|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Rocky
|
Age: |
Ten years old
|
| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Rottweiler Mix |
| Home: |
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
|
What
makes Rocky so special??? LOTS! Here's the short form of the
story. There were three dogs dumped at our farm early last year; they
made it up the road to the house, and were taken in by my family.
Rocky is the Rottweiler mix; there was also a Lab/Newfoundland mix
(now 120+ pounds and known as Buddy) who is a permanent resident at
the farm (he either goes over or through any fence!), and another
smaller dog that we were able to place into a new home. All the dogs
were immediately vetted: vaccinations, worming, and then neutering
were the order of the day (no response to any ads that we placed for
missing dogs). Rocky was unable to be neutered; he had the highest
positive heartworm test and slide that my vet had ever seen. Because
of his overall debilitated condition, my vet and I opted to put Rocky
on Heartguard Plus and let nature take its course with his heartworm
condition, rather than stress his battered system with heartworm
treatment. Six months later, his heartworm test was just barely
positive, and his slide was negative; I immediately had him neutered!
Rocky also has hip dysplasia, a torn cruciate ligament in the right
hind, arthritis, and last fall was diagnosed with liver cancer. (One
of the other things we discovered when we x-rayed him, is that he is
carrying six bullets in him.) He lost almost 30 pounds in a matter of
three weeks, and that's when I brought him home from the farm, to
provide the more concentrated level of care that he requires. He is
now on bran for bulk (helps him go potty easier), LipoTabs for his
digestion, Cosequin DS for his arthritis, ibuprofen for his
inflammation, and Thorazine for the nausea from the cancer.
Since Rocky was diagnosed, he has regained his weight back up to 75
pounds from the 65 pounds he dropped to when he got sick; he was over
90 pounds when he arrived at the farm last year. Considering he was
probably a junkyard dog somewhere in his life - his favorite place to
pee is on pickup truck tires! - I was astonished to discover that he
was housebroken. He has never messed in the house. He has become the
ultimate couch potato, and I have running battles with him about who
gets to sleep in bed at night! He loves all animals - my cats always
curl up with him when he is on the couch, and he became an immediate
member of the pack here at home, due to his gentle nature. And he is
delirious to see any people - he has to wag his entire rear end
because of his lack of a tail!!! My neighbor's three-year-old daughter
runs to take Rocky's leash and walk him when we are out, and even as
slow as he walks, he slows down even more when Anastasia has the leash
in her little hands. He is an extraordinary dog - kind, loving,
gentle as a lamb, and a soul who knows that he is being cared for now
to the best of my family's ability. My Christmas present was to find
out that Rocky is in voluntary remission right now, for which I'm very
grateful. It certainly explained why he started to bounce around like
a puppy again! We don't know how long it will last, but it is truly a
gift from Above that this dog has been given a new lease on life. He
has led a very hard life, and I hope he can stay with us for a longer
time still, so that he can enjoy this new life that he so richly
deserves!
He's doing really well right now, and my vet and I are hopeful that he
may last for another six months to a year, so that he can enjoy the
luxury of his new life. I have cats too numerous to mention, plus four
other dogs, so Rocky has plenty of company here.
|
Find out how your pet
could be Dog of the Day.
|
|
|
|
