three weeks. In the past month, her weight loss improved – she’s down from 73 to 69.7 pounds, mostly due to diet dog kibble. Her exercise has stayed the same – twice a day brisk walks, 45 minutes each. Way to go, girl!
It is obvious that Dee is feeling better; she recently started coming up and down the stairs more often and has grown more rambunctious at the dog park. She’s also become more vocal. She’ll bark three times at delivery trucks and grumble when strange men approach. Grumbles turn instantly to welcome, like she’s done her job of alerting her family and can now relax.
Dee may have enjoyed chasing cars in her previous life. If a car passes by while she’s walking on the road’s shoulder, she gets a gleam in her eye and skips a few steps. She has a good “sit,” and responds to “off” much better than the resident dog. Maybe Dee Dee will be a good influence on her canine foster buddy…
Overall, this sweetie continues to be a quiet and self-reliant girl. Dee is affectionate but not demanding. She would love to welcome in the springtime with her new forever family.
Update 02/19/2019: “Her twice daily walks will bump up a bit as her ‘Couch to 1K’ training continues.”
Dee Dee continues to do well in foster care. She’s self-sufficient and not overly needy. She’ll come for belly rubs and likes to hang out with people but, when the fun is over, she accepts it with good grace. She enjoys walking around the neighborhood. New dogs get an immediate hello from her; new people are given 10 seconds of a “Do I know you?” look before being welcomed to admire her.
A retest by the vet confirmed that Dee Dee has a low thyroid level. She’s been started on a low dose tablet twice a day and will be rechecked in a few weeks. If she needs to stay on this for the rest of her life, she’ll need a once yearly blood level check; the medicine itself is inexpensive.
The new thyroid medication is welcome: her weight had not declined with a modest calorie deficit. She’s being transitioned to a diet formula kibble with an appetite suppressant and which allows for more volume. Dee Dee has been incredulous about the amount of food in her bowl. Her twice daily walks will bump up a bit as her “Couch to 1K” training continues. She should start feeling better in a few weeks as the medicine takes effect.
Despite some shaking in reception, Dee Dee was very good for the groomer. In a couple of weeks, she will be getting a dental cleaning, too. A new doo, pearly whites, and an anticipated weight reduction should have Dee Dee looking great – just in time for bathing suit weather!
Update 01/29/2019: “She’s an easy-going girl in the house, usually just moves about hanging out with residents or stands watch at patio door for backyard wildlife.”
Dee Dee is doing fine. She’s an easy-going girl in the house, usually just moves about hanging out with residents or stands watch at patio door for backyard wildlife. Outside, she’ll howl at passing sirens, launch across the deck after crows, and want to catch up with passing runners. She’s alert on walks and interested in everybody’s business. She loves car rides, A LOT. When cars slow down to pass, she’s ready to jump in.
Her food guarding has improved; she’s relaxed at feeding and treat time. But, if resident dog walks away from a bone, Dee Dee is a pirate. She will craftily move it into her area and guard it seeming to find that much more satisfying than actually eating it! She likes to chase birds and squirrels. She’ll stand beneath a tree and bark at the squirrel who escaped.
She has lost weight and her foster mom will have the official results of the dieting and an update on her thyroid level after a February 15th vet appointment.
Dee Dee continues to be a sweetheart and holds her own on outside travels and play. Watch for new photos after her haircut on February 18th.
Original: “Dee enjoys petting and belly rubs and will happily join her person on the sofa. She’s even-tempered, calm, and entertaining.”
When Dee Dee’s elderly West Virginia owner could no longer care for her, she was relinquished to a local shelter whose staff reached out to MAESSR to help Dee Dee get into better shape and find her a new forever home.
The shelter immediately began treating Dee Dee for a urinary tract infection and ear infections as well as getting her thyroid level tested. Obesity is her main issue. She scored low-normal on a thyroid test and will be retested in six weeks. To aid in weight loss, she gets high quality, lower-calorie food and twice-a-day walks. She’s already down two pounds from her original animal shelter checkup weight. The vet estimated that it may take six months to get her to a healthy weight.
Although she showed signs of some physical neglect (obesity, UTI, ear infections), Dee Dee is generally in good health. She also shows signs that she was loved and treated gently by her elderly owner. Dee Dee enjoys petting and belly rubs and will happily join her person on the sofa. She’s even-tempered, calm, and entertaining. Although she was timid at the vet’s, she allowed staff to handle her all over and greeted strange dogs on the way out.
Dee Dee loves walks and is a no-nonsense, full-speed-ahead gal. She gets frisky chasing backyard squirrels and is mesmerized by squeaky toys. She loves car rides, too. As she and her foster mom walk through the garage, she pauses hopefully at car doors.
Dee Dee and resident Springer co-existed peaceably from day one. But Lady D has one bad habit: food bowl guarding. At meal times she’ll give the resident dog a challenging look and grumble. It’s a minor problem in her foster home, though, since the resident dog just rolls her eyes and walks away. There’s no guarding behavior with humans. Now Dee Dee has her own dining space and her bowl is taken up promptly after she finishes eating. With no food bowl, there is no guarding and she relaxes. Ironically, she sits nicely next to the other dog for treats; it seems she’s just triggered by feeding time excitement. Otherwise, she is a quiet, easy, low-maintenance girl on her journey to a healthier weight. She’s quite shaggy now, in a few weeks, a good haircut will complete her makeover.
The resident Springer and Dee Dee have full run of house when their family is at work. She investigated the upstairs a couple of times but must not have been impressed because she prefers to stay downstairs all night by herself without a peep. Also, there was no sign of separation anxiety when she was left alone for several hours. She’s not a beggar and has done no trash diving or table surfing. Her house training is stellar, too. There have been zero accidents! To signal her need to go out, she sits by door. Good girl!
Dee Dee has excellent sight and hearing. She does a single alert bark when people knock or enter, but then goes to them immediately to accept their admiration.
Watch for more about Dee Dee as she continues to shed excess pounds through healthy eating and exercise. Her ideal adoptive family would be one committed to continuing daily walks and maintaining her at a healthy weight.