Application Submitted to Adopt Puppy Mill Mom!

Judy, the shelter feeds their dogs Eagle Pack...that's good stuff, isn't it? I feed my pets Nutro Natural Choice. Which one is better? This little girl still looks like she has a ways to go before she's really healthy. Probably because her coat is looking pretty gnarly! Since she was shaved, and it's been SO cold here, they've had her in a doggie-coat, so I haven't even seen her whole body yet. There's a woman who runs a sheltie rescue in a neighboring state, and I wrote to her about the whole thing, and she suggested I give her vitamins because all those years of having multiple litters of puppies has probably leached calcium out of her bones.

Question about BARF....I like the concept, but I honestly don't know that I could keep it up forever. Will she get spoiled rotten from it and never want to eat kibble again if I start her on it when she first comes home? Or would she even eat it at all since she's probably only had kibble her entire life?
 
I have massive experience in rescuing dogs like this. One little girl Holly came to me bald (she had been shaved)and remained that way until we found out she had thyroid issues. After she was started on Throxin she was fed Taste of the Wild and given 2 fish tabs a day along with one melatonin tab a day. Shortly after she came to my rescue she lost almost all her fur. Within 3 months she got this beautiful coat, soft as can be and her shedding is very minimal. We used to call Holly our Barely Hairy Holly beary. Now she is Very Hairy Holly Beary

Barely Hairy Holly

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/lmveneri/puppers/Holly2001.jpg

Hairy Holly Beary

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/lmveneri/puppers/barelyhairy002.jpg
 
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SheltieMommy said:
Awwww....Holly is so precious! Just curious, why melatonin???
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My vet recommended the melatonin and said that if the hair loss was because of a medical condition it would help. Because Holly's hair loss was attributed to her thyroid problems he said the melatonin would help with hair regrowth. When her hair started to grow back in I was told we could stop the melatonin but when I did the hair growth slowed down drastically. I put her back on it and her hair started growing faster and thicker. We used to put a sweater on Holly as well and noticed it seemed to stunt the hair growth as well. Once we kept the seater off except when Holly went outside, the hair also started to grow back better.
 
Wow, that's interesting. I never even thought of giving melatonin to a dog.

Holly's coat in the shaved picture looks better than Lady's! Holly looks like more of a soft-haired sheltie though...like my Murphy. I think Lady will be more coarse haired. Hard to say. I know the soft coat isn't the preferred type for the breed, but I just love petting Murphy! He's just so soft and silky. Well, except for his butt-fluffs. They're pretty coarse and hard to brush. He hates it!

It's funny, I want to run out and buy all kinds of doggie goodies for this little princess, but she doesn't understand toys, and she'll probably feel safer in a crate than a fancy dog bed! So I guess I just need to chill out. :winkgrin:
 
SheltieMommy Holly's coat is so soft now because it is primarily undercoat only. When her main coat starts growing in it will be slightly coarser, but all my dogs have super soft coats because of the daily fish tabs they get and their diets My Phoebe (the one in my profile pic) had very course stringy fur. I have had her for 5 months now and within 2 weeks of getting her, she has a very silky coat. I attribute this to the fish tabs they all get. All my puppers have amazingly soft fur I pay 19.99 for 2 bottles of 300 tabs per bottle at Walgreens

The pupper you are rescuing may have a nasty looking coat now because shelties should never be shaved. It's probably the worst thing that can happen. Holly came to me with her 2 sisters and all were shaved. When their coats were growing back in they looked really bad. You would never have known they were shelties
 
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Do you give them the standard fish oil capsules? One per day? I've just started giving Murphy a Fish/Flax oil capsule squeezed out on his food. He seems kind of itchy lately, and it's just been so cold and dry here. Hopefully it will help!
 
SheltieMommy...I just drop the whole capsule into their food. My guys pick them out and chew on them like they are some kind of special treat. Have you tried handing a whole capsule to your Murphy? I have yet to meet a sheltie who does not love them. Yes I just give mine the regular fish oil capsules
 
I have tried giving Murphy the whole capsule...he's interested in it and tries to chew on it, but then I guess he must think it's just weird, because he'll spit it out and give it the funniest look.

Guess what???? Lady is HOME! We took Murphy over to meet her tonight, and things went fine, so they sent her home with us! I was hoping for a bit more time to get ready, but oh well! She's doing great so far! She did a little exploring and then settled down in her crate for a little nap. Right now she's snuggled up on the couch with me. I've got some great pictures...I'll have to post them. She's been watching us all very intently, with her ears perked up. She even went up and down the stairs, which I guess most puppy mill dogs have no clue about. It took a little coaxing, but she did it.

Well, I'm ready for bed! It's been a pretty tiring day!
 
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