Entered: 12/20/2016
Status: Adopted
Age: 9
Color: Black/White Springer Mix
Weight: 51 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: State College, PA
Health: UTD, HW+ and undergoing the slow kill treatment protocol, receiving supplements for arthritis,
Health Cont.: treatment for ear and skin infections complete, gaining to a healthy weight, sight limited by cataracts
Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with young children but may be happier in a childless home, good with other dogs, ignores cats
Original: “Despite his stiffness, Howie enjoys slower paced outdoor walks of limited length.”Sweet Howie, a Springer mix, came to MAESSR via an animal shelter in North Carolina where he was picked up as a stray. Although nothing is known about Howie’s previous life, now that he is a MAESSR boy, Howie has a bright future.
As a senior, Howie has some age related cataracts in both eyes which limit his sight but he still seems to have some vision. Both of his knees have some instability, but despite this, Howie gets around reasonably well. He’s slower to get his feet under him when he is getting upright and he moves a little stiffly. Luckily, his foster home is a ranch with just one or two steps to navigate. He has begun taking a joint supplement and anti-inflammatory to support his mobility.
The ongoing treatments for infections in his ears and skin have shown improvement on both fronts. Yeah! His left ear is looking good and his skin is calming. Soon, he will go back to the vet for an ear recheck. The vet thought that Howie could stand to gain some weight, too. Howie is heartworm positive. He’s begun the slow kill treatment protocol, which he will require for a full year, at which time he will be rechecked.
The slow-kill method involves giving the infected dog monthly Heartgard tabs over the course of a year. (Doxyclycline therapy is sometimes done as part of the treatment as well.) At the end of the year, the dog is re-tested for heartworms. MAESSR will supply the medication to the dog’s adoptive family and will pay for the follow-up vet visit and heartworm test. Although most dogs are heartworm-free after one year, MAESSR will pay for another year of treatment if the dog is still heartworm positive.
Despite his stiffness, Howie enjoys slower paced outdoor walks of limited length (about half a block to a block), and walking the circumference of his foster family’s yard several times daily. His foster family does not have a fenced yard, so he’s always walked on leash. Although he has a hitch in his giddy up, he can still have a bit of pull on the leash when he gets enthusiastic or is absorbed in a great scent. Howie is still just learning his name and is interested in exploring everything with his nose, so at this point, it would be unlikely for him to respond to recall off leash.
In his current foster home, Howie has been a calm, mellow and friendly fellow. There is a young, somewhat snarky resident terrier mix who has acclimated to Howie nicely due to his nearly non-existent reaction to her intrusiveness. He lies and wags his tail while she sniffs him and paws at him. He hasn’t met other dogs yet in the course of walking and he has completely ignored the resident cat. Good boy!
There are no young children in his foster family but Howie has met all adult extended family members and friends with friendliness and enjoyed any and all attention that comes his way. Since he does guard his hind quarters slightly, he might not do well with very young children who might inadvertently grab at him or collide with him.
Since his arrival in foster care, Howie has had no accidents. He has no discernible signal to go out but has been fine for up to seven hours while his foster parents work. When home, his foster family takes him out routinely with the resident dog every two to four hours. His appetite is good and he’s fed twice daily, plus some snacks with his meds. He’s fed in a different room from the resident dog to avoid potential conflict and because they have different diets.
Howie is not a fan of the crate. His foster family tried it one night, and Howie just couldn’t seem to settle in it. Now he sleeps in the gated TV room and alternates between the dog bed and the couch there. He’s also gated in the TV room while his foster parents work. He sometimes complains for about 20 minutes when gated there for the night but then settles down. Sometimes he doesn’t whine at all. He does require a double high baby gate, as despite his bad knees, he’ll get himself over the regular height gate.
When his foster parents are home, he has full run of the house, and really just wants to hang out wherever the family is. He does not counter-surf or seek garbage (although in his foster home, all trash cans are lidded). He’s not chewed or been destructive in any way in the house. Howie’s had no resource guarding while being fed, nor has he shown any towards the rubber Kongs lying about. He has picked up a bone once or twice, chewed it briefly, and then left it.
His foster family has shampooed Howie without trouble, other than needing to lift him into the tub. They have not clipped his nails, but have handled his feet and legs easily. He was pleasant and charming at the vet’s office. Due to the extended ear medication placed in his ears prior to his arrival at his foster home, his ears have not yet been cleaned. It’s anticipated that regular ear cleaning will resume this week after his ear re-check.
Howie is a mostly lower energy fellow. That may change a little as his overall health improves, but he will need a home and activity plan that accommodates his mobility and sight issues. He loves being with his people, and enjoys investigating the outdoors leashed to keep him safe and to make sure the stress on his knees is kept to a minimum.
In your search for a four-legged addition to your family, don’t pass Howie by because he is not 100% Springer; being a Springer can be a state of mind. In that case, Howie is a purebred! Watch for more on this friendly and sweet senior as his health improves!