Patches 9

Entered: 05/12/2008

Status: Adopted

Age: 8

Color: Liver/White

Weight:

Gender: Altered Female

Location: Goochland, VA

Health: UTD, HW-, responding well to medication for hypothyroidism and a supplement for joint health, recovering from corrective surgery on a paw

Temperament: Reserved with adults, unknown with children, good with other dogs, ignores kitties in crates

Update 08/04/08:

Miss Patches has had yet another surgery to correct a health problem and improve her well being. She had surgery on her left front foot to amputate two toes. The toes had nails that were not attached correctly. One nail pointed straight up and the other one down. Both were difficult to trim and a constant job to keep at the correct level. One of the toes had become infected and, after a consultation with the vet, it was felt that Patches would do better in the long run without this issue. As with her last surgery, she came through with flying colors, though, she did give the veterinary staff a hard time about getting in and out of her crate.

Patches is home now and once again following her foster dad’s every step. She will have her foot bandaged for a week and then the stitches will come out in two weeks. Please keep a good thought for Patches as she heals.

Update 07/10/08:

It’s been about three weeks that Patches has been in her current foster home. In that time, she has had a large lump removed from her elbow which turned out to NOT be cancer. Yahoo!! At the same time the veterinarian removed a rotten abscessed tooth. Patches has continued on her glucosamine for arthritis and her thyroid level is just where it needs to be. Patches is starting to feel like a young girl again.

Patches has fallen head over heals in love with her foster dad. She must follow him EVERYWHERE he goes. She looks at him with such devotion and love. Recently there was a major windy thunderstorm coming to her foster home. Her foster dad was outside trying to finish a project before the storm hit. Patches refused to come inside until her foster dad did. She wanted to make sure he was safe. MAESSR would love to find Patches a forever dad who wants a constant companion that will show him how wonderful he is.

Patches does not like to be crated. Fortunately, she has wonderful house manners and does not need to be crated. She does not get on furniture or raid the trash can. She just wants to be with you. With MAESSR’s help, Patches has turned her life completely around in less than three months. She’s healthy again, loving again, and is a good girl. Patches is beaming these days and will bring her brightness to some very lucky furever daddy soon!

Update 06/27/08:

Miss Patches has made gains in her health and is feeling so much better than when she left the shelter. With increased exercise and a daily supplement to help with overall joint health, she is moving well. She can trot along at quite a clip. She loves being in water and has been splashing about in a creek at her original foster home daily. She went to MAESSR’s Springerfest at Richmond last weekend and the highlight for Patches was a lake that she got to actually swim in. Her foster mom kept her on a 50 foot line, just to be sure Patches wouldn’t swim to other side of the lake which she could have done!!

As suspected when tested for thyroid function, Patches’ results indicated the need for medication. She has been on an inexpensive, daily tablet for one month and will be retested shortly. She’s very good about taking her pills and likes them with yogurt, pumpkin or hot dog slices.

Patches has just moved to a new foster home where she lives with many springers. She also has a foster dad now whom she adores. She goes totally nuts when he comes home from work and takes 10 minutes to calm herself down. There is a doggie pool at her new home so she will be able to continue playing in water and trimming pounds through exercise that she loves.

More on this mermaid to come…

Original:

Patches came into MAESSR’s care from a shelter in southern West Virginia. Her owner had died and a family member surrendered her. A gap in her care had apparently happened upon her owner’s passing. She was matted, had some very long nails and seemed to be in a mental fog from a flea infestation. When her foster mom met her, Patches barely noticed her and sat staring into the distance. Once in her foster home, treatment for fleas and grooming brought relief and she began to perk up.

At her vet exam Patches checked out well. She has some mild arthritis in her back legs and will begin a supplement to help with that. There was noticeable atrophy in those leg muscles too which increasing exercise can help. Already she seems to be limbering up with stair climbing in her foster home and outings on a long line in the yard. She has very irregular toes on one front foot, likely from some earlier mishap. They don’t seem to bother her but the nails will need consistent trimming to keep her comfortable. She is very well rounded and has a preference for people food but is beginning to eat dog food regularly since that is all that shows up in her food bowl!

At first Patches seemed more at ease outdoors than in but she has clearly lived inside. She is housetrained, crates well, rides well in a crate, and is sleeping bedside with the rest of her family at night. She has shown no interest in the trash can and only sniffed once at the countertops when someone was watching.

Patches is living with 3 other springers, 2 young males and an elderly female. She gets a little wound up herself when the boys wrestle but doesn’t join in. She is accepting and will sit alongside everyone to take her treats in order and seems to like being part of the pack more each day. She sat quietly alongside 4 crated kitties at the vet’s office and didn’t even take a sniff. Boy, were their owners impressed!