Last week I got an email from Kim with this subject: "Does Lady want a little sister?" Uh-oh, I knew I was in for it. Attached to the email was a picture of the happies - and fattest - little puppy I have ever seen. Her name is "Tina." She's a 7 month old Sheltie/Border Collie mix. She weighs 38 pounds - her ideal weight is closer to 20. She was surrendered by an elderly couple who obviously replaced exercise with food. I've never seen a puppy so obese.
I resisted at first - Lady has been the center of our household for 2 years now, how could we bring in another dog? Plus, she isn't always a 'lady' when it comes to spending time with other dogs (although she does great on her days at Wags). No no, we just couldn't do it.
Then I went to DAWS to pick something up and who was in the Real Life Room with Kim - little (well, not so litte) Tina. What a sweetheart. So full of kisses - but so out of breath! And her back end looked so unstable - carrying around all of that weight was obviously affecting her hip and knee development.
A few days later I took Miss Tina to Tail Waggers for a bath. I did the self-bathe - Jon and Terri got me all set up with the oatmeal shampoo and the groomers even clipped her matted feet up before we put her in the tub. Oy! The slippery pup tried her best to get out of that tub - good thing she was safely clipped to the leash! The filth came pouring off her and I could tell that my scrubbing felt good on her flaky skin. She wasn't a big fan of the dryer, so I did the best I could and then we continued our field trip...
Next stop was at Holly's to say hello and walk around the block with Reena. Tina huffed and puffed about 1/4 around the block and then sat down. Exhausted. It took us a l o n g time to get all the way around. After a drink of water, it was back in the car and back to DAWS.
I couldn't get her out of my mind. Because of what I'd been through with Lady, I knew I could help her. She wouldn't get the attention she needed at the shelter and she couldn't just go to any home. This dog needs to lose 20 pounds - more than half her current weight!
Freddie and I talked it over and agreed we could do it. Kim and Theresa brought Tina over on Thursday, May 3, to meet Queen Lady - it went surprisingly well. Kim and Theresa headed back down the hill and Tina stayed here with us. They left a crate for her, but that lasted about 2 days before I put a second dog bed in the mudroom.
I haven't taken Tina all the way around the block yet - just around the yard. Her hips and knees are wobbly because of all of the weight she's trucking around. We tried a hike at Tarrywile today but had to stay at the barn while Lady, Freddie, E, Dan and T went on ahead. I walked her - rested - walked again - rested. She's been very playful with toys - and now Lady has a renewed interest in tennis balls she abandoned last Fall.
According to Kim, Tina was hand fed a lot of table scraps and didn't show much interest in the dog food at the shelter. I started her on the Bravo! diet. The first night she ate, but didn't show much interest the second day. I wasn't worried - Dr. Feinman told me that a dog will eat when it is hungry enough. Yesterday she ate some raw chicken mixed with a little cooked chicken. This morning - Sunday - she ate a little of the Bravo! chicken blend. She and Lady had marrow bones in the afternoon - and then she ate the Bravo! chicken with a little cooked chicken as bait.
I'm surprised to report she is housebroken - so far no accidents.
Since Tina arrived at the shelter, no one had heard a peep from her. No barks. I'm happy to report that within one day of being with Lady, the pup is barking happily. She wants to play, she wants to run around and roll in the grass - I need to get this weight off of her so she can do that!
It's not going to be easy and I know it's going to take a long time for her to shed 20 pounds. I plan to get her bloodwork done (rule out thyroid and/or diabetes), take her to see Gail Henderson at Paws-n-Paddle Canine Conditioning (Gail is certified in canine PT and has a pool with an underwater treadmill), and take Miss Tina to see Dr. Feinman.
She's sound asleep at my feet right now. All of the fresh air, yummy food, playtime, and love, has tuckered this little creature out!
Now, about that name...Tina just doesn't seem to fit. More on that another time...
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