bord1niowa......Curt 79 Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 A dog was found in our area that someone obviously just left him. Cannot find the owner. He has some issues. Cataracts in both eyes, nearly deaf and doesn't get along all that well. Very slowly. We don't know anything else about him but don't want to get into a situation of huge vet bills and we don't know how long he will last. Although we don't want to send him to animal control, would it be better for him? Options? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PrincessNana 15 Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 If you have the time, patience and he wouldn't have to climb lots of stairs then it would be like taking care of any aging person. The cataracts don't have to be fixed and the other issues you mentioned aren't too bad to deal with. It would be a great kindness to him if you could take him. Once you get to know each other, you will develop a routine and he will probably do fine. If he's beyond help then animal control would be the next choice, but because of his age and problems it will be very difficult to get him adopted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 That's a tough one, Curt. I would probably at least call Animal Control and the local shelters to see if someone's looking for him. He might actually have a family out there that he wandered off from. Failing that, here's what I can tell you from my experience doing rescue for 10+ years and seeing a lot of elderly dogs... The vision and hearing stuff are non-issues in terms of medical care in a senior dog. Neither are likely to be "fixed" at this point, which just makes it a case of keeping the dog safe and giving him a routine so he gets the lay of the land. Dogs are surprisingly adaptable, and most figure it out pretty easily. Biggest issue with a dog with hearing loss is not letting them run loose anywhere you can't catch them, since they can't hear you if you call them. If he has trouble moving it may just be arthritis, in which case I'd put him on a joint supplement like Dausequin. It won't fix anything, but it may help him move a little easier with less pain. We just had a 10 year old border collie in rescue with bad arthritis in her hips. Her foster home put her on Dausequin, put down a few throw rugs (she was sliding around on the floor) and made sure she didn't overdo it playing outside (because she's still a border collie). She went from having a really hard time getting up in the morning when she first came into rescue, to hopping in their truck all on her own to go for a ride. :) A vet may also recommend an anti-inflammatory and/or pain meds if it's confirmed as arthritis. Again, won't fix anything, but not particularly expensive. If he's otherwise healthy, you may not be looking at a lot of vet bills, but if it were me I'd at least get a full senior dog workup and blood work to confirm. Vet stuff aside... I can tell you that a senior dog generally has very little chance of being adopted at a typical shelter, and if they do have any health issues (even minor ones) that drops dramatically. Sadly that's just the reality. If you decide not to keep him, I'd recommend trying to find a rescue that doesn't have an issue taking in senior dogs. There are even some senior dog rescues floating around. If he seems to be a particular breed, try a breed rescue. Our border collie rescue does not disqualify a dog due to age and we actually have a great track record of getting seniors adopted. In my experience, people that love a particular breed seem to be more likely to take in a senior. Other options would be to ask around at local vet offices to see if anyone might be willing to take him in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4mickey2 41 Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 i agree with mo. check on line for some rescues. many will help and take in the dog. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bord1niowa......Curt 79 Posted June 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 After exhausting avenues trying to find an owner, we have decided to keep him and help him through his twilight years. Hope somebody does that for me someday....lol. BouncingTiggers, ftwildernessguy and c_line 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 You and Jody are good people Curt! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 You are a saint! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 Really kind and sweet of you to do. Definitely banking a whole bunch of good karma helping this poor ol' guy out. :angel2-smiley: Oh and fair warning... any minute now Lou will probably be along to demand photos. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 Oh and fair warning... any minute now Lou will probably be along to demand photos. Forget waiting for Lou to demand them, we want pics!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 That is very sweet and kind of you to take the dog in. Hopefully minimal vet care and lots of love will do him good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4mickey2 41 Posted June 30, 2013 Report Share Posted June 30, 2013 he will be an excellent dog for you. it's funny though, when i take in a dog someone doesn't want anymore i have to ask some questions. i'd like to know the real reason for giving the dog up and many times the owner won't say. it sucks--because it could be something easy to work with or maybe not. but, you have to just stop asking questions when they start to not talk much anymore. you can tell they are getting agitated with you. the one thing i don't want is them to just throw the dog to the side of the road-so to speak. Even if it's a humane society-it can harm the dogs social life. so, i just shut-up and take in the dog. i'm glad that pup found you--he must've sniffed you out! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momoffive aka Loretta 34 Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 Congratulations! What a cutie pie!!!Good luck with the fur baby!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bord1niowa......Curt 79 Posted July 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 he will be an excellent dog for you. it's funny though, when i take in a dog someone doesn't want anymore i have to ask some questions. i'd like to know the real reason for giving the dog up and many times the owner won't say. it sucks--because it could be something easy to work with or maybe not. but, you have to just stop asking questions when they start to not talk much anymore. you can tell they are getting agitated with you. the one thing i don't want is them to just throw the dog to the side of the road-so to speak. Even if it's a humane society-it can harm the dogs social life. so, i just shut-up and take in the dog. i'm glad that pup found you--he must've sniffed you out! Yea we stink like that. Loll Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disneylitch......Debbie 60 Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 One very luck dog! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 You're a heck of a guy Curt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Still waiting for a pic.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Still waiting for a pic.... He put one up on Facebook. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 For Beckers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 I'm not FB friends with Curt in with his pop up business Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 I'm not FB friends with Curt in with his pop up business I snagged em for you. Hope you don't mind Curt. I know everyone loves the puppy pics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 What a cute dog! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ok Grumpy AKA Cindy~~ 9 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 He is adorable ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 What a cute dog! That is very sweet of you to take him and I hope you all enjoy him in his golden years! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bord1niowa......Curt 79 Posted July 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Thanks. I tried putting them in but kept getting an error. We took him to the vet and he is quite healthy other than the blue cataract type haze over the eyes. He is about 6 or 7 years old. He seems pretty happy here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Glad he is doing well Curt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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