Jake 32

Update 01/10/2022:   “Jake also learned how to climb up on the recliner with his foster dad, and he loves to curl up and nap there."

Due to an infection in his anal sacs Jake did not have his urinalysis yet. Now that the round of antibiotics are done, he will have another vet appointment soon; hopefully his urinalysis will be done at that visit.

Jake's personality continues to emerge. While the resident Springers are not very vocal, Jake always has something to say and lets his foster parents know through howl-like vocalizations when they aren't meeting his standards: he does not like when they go to work and leave him home, when they serve dinner later than he would like it, and when they stay up too late.

Jake continues to get stronger, and he works hard to keep up with the other Springers in the house. He can now run a full lap around the yard and back up onto the deck, and he loves to run! He has discovered so many things he likes after initially being afraid to try new things: he loves dog treats and biscuits, elk antlers, and so many toys! He will play with toys by throwing them in the air or working to make them squeak. He is often silly and playful (but not at mealtimes – then he is in his crate, all business, until his bowl arrives.)

Santa brought Jake many new toys and he plays with them all. He is always open to suggestions for toys and will take anything handed to him to see if it's fun to play with…while the other pups might decide they are not even interested in exploring the toy. One of the resident Springers taught Jake how to use the safety cover on the in-ground pool as a trampoline, so if it's not too cold, he thinks that is fun! (The dogs bounce hard enough to get wet even though most of the pool is drained.) Jake also learned how to climb up on the recliner with his foster dad, and he loves to curl up and nap there.

Now allowed access to the entire house, Jake’s favorite place in the world is on the big bed where the people and other Springers sleep. He will curl up on the bed or the sofa with the other dogs. Jake has learned how to move sofa cushions to meet his needs and will flop over a back cushion to give himself extra space…the prince of pillows!

This fun-loving boy continues to have his health issues addressed, but he is such a sweetheart through it all.

Update 12/01/2022:  "He loves to snuggle with his foster parents and takes pride in his ability to climb onto the sofa to cuddle with the other Springers."  

Jake continues to thrive in his foster home! Although a scan showed a growth on his prostate, he is taking medication to address it. His incontinence is improving, although he sometimes still has accidents in the house. He will get a urinalysis in the next few weeks to determine if there is still blood in his urine and gauge his progress.

Jake now sleeps in the big bed with his foster parents, the resident Springers, and his foster brother. The shy dog who was unsure whether he wanted to be touched when he arrived is now the most vocal Springer in the house, filing complaints if he thinks things aren't going the way he would like, including attention and affection. He loves to snuggle with his foster parents and takes pride in his ability to climb onto the sofa to cuddle with the other Springers. He now plays with every toy he finds, although he is sometimes confused about which things are dog toys…he had an unfortunate incident where he ate the entire spine of a hardcover book, half of the back cover, and the end papers; but it seems to have been a one-time taste test.

Jake stands up for himself and has started to be more assertive. His foster brother, who took toys away from Jake when Jake didn't know what toys were, has discovered that Jake will now take toys out of his mouth! Jake loves to gnaw an antler or a Benebone, too. While he still retreats to his crate when he feels unsure or overwhelmed, he spends more and more time on the sofa where he loves pillows.

Look back for news on Jake as his health and outlook on life continue to improve. He will make a terrific companion to someone looking for a sweet cuddlebug!

Jake continues to blossom in his foster home. He is learning to play with toys, and he often tries to mimic how one of the other dogs in the house played with a toy last, picking it up when it is abandoned. His foster family allows all the dogs free access to many toys so that no one ever feels like toys are scarce. He is curious and is filled with wonder as he discovers how to make a toy squeak or roll, and he is practicing throwing toys in the air.

 

Jake has become attached to his foster parents, and if he is in his crate and they leave the room, he vocalizes to make sure they know he misses them and would like them to stay where he can see them. Jake has decided having humans around is a good thing.

 

Jake's hips are stronger, but he still requires supervision on stairs. He has not enjoyed the mandatory rest following his neutering two weeks ago, but everyone at the clinic loved him. His sweet nature makes him hard to resist. Despite his attempts to keep up with the resident Springers and his foster brother, Jake will often remove himself from the others and retreat to his own crate to nap. Occasionally, he will hang out in his foster brother's crate during the day for a change of scenery. He tires easily, and his foster parents have gotten veterinary approval to see if hydrotherapy helps Jake; meanwhile he will continue medication for arthritis which helps.

 

Jake's urine screening showed no sign of infection, so he will have an ultrasound. His foster parents continue to work with the vet to put together the best plan of care for Jake.

Jake just had his vet re-check visit and he got some good news--his skin infection is completely clear, his ears are no longer infected, and the eye infection is gone!  Hurray!  He will need to have ointment in his dry eyes twice daily forever, though. There is still a lot of blood in his urine--it's dark brown still--and the vet x-rayed to look for bladder stones. No bladder stones, but the x-rays confirmed severe arthritis and hip dysplasia, which his foster parents suspected.  A urine sample was taken and results are awaited.  If nothing is growing in the urine, the vet recommends an ultrasound because the next most likely thing would be tumors, which they all hope it is not. He can keep his neutering appointment for the end of August which will help with his incontinence, but likely not whatever is causing the bleeding. This poor pup.

 

So, Jake is also on hold for a while.  His foster parents are very devoted to him.  They have arranged their work schedules so Jake is not left home alone much during the week and on those days when they cannot be home, a close relative comes over to let Jake out.  His foster family and their vet are working hard to solve Jake’s medical issues. 

Upon the sudden passing of his Virginia breeder, Jake became a MAESSR boy.

When Jake came to his foster family, he was very frightened and did not feel well. He had worms and  serious skin, eye, and ear infections for which he was prescribed strong antibiotics and medicated ear and eye drops.  Jake is not a fan of the drops and that is the only time Jake is ever uncooperative.  In early August he will go back to the vet to be re-evaluated.. If his infections are cleared, he will have his full physical at that time.  He has already had a full blood screening done and the results showed no issues.  His neutering is on hold until his infections clear.

Jake's fur is thin, but a thyroid test shows normal thyroid function, leaving the vet to believe Jake's balding is due to the skin infection and flea dermatitis. Jake is cooperative when being bathed, and he lies quietly in the bottom of the tub while soaking in his medicated shampoo. Only once did he attempt to climb out but gave up when instructed to stay in the tub. He protests his eye and ear drops by writhing around, but he never shows teeth, growls, or snaps.

Because he is not vaccinated and was being treated for worms, Jake has been segregated from the two resident Springers for most of the time. Introductions were made to the residents one at a time in the backyard. They let Jake sniff them and they sniffed him back. Jake seems to really like them, and they are interested in him, too. He howls when his foster parents leave the room where his crate is; he likes the company of people, even if they are just in the same room.

Jake finds living in a house to be strange and surprising. He is afraid to walk up or down the stairs, which is only done to access the tub--his foster dad carries him, and he does not seem to mind being carried. The television fascinates him and he is often startled by the things on the television. For most of the first week, Jake's crate was in the front room where he could rest quietly. One of the resident Springers seemed to recognize that Jake wasn't feeling well and took to lying down next to Jake's crate to comfort him. By the end of the first week, Jake was awake more often and began to cry for his foster parents to come see him, so his crate was moved to the family room where his foster parents watch tv or talk and the resident dogs are fed and hang out. Jake can also see outside from his new spot by the back door, and he likes to watch out the window. As Jake's skin infections resolve, he is becoming more interested in having his foster parents touch him and give back rubs. He likes when they scratch under his chin.

Although not happy with being in a crate (which is understandable, given that he is there a lot), Jake will go in when asked. He is fed in his crate so that makes it more positive. He is crated in the house for now, including at night.

Jake loves exploring his new surroundings outside. While he was quiet and withdrawn at first, he is settling in and spending more time watching the resident dogs and his foster parents. While initially he was only in the front yard on a leash, he has gotten stronger once he started eating and can now walk about 1/3 of a mile at a time--huge progress! He is still wobbly on the front steps and deck steps and stumbles, so he is closely supervised. He has also been allowed off leash now in the large fenced backyard, and he loves to sniff and follow the resident Springers--he really wants to be part of their pack but he does not yet understand what they are doing, chasing balls and playing with toys. Jake will chase a tennis ball and touch it with his nose, but he will not take tennis balls or toys in his mouth. His energy level is still easily drained and he will ask to go back in the house, so his foster family takes him outside for about fifteen minutes every two hours or so. The heat has been oppressive and Jake prefers being outside in the early mornings or evenings. When he is tired, he makes a beeline for the door to go inside.

Jake had a bit of an adventure his first day off-leash in the backyard. He was looking in the swimming pool, lost his balance, and went in headfirst (he had watched one of the resident dogs diving into the pool earlier). He did not panic and began swimming, allowing his foster dad to guide him to the molded steps so he could get out. Although he was more careful when he went to sniff something floating in the pool after that, flattening himself out so that he would not fall in again, he does not avoid the pool. His foster family is hoping he will learn to like swimming so he can strengthen his legs and hips.

There was an incident where one of the resident Springers had a ball that the other wanted, resulting in a chase that ended on the outdoor dog beds (the resident Springers both use both beds, so there isn't any territoriality). Jake saw them running and joined the chase, and when the female, a MAESSR dog herself, flopped down on the bed, Jake crashed into her. She barked at him firmly, setting her boundary, and Jake seemed flustered. His hair on his neck went up but he backed off, although he seemed surprised that she barked at him (the resident Springers rarely bark, and that was the first time Jake had ever heard her). He did not get aggressive and gladly came to his foster mom when she called him. Jake seems to really want to be part of whatever the resident dogs are doing, but his foster parents are working on teaching him how to be more dog savvy.

Jake has a soft mouth and takes cheese, his favorite snack, gently.  Tucking his antibiotic into a bit of cheese works to get him to take pills, too. Jake still does not have interest in dog treats. At the vet, he cooperated with his exam and was praised for how gentle and calm he was while they evaluated him and gave him his shots. He allowed them to handle his ears and paws, examine his teeth, and give him injections without complaint. The vet tech said Jake did not mind them clipping his overly-long nails.

Jake is not housetrained yet but does not have accidents, even overnight in his crate. He is learning "out" and "go potty." Progress is slower because he has been weak and not feeling well.

Jake is learning to walk on a leash and knows his name. He does not pull but isn't quite sure where he is supposed to go and often walks in circles trying to figure out what he is supposed to do. Jake is also learning to enter his crate on command although he still needs nudging. When Jake is in the car, he whimpers when driving in town, where there are a lot of stops and starts. He settles quietly when the car is moving on the highway, and in time, he should be a good car companion.

Jake's personality and interests are becoming apparent as he gets stronger and feels better. He is a friendly, mellow dog who craves attention and wants to be with people and the resident dogs. Jake would love a forever family that has lots of time for him.