New Addition to the Family
This is Gus (short for "Gust" in honor of his remarkable fart thrust and velocity). He is a rescue dog, so we don't know much about him. He appears to be part Jack Russell and part spare parts. The vet thinks he's about four years old. He's been house trained and has had some basic obedience training, but seems to have a fairly significant separation anxiety issue. And he hates cats (the feeling is mutual).
Gus was left tied to the door of a vet clinic, one of millions of abandoned animals who are victims of the foreclosure crisis. We are hoping to provide a forever home for him and have a backup home if the situation with the cats gets too extreme. He also has health problems common to breeds that have been purposely bred for short legs. This particular trait (osteochondrodyplasia) is actually a form of dwarfism caused by a genetic trait that affects other body systems, too--not just the legs. It frequently is associated with immune system disorders and serious joint problems. Sometimes these problems are severe and life-threatening. Gus seems to be healthy overall, but we have to be on the lookout for bad allergic reactions, especially to the cats. We got him started on food high in Omega 3 oils and are supplementing his diet with Omega 3 capsules, as well. He will get a weekly bath with an oatmeal and aloe shampoo to help with his dry skin (he has the very dark pigment common to dogs with allergic/immune issues). He can take up to three full tabs of benadryl a day according to the vet, so we are trying to get on top of the problems before they can get a good start. I'm hoping the benadryl will also help calm him down a bit when we leave him alone.
Gus was left tied to the door of a vet clinic, one of millions of abandoned animals who are victims of the foreclosure crisis. We are hoping to provide a forever home for him and have a backup home if the situation with the cats gets too extreme. He also has health problems common to breeds that have been purposely bred for short legs. This particular trait (osteochondrodyplasia) is actually a form of dwarfism caused by a genetic trait that affects other body systems, too--not just the legs. It frequently is associated with immune system disorders and serious joint problems. Sometimes these problems are severe and life-threatening. Gus seems to be healthy overall, but we have to be on the lookout for bad allergic reactions, especially to the cats. We got him started on food high in Omega 3 oils and are supplementing his diet with Omega 3 capsules, as well. He will get a weekly bath with an oatmeal and aloe shampoo to help with his dry skin (he has the very dark pigment common to dogs with allergic/immune issues). He can take up to three full tabs of benadryl a day according to the vet, so we are trying to get on top of the problems before they can get a good start. I'm hoping the benadryl will also help calm him down a bit when we leave him alone.
