Shiva's Journey: From Struggles to Success

It'd been a while since we'd had a shepherd and Drew was itching for another one. It was just before Christmas and Jake's Wish Dog Rescue was in need of a new foster home for one of their dogs: a gorgeous female White Shepherd who needed crate rest for a month. Shiva came into rescue from the San Martin shelter, where she'd been dumped as an owner surrender because she grew bigger than expected. Shiva weighed 78 pounds at 10 months old. That is a BIG girl. She blew breed standards out of the water; a typical White Shepherd female weighs 55-65 pounds full grown. Still, what sort of jackwagon dumps their dog because she grew 15 pounds more than they expected? It's not like she was supposed to be small. Unfortunately, this happens a lot. Anyway, Shiva was adopted from the shelter and then returned the very next day because she didn't get along with the new people's dog right away. 24 hours. I guess they didn't feel like giving it a chance. So, after all of that disappointment early in life, Shiva ended up with Jake's Wish.

Pretty Lady

Back to why Shiva needed crate rest. The vet suspected a slight ACL injury and wanted to see if crate rest would make a difference before considering surgical repair. Her foster mom was about to go out of town, so we agreed to take Shiva (formerly Bella) and do our best to get her leg healed. Crate rest is tough on everyone involved: the dog and the foster parents. You feel guilty for keeping the dog in the crate all the time, even though that's exactly what needs to be done. The dog feels slighted, agitated, and stir crazy after a certain amount of time spent day after day in the cage. Add in the fact that Shiva was a large breed puppy and you can imagine we had our work cut out for us. We'd done our fair share of strict crate rest before for heartworm recovery patients, FHO recovery, and of course for Raven the GSD with her awful carpal wound. None of those dogs were puppies though, so we were a bit nervous about this one.

Raw bone palooza!

The lying tug strategy

The first week wasn't too bad. Jake's Wish stocked us up on raw bones, giant Kongs, dental chews, and all kinds of long lasting goodies to keep Shiva busy while in her crate. Once the novelty of those things began to wear off, we took her for tiny little walks to the end of the street and back in an attempt to burn some energy without straining her leg. I worked on commands with Shiva to exercise her mind - mental stimulation is just as important as physical activity. She learned sit, down, stay, wait, leave it, go to your bed, and other basic rules of the house with ease. When she got crazy, I'd pull up a chair in front of her crate and work with her on these commands for 15 minutes at a time. It helped, but she still had so much restless puppy energy. Going for car rides helped a lot - she loved sticking her head out the window and

Car rides for fresh air

watching the world pass by with the wind in her face. It helped to just get her out of the house for a brief minute without fear of her over-doing it. She also learned how to play tug lying down. When you weigh that much, it's actually a pretty solid strategy. She'd hold onto the rope and just plop down on the ground, letting the other dog try to drag her dead weight across the room. That was entertaining for everyone. In the evenings, we like to gather up the dogs and watch TV as a family for a bit. Normally we wouldn't let a Shepherd up on the couch, as it's a pretty bad habit for such a big dog to develop, but TV time with the family was a good opportunity for Shiva to feel included and get some love without being wound up. So in all of these little ways, we made it work. Slowly but surely, Shiva's leg got stronger.

It wasn't always friendly tug of war and snuggles on the couch. Shiva was really not ok with our dogs when she first arrived. We had flashbacks to Raven, the only dog out of 30 fosters that we weren't able to integrate, and feared Shiva might be the second. It took a lot of work, vigilance, caution, and patience to integrate Shiva with our dogs. We honestly weren't sure it could be done at first, but with time and baby steps we saw her develop into a wonderful dog. She learned how to behave around each of our dogs, learned when enough was enough in terms of play, learned who preferred to be left alone, learned to look out for the little ones underfoot, and learned not to use her giant paws to bat during playtime. We worked on integration for just a little bit every evening so as to not get anybody's nerves frazzled. It's very difficult to overcome negative interactions once they happen, so we wanted to set everyone up for success as much as possible. Before long, Shiva became just another dog in our pack. We are proud of ourselves for that. Drew deserves most of the credit - integration is his magic power. It's amazing to look back to day one at the dog who couldn't control herself at the sight of any of our dogs, then compare that to the snuggly baby girl who lived to play and cuddle with her canine buddies two months later. She became best friends with Kato, the neighbor Shepherd, too. Shepherds can be really tough to integrate, especially with other non-Shepherd dogs, but I'm convinced it helps a ton when you start with a dog who has little life experience as opposed to a dog who already has habits and behaviors ingrained. Raven was 3-4 years old and had been through a lot. Not to say you can't teach an older dog new tricks or work to overcome a difficult past, but it wasn't worth risking safety in that case. Shiva, although she'd had a couple stints in animal control, didn't really seem like she'd been through anything that formed negative associations in her mind. She just needed to learn manners and how to properly behave around others. Overstimulation is much different than aggression or possessiveness - it's much more workable for us. Points for the puppy! We'd make this work yet. Check out the video of Shiva playing gently with another [tiny] Jake's Wish foster dog, Mischa:

Tired Shivers

After a month of crate rest, Shiva's leg didn't bother her anymore. She started going to an awesome doggy daycare each day to burn steam and get more socialization. We Dog Care was a great experience for Shiva. They let Jake's Wish foster dogs attend unlimited daycare for free. This was a lifesaver for us, because we are nowhere near active enough for Shiva's energy needs. She'd come home after a day's worth of play and just flop down exhausted. This improved her relationships with our dogs immensely. She didn't feel the need to harass them for play all the time, so they grew more relaxed around her. We were able to work on obedience with her more effectively when she didn't have so much pent up energy. All in all, the household dynamic finally hit its sweet spot. Then Shiva got sick.

Shiva went from being perfectly fine one day to sick as the proverbial dog the next. She had the worst explosive diarrhea I've ever seen and it just wouldn't stop. She had no energy whatsoever. On top of that, she developed a nasty cold. Her immune system was just demolished by some mystery bug. No parasites, no worms, no idea. She couldn't go to daycare being so sick, which was ok with her for the first few days. Once we got her GI issues under control (still no clue what it was), her cold became an upper respiratory infection. So, antibiotics for that, which upset her stomach again. It was a less than lovely week in our house. Her energy began to return, but she was still snotting green goop and having a hard time breathing clearly. She needed to stay out of daycare for another week, at least. This was a super frustrating period. We'd come so far with Shiva, only to be blindsided by this bout of illness and watch her behavior backslide due to the absence of her energy outlet. Next thing we know, Shiva's limping again. She'd been so sick that she'd hardly moved, so we knew she hadn't injured it. It wasn't the same sort of limp, either. This seemed to be her hip, not her knee. A couple days later, she began limping on her front right leg as well. At first I figured she was sore from compensating for the back leg, but the front just became worse and worse until she just laid in her crate all day. We were flabbergasted. Usually we take them in, see them through whatever illnesses / injuries / issues they have, then send them on their way to happily ever after. We'd done our job just as well as we always do in this case, but we'd hit an unexpected road block that sent us back to square one.

You mean I'll be ok, doc?

It was time for a serious trip to the vet. When her x-rays came back clean, I really began to worry.  I was scared it had to be some sort of autoimmune issue causing this recurring lameness. Multiple limbs, different joints, on and off again. We ran a bunch of blood tests - nothing. It was just so bizarre. In light of all the negative test results, the vet concluded that Shiva was simply suffering from panosteitis: basically retroactive growing pains. The great majority of panosteitis cases present in male German Shepherds between 1-3 years old. Shiva is obviously female, but she is much larger than the typical female Shepherd. Panosteitis involves intense bone inflammation with pain and stiffness that comes and goes as flare-ups. There's nothing to do about it except use an anti-inflammatory during flare-ups. It will go away on its own with time. We breathed a great sigh of relief that Shiva wasn't plagued by some sort of left field autoimmune disease or horrible joint injuries that would destroy her life. She was going to be just fine.

Once we knew Shiva was ok, we could finally carry on with her adoption process. We'd gotten loads of applications for her, but very few of them were good. When you've got a dog who is show-stoppingly gorgeous, not to mention a fairly unusual breed, you can expect to be flooded with applications of the "she's so pretty, I want her!" variety. 9 times out of 10, those applications are as good as garbage. Shepherds are not for everyone. They are a lot of work, cost a lot of money, and require a lot of doggy know-how. We wanted Shiva to go to someone who knew Shepherds - someone we could feel confident knew exactly the sort of commitment Shiva needed. 

Just as Shiva fell ill, we got a winning application. We told the woman we wanted to wait until she was healthy to do a meet and greet. She was perfectly understanding. When we had to tell her Shiva had fallen lame again, we thought for sure she'd take a hike. She didn't! This lady waited patiently while we tested Shiva for everything under the sun. She still wanted her. We were stressed, but we knew if she bailed that it would be ok. We'd wait for the best home for Shiva, whatever it took. Turns out, this lady was the best home for Shiva. She had a male White Shepherd who passed away at 9 years old and knew exactly what she was signing up for by committing to Shiva. Bingo. She's a hiker and she even works from home. Awesome. We couldn't ask for more and we know Shivrar is just so happy with her new mom. 

Shiva was a very interesting challenge for us. Shepherds are always tough for us. We've got small dogs and we're relatively sedentary. We knew all of that already, but Shiva presented a whole extra set of challenges. I'm super proud of us for working through this one and finally ending up with a happy tail. Shiva became such a good, sweet, gentle girl. It was a pleasure to watch her go from an unruly pup to a well-mannered lady. She celebrated her 1st birthday with us on January 30 and I know she'll have several more wonderful years to enjoy life. We're grateful for Jake's Wish, for Shiva's first foster mom, and for We Dog Care. This one took a village, but it was such a rewarding effort. We love you, ShivRAAAAAR! Wag on, Great White Woman!

Shiva & her favorite toy: Mr. Purp

What's left of Mr. Purp

A word on Mr. Purp, the 3 foot long purple caterpillar. This toy was enormous and Shiva loved plush toys, so duh. It was a match made in heaven. Mr. Purp giggled maniacally every time Shiva kill-shook him. It was a bit disturbing. We are still finding pieces of Mr. Purp. He made the ultimate sacrifice and we'll never forget him.

Happy Tail: Raven!

Belated happy tails are better than none at all...Miss Raven got adopted earlier this month! She lives in Nashville, TN and is as happy as can be. Icing on the cake: her leg is fully healed and looks great. We are so happy to see this girl enjoying her new life. Paws up for Raven and for Canine Pet Rescue!

In other news, CPR has taken in a very difficult new case: Allie the young GSD with severe chemical burns. If you'd like to donate toward Allie's care in honor of Raven, please follow the link below:

http://www.petcaring.com/animal-rescue/help-us-help-allie/36795

                  

 

Raven's Journey Continues: From Shelter to Sanctuary

5 weeks of healing!

We handed Miss Raven off to Canine Pet Rescue this evening. During her time at CPR, Raven will learn how to be a real GSD. She'll go through CPR's awesome training program, get to hang out with other German Shepherds at CPR's pristine kennel, enjoy the fresh Georgia country air, and build her leg strength back up. I can't wait to see super happy pictures of her romping in the fields and maybe even doing some bite work! Most of all, I will be so very happy to see her leg finish healing. This is Raven's fifth week out of the shelter and her leg, as you saw in my last blog post, has come so far. Dogs' healing powers amaze me. Clearly there's some Wolverine DNA in there somewhere. I know you're probably tired of the gory injury photos, but I can't help myself. Seriously, look at the difference!

She's just a big lovey goofball

Raven is going to make somebody an awesome family dog. While it seems she needs to be an only dog, she is great with kids. Miss Ray loves to lay on the couch or on the floor nearby her people. As long as she can be near you, she's a happy camper. She loves to play fetch and is a pro at "sit". Hey, come on, even I can teach a German Shepherd how to sit! She seriously sat the first time I asked and looked at me like, "Are you for real lady, this is all you've got?" Raven's so smart...I'm just thrilled that she's going to get all the mental stimulation and exercise she's been craving. I love my Chis and terriers, but there's just something extra special about having a highly intelligent dog that sees you as a partner.

Having said that, super smart dogs are a lot of work. We're tired. Our dogs are tired. Raven is the only one who isn't tired. She's ready to rock and roll at CPR and her leg isn't holding her back anymore. She's going to thrive. I'll post any pictures I get of Raven in her element at CPR and certainly her happy tail picture when she finds her furever home. Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some pictures of her leg after it's entirely healed, too. Be sure to check out the old video below of Raven enjoying her doggy bed and wagging her tail.

Good luck, Ravie Rave!

So if you or someone you know is looking for a Georgia German Shepherd, please help us network these amazing dogs by liking/sharing CPR's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/caninerescue

If you'd like to donate to Canine Pet Rescue so they can continue to help other dogs like Raven, please follow this link: http://www.caninepetrescue.com/how-you-can-help/donate.html

Raven's Recovery: Putting One Paw in Front of the Other

Weekly carpal progress

Weekly armpit progress, clockwise from top left

Lovely Miss Raven is doing fantastic. We are at the one month mark today and her leg is looking great. Her most recent follow-up was on Halloween. The vet was super happy with how everything looked and decided that from here on out, we're ok to go bandage free and let the fresh air finish up the healing process! Raven is doing such an awesome job not licking excessively (with the help of a little bitter spray). She's also walking a lot better without the bandage. I'm sure it felt funky and was probably restricting her range of motion a little. In the picture collage on the left, you can see how far Raven's carpal injury has come in the last four weeks. Top left: initial wound, top right: two weeks into recovery, bottom left: three weeks in, and bottom right: four weeks from initial vet visit. It's totally filled in/granulated, which means there's no longer bone or tendon exposed and no holes remaining. The gray perimeter you see in the bottom right photo is new skin forming. Her armpit wound has really come a long way as well. It was pretty deep and required a drain and stitches (which Raven promptly ripped out on day 1). Despite the awkward location and difficulty keeping the stitches in, it's done remarkably well. She'll probably have a long scar there where the dead tissue sloughed off, but no biggie. She'll still be beautiful, scars or no scars!

Dainty little temp bandage!

Now that all the extensive home care is finished (no more bandage changing, no more medications, no more weekly vet trips), Raven is good to move on to the next stage of her journey toward furever. We're taking her out to the Canine Pet Rescue farm this Friday and turning her over to Carla & Co. She'll stay at the CPR kennel (which is a gorgeous facility on a breathtaking spread of land out in Dacula, GA) until she gets adopted. They'll put her through their awesome training program and she'll learn how to be a real GSD. I'm super excited for her...I know she's going to thrive. I'm sure she won't have to wait very long for a home either; she's such a beautiful and sweet girl.

Enjoying the patio at Midway!

Last night, Raven and I met some friends for drinks. We sat on the restaurant's patio for a couple hours and Raven was super well behaved. There were loud crowds and other dogs on the patio, but she minded her manners perfectly and even let strangers pet her. This was Raven's first social outing. We've taken her for walks in the park several times, but nothing like this before. She handled the socialization so well. I was a proud foster mama! I have to say: I think all my foster dogs are beautiful, but it's extra fun when I have an ultra stunning dog to show off (ahem...Cowboy...). Miss Raven certainly is a showstopper! Nobody can resist her beautiful dark sable coloring and all that shadowing around her face and ears. And pink/fuschia is definitely her best color. I just can't wait to see how pretty she is when that leg is completely healed! She is getting closer to that point every single day. You know I'll share whatever pictures I receive! Stay tuned.

Pupdate: Raven's Recovery

Left: Before; Right: 2 weeks later

Ok, I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and type this update. I picked Raven up from the vet last Monday. Dr. Montgomery showed me how to change her bandage, which I've done every day. Drew was out of town all week, so a couple of friends were kind enough to pop over and help hold her still while I put fresh bandaging on her leg. It's super easy and I've really enjoyed gaining experience with wound care. Raven's injuries are healing very nicely. The minor scrapes on her back feet and shoulder are almost gone and the fur is growing back over them. The underarm wound is doing ok; it's not as great as it could be but there's no infection or anything bad. She popped the stitches and licked at it a bit the first few days, so it's just a little more

Raven's fancy 80s bandage

raw and irritated than we'd like to see. The big awful carpal injury is getting way better. The vet used the phrase "a world of difference" to describe how it looked when we went for her follow-up on Friday, so that's awesome. You can see in the picture how much the tissue has filled in compared to the pictures I posted of it the day we drove her to the vet. That's just two weeks of progress! It's amazing how quickly dogs heal.

Silly girl!

In my very first post I said part of this blog's purpose is to serve as an outlet for me through our fostering challenges, as I knew they'd crop up eventually. Well, our journey with Raven fits squarely into that category. Now I mentioned briefly that Drew was out of town all week. Just in case I haven't expressed it clearly in the past, I want everyone to know how much he helps me with all the dog stuff (and everything else, for that matter). My rescue friends are always quick to comment about how lucky I am that he is as involved as I am. They're right. I REALLY missed his help this week. As it turns out, fostering a GSD with serious injuries + juggling five other dogs that she's incompatible with (one being Satan's Chihuahua and another being an infant puppy) + law school + BY MYSELF = a freaking train wreck. Surprise! Who might have thought? Sigh.

I love this dog bed!

The first night/day with a new foster is always tough, for sure. My first night with Raven was beyond an utter disaster. She completely destroyed my giant 48" crate. She managed to pop a few wires and just ram straight through the front panel. She locked herself in my bathroom and turned on all the faucets. We're talking sinks, tub, everything. The sad, mopey, timid dog we left at the vet the week before existed no more. Raven was at max energy and I had to make sure she a) didn't hurt any of the other dogs, b) didn't re-injure her wounds, and c) didn't tear the house down. One of my friends generously came and spent the night in my bed with my dogs so that I could sleep upstairs with Raven. I needed to stay with her until I could get a new crate. I got very little sleep that night, and even less the next night. Fortunately, a rescue friend who lives nearby loaned me a giant hard plastic crate that Raven can't escape. And hey, she didn't eat any of the other dogs and didn't wreck anything but my crate. Things definitely could have been way worse.

With each day, things get a little better. My dogs had to sleep without me all week, I had to sleep in the guest room with Raven so she wouldn't bark all night, and I spent every ounce of energy each day trying to balance the six of them while keeping them separate, but we managed. Drew changed his flight to the red eye and got home Friday morning. He'll be gone again for the next two weeks, but at least I've caught up on my sleep while he's been home this weekend. We've finally gotten Raven to sleep quietly in her crate during the night. This means I can sleep in my bed with my dogs again. We're all happy about that.

At this point, the worst part of it all is that Raven isn't able to integrate with our dogs. When she snarled at Oliver and went into stare-down mode, we knew we couldn't take the introductions any further. Oliver is as docile, mellow, and straight up neutral as a dog could possibly be. If Raven didn't want to coexist nicely with him, there is no way she'd be able to deal with our other crazies. It just isn't at all worth the risk of someone getting hurt. I knew it was unlikely that she'd be able to integrate with our guys, but I was a little thrown by the exact dynamics. Raven is not at all dog-reactive. She doesn't care when she hears them in the other room or sees them through the window. We can even take them on walks alongside each other with no problem. The issue arises the second any personalized interaction occurs between me or Drew and one of our other dogs. That really pisses her off. Example: She was totally cool with Oliver sitting in the living room near her, but the moment I patted his head or directed my attention toward him in any way, she stiffened and flashed her teeth. So, again, she's not reactive or aggressive. She's people possessive. We are hers and she has zero interest in sharing us with other dogs. Consequently, everyone stays separated. This makes my life a living hell, but it keeps everyone safe. It's only a few short weeks after all.

Burning some energy and strengthening that leg!

I've carried on long enough about the challenges we face with Raven. Let me tell you all about Raven's great qualities. Raven is SUPER SWEET. She absolutely adores all people, new or familiar, male or female. Like I said earlier, I've had friends come by to help out this week and she's showered them with affection. Raven loves to play fetch, even with her bum leg. She really enjoys spending time out on the deck and in the yard. Like a typical GSD, Raven is very smart and picks up on everything in a flash. She knows "sit", "shake", "go lay on your bed", and is beautifully housebroken. She sleeps in her crate quietly now, but she will also sleep on her dog bed like an angel all night as long as it's next to the people bed. She likes going for walks and doesn't pull on the leash. I think Raven would very much like to be an only dog, but she really is going to make somebody an amazing companion. Not to mention she's absolutely beautiful!

Here's the bottom line(s): Drew wanted to foster a real true GSD and I wanted to broaden my experience with doggy medical stuff beyond heartworm treatment. We got exactly what we asked for. I knew Drew would be traveling so much this month and I knew it would be a challenge, but we signed up for it anyway. We made a commitment to short-term foster for CPR and we are not in the business of breaking promises. We will see Raven through her recovery and then send her to the CPR facility. It's going to be a less than ideal next two weeks, but we will make it work and save a life along the way. This learning curve we're riding is steep, but it's worth it. We now know our limits even that much better. Fostering is a great adventure and I know it has made me a stronger, patient, and more compassionate person. If you'd like to apply to adopt Raven or donate to Canine Pet Rescue in her honor, please visit their site: http://www.caninepetrescue.com/home.html

Raven: A Rough Start for a Sweet Girl

Still smiling despite her pain

Raven is a wonderfully sweet German Shepherd mix girl who came into DeKalb County Animal Services as a stray with a terribly injured leg. We are fostering her for Canine Pet Rescue while she recovers from her injuries. The first order of business was to get her straight to the vet. The drive from the shelter to the vet was agonizingly long. Raven is such a trooper and did incredibly well in the back of the car for almost a whole hour, despite being in tremendous pain. We felt so bad for her...knowing she'd had those nasty wounds for at least 4 days. *Don't get me wrong, the folks at the shelter did everything they could do for her, including keeping her on pain medicine and antibiotics*. Regardless, we wished we could just time warp her to the vet. Every time I'd look back to check on her, she'd give me a big sweet kiss. You can see her soul in her eyes. She never once fussed at us when we were getting her in and out of the car.

Armpit wound after sutures

The carpal injury

Raven has spent a full week at CPR's vet in Dacula. I'm going to pick her up this afternoon and bring her home. Leaving her there was hard, but we knew she was in the best hands. The worst of her injuries is an awful wound to her front right leg at the carpal joint. The tissue was torn away, exposing the bone and tendons. The vet cut away the dead tissue and bandaged the wound. He explained that you don't suture those types of injuries; you've got to keep them bandaged until the tissue granulates (regrows) and fills in the wound so the bone is no longer exposed. That's the biggest reason she had to spend all week at the vet. Connective tissue takes time to reform. She has another wound up under her right arm that was more of a gash. The vet had to debride it, put a drain in it, and suture it. Her mouth was bruised, her nose scratched, and she had some other minor owies on her feet and shoulders. We're not sure if her injuries came from a dog fight or from getting hit by a car.

On way to vet

While Raven was under for all of her trauma treatment, the vet also tested her for heartworms. I cannot tell you how incredibly happy I am that she is HW NEGATIVE! So exciting and really surprising. It seems almost every Shepherd that winds up in our animal control turns up HW+. A couple more pieces of good news for Raven: her teeth are in good shape, she's a healthy 60 pounds, and although she's not been spayed it does not appear as though she's ever had puppies. She was actually in heat when we took her to the vet, which means she would have been ready to breed by the end of the week. This girl is super lucky she got off the streets when she did.

Raven will stay with us until her leg heals. After that point, she'll go to the CPR facility out in Dacula until she gets adopted. CPR specializes in GSD rescue. They do amazing training and have a remarkable kennel. I can't wait to see what this girl's future has in store. Paws crossed for Raven's speedy and full recovery! We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, please follow this link if you'd like to donate to Canine Pet Rescue so they can help Raven and others like her: http://www.caninepetrescue.com/how-you-can-help/donate.html
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