“He gets sweeter and more trusting every day. He is a little clown and always
brings a smile to our faces.”
Ruger has been in GRR care for just about 6 weeks now, and his foster family
loves him. He does great with other dogs, he’s happy & calm with children, and
he just loves being brushed and groomed. And he’s starting to retrieve – picked
up a ball for the very first time just last week!
Now that Ruger has been on thyroid meds for a month, he’s definitely got more
zip: “He would like to really run and jump with the other dogs, but due to his
heartworms we’re trying to keep him a bit more restricted.” And fish oil caps
are helping to soften up his sparse, brittle coat. We’re still trying to make
sure we’re addressing all his health issues, though;for one thing, this skinny boy has put on just two pounds in the past
month, despite eating heartily at his meals. The vet advises we look into puppy
food to try to give Ruger a little more padding. He will visit the vet again in early February for a second check of his
thyroid levels, and depending on how he’s doing then,we may want to check him for Cushing’s disease, another endocrine problem
(some of the signs of low thyroid, such as dark skin pigmentation & coat loss,
can also indicate Cushing’s).
Meanwhile, Ruger will just keep on loving his new life: lots of nourishing food,
lots of soft comfy places to sleep, lots of friends, and lots of attention.
“It’s a very happy New Year for me!” he says.
#12-170 Ruger, age 3
Weight: 55 pounds
HW POSITIVE
AVAILABLE SOON
This handsome redhead comes to GRR from a small town in north-central Texas,
where he’d been brought as a stray on Thursday, November 29. The poor guy was
clearly not feeling his best: "To us, he just looks like any of us would when we
have the crud… just flat out doesn't feel good,” reported his rescuers.“He was picked up about 25 miles outside of town, which means he could
have been anywhere in the county and that he could possibly just be run down
from lack of food, water, shelter and the comforts of home. He is shivering and
overall miserable. And unfortunately, we can’t get him out of the pound until
Monday.”
Luckily, Ruger made it through the weekend, spent Monday at a local vet clinic,
and then—with the help of dedicated folks on both ends, who don’t mind racking
up the miles!—made the 300-mile trip all the way into Austin. Here’s what we
soon found out:
* Sweet dog!
* Heartworm positive
* Low thyroid – the vet suspected as much from his sparse, coarse coat &
darkened skin, not to mention his demeanor – just a bit TOO calm for a
three-year-old Golden.
Ruger started on thyroid supplementation right away, and we fully expect him to
start feeling peppier very soon! He’s also on a course of doxycycline for a
month, to reduce inflammation from his heartworms; so he probably won’t start
his heartworm regimen until after the New Year.
Meanwhile, he’ll be enjoying a happy, healthier holiday season, and we look
forward to hearing more about him as his foster family gets to know him better!
