so we decided a while ago that we wanted a dog. so we've been looking and looking and looking, we've seen more dogs then i care to count, and i was becoming a little upset when all my searching and i couldnt find the right one, there were so many i could have bought/adopted (whatever) and loved forever and ever, but i was looking for something that i NEEDED. so one let down after another and cory came to me and said "what is the dog you've always wanted?" easy answer.. a boxer.. for soooooooo long i've wanted a boxer. i have wanted a boxer for the better part of a decade. so he said, find a boxer. so i looked and i looked at a few various pets stores and shelters, and i found a few.. but i didn't have 1400 dollars to buy them with *sad* so i searched again and found someone with puppies up for adoption, and wouldn't you guess they were MUCH more affordable. but, there was a catch. the breeder let me know that the puppy had a small patch of mange and that i would have to get it taken care of if i wanted it. i figured it wouldn't hurt to at least look right? so we set a time and we met the breeder and the puppy, and i nearly cried, it was so heart breaking to see this puppy, who's small patch of mange covered most of his body. but there was a spark of hope and i knew this puppy needed me. so, we agreed just on the sheer fact that this dog NEEDED someone to fix him and love him. so allow me to introduce to you the newest addition to my family, Odin!
you can see his belly and his legs are mostly bald, about the only place left with "healthy" fur is right along his spine. he's covered in scabs, and we even pulled a bunch of ticks off of him. we brought him home and he was immediately put into a flea/tick bath, and scrubbed clean, and a vet was called to schedule an appointment.
as you can see, he was not well. 12 week old puppies are supposed to play. they are supposed to want to run and jump and chew on EVERYTHING!! we had toys and pork treats and he didn't want any of them. he just wanted to sleep. it was HEARTBREAKING.
he was also very bloated. his belly isnt supposed to be so large. he was also very dehydrated. I've never seen a puppy drink so much.
and he itched, oh the itch! he itched so bad he'd cry, and so he'd scratch but his skin is inflamed and irritated because of the mange, so he'd cry because it hurts to itch the itch, and oh i almost cried too!
and he itched some more! well friday came and we knew we had to do something before he scratched all his skin off, so we found a vet clinic that would see him NOW and we took him in. they decided that due to his horrible condition the previous owner had probably lied about his vaccines, and a skin scraping and blood test proved, my sweet puppy had various kinds of parasites, that had he been up to date on his shots, he shouldn't have had, and the mange test came out confused, in the skin scraping there was no sign of the parasite that causes mange, but that doesn't mean there isn't any, so they are treating him for mange anyways. they also updated his vaccines and gave him a de-wormer. so we got him home and he was very tired, and very itchy! so we went to find something that will maybe stop the itch until Monday, when he'll be getting a steroid injection that will stop the itch. we found nothing. i bought an olive oil hair goop that moisturizes his skin and helps give his fur a boost, but doesn't help with the itching. so we thought and thought, and finally an angel came in the form of a petco worker that said: "put socks on him." *light bulb* oh yeah..... so we did.. :D
i got a pair of Caydens mismatched socks that don't fit him anymore and wallah! problem solved!! and the funny thing is he seems to like them.... and the best part is he woke up this morning barking, not crying or whining, but actually barking, the toys we bought him have finally been chewed and the treats we got him have been snacked on! he was a whole new puppy this morning. he is no longer bloated, and he is soooooo dang playful. we went to the Y and when we came home i had my swim wrap on and he followed right behind me trying to get at the frills that hang from my wrap yapping and growling, it was so cute! and thanks to that oil I've been rubbing on him, we are actually seeing fur starting to grow back, and what fur he has left is shiny and pretty!
how can you not fall in love with that face? and yes he is chewing on a fox.... this toy is supposedly indestructible. and it seems to be his favie.
heres some of the scabs from the top of his head... he's still a thirsty boy. so that's what we have been doing the past few days, he has an appointment on Monday for a steroid injection to calm his itch, and then the following week he has another injection due for his 2nd set of mange shots, (there's 3 shots, all 2 weeks apart)
and the week after that more vaccinations. and the week after that part 3 of his mange shots, and by then if all goes as planned by the vets, his mange should be gone and we can start seeing more hair growth, and we should have a beautiful healthy boxer puppy! so....about 6 weeks! so. yeah. he's doing great, and seems to be getting better every day! we've been amazed at how quickly we've grown to love this dog. he's been ours for less the 3 full days and already he's family. so yeah. other then all the doggy drama we have been doing great! the girls start school soon so we get to finnish school shopping, cayden is so close to walking, i think he's just being lazy and doesnt want to walk.. bugger. Cory is finishing up his summer semester at his college and "cant wait" for fall semester to start so he can start losing his mind with all the classes he's taking. and me? well i'm busy with doggy drama, and considering getting a degree as a veterinary technician. we'll see. anyways.. LOVE YOU ALL!
