Successful Rescue- so far so good.........
Wow- where to begin-it's been an amazing five months! I just wanted to check in and let everyone know (who stillknows who we are!) that we are doing fine with our rescue and I wanted to give you an update. We picked up Leo in early August from SW Wisc. rescue. He was 12 and 3/4 and while showing his age, still pretty spunky. We brought him home to a house with stairs (bad hips and never used many stairs in the past), another OES (2 years old and CRAZY), and a whole new routine. First couple of weeks he ripped all the fur off of his legs- he was nervous/ frightened/ his joints hurt- we're not sure, but we had to put him on an antibiotic and use a cream on his skin, and then cover his arms with t-shirts. We never took any pics, it was too humiliating for our older gentleman, but he looked terrible. His eyes were really weepy, he chattered all the time, and his teeth were pretty black and had a lot of tartar, he was a wreck. And NOT becuase he wasn't cared for by his previous owner, in fact he was in pretty good shape when he came to us (teeth notwithstanding) We think the stress of the move and transition at his age was just too much and he went completely haywire. He also got sick and infected (eyes, skin) because his defenses were weakened by the stress, etc. After a couple of vet visits and lots of tlc I am sooooo happy to report that Leo is doing great- he's still old and and a little infirm, but he has mastered the steps, both up and down, he actually "runs" in the back yard and hops like a little OES bunny! His hips are too stiff to do much more, all of his fur has grown back and his eyes don't weep anymore. Last trip to the vet the doctor was amazed, he actually told me that when he first saw Leo he didn't think he had much longer! YIKES. Leo celebrated his 13th birthday last month, with doggie cake, he even snatched Chelsea's cookie off her plate when she wasn't looking. Pretty fast for an old man! And here is the wacky part, he has taken up chewing on Nylabones and rawhides like a youngster and he has actually chipped most of the tartar off of his teeth himself. I took it in a little baggy to show the vet. So even the teeth have gotten better! He's an amazing little guy and my family and I are so glad we have him with us! It's been a very rewarding and enriching experience. I haven't come here to the forum for so long becuase I feel I am turning into an OES expert on my own, one issue at a time! (now if someone could just fix Chelsea!) Sorry I haven't checked in for so long- hope everyone is well- thank you to all of you who helped make adopting Leo possible - and for those of you who are thinking about rescue- DO IT! Don't do it blind, be prepared to work at it, these dogs all need lots of love an attention- but it is so worth it! And I can highly recommend adopting a senior as well. They have manners and they've settled down a bit (we think Leo was a terror as a young OES- we call him 'Deuce' sometimes 'cause we imagine he was quite a 'playah' in his days  )
Anywhooo- Happy New Year everyone- may it be very SHEEPIE for all of you! Up. |
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| Fantastic story! I am so glad that you shared your experience! I am amazed and delighted by the dedication you had to helping Leo continue enjoying life. I love to hear about his renewed spunk. Thanks for the happy news. . . |
Good news!  |
| Such a wonderful story about Leo, thanks for sharing, always puts a tingle in the heart to read such wonderful success.
Happy New Year to you also.  |
| Congrats on Leo and the wonderful transition he was able to make from old dog back to puppyhood. May he live a wonderfully long healthy life! |
| Congratulations on being able to turn Leo around!! And thank you so much for adopting a senior. Happy New Year to you and your family as well!
Chris |
| That is a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing it! Happy New Year to you all. |
| Hi Up,
You've just made my day reading your post!! What a fantastic story and I'm especially impressed that you rescued a senior!!!! What an angel you are for taking on this boy. Leo deserves to be in a home where he gets a lot of love and comfort in his senior years. We missed you on the forum so it's nice to see you back! Marianne and the boys Sending Leo a belly rub his way. |
| What a great story! Best wishes to you and Leo for a wonderful 06. |
| Please start giving boh guys, especially, senior man, MSN, ASAP, it will help with his joints, one in AM and night. St Joseph baby asprin, also helped him in his old age! It certainly helped my old man, we lost him 2 weeks shy of his 14th!
Great job. |
| Nice to have you back, Up! Sounds like you've done a great job getting the old gentleman settled into his new home. Thanks for taking in this lovely fellow! Glad he's doing so well. Would love to see pictures! |
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