Jack 12-206

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Sponsored by:

Dennis, Joanne and Shayna (a Golden about Jack's age)


June 22, 2012

Viewers, meet Jack.  Jack came to us on the Saturday the 16th of June, just in time for Father’s Day.  Jack as you can probably see, has some severe allergy issues which have not been treated. Hence the poor look of his coat and bald spots, etc. It was quite a shock to meet him with his very poor condition and a huge relief now he is in foster care.  We were very anxious for our vet appointment on Monday, the 18th needless to say.  Jack was very uncomfortable, sore, smelly and very scratchy.  First, let me say how good he did coming into a new home, met 2 new dogs (Maggie, an Eskie-border collie mix who is 11 and Eddie, a Pembroke corgi who is 3.5) and also the 3 resident cats.  Jack is a very gentle guy who took things in stride, was very happy to have tons of affection and enjoys good food.  He rides in the car fine and needs a ‘leg/boost’ up and is just fine otherwise (hard to get up into some of our trucks/suv’s).  He went ride into a station wagon with ease though.  Jack did come with a large kennel/crate which he has zero interest in.  Therefore, he is babygated in a large bathroom off the master bedroom with a big doggie pillow and old blankie of his which came with him.

His first day/night here he did wonderfully.  We needed to wait a couple days until the vet appointment so we were allowed to give him benedryl to make him somewhat comfortable until that time.  Takes them great with cheese.  His appetite is fine.  Once he got on some good food his poop was 1/10 the size of the first day.  Jack was great but so miserable.  The scratching, the wounds, the smell, and discomfort just broke our hearts.  Jack is your typical golden and leans to you for loves and pets; he does really like and enjoy his walks; and is an all around lovely golden retriever.  In that he is a ‘wreck’ when he came to us, we sure looked forward to the medical attention and bath at the vet’s and he was ever so patient even though it was difficult for us to watch his condition and discomfort.

It is very difficult to see the wounds, the cracked paws, chocolate ooze out of his ears which were swollen, raw around his eyes, and all the raw patches of skin which had been chewed and scratched off in terrible itching frenzies due to the allergies.  His sad distressed face which tells us of a plea for help.  Yet, in pets and rubbing, the happy golden tail wags….. a true golden retriever.  Such neglect and sadness is so hard to witness but we have only one way to go now and that is UP.  J  Gosh what a lovely boy.

What I will try to do here is give the basics and then explain our treatment(s) which is slowly getting him on the road to recovery.  Please know if any of you would like to SPONSOR this grand boy, please, we need your help!  http://ragom.org/shop/donat.html

Jack is:

  • 8.5 years old with a DOB of  March 2004
  • Male, neutered PB golden retriever
  • Weighs in at 79#
  • Does very well with children, other dogs, cats
  • Enjoys car rides
  • Loves and really enjoys his walks and walks well on a leash (he would be great with his recall as well)
  • No known behaviors and is very gentle
  • Seems to do fine with stairs
  • Respects baby gates

I truly cannot say enough good things about this ‘soon-to-be’ healthy, beautiful golden.  STUNNING personality……. And soon he will feel good.  When discussing Jack with his previous owner, he did mention Jack had previously had a couple small seizures in recent months.  Unfortunately, but not to our surprise, he did have a seizure on Monday evening, after all the vetting, rides to/from clinic, bath and of course, just being here in foster care for a few days. We have not had any since and again, I feel all of the stressors came to a head.  We will of course be monitoring this closely too to see if any medication (sigh) will be warranted for this at all.

OK now, I will list what treatments that Jack is currently going through due to his very poor condition:

(I actually ended up making a spreadsheet to check off the below listing of medicals; again, this is where we [Ragom] can sure use your financial support)  ♥ Thank you.

Here is our current meds:

Good news, he is HW negative and Lyme’s negative and has received a dose of Iverheart.  Fecal was negative.  He has bacterial and yeast infections. Large amount of bacteria in the ears (very swollen and lots LOTS of black goo).  We will need to treat with otomaxx (2X day) until swelling goes down some (they are VERY sore) and he is scheduled next week (June 26th) to be sedated and flush/clean them.  They are horrible.  I am applying a small amount of the Otomaxx in-between his toes and cracked pads too.  We saw some flea dirt and we did test for mange, which came back negative.  He has ‘dry eye’ in both eyes…. Not a drop of tears.  We are pretty sure he cannot see out of the left eye or very minimal at this time.  When I met Jack I could not even see his eyes for the green pus/matter in them.  This is definitely caused from the severe allergy condition which was left untreated. He is on Trioptic cream and Cyclosporine for eyes 2X a day each. He will be on cyclosporine life-long.  We did frontline Jack on Saturday and due to such severe skin condition he will go back to vet office today where he will get a medicated bath/dry and some spots shaved and cleaned up.  Jack is very uncomfortable.  He also can stay on Benedryl (three 25mg tabs) 2X a day also.  He is on Chephalexin 2 tabs for 2X a day for a few weeks. He is also on Prednisone (progressive dose). Getting Fluconzole for fungal infection. His baths consist of using Keratolux medicated shampoo. 

I DO HAVE TO SAY what a wondrous boy he is… taking into account everything above, he is so lovely, gentle, sweet, and beautiful boy.  We will get our vet appointment done next week for the ears, and get microchipped at that time and another medicated bath, and move forward with our recovery process.  How grateful his eyes reflect to me on finally feeling good and getting healed.  Jack is one lovely golden boy!  He is going to make some family very lucky :)

At a Glance #12-206

Golden Retriever Born: March 2004
Male 65 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Sponsored by:

Dennis, Joanne and Shayna (a Golden about Jack's age)


June 22, 2012

Viewers, meet Jack.  Jack came to us on the Saturday the 16th of June, just in time for Father’s Day.  Jack as you can probably see, has some severe allergy issues which have not been treated. Hence the poor look of his coat and bald spots, etc. It was quite a shock to meet him with his very poor condition and a huge relief now he is in foster care.  We were very anxious for our vet appointment on Monday, the 18th needless to say.  Jack was very uncomfortable, sore, smelly and very scratchy.  First, let me say how good he did coming into a new home, met 2 new dogs (Maggie, an Eskie-border collie mix who is 11 and Eddie, a Pembroke corgi who is 3.5) and also the 3 resident cats.  Jack is a very gentle guy who took things in stride, was very happy to have tons of affection and enjoys good food.  He rides in the car fine and needs a ‘leg/boost’ up and is just fine otherwise (hard to get up into some of our trucks/suv’s).  He went ride into a station wagon with ease though.  Jack did come with a large kennel/crate which he has zero interest in.  Therefore, he is babygated in a large bathroom off the master bedroom with a big doggie pillow and old blankie of his which came with him.

His first day/night here he did wonderfully.  We needed to wait a couple days until the vet appointment so we were allowed to give him benedryl to make him somewhat comfortable until that time.  Takes them great with cheese.  His appetite is fine.  Once he got on some good food his poop was 1/10 the size of the first day.  Jack was great but so miserable.  The scratching, the wounds, the smell, and discomfort just broke our hearts.  Jack is your typical golden and leans to you for loves and pets; he does really like and enjoy his walks; and is an all around lovely golden retriever.  In that he is a ‘wreck’ when he came to us, we sure looked forward to the medical attention and bath at the vet’s and he was ever so patient even though it was difficult for us to watch his condition and discomfort.

It is very difficult to see the wounds, the cracked paws, chocolate ooze out of his ears which were swollen, raw around his eyes, and all the raw patches of skin which had been chewed and scratched off in terrible itching frenzies due to the allergies.  His sad distressed face which tells us of a plea for help.  Yet, in pets and rubbing, the happy golden tail wags….. a true golden retriever.  Such neglect and sadness is so hard to witness but we have only one way to go now and that is UP.  J  Gosh what a lovely boy.

What I will try to do here is give the basics and then explain our treatment(s) which is slowly getting him on the road to recovery.  Please know if any of you would like to SPONSOR this grand boy, please, we need your help!  http://ragom.org/shop/donat.html

Jack is:

  • 8.5 years old with a DOB of  March 2004
  • Male, neutered PB golden retriever
  • Weighs in at 79#
  • Does very well with children, other dogs, cats
  • Enjoys car rides
  • Loves and really enjoys his walks and walks well on a leash (he would be great with his recall as well)
  • No known behaviors and is very gentle
  • Seems to do fine with stairs
  • Respects baby gates

I truly cannot say enough good things about this ‘soon-to-be’ healthy, beautiful golden.  STUNNING personality……. And soon he will feel good.  When discussing Jack with his previous owner, he did mention Jack had previously had a couple small seizures in recent months.  Unfortunately, but not to our surprise, he did have a seizure on Monday evening, after all the vetting, rides to/from clinic, bath and of course, just being here in foster care for a few days. We have not had any since and again, I feel all of the stressors came to a head.  We will of course be monitoring this closely too to see if any medication (sigh) will be warranted for this at all.

OK now, I will list what treatments that Jack is currently going through due to his very poor condition:

(I actually ended up making a spreadsheet to check off the below listing of medicals; again, this is where we [Ragom] can sure use your financial support)  ♥ Thank you.

Here is our current meds:

Good news, he is HW negative and Lyme’s negative and has received a dose of Iverheart.  Fecal was negative.  He has bacterial and yeast infections. Large amount of bacteria in the ears (very swollen and lots LOTS of black goo).  We will need to treat with otomaxx (2X day) until swelling goes down some (they are VERY sore) and he is scheduled next week (June 26th) to be sedated and flush/clean them.  They are horrible.  I am applying a small amount of the Otomaxx in-between his toes and cracked pads too.  We saw some flea dirt and we did test for mange, which came back negative.  He has ‘dry eye’ in both eyes…. Not a drop of tears.  We are pretty sure he cannot see out of the left eye or very minimal at this time.  When I met Jack I could not even see his eyes for the green pus/matter in them.  This is definitely caused from the severe allergy condition which was left untreated. He is on Trioptic cream and Cyclosporine for eyes 2X a day each. He will be on cyclosporine life-long.  We did frontline Jack on Saturday and due to such severe skin condition he will go back to vet office today where he will get a medicated bath/dry and some spots shaved and cleaned up.  Jack is very uncomfortable.  He also can stay on Benedryl (three 25mg tabs) 2X a day also.  He is on Chephalexin 2 tabs for 2X a day for a few weeks. He is also on Prednisone (progressive dose). Getting Fluconzole for fungal infection. His baths consist of using Keratolux medicated shampoo. 

I DO HAVE TO SAY what a wondrous boy he is… taking into account everything above, he is so lovely, gentle, sweet, and beautiful boy.  We will get our vet appointment done next week for the ears, and get microchipped at that time and another medicated bath, and move forward with our recovery process.  How grateful his eyes reflect to me on finally feeling good and getting healed.  Jack is one lovely golden boy!  He is going to make some family very lucky :)

Updates

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Jack at his new home...


My new dad.......


Looking out at my new pool......

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Here is a happy, final entry for our lovely Jack boy today, July 21, 2012.   A wonderful, prior Ragom adoptee family, who drove some 220 miles (in the heat)  to come and meet this grand Ragom boy, with their own Maggie golden girl who is 14 yrs young and also a prior Ragom girl, in hopes of a good meet & greet and potential adoption.  This is a part of the Ragom process our approved families (who have done the application process and home visit process) are willing and need to take to hopefully find the best/right Ragom golden rescue dog for their own family.  With the time and research involved on both the foster family and adoptive family, a ‘great match’ can occur and a “furever golden road for all—the very best we can do for these rescued golden retrievers and subsequent adoptive families’ has been made.  THIS IS A GREAT MATCH.  I heartfelt thank you to the H family for their ‘hearts and dedication’ in adopting a rescued golden retriever.  Now Jack is home.

Here is the BEGINNING…

Here is the ending……… ;-) A wonderful new home!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Jack is progressing nicely. We will be done with the antibiotic (Cephalexin) in 2 more days, yeah. We are done with ear meds and they seem to be doing fine. We of course are still on eye drops/meds and always will be and he knows he gets them twice a day. We continue to use benadryl twice daily for his allergies. We have had to add a prednisone a couple of times when scratching got a little more. It will take time for this to subside/heal better due to how horribly chronic he was. It will be interesting to see how he does after fall/winter/freeze starts and how he will feel. He is on a grain free food and of course, unsure if food is part of the allergy equation or not. He has a good appetite though. Jack loves, loves his walks and meeting people and dogs. He is great. I do limit his time outside and of course lately, we all have with this horrible hot/humid weather. He enjoys being brushed and we have kept on with the medicated baths once a week which is a great help and I am sure those can be cut back soon so not as often. (using Keratolux shampoo). As seen in the photo, he enjoys a plain old nylabone which is great. He does play and has plenty of energy. Discounting the pre-gray face, you would never know his true age. Definitely has the golden ‘wag of the tail’ and it seems to go a lot as he is a happy boy. Some new pics of the troops waiting for FD to come in the door from work; and Jack enjoying his new found bone. Past couple weeks we have been in contact with a wonderful family who will be coming to meet this fantastic golden boy next weekend.


Waiting for FD to come in the door


Good nylabone in the backyard


Chewing away...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

It is already the 4th of July.  Summer is going fast.  Jack continues to do so well each day.  We are whittling away at getting off his meds.  Of course some will remain with him due to this seasonal allergy/dry eyes.  Jack loves food…. Found out he really likes “Pringles!” cat tipped over the can and yup, down the hatch they all went.  He is such a joy to walk with and nothing bothers him at all.  He so enjoys being outside but I do limit his time due to recent bad heat and humidity and his allergies.  He is such a joy to foster.  He went to vet and had another bath with the medicated shampoo and he enjoys those; and he will need to keep up on those of course too.  His coat, which as you can tell from the photos is coming back in nicely, is very soft and beautiful.  Ears are healing nicely.  He is still on the otomaxx for those for a little while.  He is not crazy about getting the ear meds but tolerates fine.  Jack has incredible recall too and I have a hunch he may like the water.  Jack has come a long way in a few short weeks.  We are fortunate to have him in our care. 


The evidence - all the Pringles are gone...
Jack and the kitty team up...

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Here is the grand Jack.  Jack is such a well-rounded boy, and a fighter and healer.  A couple photos with our granddaughter, Jack is even listening to her read to him! Jack is a gentle soul.

I cannot believe the daily strides he is making in healing from such horrible prior condition and looking so beautiful!

He did have his ear cleaning at the vet and it went well.  He had a pre-sedative but that was good enough and doctor got the flushing/cleaning done without actually putting him under.

The vet was very impressed at Jack’s progress.  He remains a very well behaved golden and is handling all of his ‘cures’ and ‘remedies’ in stride.  He ‘knows’ some meds are coming and does fine.  The day of the cleaning for several hours his ears were sore so we just left them alone.  He loves cheese or ‘pill pockets’ for meds.  In his kibble seems to go fine as well.  With our troops here, they do get more of a ‘gourmet’ breakfast.  We mix in some cooked deer/rice mix or good moist dog food (wellness), green beans, etc.  in the dry kibble and then just plain kibble in the evenings.  They are fed 2X a day.  Jack does know to ‘sit’ and wait for a snack/treat.  He loves food (unlike our prior golden we lost who was very fussy).  Jack is wonderful to walk and has a great pace.  He ignores other dogs and loves people.  I have brought him to work also for a little ‘therapy’ with the kids.  Perfect for him.  Jack does well getting into the vehicle, just needs a ‘butt boost.’  He enjoys his rides though.

He is now excited when I get home from work (I work 5+ hours in the early mornings) and wants to jump for joy, wag his tail fast and ‘talk’ to me!  So cute…. So loves his human!  Jack has free roam of our home with everyone else, 2 dogs and 3 cats.  No problems.  Jack can be on less and less meds.  We are waiting for some to just run out and run their course….  Yeah…  He loves his baths/blow dries at the vet (groomer part) well too.  He will be on benedryl for sure, and the eye drops/meds.  We have seen no other issues with Jack now and I pray we are getting on the ‘home stretch.’  What a wonderful golden indeed!  A strong heart he has….. ♥ !

Saturday, June 23, 2012

These are from a week ago when we first got Jack boy on 6/16/12.

A very miserable dog.  He had a hard time walking because he was so sore.

Nothing was shaved, he actually scratched himself this raw.


Jack’s sore, itchy eyes

Jack’s loss of hair and sores

Jack’s sore feet

Jack’s sores

Jack’s hairless ear and face

yet another sore...probably old fleas

But, in just a week we are seeing improvement...


Jack with friend Carly; loves kids!

Mr. Jack Man…. We are slowly healing….