Help with a stray
 

Well, was a stray, but not anymore. My friend saved a small dog from a highway this morning. She took him home and put him in her bathroom with food and water (so he wouldn't tear anything up) and then went to work. I haven't seen a pic of him (just got a phone call from my friend...who thought maybe I could come over this weekend and help her with him). She wants to keep him because she says he's adorable, and looks so lonely and helpless. We are going to take him to the vet tomorrow to get him checked out. My question is, will the vet be able to give us a round about guess at how old he is? I know they can go by teeth as a puppy and that it gets a bit sketchy once they're 2 or 3, but is there a way to tell approximately? She's talked with her husband and he likes the idea of keeping the dog, but he doesn't want her to keep him if he is very old, because she just went through a stint of depression and he is afraid if the dog dies soon it would be very bad for her. I told her that dogs don't have a set age that they die at...some go sooner than others, unfortunately, and with a dog that was once a stray, it's kinda up in the air. Any knowledge on the age test? Or your thoughts on the situation in general?

Edit: This is in the yorkie section because I'm not sure if he is a yorkie or not. My friend told me that he looked "a little like Bender" so she wasn't sure, but thought maybe I'd know if I saw him.

I don't know about the age thing but am so glad your friend saved him!!!

I know, she saw him running down an I-95! She pulled into the break-down lane and chased him down into the ditch-like area. It makes me shake all over to think if Bender had been walking down I-95!

I'm so glad your friend saved him!!! Give her a WAY TO GO!!! :thumbup:
The vet should be able to give you a round about age. I hope he gets a good health check. Please keep us posted!
Have a Great day!!! :)

Bless her heart for rescuing him. I would have the vet check to see if he has a chip. Or put and add in the paper or posting somewhere to find the owner. I know most of us have had or little ones slip out the door. Some one may be looking for him.

Poor thing :( I hope she gets to keep him!! Maybe he's a yorkie mix:) I'll bet she hated to go to work and leave the little fellow. Make sure you post an update when she gets home and you talk to her again!! Can't wait til you go see him. I wouldn't, personally, worry about the age...if he could bring her happiness even for just a few years, it would be worth it for her and the little dog :)

good idea!

This is the only thing I could find:

Gotta have PDF though...

http://www.ruralareavet.org/PDF/Phys...ermine_Age.pdf

Yes, Vets can geive you a pretty good idea of how old the dog is.. hope it all works out.

Maybe even if he is older it would still make her feel good to know that she gave him a good home the last part of his life. I haven't really ever dealt with anyone with dpression nor do I know her personally so I don't know if she would look at it this way or not but just an idea. I know it would be hard on me to get a pet that only lived a short time but it would definately help me to know that I helped the little guy out before he went. It may be a good thing, it may make her feel a sense of importance. I don't know though. Even if she doesn't keep him she should still feel that sense of importance because she still helped him. Good for her, who knows what could've happened to the little guy running down the highway like that. Make sure you tell her all us YTers are proud of her.

Thank you for the teeth/age chart! I will get a pic of him this weekend and post it on the forums. I'm sure when we're at the vet they will check if he's microchipped. I already told her that perhaps the dog simply ran away and somehow made it out to the highway. I think she is hoping he isn't chipped though. :rolleyes:

How nice of your friend to rescue him. I hope all goes well with the vet check.

I so glad that your friend rescued him....but I would also encourage you to see if you can first find the true owner before she just takes him in...I would hate for someone to just take in one of my girls because they found them...but I would defintely take him to the vet and get him checked out to see if he is healthy....if he is and the owner can not be found, then I would say that your friend should defintely keep him!! Please keep us updated....