Abby
Guess what Brookline Fans? I’m available for adoption! You can learn more about adopting me here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19304215.
Come see Abby at:
Fifth Annual Hounds on Highland - sponsored by The Bone Appetite
Saturday April 23rd, 2011
Time: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: Intersection of Germantown and Highland Avenues
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Abby is a 7 yo chocolate lab searching for her new home.
Abby, formerly known as Addena, was pulled from a shelter in PA and she is approximately 7 years old. She is housebroken, walks great on a leash, knows some commands and is playful. She’s good with other dogs, good with cats at the shelter and a very friendly girl.
You can view videos of Addena on YouTube at:
You Tube video links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N25EACTvYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpdo4q5CIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut2OWJOiGw4
Abby’s First Day in Foster care – 3/26/2011
We picked up Addena today, we were told that the shelter named her Addena because she has ADD. But she is so calm that we’ve decided to call her Abby instead.
Abby did very well in the car on the way home to Philadelphia. She panted a little but settled right down. When we got home, Lea Ann met us to introduce her to her new foster brother, Jed. We took a short walk and Jed, an almost 2 year old yellow Lab, was super excited. Abby was not so sure at first. When we went inside, Abby did a lot of pacing and panting. After a bit, she saw that we were all relaxing on the couches so she curled up on a blue blanket we had laid down for her in a corner near us. She seemed pretty content, but every time Jed came to sniff at her she growled at him. He got the picture pretty quickly. After a few hours, we took Abby outside and she went to the bathroom pretty quickly for us. She has not had any accidents yet (fingers crossed). We wanted to see how vocal she would be if we left the apartment, so we separated the dogs and stepped out of the apartment just for a minute into the hall to see what would happen. Abby barked pretty loudly and consistently, so we came right back inside. Abby and Jed started getting used to each other and after some sniffing and circling, they settled down near each other, even sharing the same area at one point. Abby and Jed, worn out from all the excitement, have been napping for an hour or so while we cook dinner.
Now a little information on Abby’s general “condition”. She seems very friendly and good-natured so far, allowing Jed to sniff her and coming up to us to get some scratching and petting pretty regularly. She tends to pace if we are not sitting near her, but if we move her blue blanket near where we are (i.e. while cooking we put her in the kitchen area) she lays right down and watches us or sleeps. Abby has very stiff hips and a stiff left back leg which cause her to walk slowly, limp, stand up gingerly from a laying position, and have difficulty getting up and down from cars or furniture without assistance. She did hop up on our day bed to snuggle with Rebekah at one point without help, but cannot get down by herself and will whine or cry to let us know she needs lifting down when she’s ready. The only other concern we have noticed is a sporadic cough with a little gagging. It reminded us a bit of when Jed had kennel cough, except that it is not persistent (it has probably only happened in 3 bouts of coughing so far). We’ll see if it gets worse at night and keep you all up to date. Abby does seem pretty happy in our loft/building, though. The only exception is the elevator, which makes her very nervous! Abby likes her new treats, ate her dinner very well, is drinking plenty of water, and loves to give us her paw. She is a very sweet girl and loves to cuddle and lay near us. She also loved getting brushed!
Day 2: 3/27/2011
Abby had a great night last night. She slept straight through from 10pm to 6:30am, with no whining or barking, on the floor at the foot of our bed. The next morning, she seemed to have a little more energy and her confidence with moving around and getting up and down.
Today, we went on several short walks around the block to give her a little exercise without putting too much strain on her hips. She really enjoys walking and always goes to the bathroom right away. She has had no accidents in the house at all, but she did have the runs outside today (her only bowel movement so far). She is eating well, always finishing her food, and we feed her in a separate room from Jed so that he doesn’t try to eat her food. Usually, he just stares and whines at the baby gate while she eats and then eats his own food afterward.
Abby and Jed are getting along really well. They have started to lay near each other sometimes to take naps, and have been able to be alone together for short periods of time (15 minutes or so) while we gradually get Abby used to separation from us and being alone in the house. Jed is a little jealous and always seems to want the toy she plays with or the spot she chooses to lay down, but she is pretty good about sharing and he gives her space when she asks for it with a little growl. They seem to be picking up on each others’ cues well so far!
Abby did not cough or wheeze last night, so we are hoping that her symptoms will improve. But she still had her cough sporadically throughout the day and a few times she coughed up a little phlegm or mucous which came out of her mouth when she shook her head. She has been napping a lot between her walks, but she did play a little with her stuffed cow toy, which she likes to shake in her mouth and bat around with her paws. As I write, she is enjoying a sunny spot while Dan brushes her, which she seems to like.
Abby seems to be a happy girl who is (so far) well house-trained and good-mannered. She is a sweet addition to our family!
Day 3 – 3/28/2011
Abby had a great 3rd day in her new foster home!
Last night passed again without incident – no accidents, no whining or barking, and she slept right through the night. When she got up this morning, Abby seemed to have a little more energy than she had before. She was coughing more than she had been the past two days, though, so it was good that she had a vet appointment for the afternoon. (Thanks to the BAC for a super-quick turnaround on the vet visit approval!)
The vet told us that Abby’s cough was probably due to some kind of respiratory ailment/infection since she had pretty loud breathing sounds when listening to her lungs, although it was hard to hear because she was so scared and panting heavily. The vet also noted that the hips and back leg were severely stiff and had muscle atrophy, which might need anti-inflammatories and/or physical therapy sometime in the future in order for Abby to make a full recovery. She did a geriatric blood panel and a fecal sample because Abby also had a slight fever and the vet thought she heard a heart murmur (although again, with all the nerves from the visit, she had an accelerated heart to begin with. It seems like some follow up will be needed in the future. We’ll hear back on the test results by Wednesday and keep everyone informed. In the meantime, Abby was prescribed an antibiotic for the respiratory infection and a medication for the diarrhea, which has still not gone away.
Abby has been showing a great interest in playing with her toys. She can’t really run or jump with them but loves to catch them in her mouth from short tosses and shake them around. She will push toys toward us with her nose and bark to let us know she wants to play. She is also sharing toys well with Jed: neither of them seem to have any territorial or jealous feelings about the toys around the apartment. She continued to eat well today, had no accidents inside, and took a few short walks around the block. The vet suggested we start with 15 minute walks and gradually increase the time to build muscle and increase stamina. By the evening, Abby was pretty tired out and her last walk was short since she started limping more. She was happy to settle down and watch us cook dinner from the comfort of her blanket, with Jed nearby. They are becoming very cute together.
Overall, it’s been a great three days for Abby – so far, easier than we would have expected for our first foster experience! We’ll keep the group up to date about vet results and check in once a week with general updates! Thanks to all the group members who have answered questions or offered advice so far! Abby is a very sweet girl and we love her a lot!
4/3/2011
Abby’s test results from the vet visit came back and everything looks pretty good overall. Her blood panel did not show any problems. Her cough has cleared up and she seems to have more energy as a result. The vet gave Abby some anti-inflammatories for her arthritic back hips and legs, which they provided at cost since she’s a rescue/foster. Abby is doing pretty well physically in our apartment. She is able to try the stairs by herself going up and will sometimes attempt a little trot when we take her for walks. She still cannot go down stairs and has a hard time getting up from a lying position on the floor, but her strength in the atrophied muscles of her back legs seems to be improving little by little, as does her confidence.
Abby gets very excited to take walks. Whenever she sees us go for her leash, she starts doing a little hop and she’ll even bark once or twice if we’re not fast enough for her. (We’re working on commands for not barking, though, since we live in an apartment building!) Abby is able to stay at home alone with Jed (our resident dog) comfortably while we go to work. Dan is still on half days for a few weeks, which worked out well so that the transition can happen gradually for Abby. She has continued to have no accidents in the house and has a good appetite.
Abby went on her first real “outing” this weekend to celebrate one week of completed foster care. She went to a park (on leash) for a picnic and a walk in a grassier area (our neighborhood near the Convention Center is all concrete). She loved it! She seems very interested about and friendly with other dogs and people who pass her.
Treats are a big hit, and she always looks for one after a successful walk to go to the bathroom outside. Thanks to everyone for their support!
4/10/2011
4/10/2011
Abby has been doing SO well adjusting to her new life. She is gaining some strength, mobility, and confidence every day. With the help of glucosamine and chondroitin as well as her anti-inflammatories, Abby is now able to climb the stairs by herself and get in and out of the car with little to no assistance (although she doesn’t yet attempt going down a full flight of stairs so we still carry her). She enjoys playing fetch the slow way, with one of us throwing a toy just a few feet away and her trotting over to get it and bring it back. Abby has also been introduced to the excitement of the dog park and was so excited that she actually attempted a slow run several times!
Abby loves to go outside. She jumps with her front legs when we get out the leash, gives a bark or two in excitement, and leads the way to the elevator. Whenever we go for walks, she trots happily around the block and has even more energy for playing when she comes back inside. Abby and Jed are getting along very well. They even cuddled a little this morning on a big blanket we had spread on the floor. At the dog park, they played tug of war with a stick and Jed showed Abby how to splash in the water. She was unsure at first, but seemed to really enjoy it in the end!
