Intoducing New Rescue To Household
 

Junebug was fostered in a loving home and was a puppy mill rescue. He was around many different sizes and breeds of dogs with his foster mom. We are now considering adopting another small dog (Maltese). The Maltese original owners dropped her off at the local spca and Main Line Animal Rescue took her and did what they do best, rescued her. She has allergies and ear infections (hence why she was abandoned). She was already spayed when she arrived at the spca. Main line came in and took her so she could get the medical treatment she needed. Both of her ears are almost swollen shut (cauliflower ear) but she is not deaf. She was also seen by a dermatologist. She has gone through steroid injections, will be on allergy meds for the rest of her life, as well as special Hill's Prescription Diet food. She is very loving and Junebug was playing and frolicking with her. Considering Main Line knows me from adopting Junebug from them, they think the fit would be good one.


My concerns is once she comes home here. I have never owned more than one dog at a time. It was easy with Junebug cause he got use to a potty routine pretty quickly. I pick up his water around 8pm, let him out at 9pm and he can go 11-12 hrs. if I want to sleep in for some reason. My concerns is for the new addition. I was told that she was in a home before being dropped off at the spca. Also the new dog usually follows in stride with routine with what the other dog does. I am not worried about during the day when I am home, for I am worried at night time. If she pee's in the bedroom, where Junebug sleeps with us, I am then afraid Junebug will follow suit then we have a huge problem!! During the day, Junebug is confined to a very large kitchen with pee pads to use so the new addition will follow suit. Again, I am worried about night time.


Any/all advice is appreciated!

Start off by crate training her. Most dogs will not go potty where they sleep. Make her earn her freedom. She can be loose while your watching but at night and when you are away use the crate. I usually reccomend about a month, slowly letting the newbie have more and more freedom if she is doing well. Also even if the dogs seem to be getting along feed separate and pick up any favorite beds or toys the first couple weeks. I always tell adopters bringing home a new dog is like making a new friend, it takes time. Also don't be surprised if they get in a few arguments, they have to figure each other out. Thanks for considering rescue and good luck!

I will have to contact the rescue to see if she is already crate trained and what they do with her at night. While we were there, she did go into a crate to relax once in a while from all of the excitement so that looks like a good sign.


P.S. Because of her allergies and ear issues, the rescue will continue treatment on her pre-existing condition for the rest of her life and foot the bill! They have her on Hills Prescription Diet z/d (which is very expensive) and allergy meds. Anything that has to do with her treatment they will take care of for free! I do not pay for the food, meds, etc. If I see anything odd or want to bring her in to check her ears, I can do at my leisure. I do not know of that many rescues that go to this extent to find homes for these animals. I think it is amazing!

That does sound like a unique rescue to foot the bill for medical treatment even after an adoption. Sounds like the one really needs the help.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope it works well for you and the pups.

Yes it is. Here in Pennsylvania, we have a very large Amish community and they are the main culprits of the this horrible practice of puppy mills. They consider them livestock and treat them as such. It is also not against the law to shoot your dog as a means of termination. It is very sad but true.


They are considered the best in the country for what they do.


Here is the link: WWW.MLAR.ORG

Congrats hope it works out well for you and the pup! ...I just got a pup from the pound, like with any pup, give them the run of the house, as long as you have a routine things should become easier...pick a time when your home for a couple days before bringing the pup home and let them show you WHO they are, address issues as you go along...as for the rescue, I would think that a certain amount of time until the pup is at a healthy state would be time enough to pay for his care...I can not imagine a rescue that is going to pay bills for the life of the pup, that seems unnecessary, when does the pup become yours? Ever? It seems to me that this would cause an under service to other pups waiting to be rescued....if they do it for you shouldn't they do it for all adopters? Seems like it defeats the purpose. If I were a stakeholder involved with the rescue I'd be questioning that practice.

Oh and my puppymill Mini has allergies, requires shots every 2 weeks, is also on the Hills z/d food. Allergies, skin infections etc are small issues considering what many other puppymill dogs deal with, don't be too concerned or let it deter you. Good Luck!

She needs to have surgery done on those ears! That condition is EXTREMELY painful even if they don't show it. :(

I have a foster pup who just had it done. It must be done by a specialist.

Good luck

This rescue has been doing this for over 17 years and very successfully I may add. When they get a dog from a mill or rescue that has severe medical issues/allergies/etc., the rescue is taking full responsibility of the treatment of the dog. It is their mission to find homes, at any cost, for these unwanted bundles of joy. They found a home (mine) for this dog that would probably "never" be adopted to someone who would want to take on the costs (that's the main reason why she was dumped by her previous owners in the first place). So the dog either stays in the shelter, taking up room and still receiving treatment "OR" I take her in, they continue treating her for her allergies/yeast infection in ears which then allows an opening for another rescue. So may I ask "how" this is a disservice to the others? And they "do" do it for all adopters that are adopting/perm foster pups with issues.


This dog went from having a simple ear infection to a yeast infection then to a bacterial infection. It went untreated for a VERY long time. She has come a long way in the 2 months she has been at the rescue. With continued treatment, the swelling will continue to go down and then they will finally be able to see how much scar tissue will remain. She was seen by a dermatologist and with this being in both ears, it has been determined that the underlying issue is an allergy(s) which is food based. She will be on Prescription Diet z/d and if anything surfaces regarding her ears or allergic reaction, I take her to their vet which is located on the rescue premises (60 acres of farmland).


I am not going to question their good nature and what their cause is. It is what it is and thank goodness we have a rescue that goes the extra mile to make sure they find homes.

She is under the care of her regular vet and a specialist. Once the swelling goes down, they will evaluate how much scar tissue is left and if surgery will be warranted.

How wonderful of you to help this sweet baby. I am happy for you. She will love you for helping her, for the love you give, and the kindness you show her. You can usually tell by body posture how they are feeling. As you watch her, and Junebug, and her interaction with Junebug, you will see patterns in behaviour and can help her feel welcomed and comforted, and both feel secure. I hope, after the ear swelling goes down, that the situation is not as dire as seems now. Best of luck to you, and congratulations!

The way you described it does not sound like edema that will resolve. I hope it does, but doubtful.

Please keep us posted.

Can you please explain to me the surgery since you have gone through it with a pup of your own? How long? What it entails? Recovery time? Follow-ups?

Good luck with this little one.

LadyJane has posted on here not being very optimistic on my future rescue's outcome of her ear issues. I have tried to "PM" this user as well as post on here looking for their input on what the surgery entails and have not received an answer.


Anyone here know of the surgery Ladyjane is speaking of? What it entails? Recovery time? Any Youtube video you can reference me to?

I have not been online much lately. Sorry.

Anyway....here is a thread about a foster pup I recently went through this with:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...going-vet.html

I just noticed that her thread has not been updated. I will have to work on that. Josie had her surgery on October 8, 2014 and she did fine but there were a few issues. After the surgery, the right side of her face was paralyzed and she could not blink, which led to a small eye ulcer. She had to have the outer part of her lids sewn together and she was on eye meds. It took about five weeks but the paralysis did resolve. (the surgeon had told me this often happens). Her little ears stick out sideways now as she lost a lot of cartilage but she is no longer in pain and her ears now look terrific.

The surgery is daunting and should ONLY be done by a very experienced soft tissue surgeon! Here is a link about it:

01 Total Ear Canal Ablation and Ventral Bulla Osteotomy: The TECA Procedure - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

I am thrilled with the outcome! She is a much happier dog now...she barks for food and can eat well. Prior to the surgery, she was so uncomfortable that she did not chew kibble or dog treats. She also did not bark. Now she is hard to stop...LOL

What was the original diagnosis that her ears got that bad? Allergies? Yeast infections? Bacterial? Just curious cause I am curious about my rescue's diet. They have her on Hill's z/d which is very limited ingredient due to the yeast, but, once taken care of is she going to be able to have a more desirable diet? Hard to feed treats or even make them here at home not knowing. :(


I'll check out the links. Thanks!

She came to me with her ears in horrible condition. I believe there are photos in that thread. She had yeast and bacterial infections.

My vet told me that food is often the issue when the allergies are affecting only the ears; but we have not changed her food. I do have two personal pups on Z/D and it works for them (they have IBD). I don't find their diet to be undesirable at all since it works for them. I honestly don't do treats a lot so I don't find that to be an issue....when I do give any, those two get Z/D kibble as a treat and they don't know the difference! :)

Update
 

Just a quick update. The director of the rescue emailed me yesterday telling me that there has been no change in the condition of her ears, but, the condition of the bruising on her rear leg due to the steroid injections has gotten larger. They have decided that the best thing for her is to stay with them there at the rescue for continued treatment. They are taking her to the Univ. of Penn next week.


Although disappointed, I am more concerned about her well being and the outcome. There is a reason for everything and it is best for her to get the care she needs to get better. If I hear of anything, I will let you know.


In the meantime, we are still looking to adopt so we shall see what happens.