Sanford

Original: Sanford came to MAESSR after spending a month in a shelter after being picked up as a stray. Sanford was obese and looked swollen all over. He was very afraid that everyone was going to hurt him and would duck at this slightest movement of a person towards him. He went to the vet and it was discovered that he is hypothyroid, a very easy thing to treat, he just has to take a pill twice a day. As medications go, this one is quite inexpensive and is about $30-40 for a 3 month supply. He takes his pill very easily on top of his food and soon the weight start dropping off. He was 88 pounds when he came to MAESSR and is now a very svelte 68 pounds.

Since being in his foster home, Sanford has learned appropriate house training habits and has not had an accident since his first month there. He sleeps in the kitchen on a comfy doggie fleece bed that he loves. Sanford takes treats nicely and is also crate trained and practically throws himself in his crate for a cookie. Since Sanford has been known to chew on dog beds when left unattended, he is crated or left with only access to the kitchen when his foster mom goes to work.

Sanford gets along wonderfully with all of the dogs in his foster home. His only hang up is meeting other dogs on leash. Based on how he came to us and his lack of housetraining, we believe Sanford was previously tied outside and many of these cases become leash aggressive because they are like sitting ducks for animals and people wandering by with no way to escape torment. Sanford is not outwardly aggressive to the simple passing dog, he just doesn’t like them getting too close to them so taking him for walks is not generally a problem. Sanford is quite strong on leash though so using a harness or gentle leader will be the best idea with this big boy.

When Sanford first got to foster care, he would not even lie on a dog bed as he was not used to soft things. Of late, he has decided that one particular chaise lounge in his foster home is the best spot in the house and so, though not a norm for his foster home, because his past life was so hard, they have allowed him access to this piece of furniture. Sanford does not get on any other furniture in the home. Sanford also went on a weekend trip to the MAESSR Maryland picnic and stayed in the hotel with his foster mom and did very well sleeping bedside and would enjoy this in his adoptive home, we’re sure!

Sanford is a very happy boy in his foster home but would love a home where he got more attention and had people of his very own to love on him. He loves hugs and belly and ear rubs. His tail is always wagging at just the sight of his people, and he is a pretty low maintenance fellow. Do you need a best friend in your life? Sanford is looking for one. Could it be you?

Update 11/05/08: Sanford has had a big week in foster care. He somehow hurt his paw by either stepping on something or having a reaction to something and then licking non-stop while his foster mom was at work. He was mildly interested in licking it in the morning and by that evening when she got home from work; he had an open sore/lump in between the pads of his left front leg. At this point he actually didn’t want to put weight on it either so off to the vet they went to get it checked out.

The vet wasn’t sure what it was and it was hard to actually get a good look at it since Sanford was trying to wrestle away. Since he recently started having a lot of eye gook, that got checked too and it was discovered that Sanford had a skin tag in the corner of his eyelid, under the eyelid which was rubbing and causing irritation. He also had a skin tag on the other side that was growing and causing irritation on that eye too. Since he needed this surgery, the decision was made to go ahead with the surgery so the paw could be investigated while he was under anesthesia. It turns out that he needed to have the sore sutured and bandaged so it would stay clean and heal properly. His eyes look incredibly better. They are open wider than they were so it must have been quite uncomfortable for him.

At the same time he also had a cyst right where his collar is supposed to sit so he had that removed while he was under. It was not anything to worry about and didn’t have to be removed, except his collar could not be properly tightened or it would push on it. It’s gone now and is healing nicely already.

Sanford is back at home. He whines when he needs to go out and is doing some whining because he would like to chew his bandage off his foot! He is wearing an e-collar to make sure he doesn’t do that. Now, the only challenge is keeping the 14.5 year old resident ESS from licking Sanford’s wounds! Sanford has been a good patient so far, is eating and drinking well and is enjoying some cuddle time with his foster mom.

Sanford’s writeup was redone to allow for easier reading.

Update 11/25/08: Sanford’s a few weeks post-op and is still struggling with getting his paw to heal. His eyes and neck are all healed but his foot still has some soreness to it. It turns out he had an allergic reaction to the medical wrap used to bandage his leg, so his foot got a yeast infection. Never a dull moment!

Sanford does not like the vet techs messing with his foot but is a very good patient for his foster mom and the dog sitters that stay with him when she travels. Since he had the reaction to the tape, which was probably due to a combination of shaving the area, swelling from the original injury and then the tape itself, he was started on daily soaks and triple antibiotic ointment. This smart boy still figured out how to lick his foot but, not as badly as before. Slowly but surely the foot is healing.

Overall, Sanford looks amazing. His foster mom says people that met him before don’t even recognize him now. His coat is soft and silky. His muscles are lean, and he bounds around now like a much younger dog than he was originally thought to be. Sanford’s foster mom just adores him and wishes the whole world could see what a sweet, loving boy he is.

Update 03/31/09: With a little more time and lots of tender care, Sanford made a complete recovery from his surgery. He was then adopted but returned after a short time, through no fault of his own. He has wintered well and is happy and handsome. Sanford is on the lookout for the perfect family to love forever. Meeting him allows him to speak for himself. If you have a heart as big as his, please ask about an introduction to this boy!!