Total FURmination

Shedding sucks. It drives me crazy. Until Oliver came along, I'd had only short-haired dogs for the past ten years or so. When I was a kid we had a Husky and a Rottie/Lab/Shepherd mix, both of which shed tremendously, but I guess the tumbleweeds of fur rolling around never made an impression on me back then since I wasn't the one who had to clean them up. Oliver reminded me just how annoying shedding can be.

We try to keep a very clean house. Drew really stays on top of everything and specifically makes certain to vacuum every 3-4 days. Doing so with short-haired dogs isn't a problem at all. Anybody out there reading this who has ever had a Lab knows that we're talking about an entirely different level of shedding. Ollie's fur was killing our poor vacuum. All three dogs get baths each Sunday in the spare tub; we were going through a large jug of Drano every other week. Dog hair was taking over our lives.

Then we bought the Furminator. Everything changed. No more tumbleweeds, no more drain clogging, no more fur-coated dryer lint screen. I was skeptical that this simple little tool would be worth its $50 sticker price and reduce Ollie's shedding, but I am here to attest that the Furminator is worth its weight in gold. The first time we used it, we'd filled a grocery bag with Oliver hair in less than 30 minutes. A week later, I spent 45 minutes and filled another grocery bag. Not joking.

After using the Furminator just twice, Oliver's coat is smoother, shinier, softer, and comparatively shed-free. Hardly any fur came off of him at all the last time I gave him a bath. I don't think there's been such an awesome dog product since KONG toys first came out forever ago. The Furminator is simply unbelievable. It saved us from a tidal wave of dog hair and gives Oliver some relief from his uber shedding double coat. If your dog is a serious shedder, give this thing a try. Just be sure to use a regular brush to gently comb out any knots before using the Furminator. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Oliver's Home Forever

Well, Oliver's adoption story has come to an end. I started to type, "an unexpected end", but then I remembered that this is the sort of outcome we were concerned about all along. So I suppose it isn't entirely surprising to sit here and type a post on how we came to adopt Oliver.

About a week ago, I decided to part ways with the rescue group I'd been involved with for the last two years. We had two options: either leave Oliver with the group or break our foster agreement and adopt him ourselves. While the situation didn't play out exactly the way I'd hoped it would, it wasn't a difficult decision to sign Oliver's adoption contract.

 

Ollie has been with us for six months and he has settled in so well. During all of this time, the few adoption prospects he had didn't pan out. Since we brought him home from the county shelter on December 7th, Oliver has been nothing short of a natural fit into our household. He has since overcome so many health obstacles, has bonded with Bunkin and Flea to form a happy little pack, and has gotten comfortable enough to allow himself to fully relax. After so much time and all of this, Drew and I both felt that it wouldn't be fair to Ollie to uproot him yet again. This sweethearted guy belongs with us. 

It's bittersweet, because I will always associate the addition of Oliver into our little family with the ugly end of my time with our rescue group. That hurts my heart, but it's neither here nor there. We will remain deeply involved in dog rescue and we will foster again for another group once I've settled into school. As far as I'm concerned, Oliver's adoption isn't a story of foster failure, but rather a huge success both for us and for him. Ollie is happy, healthy, and finally has a family who will truly love him forever. It just happened to be us.

Ollie's last day included many special treats

UPDATE 10/17/19: We let Oliver follow his best friend, Bunkin, over the bridge today. After spending eight wonderful years as part of our brown dog family, Ollie let us know he was tired and ready to go. We never knew - since day one - how long we'd have with Oliver, as he was kinda like that car you got with 100,000 miles on it that still ran perfectly well considering its history. We'd seen Oliver through heartworm treatment, knew he'd been hit by a car at some point and healed on his own, seen the effects of early arthritis, and addressed dental disease and other hard knocks. It's not like he ever acted a spring chicken, yet he always had that sparkle in his mischievous houndy eyes: hey guys, where's the food?

Absolute best buds for life

Looking back now on his younger photos from early on in our time with him, Oliver clearly seemed to have a lot more life to live. Let me tell you, he certainly did just that! This old guy, presumed elderly from the day we brought him into foster care, lived SO much life that it's almost unbelievable. This old Dekalb dog ran the breakers of California shores, hiked deep into Georgia wooded trails, road tripped to Florida many a time, and breathed the snowy air of mountainous Oregon. This hound lived his best life. I feel like I need to make him a whole new post, but the truth is he was the people's dog before he was ours. Y'all already know him so well - this is just a eulogy. I've said it all along: Ollie is the best dog I've ever had and the best dog I'll ever have - he is just so special. I've had a whole lot of dogs since bringing him home, guys, and I stand by this statement til the cows come home. Peaceful, loyal, huggable, lovable, squeezable, cuddly, squishy, lovey - these are just some of the bazillion adjectives you could use to describe our boy. Fat, brown, round, and houndy are our words of choice. Oliver stood as an ambassador to SO many foster dogs over the years we had him - he truly became our "ice breaker" dog in the sense that he drew the line for entry level integration for so many pack members over the years...if a dog couldn't pass Oliver, he/she couldn't be part of our pack. Thank you, Ollie boy, for your service in this way. You showed so many homeless critters the way - how to DOG and how to meld into a pack of existing dogs. This beast lived his best life, and us alongside him. We're still finding Oliver hairs all over the house / our clothes and I'm sure the Roomba will continue to do so for many months to come.

BFFs

Bunkin and Oliver grew so close in the end - Drew and I rest more easily knowing that they're no longer without each other. In the end, his mobility got the best of him - Oliver no longer could take the stairs reliably to potty or eat, going up to bed proved a monumental challenge and accidents became a frequent occurrence. The day came that he could no longer stand without panting relentlessly and we knew he'd reached maximum discomfort despite his pain medications and steroids. Truth is, we were prepared for the end times since Day 1 of Oliver-hood. Every day, every month, every year with him was an incredible windfall. Geriatric from the start due to rough circumstances, this hound dog milked every ounce out of his secondhand life. We are so tremendously grateful we got to be his humans through the happy years. Run pain free, Oliver - catch up with your BFF Bunkin and enjoy the infinite meadows together. We love you so much and are so thankful to have you in our lives' memories.

Run free, our baby Hound! Best boy ever!

Oliver's Moment of Truth

Today is a super important day for Oliver: he had his six month heartworm test. I can't believe it has been six whole months since our buddy went through his treatment! I have to admit, I had a few butterflies in my stomach as Oliver and I sat waiting at the vet this morning. Fortunately, my nerves were quickly put to rest when the vet tech appeared and officially declared Ollie HEARTWORM NEGATIVE! Ollie could immediately tell how excited I suddenly was. With his tail wagging and a smile on his face, he was more than happy to receive a congratulatory head scratch. Our dogs get routine heartworm tests done every year during their annual exams at the vet, but this was different. This test was Oliver's moment of truth, the outcome of his perseverance, the greatest and final hurdle on his journey to conquer his past. He prevailed. Oliver has gotten a fresh start in life and it is so wonderful to see how far he's come since we picked him up from the shelter on December 7th. This dog runs, plays tug of war, lounges on the couch, and knows he is loved every minute of every day. Now he has a clean bill of health to add to this list of great things, a list every dog in the world deserves to have.
 

CONGRATULATIONS, OLIVER!

Oliver Goes on Vacation

A few weeks ago, we went to the mountains for what I'm going to call Oliver's very first vacation. Everyone thinks it's likely that Oliver belonged to someone in his previous life, which might explain why he's so darn well-behaved, but somewhere along the way he wound up leading a rough life full of nothing but neglect. So I'm going to go out on a speculative limb and say that I don't think he's ever had the luxury of going on vacation before. Maybe I'm wrong and Ollie had someone who loved him very much before he ended up at the shelter, but in any case it had at the very least been a long time since he'd had a good old fashioned getaway. So, needless to say, Mr. Olls enjoyed the dickens out of our little trip to the cabin. Sometimes even a good routine can become stressful; we're all too familiar with the "daily grind" concept. It was great to see Oliver and everyone else truly kick back and relax for a while. I think 5 days in the mountains is equivalent to 100 years worth of healing for the soul. Ollie seemed to agree.

The dogs spent most of their time snoozing in different spots and enjoying the mountain air from the safety of the screened porches. They hiked Amicalola Falls with us, barked at a group of white-tailed deer in the driveway, searched for yummy morsels dropped behind the grill, and tried toasted marshmallows straight from the fire. A good time was had by all.

 

Oliver gets some fresh air...

Now that Oliver is feeling so much better, we enjoy taking him out for nature walks. He has been with us to Stone Mountain, Amicalola Falls, Mason Mill Park, and Sweetwater Creek. Sweetwater is our favorite because of the beautiful scenery. While it's only a 30 minute drive, it makes us feel as though we've escaped the grind of the city completely. There are several trails to choose from and breathtaking views to enjoy. The dogs just love it. I am proud to report that Oliver recently completed a 7 mile hike with us at Sweetwater Creek! He even led the pack most of the time! He did great; I'm so glad to see him able to be more mobile. Of course, it was a very sleepy car ride back to Atlanta afterward.                          

                         

An Update on Oliver's Progress

It's been a week since we received the final word on Oliver's condition and I am happy to report that our lovable guy seems to be in better spirits. He's doing well on the carprofen (anti-inflammatory) so far. Right now he's taking two 55mg tablets per day, but we're hoping to eventually get him down to half of that for the long run. We picked up some great hip & joint health treats for him at AARF Pet Central made by the folks at Pet Naturals Vermont. He takes these twice each day.

Mr. Oliver is lucky enough to have a guardian angel. She is a wonderful person who has taken a special interest in Ollie and has helped make sure he is getting the best care possible. Oliver's friend sponsored him for three months and donated an arsenal of joint care supplies. Thanks to her, Ollie has a ready supply of Adequan, an expensive drug that helps protect the cartilage and keep it healthy. She even took the time to stop by my office and show me how to administer the Adequan injections properly.

Oliver didn't even seem to notice when I gave him his first shot last week. Today will be his second. He gets them once a week for the first month, then once a month after that. He is such a good boy and I am thrilled by the progress he's made already. His personality is brighter and he has more energy, indicating that his medicines and supplements have reduced his pain significantly. Oliver even felt well enough to go for a hike this past weekend. He did very well keeping up with everyone and I'm looking forward to continue helping him build his strength. We'll take it slow and monitor his progress closely. For now, we are all just so happy to see how much he's perked up already. Check out how happy he looks riding with the windows down in the morning sunshine...thanks to everyone who has helped him get to this point!

The Scoop on Oliver's Legs

I heard back from the vet today regarding Oliver's leg x-rays. The orthopedic surgeon confirmed that our poor Ollie has an old scarred over left cruciate rupture and degenerative joint disease. This is a condition that is very easy for humans to relate to: he's got an old ligament injury and now suffers from arthritis as a result. Contrary to what many people assume, arthritis isn't just for old folks, especially when it's linked to an injury. Oliver has the misfortune of being a merely middle aged dog with several years of worsening joint pain ahead of him.

The orthopedic surgeon has recommended exploratory arthroscopy to see if they need to stabilize the cruciate ligaments, if the maniscus needs to be trimmed away, and also if there are any bone fragments floating around. The estimated cost for an arthroscopy and the likely ensuing surgery to repair Oliver's ligaments is $2200 - $3000. This is obviously a very large financial burden for anyone to assume, let alone a non-profit rescue group like AARF. Not to mention there's a high likelihood that the money would be spent only to find out that the ligaments cannot be repaired due to the presence of scar tissue. Even if the surgery was successful and Oliver endured a miserable 3 month recovery, degenerative joint disease is something that cannot be fixed. This is a lifelong problem that will only worsen over time.

After speaking with the vet, Drew, and everyone at AARF, our decision is to forgo surgery. Just like for human joint pain, there are many non-surgical options to pursue that will help Oliver with strength and pain management. I am going today to pick up an anti-inflammatory for him that the vet has prescribed. We'll diligently monitor his bloodwork and see how he does on it. Ollie will get to go shopping for joint supplements at AARF Pet Central this weekend; they have a large selection of supplements as well as food that contains glucosamine chondroitin. AARF also has connections with a canine swim therapy trainer. Swimming will help Oliver exercise his joints and the surrounding muscles gently.

These developments do not render Oliver unadoptable. While it will be very important to find him a well-matched adopter who is prepared to care for his issues properly, Ollie should still have a long and happy life. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed toward his vet appointment last week. With your help, we know exactly what we're dealing with and can now begin to pursue treatment for Oliver. Stay tuned for more updates on Oliver's health, treatment, and other exciting news to come!