Georgie is a 9 year old Golden Retriever who spent the first several years of his life cooped up in a small kennel. He apparently was left outside and was never given consistent companionship, love, and support. He was offered up for adoption through Emerald Coast Golden Retriever Rescue, https://ecgrr.com/ as a “special needs” dog. He was listed as being thunder phobic and had paw damage due to apparent attempts to escape storms. His temporary foster home gave him love and attention but was unable to give him a permanent residence after attempted prior placements had failed. When he first came to me, he was a gentle giant of 110 pounds who had bleeding and swollen gums and could not get to the bottom of his food bowl due to his inability to chew and scoop food into his mouth properly. He had barely visible molars above the gum line, foul breath, and worn down front teeth that bled barely to the touch. He would go into a panic whenever the barometric pressure would start falling which was quite often in North Florida. His lymph nodes in his neck were swollen, his coat was coarse and his most recent veterinary visit had questioned whether he might have a malignancy. In short, Georgie had given way more than he had gotten from his prior time with humans.
Our first attempt at physical healing was to address his dental issues so that he could at least enjoy eating and that is the subject of the accompanying post on dental health. Along with that, we got him on a solid and stable regimen of high quality kibble and wet food mixed together in the morning, and kibble with chicken stock or broth in the afternoon. We got him a Thunder Shirt to help with the storm anxiety and a prescription for trazadone to be used in the case of too much anxiety. Along with that, Georgie started walking at least a mile each day. He was brushed regularly and loved constantly. Due to his background, Georgie did not regard toys of any sort and completely ignored the fact that we had a pool with steps that he was welcomed to use. He had un-learned retriever instincts altogether. He was an inside dog now, and he really preferred being inside as much as possible.
At the time of writing this post, Georgie has been with me for a little over a year. At his yearly vet appointment at Soundside Animal Hospital, his vet was amazed at how he had improved in just about every way. His coat was soft, his teeth were markedly better, his gums no longer swollen, he weighed in at 91 pounds and showed no signs of malignancy. Georgie also now will retrieve a ball, has been swimming, and no longer needs his Thunder Shirt or medication unless I am at work. He is my granddaughter’s best buddy. He is happy. He knows he is loved. We’re hoping that he has a long and happy life with us. He deserves it.