Well, it's been well over a year since I adopted Rusty. He has lost close to 25 pounds (give or take), and my original estimation of his weight was, well, wrong - he wasn't over 90#, he was in the 80's. Now, Rusty is closing in on 60 pounds, and is looking so much more svelte than ever! I am amazed at how he has changed.
First, when I brought Rusty home, he was a terrible mess. He was awfully depressed, obese, matted, nails that were too long, breathing problems, plaque-coated teeth, and sores all over his body. I wasn't truly sure we would ever really bond, as his state of being was so inconsolable.
So, as I wrote earlier, I took him in to the back yard, down the steps, where he had, of course, diarrhea (which is common when dogs are taken out of their established environment and put into uncommon situations for them - a sign of discomfort and insecurity, I suppose). I cut as much matting off as I could, and I brushed and I brushed, and I brushed, until my back lawn was covered in clumps of hair, truly. I should have photographed it, but alas, my attention was on him.
Because he did have the diarrhea, he became, shall we say, messy. So I bathed him, as well, which also helped me discover fleas, bites, and sores about his abdomen. I was very depressed about this, but more about him and his helpless situation.
When I first saw him, he was like a low lying ottoman, in a smoke-filled room, with no yard, and no real space to move. I believe he had been eating tons of cat food (as there were cats there, as well), and hadn't been prone or led to any form of exercise or outdoor play. The owners were incredibly depressed, as well, having lost their jobs, and were in the process of being put into Section 8 housing. This meant giving away their cats, Rusty and a bird. There had been interest in Rusty, but once people saw him, they shied away because of his condition. So, the owners had pretty much accepted that they would have to put him in a shelter, where they were told he would be euthanized because no one would want him. I found this out the week I accepted him into our family.
I had to load Rusty in to the car to bring him home. He was quite, but afraid and quite tense.
Back to the rehab....
I also carried him up the stairs to the back deck, and brought him inside. I brushed his teeth, which were concrete grey. Ick. He kept looking at me, wondering who the heck I was, and why was I doing this to him. I kept speaking to him to reassure him. There was a dullness in his eyes, which concerned me, as well.
Then we went to Pup-A-Razzi, down the road, and they groomed him, and brushed him out. They also cut his nails, which were as long as my fingers! Of course, this was a few days later (I had to make an appointment), and after I realized this problem whilst walking him (which he didn't want to do, but after the first one, decided it was kind of fun - I walked him on a short one, then Skallywag on a longer one. When we came back from our short one, he began demanding to go with Skally on the longer one, and I figured, 'Sure, why not?!'
So, after many months of a diet change (we now eat Costco Brand Natural food - it's 1/2 the price of the premiums, and it's pretty much the same - tooth brushing, on a regular basis, walking daily, things have changed.
Remember when we would go to the park, especially the first week, it would be all he could do to muster the strength to get through across the field and into park? Then he'd lie down and just wait until we would go home. Of course, he might get up and pee, or poo, but that was it. Well. Well. Well. Now, he bolts out of the car, and may sniff with Sammy and Skally, but then, if I'm not quick enough to get the leash on, he darts across the field with a huge smile on his face to the park. And, once we're inside, he makes himself at home by sniffing around, going up to the people and greeting them, and their pups.
And he barks. Yes. I was told he didn't ever bark. 3 weeks after adopting him, he began to bark. He talks and let's me know everything that's on his mind. At home, though, he tends to be quieter, but at the park he demands (along with Skally and Sammy) that I run and run and run around and around and around, with them chasing me. He's becoming quite fast. He even intervenes with dogs he believes need rounding up.
Nipping - Well, he did nip me last spring, after he'd lost over 10 pounds, and I wasn't moving quickly enough. That hurt, and the bruising lasted over a month! He and I had a little chat about that, and now the nipping has all but vanished.
When my mum first saw him, she called him a piece of furniture. Now, he's really slimmed down, and she marvels at him. Last summer, my nephew, Damien, noted that he had semi-hard fat pockets on his shoulders. I hoped this would go away. They did.
His arthritis has also diminished. We used Spunk (a powder with enzymes, Omega-3's, condroitin, and glucosamine, and other goodads) and fish oil, which really seemed to do the job. Now, he occasionally gets the fish oil, but he's moving well on his own.
So, the depressing situation I acquired has become a fortuitous one. We've bonded, Skally and Sammy love him, as do I. At this writing, he is lying next to me, sleeping after our morning walk. He is almost always by my side (except this morning, when he decided we were going through one gate at the school, but we were continuing on, and after 5 minutes of waiting for him to see we weren't coming, we went after him; we found him slowly wandering up the sidewalk on the way home, and he turned and began smiling and wagging that we had come for him....Why he didn't turn around and come back, I'm not sure...but he is golldarned stubborn!!).
I am hoping he is a companion for years to come, as I wish it for Skally and Sammy, as well.
It would be wonderful to hear tips from people, on here, as well, about rehabbing dogs.
No comments:
Post a Comment