Yesterday, July 28, 2010, Spanky went to meet his potential new family. It was love at first sight for all! Here is a photo of Spanky with his new Mama.

Nikki & Spanky

Nikki and her family have another doxie, Marley. He and Spanky got along great. Spanky now has his own big pool to swim in and his new Mama is dedicated to helping Spanky’s hip/leg become as strong as it can.

I’m going to miss you little buddy but I am soooooo happy that you found such a great new home. xxxooo

We’ve set up a NEW BLOG for adoptive and foster parents of DREAM dogs to post updates. Please visit us over there for future updates on Spanky!

Spanky in the pool

Having made it through all of the obstacles thrown at him so far, Spanky still has a ways to go. He is such a sweet little guy and deserves the best that life can offer him now. Spanky’s vet bill is already extremely high (over $7,000) and he will need more doctoring over the next few weeks so we’re not done yet. Please…if you can help with his vet bill we would appreciate it so much. We can only help the dogs with your generous donations.

DREAM is an all-volunteer, all-donation supported rescue for dachshunds and dachshund mixes. We do not have a shelter; we operate solely out of our wonderful foster homes. We have almost no overhead, so all donations go directly to helping needy dogs. If you would like to be on our mailing list for our quarterly newsletter (fun and informative), email doxiedream (at) gmail.com.

You woke me up to do what???

Not too sure about this Mom...

What is my stick doing in here?

We tried swimming in the tub last night with mixed results. It isn’t easy to hold onto a pup and convince him to swim in a small enclosure like a tub while you’re leaning over it. LOL I got into the tub with him but that made the space for him even smaller and his sharp little claws clipped my legs several times. I think we’ll have to come up with something else for this swim therapy.

Today we tried the baby pool, but it isn’t deep enough for swimming. At least he did walk around in it some and that will help I’m sure. Time to find a full sized pool to visit a few times a week for therapy I think.

We’ll start swim therapy tomorrow. I can’t wait to see how he does. Will post update and pictures tomorrow night.

Spanky holding Court's leash

What a pair!

Spanky & his docs at UGA

Spanky snoozing at home

Spanky is home and doing well. He is on a couple of different pain meds for the next few days. This surgery is one where they actually want the patient to move around/use the leg right away. He isn’t allowed to run and jump, but quiet, slow walks several times a day are recommended. When he walks slowly (hard to get him to do!), he uses the leg. When he runs or walks fast, he holds it up. We want him to use it, bear weight on it so that it doesn’t seize up.

I have to do range of motion exercises with him 4 or 5 times a day, for a few moments each time, then ice his hip. He HATES the exercises! I don’t blame him…it must hurt. But it has to be done, so we’ll work through it. After his staples are out (10 to 14 days), they recommend swimming a couple of times a day. Since he is so little, I can do that in the bathub.

Bullet

Bullet has some swelling (pitting edema) on his neck/throat. It started a few days ago. They shaved the area when I first took him to the vet the other day so I could keep a better watch on it. If it was a bee sting (Bullet always chases bees – silly boy!) it would have been gone by now. Doc isn’t sure what it is but says not thyroid or glands so thinks it might be a spider bite. White blood cell count is up a bit so he gave Bullet antibiotic & shots today and some antibiotic pills to start tomorrow. Poor baby isn’t eating much at all (I think it hurts to swallow) and is a bit dehydrated.

No new pictures today. The house is sooooo quiet tonight!

Spanky’s blood work from yesterday was very good. His white blood cell count is almost back to normal again. Hooray! He went to UGA today. He is going to have surgery tomorrow to remove a couple of pieces of bone from the hip area. X-rays show that while some of the breaks have healed up ok, his pelivs has shifted forward on the right side and the head of the femur is not sitting in the hip socket properly. The ends of the bones are rubbing together and causing him pain. To be honest, when we saw the x-ray we were amazed that he is walking as well as he is.

They can not stretch things back into place because that might cause nerve damage or rupture a main artery. So, they will remove the pieces that are rubbing and therefore remove the worst of the pain. He will need some physical therapy afterwards but the docs are very hopeful that he will do very well. The muscle in the hip area will give enough support for him to be able to walk pretty normally and without the pain, he will be more willing to walk and build up more muscle. Apparently the smaller the dog, the better the chance of great results with this type of surgery. Keep those good thoughts and prayers coming.

His student doctor from last time was on hand to welcome him and was amazed at how great he looks.

Spanky will be coming home on Thursday or Friday. I’ll keep you updated.

We went to the dogpark today. Spanky’s first time. He had a blast! Played with all the dogs there, big (and I mean BIG – English Fox Hounds, German Sheperds, Labs, and other assorted large dogs) and small alike.

Spanky tired after playing with Bullet

Spanky is Cricket Hunter Extraordinaire! When we went out for potty time, a cricket was "singing". Spanky tracked down his exact location and hunted until he found him. (sorry Mr. Cricket!)

Video of Spanky playing with Bullet while Tucker steals my shoe in the background. LOL

Spanky seemed a bit intimidated by Bullet’s size and wouldn’t really play with him until today. It seems he has decided to trust him. I just love the little snuggle at the end of the video!