Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

Boz came to us from a puppy mill in Missouri. The owner called PACFA and admitted that he was no longer able to care for his dogs, so Animal Control came and farmed them all out to the various shelters in the area. Boz, along with three other females, were all sent to St. Joseph Animal Shelter together. The staff contacted RMGDRI because they were all horribly unsocialized and Boz required medical attention so they were not good candidates for adoption through them. They were transported on Sunday and arrived safely to Colorado in the evening.

July 31, 2007

After his arrival, Boz went straight to the vet on Monday morning. Dr. Landry did several skin scrapes to test for mange and they all came up negative. He does have a significant staff infection and a lot of dermatitis on his skin though. They gave him a medicated bath to treat the puss lesions and put him on some strong antibiotics which should clear up his skin. They originally thought he may have ring worm at the shelter, but Dr. Landry feels pretty confident that is not the case.

He is missing some teeth that should be out by now, but he wasn't overly concerned.

He also has an angular limb deformity called "Carpus Valgus", which basically means that there was premature closing of the growth plate on his ulna. A lot of Bassett Hounds have this problem, but the good news is that it is something that can be fixed surgically. He will need a corrective osteotomy and Dr. Rob is consulting with an orthopedic specialist to get a quote for us. This problem is likely due to very poor genetics as well as poor nutrition.

He has an amazingly forgiving and special spirit and we are all very excited to have the ability to get him the help he needs!

August 15, 2007

Boz is doing great! The antibiotics have really cleared up his skin infections and an upper respiratory infection that he came down with shortly after his arrival. He has been vaccinated and dewormed and will have his first corrective eye surgery when he is neutered in the near future. We are still waiting on a second opinion regarding his leg deformities and as soon as the other surgeon is back in town, we will be scheduling his surgery.

Socially, Boz is really coming along as well! He is still slow to warm up to strangers, but he is very loving and sweet as soon as he gets comfortable. Indoor living is still somewhat new to him, but he is now fully house trained, crate trained, and is learning leash manners and basic commands. He adores other dogs and really lights up when they are around! He likes tug-o-war and is learning to play with other toys as well.

It is heartwarming to see the puppy in Boz slowly starting to emerge! We can't wait until we can fix his legs so that he can walk more normally too.

September 5, 2007

Boz has suffered a slight setback in his recovery. On Saturday, he completely stopped walking and spiked a fever of 105 degrees. Dr. Landry changed out his splints and casts, which didn't help at all unfortunately. He went to see Dr. Rooney for some more x-rays on Tuesday and unfortunately his left leg is now crooked because the bottom three screws on his plate somehow came out! He is going to have to go back in for surgery on the left leg only and we are hoping we can get him in ASAP because he is in quite a bit of pain and discomfort. In the mean time, his foster mom, Onya, has to carry him to go outside to potty and everywhere he needs to go. Please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts and prayers!

September 11, 2007

Boz underwent his second surgery at Flat Iron Veterinary Specialists in Longmont with Dr. Rooney on Friday to re-assemble the plate and screws in the one leg. The surgeon installed an external fixture of hardware outside of the leg with pins as further reinforcement. There are basically 4 pins that go perpendicular through the bone and then on either side they are
supported to hold the bone in the correct position. Once the bone is healed, they will pull the pins out. Boz is walking somewhat now, so we are really encouraged so far!

Boz is progressing wonderfully. He is walking very well and hopefully will have his external fixater off next week. He is slowly learning his basic commands and adjusting very well to living in the house. He is still very leary of new situations and people, but does warm up slowly. He will probably do best in a forever home with other dogs, as he loves his foster sisters and looks to them for guidance. He is really coming out of his shell and just wants to be loved. This special boy is just about ready to go to his forever home and his foster mom has done an amazing job of keeping him quiet during the recovery period, which has not been easy.

November 5, 2007

Dr. Landry took an x-ray of both of Boz's legs today in hopes we could take off his external fixater. On a good note, his right leg looks great and is healing well. His left leg, however, is not quite healed enough to take the fixater off, so we will wait another week or two and make sure we don't take it off too early or jeapardize his recovery. We are all anxious for him to be medically cleared and hope that the time is near so that he can live the life of pampering he deserves!

December 5, 2007

Boz saw Dr. Rooney today for a checkup and he was very pleased with where he is at. He will be removing his external fixater tomorrow and he will be in a splint for the next 4 weeks in order to offer the leg a little extra support, but he is basically ready to go to his forever home when the right family comes along!