UGH!! Fleas, Worms & Collapsed Trachea & everything else in our new girl!!
 

So we got Lily's new sister Lexi last Monday. Got her from a college girl who didn't want her anymore because she was inhibiting her going out. This girl got her from a lady who got her from a lady, etc.. Anyway, we are like her 5th or 6th home. Needless to say, getting her entire medical history has proved damn near impossible. She has been severely neglected and unloved.
When I got her, I knew it was going to be a challenge, but one meeting with her and I knew I had to bring her home. Lexi has such a sweet heart and goofy personality. She's also got red hair :D I love it!!It's like she had highlights.

Anyway, here is what we have been dealing with:
1) Mats- Combing, coming, and more combing. Dry itchy skin. Washed with biogroom etc...
2) Discovered fleas. Bath again, flea treatment
3) Found tape worms eeewwww:eek: Started her on deworming regimen.
4) Paces around her in her crate in circles with the telltale signs that she was just left in there all the time
5) Starving: OMG this poor girl.
6) Attention- She craves it like there is no tomorrow. She barks at you constantly if you don't give her attention.
7) Just took her out for her first walk. We don't even get out of the driveway before she starts the dry goose honking. Now I have only heard this on our walk, so I'm hoping it's in the first stages. But, if it requires surgery, I don't know what we'll do for that :( Hubby is deploying again in Jan and well we're a military family if that tells you anything.
8) She hasn't been to the vet in like a year. Got that taken care of and such. They said she was 2 and spayed but I don't have that paperwork and the lady the college girl got her from won't communicate with me and the college girl has ceased to communicate with me. The vet can't tell if she is spayed because there isn't an empty space and there is no mark. So we are watching for a heat cycle or the vet wants to do an exploratory spay. :mad:

We love this little girl already to death!! She has found her forever home and won't be going anywhere. She is excellent with the kids and such a people girl. Lexi is really starting to come out of her shell and be comfortable playing with Lily and our boxer boy. This also bringing Lily more out of her shell. Oh How I love the zoomies. It really does make my day watching them!!

Anyway, I just wanted to share with some people who would understand how I feel as hubby is currently out of town on training and my mother hates animals. :(

God bless you Armywife, for giving this girl the love she needs and has obviously deserved for a very long time....even though she has been through a lot and is probably very scared she probably knows she won the lottery finding you!

:thumbup::thumbup:

I am so glad you took Lexi into a loving home, sounds like she really needs it, poor baby. Hugs.

Good luck with your new little one. :) How wonderful that you are able to finaly give her a forever home. Are you using a harness when you went for your walk? This will help with the trachea issues. You should send LadyJane a PM~she has Ozzie one of our rescues and he has problems as well. Maybe she would be able to give you a little advice about treatment.

Thanks guys! She really is such a sweetie. She has definitely found her forever home!! You can tell though that she is very insecure and I know that is going to take some time.

On our walks, harness definitely. It's the thinnest softest kind that I can find in town. I only walk them on harnesses. But the college girl gave her to me with a collar on and commented on how much of a leash puller she was, so... for the first 2 years of her life.. I assume she was pulling on a collar. :-(

I don't know how, but I completely forgot to mention:
- She has a grade 2.5-3 LP in her back right leg.
- Separation anxiety from hell! If I put her outside, she's afraid I'm going to leave her, even with the other guys out there and it's just long enough to do her business.
- You can tell her grooming has been nill. She has a long coat so naturally we've been dealing with mats as I said. Well, she hates tangles so much that when we hit one, she turns around and briefly thinks about taking a finger off. Obviously if she did bite me, it's understandable, but she hasn't at this point. We're taking it slow.
- She has a lovely multi colored long coat with hair loss around her eyes and legs.

It really makes me angry all that she has been through. But she still has such a loving spirit. :)

You are a GREAT person! Bless you and your family!!

"7) Just took her out for her first walk. We don't even get out of the driveway before she starts the dry goose honking. Now I have only heard this on our walk, so I'm hoping it's in the first stages. "



Now just bc you heard that doesnt mean she does have a CT peanut makes that sound a bit and he has had xray and the whole 9 yards. At first I thought he had the CT but its just a reverse snezze. So to be sure you would have to have xrays. I highly doubt she has a CT I hope she doesnt!! I'm sure you will keep an eye on her...

Collapsed Trachea|Small Dog Throats

:( Unfortunately, that's what I thought it was at first too. But Lily has reverse sneezing and they are distinctly different sounds.

I did a lot of research on CT when Lily first started making crazy sounds, but Lexi's is definitely the CT sound. It was like forcing a deathly asthmatic to run 10 miles without an inhaler. Or a squealing/oinking pig that wanted to get away or a dry goose honk or a duck call all wrapped up in one. :(

I know we are going to have to get her an Xray. I'll do that next month. I'm going to watch it for now and make sure she doesn't exert quite as much on our walks.

Thanks!

Ah poor thing! :xfingers: I hope she gets better! And when you do take her in, I hope we are wrong and it is just a reverse snezze!! :D Poor little thing, at least she is with a loving home now :thumbup:
Lets see some pics!

God bless you for doing the right thing for her! Too many, like the college girl, do not want to be bothered with a living creature. They buy things to be" Tools in their Shed",to be used when it is ok for them. Not thinking that this thing is actually alive and in need of food and caring. She sounds absolutely adorable! I am sure that all this will work out, and she surely knows how much you love her and how much you have done for her.
Hang in there... We are all rooting for you and Lily!

{{{{Big Hugs}}}}

Thanks again.
I know there are some in college who are responsible and take good care of their pets, but living in a party college town with FSU and FAMU, they are few and far between. Technically I'm in college (working on a Master's degree) but I did my undergrad here and know the lifestyle.

Anyway, here are some pics of our new girl Lexi!!
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/my-...ml#post2815768

omg.... My first degree was from FSU. You are right, quite the party town.
Definitely hard to stick with the studies when so much else is going on.
Loved Waculla Springs when I was there, not to mention tubing!
Ahhh the good ole days!

The pictures of Lily are just adorable.. she is such a cutie-pie! I can see why you fell in love with her! Her little face is just beyond cute!

And once again, I cannot stress how great it is to see someone doing the right thing for an animal just because they can. :thumbup:

Ahh Lexi is a DOLL!!! :D

so sad.i am glad you got her now.poor little darling.

Sounds like she has a new forever mommie.. and she will be under foot probably always since she has had so many homes.. but it will not be so noticeable after awhile for she will have you so trained to just know she is there.... I am glad she found you!!!!

anne

What a happy begining for you both:D

I am so happy she has you now. Can't wait to here more stories as she gets use to a loving home.

I think she's going to just fine...thanks for giving her the love and attention she deserves and a place to finally call home sweet home.
PS: Thank your Army husband for serving our country!!!

Poor baby. I am glad that she now has you and your family to give her the loving home she deserves!

An x-ray really is not totally necessary to diagnose a collapsing trachea! Save your money! I had a yorkie for ten years who had a collapsing trachea all of his life. He was around 6 when I got him. Over the years he had a few xrays and each one showed the trachea in different stages...sometimes it is the position I think when they take the x-ray. He had one at Texas A&M prior to major surgery (herniated cervical discs) and they said the trachea was not that bad. I told them that another vet had taken an x-ray and it was very bad. Well....long story short, he almost died after the surgery...could not be extubated and honestly had he not been there, I am sure he would have died. He ended up with a tracheotomy for a few days. It was then that I found out how the trachea can look so different on separate x-rays.

If she only does this when walking with a collar, I would not freak about it. They all should be walked with harnesses anyway. A collar will definitely aggravate the trachea causing the coughing...that is actually how a vet diagnoses one..by putting pressure in the area of the trachea.

Ozzy, my little foster, has a very bad case. For a few weeks he was coughing (honking) almost non-stop. He did not need oxygen, but people who don't know about these things would get very upset when they heard him. I do know it had to be hard on him. I took him to the vet just about every day...and he was seen by a specialist. He was given SO many different meds....three different antibiotics and two different cough medicines. At night I had syringes preloaded with Ace-pro and also torb in case he would get really bad. Finally we found the answer for him! He is now on Lomotil and Theodur and is pretty well controlled....not perfect and even the slightest bit of stress will set him off; but he is not coughing non-stop and he and I FINALLY can sleep through the night.

Since you said this poor girl is thin, then I don't need to tell you about weight...although keep it in mind once she starts to put some weight on. Being overweight is not good for a CT.

Also, it is very important that they be kept cool. I call them air-conditioning pups! :)

Just try to relax when it happens. Many people get so frightened and want to do anything to stop it. Sometimes it sounds much worse than what it really is.

I have seen people do that surgery and the end result is not good. That surgery is not very successful. There is no way I would subject any of my pups...or my fosters to it!

If she is coughing a lot, ask about the Lomotil. I have a friend who has one with a CT and her vet had not heard of using it. It is in the Pet Therapy book and it does work! She is using it on hers now and her yorkie is doing well! I recently took Ozzy off of the Lomotil for a day and he started right back up...proof positive it is working.

Lomotil is an anti diarrheal for people...it is an older one..and is not the same as Immodium. Lomotil has an opoid in it. The dose for pups is very small and so far, Ozzy has not had a problem with his BMs.

Thank you for giving Lexi her forever home. She's such a pretty girl! ;)

Wow, she is ADORABLE!! Congrats on your new furbaby.

We got Roscoe, our chihuahua/pomeranian/rat terrier back in June when he was 4 months. We are his third owners. So needless to say, he is ALWAYS under foot and following me everywhere. He must be touching me at all times whenever I am laying on the couch or in bed. He just needs to know that he won't be moving again. Who knows what his life was like with his prior owners. Sounds like you have the exact same issue. But doesn't it make you feel so loved?? :)

Best of luck to your husband too. I am an "outside the wire" combat medic who spent a year in Iraq myself.

Another great beginning for a furbutt who has not been taken care. You are a lifesaver for her.

Aww she is so pretty :)Thank you for giving her a second chance ;) she so deserves it :)

I'm so glad she finally found you! Sometimes one here when someone talks about rehoming a dog, people get upset but I think of stories like yours and I really think that you are both blessed to have finally found each other!