Rescues In Need

This page showcases different dogs that are currently with MAGDRL and are receiving treatment and training to help them overcome the abuse and neglect they have suffered before finding their way to us. Each of these dogs deserves a chance and our dedicated volunteers are working to save their lives.

Smokey (& Gizmo)

Smokey is an approximately 8 year old merle male with natural ears. Smokey and his "brother" Gizmo were turned into rescue by a landlord whose tenants abandoned the two in the backyard pen. They were in terrible condition, covered in filth and out in the cold. Smokey is skin and bones, so thin and weak he can barely stand. The vet said he was only days away from death. His brother Gizmo has fared better, and seems to be in good health. Gizmo barks when Smokey is in need, alerting humans to anything Smokey needs.

Additional Photos of Smokey

According to the landlord, the boys are good with kids, outside cats, and other dogs. Both are heartworm free, and Smokey is being fed 6 times a day. Both dogs were indoor dogs until just a few months ago.

We'd like to keep these two poor pups together, as separation may just break Smokey's heart. Gizmo is a Jack Russell Terrier/Dachshund mix. Smokey and Gizmo came to MAGDRL in October 2008. (8)

Can You Help Smokey?

Elwood

Additional Photos of Elwood

Elwood needs surgery to save his life... and we need to help make it happen!!!

Elwood, an adorable and active 16 week old Dane Mix who was born in rescue along with his 5 other littermates as their mother was brought to a shelter pregnant by her owners. MAGDRL pulled her into rescue and 2 weeks later, 6 beautiful baby boys were born!

Elwood had surgery a week ago this past Friday to repair a very large umbilical hernia which measured over 4" long and just could not wait any longer to be repaired. While in recovery after surgery, Elwood went into distress and chest X-ray's were taken. What was discovered after reading the films was that Elwood has a Diaphragmatic Hernia. A diaphragmatic hernia is often caused by a birth defect in which there is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, the muscle that helps you breathe. The opening allows part of the abdominal organs to move into the chest area. As a result, the abdominal organs such as the stomach, small intestine, spleen, part of the liver, and the kidney appear in the chest cavity with the heart and lungs.

His vet has repaired several of these though they have never seen a dog present with one that was not in immediate distress. He was much like the freak in the room at our consult with the surgeons, as a happy, bouncy 16 week old puppy, with his intestines and possible organs in his chest cavity. Not like you could tell!
Typically a dog would present with some type of distress due to the fact that intestines or other organs are cut off from blood supply or compressed, or immediate pressure being put upon the heart. Elwood does not have that issue at all yet, which is why they recommend doing the surgery as soon as possible. He is asymptomatic and has no signs of distress, heart damage or any other issue at the moment but in a short time, without the surgery to repair this, Elwood will eventually die...

The cost of the surgery is $1,700.00 with our MAGDRL discounts and a personal "break" given by the Cardio Thoracic Surgeon who will perform the surgery and we are hoping to be able to raise these funds as soon as possible to pay for the procedure.

Elwood is a happy healthy and  insanely active young pup who should be 100% after this surgery.
He deserves a chance at a happy life... together we can work to raise the money for his surgery... so he can have it!!!

Update 11/15/08 - Elwood has fully recovered from his surgery and has been given a clean bill of health. He is all puppy, full of life and energy! He is now 20 weeks old, has been neutered and is growing like a weed. He is crate trained and housebroken and is loving having the other 3 dogs in his foster home to keep him company and play with him. Elwood is good with cats and kids of all ages as well. Everyone who meets him just falls in love with his charismatic personality and zest for life. There is no bringing Elwood down... so why not let him bring some sunshine to your family and home... He is ready!

Can You Help Elwood?

Freedom

Freedom is an approximately 3-4 year merle female with natural ears. She was picked up as a stray and had a wire wrapped around her leg which cut her all the way to the bone and cut into all the ligament, it had basically killed her leg. The leg was no longer any good and it was removed last week. After her leg was removed she got right up and started walking like a champ, a little shaky at first but is doing wonderful. Freedom is a sweet girl that has been through a lot in her life. She will be spayed within the next couple of weeks - she is in heat now as soon as her heat cycle is over she will be spayed. Freedom loves people. Her foster home does not think she has had much attention paid to her in her life and she is loving all the attention right now. Freedom is not house trained. Her foster is working on this. She seems to be growly with the male dogs in her house but we think this may be because she is in heat, at the shelter they said she was great with everything and as soon as she went into heat that changed. Freedom does have some food aggressive issue so she will need to be feed separately from the other dogs in the home. Freedom is great with kids and loves the kids in her foster home. She is unknown with cats but will be tested soon. Freedom came to MAGDRL in October 2008. (9)

Can You Help Freedom?

Baby Huey

Baby Huey is an approximately 4 year old mantle male with natural ears. Huey came into rescue in terrible shape: he could barely walk at all and had bald patches all over. He was surrendered at the vet office, where he went straight in for an appointment. It seems that huey has Wobbler's syndrome, a condition where the vertebrae in the neck narrow and compress the spinal chord. He has a bacterial infection in ears and skin, which is being treated with antibiotics. Once the skin infection is clear, he will have gold bead implants to help with wobblers. He was also put on a natural diet to help with allergies and skin infection. Meanwhile, Huey is an adorable addition to his foster home. He is sweet as pie, eager to be where the action is, and a big snuggler. He actually hates the camera and will turn away and hide when he sees it--sometimes will not reenter the room for 30 minutes or so until he's sure the coast is clear. He is fascinated by his new foster sister and follows her around doggedly, trying to get her to play, snuggle with him, etc. He is adorably pesky about it. Huey has lived with 6 children and is excellent with kids and even toddlers. He has not lived with another dog until now but is doing well and enjoys it. He will be tested with cats soon after we get his medical needs under control. Huey came in to MAGDRL in May 2008.

Additional Photos of Baby Huey

Update 6/6/08 - Huey has been with us for 2 weeks now. We're having a difficult time clearing up his skin infection and that needs to happen before he can get his gold beads. He is a silly, very affectionate, jealous boy who is a joy to live with! Huey doesn't let his wobbler's interfere with his need to be in the thick of everything. If his foster sister is getting some love, he barrels over and pushes her out of the way or tries to engage her in play to distract her for the main goal: People! We're working on this, since it is quite rude and other dogs might not take it as calmly as his foster sister. Huey does well on carpets and grass, but can't cope at all on tile or hardwood. The foster has runners throughout the downstairs to help him cope.

Huey did very well with a small gathering of people at the house, and solicited each person for affection and pets. He also attended the Doberman rescue picnic, where he was a big hit with everyone. It also gave us an opportunity to talk about wobbler's with another group whose breed is prone to it. He was happily exhausted when we came home after several hours at the picnic.

Update 7/2/08 - Huey had his gold bead surgery at the end of June and his skin infection finally looks to be clearing up nicely. He continues to be a sweet boy to live with, and is always ready for a snuggle and some kissies. He's quite the character - Huey only wants a toy that someone else is interested in and likes to play furiously with it until he figures out that you've moved on to something else. He's learned to half-sit on the couch and likes to block foster sister Mitsy in by sitting right there in front of her. He loves to be right in the middle of all of the action and is quite the house guarder, barking at whoever passes by if allowed on the front porch.

Huey attended his first event a few weeks ago at a dog walk and was friendly and happy to meet people of all ages. He also did very well with dogs of all sizes, although I suspect he might have a hard time controlling his exuberance with small, running dogs. He will be cat tested soon.

Update 10/27/08 - In September, Huey was in top shape. He was getting around very well and was walking up the 3 steps to the house by himself. He was pivoting well and was in all-around good shape. This continued until the cold really set in, about 1st week in October. At that point, he started to backslide, enough that I worried that there were other complications. An x-ray of his back left joint shows good solid bone, and ACL seems to be in place. However, he does have some arthritis and the vet speculates that this is bothering him with the change in weather. His mobility may go in cycles, where sometimes he does very well and other times is not as mobile. The vet advised to cut out all exercise and leash walk only during times of low mobility, plus avoid steps altogether. He should be moving to a home where he can avoid steps in the next few weeks or so.

Meanwhile, the Tootsie Roll Bandit strikes at least weekly - Huey loves tootsie roll pops (and so does his foster mom!)! He'll steal a pop, unwrap it, eat it, and leave the stick and wrapper as discarded evidence on the floor! He's mostly enjoying his new foster sister, Ellie, but does get jealous of attention. Any family would be lucky to have such a silly character sharing their life! He is a constant source of amusement, and always makes me laugh. He's silly and stubborn and cute and determined. His disability doesn't stand in his way - don't let it stand in your way, either.

Can You Help Baby Huey?

Fiona

Fiona is a 14 month old (DOB 3-1-2007) merle female with natural ears. She is a sweet girl that has had a tough time in life. She has a dislocated hip and pelvis and elbow fractures that have healed incorrectly. Fiona has had an initial consult with an orthopedic specialist and he believe she may need a total hip replacement. She is being fostered with a male and female dane, two minpins and cats. She gets along with them all. She is a true love bug and just loves any new people she meets, especially children. She is crate trained, housebroken and her foster home is working on her basic obedience commands. For all she has been through she is the sweetest dane. Fiona came to MAGDRL in April 2008.

Fiona needs further diagnostic testing that will cost about $1200. Surgery cost could range $4000 to $6000.

Update 11/14/08 - Fiona has settled into her foster home. She is a great girl! She loves to go for walks and bike rides. She is great with other dogs and loves to meet new people. She wants to please and loves to be around her foster family members. We love when she gets the zoomies. That’s when she is really excited and wants to race around the yard. She loves peanut butter in her Kong and treats. She carries a teddy bear in her mouth or a bone. I am proud to say with continued socialization and positive relationships, Fiona has worked through her fear of men.

With all her happiness, Fiona lives in pain. Demonstrated by the limp she shows when she walks quickly or tries to run. Her hip socket has been damaged with resulting muscle atrophy and her elbow is larger on one side. This past week she had her final orthopedic surgery consultation. We are waiting to hear the results.

Can You Help Fiona?

Maggie Mae

Maggie Mae is an adorable 11 month old fawn female with natural ears and a heart of gold. She is another victim of the failing economy, and when her family could no longer afford to remain in their home, they had no choice but to surrender her to rescue.

Maggie Mae is one happy and goofy girl who just loves meeting new people, dogs and just about anything else for that matter! She brings a smile to everyone's face whom she comes in contact with. Maggie has not had a lot of socialization in her short lifetime, but meets each new experience with confidence, tail wags, wiggles, leans and a smile!

Sadly, Maggie Mae has some new and big challenges ahead of her, and with the love and devotion of her foster family and MAGDRL she still has a chance at happily ever after.

Maggie Mae has just been diagnosed with possible Wobblers along with severe Hip Dysplasia. She will need further testing, to confirm the Wobblers and its progression. She is a candidate for a full hip replacement surgery also, but until the Wobblers is confirmed and severity pinpointed, the hips will be on hold.

Despite her medical issues, she continues to just be a complete joy! Maggie is currently being fostered with 1 Dane and 2 Dane mixes, a cat and a large bird without any issue. She is non stop puppy and just loves to romp and play with her new friends. Maggie has met children of all ages as well, and has just smothered them with love and kisses. She is great in the car, loves everyone at the vet, enjoys her walks in the park and snuggling with her foster mom. Although she is completely crate trained, she has free roam of the house and is totally trustworthy when left out. She is content to just curl up on a dog bed for a nap, in what ever room you are in, as she just loves the company. She also loves snuggling with the male Dane in the home, often curling up and falling a sleep with him.

Maggie Mae's journey is just beginning and she has a long road ahead of her. The medical expenses just to properly diagnose her are exorbitant. Her personality and love of life are undeniable and she so deserves a chance at pain free happiness. Maggie Mae came to MAGDRL in April 2008.

Update 9/1/08 - After consulting with several vets about the best way of treatment for Maggie, we decided to go with Gold Bead Implants for both the Wobblers and the Hip It is the least invasive and we hope it will give her the best chance of being a happy mostly pain free pup Maggie will go for a trip and visit Dr Durkes in Marion, IN for her procedure.

Update 11/2/08 - Maggie is ready for adoption!

Maggie Mae had her Gold Bead Implants!! Yep we took a road trip to Marion, Indiana to see Dr. Durkes.  I wish I could say the scenery was nice but I wouldn’t know because I left New York at 7:30 pm on Sunday and arrived in Indiana at 8am on Monday morning—over 12 hours on the road. Our appointment was at 9am, so I decided to check into the Comfort Suites which offered a special rate for clients of Dr. Durkes. They welcome dogs and don't charge extra fees. We had a beautiful room with a King size bed and a couch.  When I arrived at Dr. Durkes office there was another woman in the waiting room who had driven from California with her dog to have GB to help with his seizures.

Here’s a little history on the GB implants.
The first gold bead implants performed in the US was done in the early 1970's by Dr. Grady Young. Dr. Terry Durkes in Marion, IN began doing clinical research on using the implants in 1975, and initially used them to treat seizure disorders and hip dysplasia.

The primary purpose of the gold bead implant is to prevent excessive vertebral movement of the cervical area of the neck. By preventing this excess movement, it reduces the inflammation of the spinal cord. The gold beads themselves will reduce inflammation of the cord and cause remodeling of the cervical vertebrae. GB helps the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the joint to tighten up thus preventing the excessive movement of the joint which helps to stop pain and weakness of the joint. Gold bead implants are a permanent form of acupuncture.

Dr. Durkes is very pleasant and soft spoken. He takes the time to answer your questions and makes you feel like you’re his only client. Before they started the process they did blood work on Maggie and some of her values were low. The only thing that we could think of was that she had been on Rimadyl and a week before the Gold Bead we stopped the Rimadyl and she was put on Prednisone. The values weren’t low enough to cancel the procedure. After Dr. Durkes looked over her x-rays and MRI he did a physical exam and said that she was an excellent candidate for GB for the Wobblers, Hip Dysplasia and Vertebral spondylosis. 

Wobblers: is a neurological disorder that affects primarily Great Danes and Dobermans. Other breeds can be affected by it but it predominantly shows up in Danes and Dobie’s. Signs of Wobblers’ often show in the early "growing" years with Danes and in the middle years with Dobie’s. Wobblers’ occurs when the spinal column grows too large to fit comfortably within the spinal canal. Vertebrae get thrown out of line and the nerve gets pinched. Nerve signals in the body get rewired and rerouted. The dog will have difficulty walking and running and may fall down easily. The spine will ultimately get so out of line that the dog may end up paralyzed and unable to walk. This is a degenerative disease, meaning that it will get worse over time. It's important to stop the progression early to minimize permanent damage.

Hip Dysplasia: Is when the hip joint instability leads to subluxation (partial dislocation or joint laxity (looseness). Lameness is especially evident after exercise periods. A "bunny-hopping" gait is often seen in affected young dogs and is characterized by simultaneous advancement of both hind limbs while running. Dr. Durkes said that GB is 98% successful in dogs under 7 years of age, Maggie is 15 months old.

Vertebral spondylosis: Spondylosis is secondary to a herniated disc, but excessive vertebral movement can cause the herniated disc. Brucellosis (is a disease caused by bacteria) can also be a cause for spondylosis as well as excessive amounts of vitamin A.

GB is implanted around the vertebrae of the back to stabilize the vertebrae which will prevent pain and allows the return of normal nerve function.

For the GB implantation, Dr. Durkes put Maggie under general anesthesia and then she was shaved and surgically scrubbed over the areas where he was going to perform the implant.   

The GBI is performed with a special needle that doesn’t cut the skin. Each point receives three to five beads, the number of beads depends on the size of the patient and degree of pathology.

Magraine GB is actually gold plated magnets with a low energy charge that are placed on a transparent tape. Gold is used because it is non-reactive with the body. Each of the GB’s are treated with an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. This method also makes it easier to load the syringe with gold beads off of the transparent tape.

If you’ve ever gone for acupuncture you know that the acupuncturist can feel the energy imbalance and this is the area that they work on. Dr. Durkes uses a form of energy reading and he feels changes in his own pulse while moving his hand, which contains the needle, over the dog's body. When he feels the fluctuation in his own pulse, that is the spot that he implants the gold beads.

No blood should show when placing the needle into the acupoint, but some should ooze from the point after implanting the gold bead. Oozing should occur only after the needle is withdrawn from the acupoint. Dr. Durkes was explaining to me that the color of the blood that ooze’s can be from red to a very dark black like in color and this black blood is the degree of congestion & heat in that area. The darker the color the more congestion and pain is being caused from that point. It’s important to let the acupoint bleed, as it will stop once the congestion is corrected. Dr. Durkes said that Maggie’s was red in color which was a good sign.

I went back at 2pm to pick up Maggie and other than the fact that she was shaved and had the tiny dots on her she looked and acted fine, typically Maggie wagging her tail so hard that her whole rear end swayed back and forth. They had put a neck brace on Maggie that was wrapped from just behind her ears to where her neck met her shoulders. The brace is made up of thick cotton then it’s wrapped with gauze vet wraps.  It’s not stiff but it is firm in order to help ensure that the implants heal properly. Dr. Durkes showed me how to loosen the brace if it became too tight and said that it was important that she keep in on for 3 weeks. He also gave me antibiotic for her just encase of any infection or bacteria. Maggie was allowed to exercise, but no jumping or playing with other dogs that would involve wrestling or twisting of her neck or head, another words no rough housing with other dogs.

We went back to the Comfort Suites and both took a long nap before getting ready to head back home... Maggie was having a problem getting into the car and on the bed as the neck brace was throwing her balance off. Poor Maggie when she’d lie down she couldn’t get up so I put pillows behind her and she felt secure and fell asleep.

At 2 am we left Indiana and headed home, Maggie did very well on the ride and the only problem was that I had to lift her up to get her out and back into the SUV as she wasn’t allowed to jump but I don’t think she could have even if she wanted to. We arrived back home at 2:30pm, another 12 plus hrs trip but this time I was traveling in some day light and got to see the changing of the leaves on the trees which was beautiful. 

When we got home Maggie wasn’t in any pain and seemed to be walking better. By day 2 after her GBI her appetite got better and she wanted to play with my 4 Danes. Maggie spent a week recovering with me till I brought her back to her foster mom. We called Dr. Durkes after her first week and told him she wasn’t happy about the neck brace and kept trying to scratch it, he said that was normal and she needed to keep it on for another 2 weeks...

Finally, it’s 3 weeks and we called Dr. Durkes to see about removing the neck brace. We had a 3 way conference call with Dr. Durkes, the foster mom and myself. Dr. Durkes had asked how she was doing and the foster mom said she been trying to play with her toys but can’t get her head down to pick up her toys due to the neck brace so she hands them to her and Maggie runs around with them in her mouth. She’s also been running around in the yard and isn’t falling—good sign… so we were given the OK to remove the brace. When the brace was removed Maggie started rubbing her neck along the ground to get rid of any itches she might have had, her foster mom said she’s doing wonderful. We need to give Dr. Durkes a call in a week to see about any changes but it looks like its was a good decision to have the GB done.

Maggie LOVES everyone that she meets, men, woman, children, dogs you name it, she has a knack of making you smile when you look into her doe like eyes and watch how happy she is wagging her tail that it causes her whole rear end to swing from side to side. She’s a special girl, when she came to us at 10 months old her owners said that the Vet told them that she was a clumsy puppy and that’s why she fell. This had nothing to do with being clumsy. Her first foster home did a great job with building up her muscles that had atrophied, this allowed her  more movement with less falling. Even before her GB Maggie was running and do better and rarely fell but now she’s a whole new girl and enjoys running around her foster home and playing with the 2 small dogs that she’s living with. If it wasn’t for my two wild boy pups (18 & 20 months old) who love to wrestle and chase & body slam each other Maggie would be part of our family. I promised her the best when she came into rescue and taking her to Indiana was just the beginning to a normal life, the next step will be her forever home—are you the right home for her?

Its been a week since her neck brace was removed and Maggie is continuing to amaze us with how well she’s doing.  The foster mom said that she’ll run around the yard and hasn’t fallen. We called Dr Durkes to give him an update and he was very please and said to expect her to continue to improve over the next year and half as the GB for her spondylosis of her back should remodel 100%.

Maggie is going to make a wonderful addition to someone’s home but there will be some restrictions.

** going to a dog park isn’t an option as she could be body slammed or start to wrestle with another dog and get grabbed by the neck..

**a home with another dog would be great but the dog needs to be gentle and no rough play.** children 10 yrs or older so they don’t fall on her and understand that they can’t grab her by her collar and pull her.

** No prong or choke collars. She is to be walked with a harness only.

Can You Help Maggie Mae?

Caesar #2

Caesar is a 4 1/2 year old (DOB 8/24/03) mantle marked merle with cropped and standing ears. He is a very big boy, at 36"-37" at the shoulder and almost 180 lbs. He came to rescue because his family had a baby who is now 18 months old and they were afraid he would knock him over. Caesar is a very sweet boy, just loves attention and pets of any kind, and will even walk up to you and put his head in your chest for a hug. He rides great in a car and really loves his car rides. His back end droops some when standing still for too long, and he will be evaluated by a Neurologist to rule out possible Wobbler's. Caesar is still very playful, and loves a good game of tug a war, and will release the toy on command. He does know some basic commands and walks great on a leash. He is currently living with 2 children ages 10 and 2 and does wonderfully with them. He has not knocked the toddler over and side steps him quite nicely. He is also living with another female Dane and 2 cats. He has never encountered cats before and is quite comical when one comes around. He completely freezes and won't move. He figures if he doesn't move the cat won't see him. Caesar is a big love bug, who wants nothing more than to cuddle up with you and have you pet him forever. Because of his size, he should go to a home with older children, as not all children are as Dane savvy and might take offense to any "hip checks" that might happen. Caesar came to MADRL in May 2008.

Additional Photos of Caesar #2

Caesar ended spending some time in the emergence vet for dehydration, and it's looking more and more like he has Wobbler's and will need gold bead implants.

Update 7/12/08 - Caesar was moved out of the foster home with the small kids because when his back end hurts, he didn’t appreciate them all over him. So we have decided to not allow him to go to a home with children younger than 12. We have also found out that he can’t do stairs. So he will need to find a home with no stairs or only a few to go in and out. He is doing really good in his new foster home. He is living with a Ridgeback and 2 cats and has done well with the many dogs they have watch for other people. He is very interested in one of their cats. The cat grew up with a Dane so she is comfortable with large dogs and seems to like Caesar - until he pokes a bit too forcefully with that giant muzzle. Then it's a hiss and a smack, Caesar backs off and she goes on about her business. A match made in heaven. Caesar had diarrhea and hookworms, but that is cleared up now. Even with everything that's going on with him, his foster says he is so sweet and playful. The more settled in he is there, the more his personality comes out and he's can be quite a goof as well. They are really enjoying having him in their home. He had a seizure and that has worried us, so he saw a neurologist, but has not had another one. So we aren’t sure what caused it, but are keeping an eye out in case he has another one. He is getting x-rays to see if we can find out more about his hind end problems. We are also going to add acupuncture to his treatment to see if he will respond to that. He did have one treatment and the foster felt like he was doing better afterwards. Caesar continues to be a sweet boy and hopefully we can find out more soon to help him.

Update 8/4/08 - Caesar has had three acupuncture treatments and has been on a Chinese herbal medication for a few days. We are also doing some physical therapy at home to strengthen his rear end and encourage him to pick up his hind feet. He seems to be a good candidate for Gold Bead Implants which is being investigated further. We see definite improvement in several ways, he lifts up his head more often, stands longer before his rear sinks down, and does a full body doggie shake head to tail. Until last week I'd not seen him do a full shake. He's also more energetic and assertive - translate as testing limits. He is discovering a whole new world at counter height. His biggest score so far is a pound cake. Foster Mom caught him muzzle deep in crumbs and used it as a learning opportunity. Smart boy that he is, he figured the trash can must be fair game - Mom and Dad didn't even want that stuff anymore. That has required a bit more creativity on Mom's part to convince him otherwise, but we're getting there. More than anything Caesar wants to please and being the typical sensitive dane it doesn't take much to let him know you're unhappy with him. He's catching on to the boundaries pretty quick. Part of his physical therapy involves lots of sitting and standing repeats so he's buffing up on basic obedience as well. To keep him busy and entertained during down time a kong with treats will last an hour or so. He is definitely a dog that needs a structured environment. Left to his own devices, he could get into mischief. Caesar doesn't like wood or tile floors and can't do stairs - he will not do more than four or five steps. He has not been to the basement or the second floor since he arrived at his foster home. We have also discovered that he doesn't like elevators either - unfortunate combination. He will need to go to a home that can accommodate these issues. While he and Squeaky the cat are great friends, Rocky the other cat in the house isn't too sure. Caesar tries to interact with her like he does Squeak, but she's having none of it. Caesar will do fine in a home with a confident cat, but not the timid sort.

Update 10/16/08 - Caesar's condition is improving on a daily basis since the Gold Bead Implants (Sept. 24th) and he has even started taking the stairs to the second floor. He's comes down on his own just fine as well. He just decided he wanted to be with us and came on up. He won't go down to the basement those stairs are just too scary. At the dog park he chases squirrels and plays with the other dogs - not rough at all, mostly they jump at him and he knocks them down with his huge paw.

Caesar has to be transported in a low vehicle, like a mini-van or an Element. He can’t get up in an SUV, it’s just too hard for him. He is much more active than before and will need 30-45 minutes of walking or time at the dog park daily to keep him calm and happy. Most important is that he stays trim; he is at 143 lbs (not 180 lbs like the website says). Every vet who has seen him says he should stay at that weight. He is on Zyflamend which is an herbal anti-inflammatory that seemed to make a big difference for him. He is also on a Chinese cervical formula herbal powder prescribed by the vet who was giving him his acupuncture treatments. The Zyflamend is available online and cost roughly one dollar a day. The herbal powder is by prescription and cost approximately $1.25 a day. It may be available at a better price by ordering a larger container.  We have him on grain-free because he was having stomach upsets. This has helped somewhat and the vet said to add probiotics which we will start this week.

Can You Help Caesar #2?

We are accepting donations to help defray the medical bills of our Rescues in Need. Thank you for caring.

If you would prefer to make your donation by check MAGDRL gladly accepts personal checks and money orders. Donations can be made to MAGDRL, P.O. Box 575, Manchester, MD 21102.

All donations made from this page will go toward the expenses for all the special needs dogs in MAGDRL's care.

Thank you. All donations are tax deductible. 52-1177018