George
In Loving Memory
<!–
–>
<!–Adoption Pending–>
<!–
–>
<!–
Say hello to George, he is an 11 month old neutered Toy Xoloitzcuintli (Show-low-its-queen-le), Xolo for short; or a Mexican Hairless and Chihuahua mix. He weighs almost 10 pounds. He is thin and should probably gain another pound. George is fully vaccinated, heartworm negative, and on monthly heartworm preventative. George will require a 6-month recheck for his heartworm test because he wasn’t crazy about having blood drawn and the vet was only able to get a small amount drawn for an in-house heartworm check. He is negative but as an added precaution the vet has requested his heartworm blood work be done again sometime in the summer. He does need a belly band inside the home and will need a patient owner to get him out on a regular potty schedule and work with him on housetraining. He will need a fenced yard for play and potty because he loves to wander around and sniff everything. George truly believes that he is a lap dog and is a loving boy as well. George is hairless and will need protection from the elements during colder months. Xolos are NOT outside dogs though do have a need for physical exercise but otherwise live indoors with their family. As far as skin care for a hairless dog it is very easy. Most skin problems arise from over-bathing, and over-lotioning, stripping natural protectors and clogging pores. Bathe and lotion once or twice a month, or only as needed. Sunscreen as needed as you would yourself. Click here for more information on George’s skin care.
Not only is George hairless but he is a very special little man. You see George was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus, which means he has water on the brain that has caused his head to swell and caused him to have seizures. Click here for more information about Hydrocephalus in dogs. It also affected his eyes and they point downward from the pressure in his head. George does have some trouble seeing in low light. George had surgery to insert a shunt in his head with a tube that runs just under the skin and allows the excess fluid to drain into his abdomen. His surgery was completed November 26, 2013. George has not had a seizure in over a month. The vet at UT, Dr. Williams, did say that there is a 15-20% chance that the shunt will need a “revision”. The two things that can happen to his shunt are infection or clogging. His head size will not change but his behavior has changed for the better. Some of the changes are subtle but others are huge and range from him beginning to groom himself to becoming more personable with his foster mom and much more coordinated. George is quite agile when jumping up onto the furniture and George has developed an opinion about not being close to his foster mom by first talking about it then barking if he is ignored!. Before surgery his prognosis wasn’t very optimitic but after his two week recheck the vet declared that “now he can be treated like a dog”.
That is wonderful news for little George. George is currently on anti-seizure medication called Zonisamide, which he gets twice a day. The expense for this medication is $18 a month. It’s easily available from any veterinarian. His neurologist at UT says that if George doesn’t have a seizure in the next 9 months that he may not need that medication and that can be discussed with his forever home vet at that time. George is wonderful about taking his medication if it is put inside a pill pocket. It’s a soft doughy yummy thing that you can wrap around pills and dogs love them. Because of the drainage line that runs under
the skin from the top of his head to his side, George cannot wear a standard dog collar. There is a risk that the line could get pinched. So George has a custom harness that he wears and his dog tags are attached to it.
George came into foster care on November 13th and on the morning of the 14th George decided he could fly off the back of the sofa. He hit his head when he landed onto the hardwood floor and he immediately had a short seizure. It only lasted a couple of minutes and then George was ok, a little dazed but ok. Sofa jumping is not a good habit for any dog, let alone George so his foster mom has invested in a “Scat Mat”. It’s a mat that drapes across the back of her sofa and it emits a low static charge if touched. It’s like waking across the carpet and then touching something and getting a shock. It’s startling and George has learned to respect the mat. It is for George’s well being that he stay off the back of the sofa as landing on his head is not a good thing!
George is working on his housetraining. Because he is hairless and it’s been so cold outside his foster mom set up an ex-pen for him in her living room. An ex-pen is a 4’X4′ wire fence that hooks to itself, similar to a wire crate but there isn’t a floor or a top. This one is about 40″ tall; when George puts his feet up on the ex-pen he is just short of the top. He figured out how to get out of a shorter pen. When she is at work or running errands George stays in there. She lined it with plastic underneath to protect her floors and put pee pads on top of the plastic. When she is home he has the run of the house. . After George eats his breakfast or dinner in the kitchen and the weather is nice George goes outside to potty. This is very new to him and he is learning not to be afraid. If it’s very cold she puts him in the ex-pen so he can go potty because he takes a long time to get ready to do his business and eventually he gets too cold to think about anything else but how cold he is! When he’s out and about in the house his foster mom sometimes puts a belly band on him. It’s a strip of fabric that he can wear around his middle. It’s lined with a sanitary napkin in case he has an accident. George has an odd spinning habit before he goes potty. He spins at two speeds, slower before he pees and very fast before he poops. It’s odd but it’s a good clue to when he has to go. The vet couldn’t explain this habit other than it’s just his way to get ready. Since he is learning to walk on a leash, the spinning could possibly be controlled with the leash and he may “unlearn” this habit. The only problem it causes when he’s in his pen is he can bang his head. The wire crate material can scratch but his spinning does make him dizzy so he may track in his poop and make a mess. His foster mom has had to give him a few foot bathes.
At night George wants to sleep with his foster mom. In his previous home he slept in the big bed. She doesn’t usually let her fosters sleep with her but there is something about George that is irresistible, and he has won her over and she just can’t seem to deny him this one thing that he loves. He’s really good about sleeping through the night but occasionally he needs to go back into his ex-pen for a quick potty and back to bed they go.
George hasn’t interacted too much with the other dogs in his foster home. He really just wants to be with his person. He has sniffed the other dogs and a couple of times seemed interested enough to play but he is young and still a puppy and gets distracted by something else. George is very curious and loves to sniff around the house. He can be very busy and loves to “tromp” around the house. He’s actually a delight and doesn’t chew on anything that he shouldn’t. He gets very excited about his food and is a very good eater. He’s looked at the toys but hasn’t done much other than put a foot on one. He did play tug of war with his foster mom and a toy briefly. George would do best in a home with older dog savvy children that understand that George is a special needs dog. George probably wouldn’t show much interest in cats since he hasn’t interacted much with the dogs in his foster home.
George is a sweet boy and enjoys being close to his people. He could benefit from learning a bit more about the big wide world out there and gentle reassurance will help him learn that there isn’t anything to be afraid of. He’s a special little man with special needs and has a lot of love to give, and yes, he does have a couple of quirks, but don’t we all?
George’s adoption fee is $175. Click here for more information about the Xolo (Mexican Hairless Dog).
–>
Dear George,
We are not going to be sad but happy that you came to SBRET with the hope that we could help you live the life of a “normal” dog. You had been given the best chance that anyone could offer but it just wasn’t meant to be. You are now over the Rainbow Bridge and running as you wanted to run, playing as I wanted you to play and as healthy as you were meant to be.
You touched so many lives with your story and your wonderful sweet soul. I will be forever grateful that because of you I was able to see the good in people and how much they loved you even though many of them had never met you. I’m grateful that you enjoyed love and happiness in my home. I miss your stomping feet and you running through the house and jumping up on the furniture and then doing it all over again. I miss your sweet little sigh when you were content and I miss your beautiful face. You were mine for a short while and I’m happy to have been a part of your life.
Love,
Your foster mom – Kathy
<!–
–>
