Jake 12

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Update 4/18/05: After 3 months in his foster home, Jake is a different dog. Now, he happily sleeps after playing in the park and patrolling his foster home for intruders. His scratching is essentially absent and all of his infections, both skin and ears, are cleared up. He’s still on an allergen-free food as well as low doses of prednisone every other day to control any residual itching. He has lost a LOT of excess weight and has 5-7 pounds to go till he’s ideal. His fur is growing back nicely. His foster mom isn’t sure if he’ll ever have a full coat on his chest, but he’s getting tufts all over!

With his health restored, Jake now definitely needs some training in manners. His biggest passion is counter-surfing and getting into trash cans ALL the time. Other than his foraging for meals, he’s a great dog. He barks occasionally, gets along with other dogs and large groups of people, and LOVES being around his family.

The perfect family for Jake would be one who is as ready to take care of him as he is to take care of them. He’s a special boy who has been through a lot and he craves constant companionship. He’s quite content spending up to 7 hours in his crate, waiting for his family to return, but he wants to be included in any activities around the house when everyone’s home. He’s the definition of a Velcro-dog and, while he respects that he’s not always allowed on the furniture, the highlight of his day is snuggling into his family’s lap and settling for a cuddle and snooze. To keep him healthy, his new family will have to make sure that his intake is limited ONLY to his prescription food and that he gets his steroid medication and eye ointment every other day. He’s low maintenance and has a lot to offer any family who welcomes him into their home.

Update 3/10/05: Jake has been in his foster home for almost a month and, boy, is he a great companion!! When he got to MAESSR, he had a severe bacterial infection over his entire body, a bilateral ear infection, and he was so itchy he never seemed able to rest completely. He’s now a frequent patient in the dermatology ward at VA Tech’s Teaching Hospital and he’s a completely different dog. His whole-body infection is cleared up, thanks to baths every other day and lots of antibiotics, and, his ears are almost bacteria-free!

To see if his skin problems are a result of food allergies, Jake is on an elimination food trial. He’s enjoying the special dinners, but he’s such a sweetheart that he lets his foster mom stick her hand in his bowl while he’s eating. She can take away his food mid meal with Jake doing nothing more than giving her a pathetic look to say. “Hey, I was still eating that!”  It will take several weeks to know if the hypoallergenic food will help Jake with his itchiness, but he’s sure hoping it does!

Jake is the definition of a Velcro dog. While he likes to get on furniture, he’s learning that some places are off-limits. He loves hanging out in his crate and sleeps in the same room with his foster mom and brother with his kennel door open. He is a bit of a big mouth and will, along with the resident springer, make a huge racket when there’s an unusual noise outside. Not only is he housetrained, but he’s also very well-behaved in the car, riding either in a crate or the backseat of his foster mom’s SUV.

Jake’s still 15 pounds overweight even though he’s lost 7 pounds since he came to MAESSR. His new family will have to teach him that springers aren’t allowed to surf the counters and that trash cans aren’t food buffets, but Jake is so eager to please that this shouldn’t be an impossible task. He’s okay on a leash but could also benefit from some organized obedience training with his new family. Jake is definitely well on his way to becoming a great addition to a new family!

Original: There’s nothing quite as frustrating as allergies. Jake can attest to that! Jake came to MAESSR after a long battle with skin problems and he’s hoping as much as MAESSR that he can get back on track to be the happy, healthy dog he tries so hard to be!

Although he’s been at his new foster home less than 24 hours, he’s already worn out from playing with the resident dog and getting a warm bath to ease his itchy skin. Jake is missing most of the hair around his eyes, ears, tail, and all of the fur on his belly and chest, most likely due to an infection and his scratching. Despite his obvious constant itchiness, he follows his foster mom around with a tail wagging and happy grin. He’s happy to go into his crate, but he’s much more contented to join his foster mom on the sofa for a snuggle.

His big heart is matched only by his hefty frame. At over 80 pounds, he’s definitely more than a lap full of springer! He has a well-trained nose for food and is beginning to learn that doggies aren’t supposed to help themselves to food they find on the counter! Jake’s being fed special allergen-free food and hopefully that will help ease some of his allergic reactions. With some exercise and reduced portions, this big boy should eventually weigh a svelte 60-65 pounds!

Jake has a busy week ahead of him including a trip to a dermatologist at VA-MD Veterinary Teaching Hospital to try to get him started on a new treatment for his skin issues. Check back for frequent updates as Jake progresses with his treatment!