Entered: 05/17/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 4 months
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 28 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Raphine, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, recovery from PDA repair surgery complete, treatment for a UTI and ear infection complete
Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with children, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Update 07/12/2014: “The cardiologist believes that the surgery was very successful and he expects Spencer to be able to lead a full, normal life.”
Great news for Spencer! Not only have his ear infections and UTI cleared up, he had successful heart surgery at Virginia Tech early this month. The procedure required the cardiologist to go in through Spencer’s groin and up into his heart to insert a device to close the hole in his heart. He was an excellent patient while at the hospital and the comment on his discharge summary read, “Many people here at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital have grown to love Spencer over the past few days and we wish him nothing but the best.” The cardiologist believes that the surgery was very successful and he expects Spencer to be able to lead a full, normal life.
Spencer came home the day following his surgery and is on restricted activity for two weeks………very difficult instructions for a puppy to live by and for his foster family to enforce! He’s currently wearing a “cone of shame” to keep him from bothering the incision in his groin area. He’s also spending a lot of time in his crate and is walked on a leash. No running in the backyard, chasing rabbits, or roughhousing with the resident Springer. Poor Spencer!
His foster parents are using this opportunity to work with Spencer on some basic obedience commands and his leash manners. Spencer is responding well to clicker training and knows “sit” and “down,” and is working on “come” and “wait.” Although he gives no real signal to go out, Spencer is housetrained. He’s crated when his parents are out of the house and at night.
Spencer looks a lot more like a small dog than a puppy now. He will be six months old on July 17, has his permanent teeth, is getting his adult coat, and has gained a few pounds. He’s really a sweet puppy and his foster mom’s only real complaint is that he thinks 5:00 a.m. is the right time to start the day………maybe when he can get more exercise he’ll be tired enough to sleep in!
Spencer’s favorite toy is his foster sister’s dog bowl………he loves to push it all around the kitchen with his nose which makes a huge amount of noise. Maybe treibball, a herding activity, will be his sport! He also enjoys squeak toys and heads straight for the toy box whenever he manages to escape from the kitchen, where he spends most of his time during his recuperation. Currently a favorite toy is a lotus ball, which holds treats inside of a Velcro closure. It took him a little while to figure it out, but he gets pretty excited when he plays with it. He tugs on toys but isn’t much of a fetcher………keep-away is more his game.
One problem that his foster parents are going to work on is Spencer’s carsickness. He absolutely hates the car, planting his feet and refusing to budge if he knows a car ride is in his immediate future. Even tantalizing treats will not lure him into the vehicle. Fortunately he’s still small enough that he can be picked up and placed into his crate in the car. He received some medication for the 1.5 hour trip home from Virginia Tech to avoid vomiting during the ride. His foster parents will be working with him by taking short trips to happy places while making positive associations with car rides. They are hoping that he’ll make some progress in this area before he gets too heavy to pick up!
Once Spencer’s recovery is complete he’ll face surgery once more for neutering but following that procedure, this sweetie will be ready for his forever family. MAESSR has given this adorable boy a new lease on life. Wouldn’t you love him to spend it with you?
Original: “Spencer is a very sweet, good boy from Virginia. When his heart defect was discovered, MAESSR was asked to help.”
Spencer has just had his 4-month birthday, and is a normal playful Springer puppy except for one thing: Persistent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA). PDA is a congenital heart defect that occurs when the connection between the pulmonary artery and the aorta does not close naturally after birth as it should. Puppies with this condition have the potential to develop congestive heart failure at a very young age. If untreated, most puppies with PDA do not survive past two years. Fortunately, PDA is a repairable condition with a procedure to close the connection between the two vessels. The Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital has evaluated Spencer and says he is an excellent candidate for the surgery at an estimated cost of $2,400.
Spencer is a very sweet, good boy from Virginia. When his heart defect was discovered, MAESSR was asked to help. Currently in foster care, this cute, lovable youngster does not know he has a heart defect. He is awaiting surgery at Virginia Tech in late June.
While most MAESSR dogs require routine veterinary care, some Springers are in need of specialized services to ensure proper health. If you can assist MAESSR in defraying the cost of his care, you would be providing Spencer with the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Please look for the Donate button on MAESSR’s home page to help sweet Spencer. Keep him in your thoughts as he proceeds on his journey to excellent health.