She was huge, long-haired, pointy-headed and made of Velcro. She also has apparent allergies (he wasn't sure as to what she was allergic), a thyroid problem (ergo the stinkiness), lots of bare, flaky skin, and an ulcerated skin tumor. But, besides that, she was perfect....
Scrappy is still in shock at the appearance of the large, stinky dog, but he is bearing up like the champ he is. The cats are another story and, if the four of them (Lucy and the Boyz) don't warm up, she may not be able to stay with us. Which would be a shame, because she's obviously the sweetest dog on the planet who has been bounced around from place to place, with the barest of care and concern. Drives me nuts.
Saturday was spent begging my groomer friend to squeeze her in (which she did), then her bedding was washed and we have been working on basics - going outside (she does not seem to know what to make of the four steps up/down from the deck), not pulling me on the leash (she is strong!), not chasing the cats, walking on a leash. I don't think she's been on a walk for a very long time and it took a while for the pulling and weaving to stop. But it did. She's a smart girl. Next up is a visit to the vet - I don't think her thyroid meds are doing the job. She's stinky already.... Unfortunately, the rescue's vet of preference is on the far west side of the city - a good hour plus with no traffic. Fortunately, they have weekend hours, so we will be trying to book in next weekend. I am thinking of her as my project. She may remain a foster with us, but I will be working on getting her meds and diet aligned so that she has a healthy, non-itchy life ahead. The Universe, it seems, has spoken....
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| Lucy with her Buppy |
21 comments:
Awww, she does look like a sweet girl! Bless you my friend.
What a sweety pie! She may fit right in, hopefully. There may be some alternative things for her itching too. Brewer's yeast, I think?
Wow, you sure got your hands full! Hopefully she'll be able to calm down and realize that the other occupants of the household are to be made friends and not furry feline playthings. Seems as if the rescue wasn't quite honest with her. That's too bad as it may be the reason she's been bounced around from home to home.
Good luck my furry-four-footed advocate! You should have all this extra time now since Chicky is gone, right? :)
Your heart is big, Ms. S.
OMG, that face! Susan you are a saint. Saint Sweezie. Yes, that's what you are. Bless you.
i sure hope she fits in. she is so lucky to have found you!
Oh, that our homes and pocketbooks were big enough to take in all the deserted souls like her! Bless you for saving one starfish…. (You've heard that little tale, haven't you?)
Oh, she does have a sweet face. I do see lab in that face. :) It also says, love me please, that's for sure. I have found that cats can just be very slow to warm up to strangers, even when the stranger is their sib who was just gone overnight at the vet's, for instance. Hopefully with time, your guys'll be fine.
She is lovely. Finally she seems to have had some luck come her way. I am sure she is going to turn into a fine dog.
Aw! When we rescued our pitbull mix, he was very underweight, and had digestive problems. We soon figured out his diet, and he's now plumped up and healthy. However, we still have the cat fights with the cat we rescued from one of our barns. I am heading out for a 5th cat box now....sigh. The things we do for our loved ones....
Bless you for what you're doing for Lucy. Maybe you've tried this, but as soon as we (and our kids and our friends) switched our dogs to a grain-free dry dog food supplemented with a drizzle of flax seed oil, all allergies disappeared and coats are healthy. More expensive to purchase, but far fewer dollars to the vet. Good luck to you and Lucy!
Thanks, everyone! I just picked up a 'better' grain free food and some grain free treats. I'm not sure what is causing her allergies, but it is typically something in their diet. I had forgotten all about the brewer's yeast, Nancy! I used that during summer (flea/tick) months, but I'll try it on Lucy. She is a good-natured dog, so that helps a lot. Very loving and thrilled with all the attention. Of course, I am lavishing a WHOLE lotta love on my boy, too.
Now, I'm not a dog person, but the shape of that face looks like a golden retriever. I have a golden granddog. Sure hope you can help her out and bless you for trying.
Ditto Mama Pea re the face. I would fall hard too. Flea bite dermatitis? I am sure you will have her in fine shape soon.
I seem to remember saying, "They call A LOT of things "labs"....wait till you see what you get..."
Oh, she looks sweet! Looks kind of like one we had when I was a kid that was a lab/ spaniel mix. Good luck with getting her health under better control.
No one with a heart can look at that face and not want to save that sad dog and I am a cat person so not too many dogs pull at my heartstrings like when I look at Lucy's face. The cats will likely settle down in time. All of mine have hissed for at least 2 weeks when a new one came to live with us. Eliminating Lucy's smelliness will help the cats calm down too. Cats just want Lucy to know they're their the boss & hissing should start to disappear in a couple of weeks,. My vet gave me a great tip for introducing a new pet into the house of cats that is worth trying. Take a couple of old socks or pieces of rag. Rub one on around the Lucy's face and the other on the cats faces when they are in a good mood. Then give Lucy the rag with the cats scent & the cats get Lucy's scented rag. It lets them check out the others friendly pheromones without direct contact. Cats pheromones are excreted from glands around their mouths & whisker area. That's why when cats greet each other they touch noses.so they can read the other cats intentions as friend or foe. It allows everyone to check the other out without direct contact & encourages adjustment. Given that Lucy has been bounced around, who knows how many times her diet has been changed and, hopefully, the right diet being served consistently may help eliminate some of her medical issues. Whatever breed Lucy she, she looks desperately in need of love, stability and reassurance. Once she feels better & gets her confidence back (if she ever had any) you will see a whole new & improved Lucy. If anyone can turn this poor dogs life around, it is you. Angles do walk among us.
Irish Setterish? She does have a wonderful look in those hopeful eyes. I do wonder about our world, food and additive and aerosol filled as it is. Allergies used to be a rare thing when I was a kid.....50 odd years ago....now everything has allergies. I think there's a message out there if we pay attention. Bless you for caring and taking the time for this sweet dog!
Don't know if this will help or not. Our dog Tana is also a rescue. We had some of the same problems. She had the worst gas ever, her skin was flaking and she would chew herself till she bleed. We took her to the vets several times. Like you they told us it was allergies, but they didn't know what to. We had a friend tell us it may be the food. It took several tries but we finally found one that works. She has stopped biting herself and there is no long any flaking. The best part is no more gas! That dog could run you out of the building.
We were having similar problems with BAD gas with Red Dog and Buddy had spots where his skin was raw from scratching and biting. We switched to Diamond Chicken and Rice dry dog food and eliminated all treats and they are both now doing really well. You really are Saint Sweezie! :)
Count me in - Dexter developed severe hot spots, flaky skin etc. about 5 years ago...
We switched him to Taste of the wild dry dog foods (tractor supply, etc) and it was like a miracle after 4 weeks...IMO he was allergic to grains; any dog food that does not have grains at all he does wonderful with...this taste of the wild is a total meat product. Its a little pricey; but because of the no fillers bit, he only takes one compact poop a day...he will be 13 in april and going strong as he walks with me to the mailbox 3 times a week (well, thats how often the mail is delivered lol) which is a 3/4 mile, uphill on the way back.
Its worth a shot. I read an article from U of W-Madison about how our corn supply in the USA is basically been hybrided to the point for profit - you can break it down into different parts going to different manufacturers; the pet food co.'s do not get the good stuff... so more and more pets are having issues with fillers like this hybridized corn
good luck, but you are crazy so this should work out fine ;)
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