Meet Gus

Well, I called it, didn't I? We now have doggie number three. He's a sweetie pie, but it turns out he's in need of a few repairs. No matter, we're up for the task!

Good news first. He's a very sweet boy who is has interacted incredibly well with the other two hood rats. They, too, have taken an interest in him and have seemingly included him in their pack. This is great news! He seems to be potty trained and can "sit" on command. He's quite the little charmer.


We took him to see Dr. Effie yesterday and his heart and lungs sound good and his teeth are pretty good. He is not micro-chipped, which is a Godsend, as it would kill us to have to return him to his neglectful (at best) "parents."


Not-so-good-news. Obviously he has been on his own for a while or at least neglected. Effie says he's malnourished, which is evident in his dull and patchy coat. He's not neutered either. He's got a REALLY guttural and horrible sounding cough, which is probably kennel cough. We did get medicine for it, so it should lessen soon. The worst part is that he is heart worm positive. It's going to take some pretty intense treatment, but it is most likely curable. The treatment calls for serious antibiotics, followed by a 2-3 night vet stay and a whole month of isolated movement. The whole process will take about 6 weeks. But hopefully after that, he will be all better.


HW treatment will commence once he's cleared the cough, or at least until he is finished with the antibiotics for the cough. Effie says that they might actually help with the worms too.

Though a heartworm positive diagnosis is disheartening and sad, we're hopeful that with treatment and time, we can help restore his good health. Nonetheless, he'll definitely be receiving more than his fair share of belly scratches and sugary, high-pitched words of encouragement. That's got to count for something, right? :)