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Rescued this poor gal today

22K views 222 replies 36 participants last post by  Sandy22 
#1 ·
I answered a request from a friend and went to pick this girl up this morning. Her owner had passed away 4 weeks prior and she was discovered in the home by and insurance agent a week ago. How she survived for so long is unclear, she must have had food and water. It was heartbreaking. I had to take her to an emergency vet as I was unable to get to a normal vet on a Saturday afternoon.
She has a really nasty infection in her right eye and had multiple ticks in her ears. She smells incredibly bad and has stains half way up to her "wrist joints" on all four legs from standing in her waste.
We have a way to go, but she's such a sweet girl I'm happy to have her.
My 3 year old male is acting a bit "cool" to her so far. I'm a bit worried because he's naturally not aggressive but he's drooling a gallon whenever we pet her and he hasn't tried to engage her in play.
Any advice welcomed.
 

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#3 ·
Thank you for saving her. Don't force interactions. Let them take it at their own pace. Reward with treats when they are near each other and not reacting; positive association. I would keep toys up and feed separately


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#9 ·
Really excellent advice from a woman who knows what she is talking about. In addition to not forcing interactions between them you may also wish to keep them separated until they have had an opportunity to be in the same home together for a few days. When I have brought a new rescue into my home I have generally kept the new dog separated from the others by a baby gate. I usually have the new dog in the kitchen area (which works well as I have often gotten dogs which have not yet been house trained). You will want to provide each dog with a place that they can feel secure. Your original dog should be able to relax in his usual place without feeling as if he needs to guard it from Zoe. Make sure that Zoe also has her own space where she can feel secure and safe as well.
Continue to give your original dog attention. Zoe will not be hurt by this behavior as she doesn't know any better but lack of attention to your original dog could result in him feeling neglected which may result in aggression directed at Zoe.
Strange as this may sound do not play favorites. I have found that when I bring a new dog into my home I have a tendency to make excuses and give more attention to the new dog. Don't make this mistake. Hard as it may be enforce the rules equally and evenly.
It has been my experience that dogs will eventually accept a new family member. They are pack animals and they do have a tendency to sort things out in their own way. This does not mean that they will be best friends- they may or may not. I have brought many new rescues into my home over the years. I cannot think of any situation or dog which has failed to eventually fit into their new "pack". Some of them have taken longer than others but they all have eventually found their own place.
Thank you for rescuing Zoe. She is a lovely girl and she must have been through a very difficult time. I believe that with time she will be a wonderful member of your family. Good luck and best wishes.
 
#11 ·
It took my older guy 4 months to warm up to our puppy. Now they snuggle together, and we catch them playing when he thinks we aren't looking! Give it time, I agree don't force anything. They will come around eventually. I fed them separately until they were pals, and didn't have them sleep together until then either. We had noticed that by taking walks with the two of them. I held one, my husband the other seemed to help their relationship. My husband would walk first, and I would walk behind.

If you are unable to find her original vet, you can ask your vet to run a titter. It's a blood test to see which vaccines she will need. I do this with my dogs to avoid giving them a booster that is not necessary.
 
#13 ·
Thank you for rescuing Zoe, she is a sweetheart I can see that. After all what she went thru she is in a great home now.
 
#14 ·
She's such a sweetheart. We gated off the kitchen for her overnight and I got enthusiastic tail wagging from her the several times I checked on her. We don't know anything about her house breaking status yet, and she's not eating or drinking that I've seen, so I'm quite concerned. She will gobble down cheese enthusiastically, so it's probably just anxiety.
We didn't have any accidents and have successfully urinated every time I take her out on leash.
I'm a little anxious myself at the moment because when I was leashing her up to go out this morning I found a huge engorged tick on her back. That didn't bother me too much, but when I pulled it off and put it in a dish to kill it I discovered five or six "baby" ticks had been on or with the engorged tick.
Now I'm freaked out that I"ve brought an infestation in the house. We've not had any ticks at all and zero fleas since we quashed an infestation three years ago.
I won't be able to get her to my regular vet until Saturday, and the E-vet doesn't dispense flea and tick meds so I had to dose her with Frontline, and I'm not sure if that was a "vet" quality dose or something we had bought at Petsmart in the past.
We had switched to Trifexis for Duffy as soon as he was old enough and have a collection of previous products in the "veticine box".
We're dedicated to the girl as she's such a love bug, but my sanity and wallet is questionable.
Oh, did I mention that the E-vet is pretty sure she's not spayed.
 
#15 ·
I am glad Zoe had good first night. We have huge tick problems here so I can relate to your fear. Hope when you take her to your regular vet you will get answers to many of your questions. It is unexpected spending I agree but I know you will find the ways. You are her world now and I know you would never let her down. That's what we golden lovers do the best, love our goldens and make them feel part of the family.
 
#16 ·
What a great rescue you provided for this poor girl. You've received a lot of good advice. I agree, the two dogs will work it out, especially since you have one of each gender. Do you have any idea of her age??

Rescued dogs make wonderful pets when they figure it out and it sounds as though Zoe is happy and relieved to be with you.

Good luck and look forward to many updates and photos.
 
#18 ·
Bless you

Bless you for rescuing her, I'm sure she will be forever grateful. God knows what she must have gone through.
I'm sure your boy will warm up to her eventually, sometimes it takes time.
 
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#20 ·
The spending is no big deal. Things always manage to work out as they were intended. It's just ironic that we had a kitty show up and "adopt" us, so that ended up being multiple vet bills for vaccinations, spay surgery and follow up. Just a week ago it was $300 when I checked out for the vet bill and a bag of heartworm, flea and tick meds. Yesterday, another $265 at the E-vets and more to come. It's a good thing I decided not to buy that boat I was thinking about. LOL.
 
#24 ·
The spending is no big deal. Things always manage to work out as they were intended. It's just ironic that we had a kitty show up and "adopt" us, so that ended up being multiple vet bills for vaccinations, spay surgery and follow up. Just a week ago it was $300 when I checked out for the vet bill and a bag of heartworm, flea and tick meds. Yesterday, another $265 at the E-vets and more to come. It's a good thing I decided not to buy that boat I was thinking about. LOL.
I laughed when I saw about the boat! I feel ya! Besides you can't cuddle with a boat!:wink2:
Hope you can get some history on Zoe. That will help you make decisions.
Bless you and your wife for taking her in.
 
#31 ·
Great to hear your wife is getting under golden spell. ;):D
 
#25 ·
No, Carolina Mom, we didn't do any testing yet. The E-vet charges 2 to 3 times as much for everything as my regular vet practice does, and the E-vet was very upfront about suggesting that would be a better option. It's unfortunate that they are the only option for after hours and weekends but I completely understand that vet's would go insane if they all had to be 24/7. I used to have a family vet that had his practice next to his home and would take care of emergencies, but he didn't have to support a huge staff of techs and other staff. Much like family doctors that used to be able to call in a prescription for simple problems, the rules have changed....
 
#26 ·
I would be more comfortable having my regular Vet do a full exam and run all the tests anyway.

Times certainly have changed. The closest E Vet to me is a 50 mile round trip.


I got really lucky recently, one of the Vets that I usually had my guys seen by decided to leave the clinic and she started a Mobile Vet service, she makes house calls and if needed will come on the weekends and in emergencies.
 
#28 ·
Wow, that's great. I'm in a similar situation, the E-vet is only 20 miles away, but you can count on it being 40 minutes to get there and at least a 2 hour "ordeal" once you get there. At least they are much better than my experiences with the "Urgent Care" places for humans. They don't seem willing to want to treat much of anything and having to go to a human emergency room for a sinus infection or even a few stitches is insanely expensive.:grin2:
 
#27 ·
We're guessing 4 to 6 years old. I'll know more after my vets check her out. Her teeth look great to me, and I'm not sure exactly how vets estimate age by looking at the teeth? I'm hoping I can get some history from her original owners vet(s), but I'm not sure they will give out that information and as of yet I don't even know the original owners name.
 
#30 ·
I gasped when I read that she spent three weeks alone in a house. Poor thing. I'm so glad she was found when she was still save-able. You're a really good guy for taking her in. Hope your vet is able to help you get the ticks and all under control.
 
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