12/18/09: Please Don’t Overlook Wonderful Duke
“Duke continues to do well! He is a big bundle of joy. His allergies are very well controlled on his allergy medication Atopica and his ZD Ultra Allergen food. He gets one 100mg pill daily of Atopica and he eats twice a day for a total of about 4 cups of food, dry and wet mixed. If his allergies do act up the first place you usually see it is in his ears, so I pay close attention to them and I occasionally wipe them out with an antifungal/antibacterial cleanser to keep them clean and free of debris. He doesn't mind at all. Between his diet, his allergy pill, and occasional baths, Duke will do extremely well wherever he lives. It is imperative that his new caretaker keep up with his daily needs so that he can stay happy and healthy.
Special notes of interest:
Duke lived with a cat in his previous foster home. That cat did not make much noise and stood his ground if Duke was too pesky. Once Duke realized the kitty wasn't afraid of him he just left him alone. They lived perfectly well together for the 3 months that he was there. However, when Duke came to live with me he did not seem to have the same attitude towards the cat, which could have been due to the way they met for the first time. My cat, a siamese, woke Duke up out of a dead sleep at about 1am meowing. Duke of course took off in the direction of the cries and cornered my cat in the closet. Because of Dukes relentless desire to pursue kitty, and it was relentless, I decided to keep them separated. I think if introduced properly and slowly he may be okay with a cat. Particularly one that doesn't make much noise.
Regarding leash walking….Duke is great, but does like to pull a bit. If you decide to take Duke in as a new family member just know he will be expecting to share the bed with you. He is a lover and a lap dog. He likes to lay his head in your lap while on the sofa and he currently sleeps with his head on the pillows in bed. Too Cute!!
He is very excitable when visitors come to the house, but I think with continued patience he will learn that obsessive licking is not acceptable. All he wants is love and attention and if he is getting that he is happy! If Duke is not getting what he wants, he tends to chat at you, making all sorts of adorable noises to get your attention. Not barking, just chatter.
He makes a great watch dog, as he does bark every time someone comes to the door, which I like! He has been to the dog park with my two dogs and does very well. The only problem is he likes to jump up for the toys of the other dogs. This dog can jump too...High! He has been around children in my house and LOVES to play with them. He just tends to be a bit bigger than some of the kids he plays with and will likely need to be removed from the child so that the kid can catch his breath. The harder they laugh, the more he wants to play!!
He is extremely allergic to Frontline Flea & Tick prevention. He breaks out in huge blisters.
As for his visit to the Cardiologist, he did very well. The doctor did not see any signs of boxer cardiomyopathy and his valves looked good. Duke also wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours to check his heart rhythm and that was inconclusive for any problems. Since Duke does suffer from occasional episodes of Syncope, or near passing out, NBR decided to do all of these tests to make sure he was healthy. It appears he is very healthy but still, on rare occasion, seems to have these symptoms of syncope. I have seen it happen 3 times and it has only ever occurred when he is startled out of sleep and he jumps up quickly. The episodes never last more than 10-30 seconds and he is always fine afterwards.
I wrote all of this to simply make sure Duke is a fully understood dog so his new owners are not startled by any of his nuances. Duke has been a wonderful foster dog and I love him very much. He melded very well into my family and over time I have experienced his comfort level rise, and his anxiety diminish. He will no doubt experience more anxiety with another move, but with patience, a lot of love, hugs, and kisses, I know he will be just as wonderful in your home as he has been in mine.
Don't let the details above scare you. Duke sounds like he is a tremendous amount of work on paper, but I assure you, he is a huge, loveable, huggable, easy to care for boxer, who will thrive for many years in a permanent caring home!”
"Duke is doing great! The cardiologist that did his echo said everything looks very good. No overt signs of cardiomyopathy, regular rhythm throughout the exam, and normal heart signs and function. We have done a holter monitor on him as well and are waiting for the results, but he did not have a fainting spell while on it. The spells have only ever occurred when Duke has been startled out of sleep. He just seems to get overly excited too fast, and has to lie down. These episodes are very infrequent and when they happen they are over in less than 30 seconds. He doesn't seem to mind!
Duke has settled in nicely with my two boxers and loves to play and go for walks. He sleeps like every other boxer I've known, like its his favorite hobby, and prefers to be close to you or touching you while snoozing.
As for his allergies, they are under great control with his Ultra Allergen dog food and Atopica allergy medication. He looks great and seems to feel great and that makes for one happy dog."
08/29/09:
Another special thanks to Andrea B who offered to match the difference needed to achieve Duke's medical expenses to date; Your generosity has made a world of difference to a handful of NBR dogs.
07/21/09: DUKE IS SCHEDULED TO SEE A CARDIOLOGIST
We need your help once again to help with his medical costs
Duke had an incident at his foster home where his legs went out from under him and he had what was described as a fainting spell. We took him to our vet and they performed some preliminary tests (i.e. EKG, etc ) and gave him an exam. Although the doctor did not find anything conclusive they suspect that he indeed had a Syncopal Episode and recommended that he see a cardiology specialist.
We have scheduled an appointment with a Cardiologist for an exam and diagnostic tests which will include an echocardiogram. We are hopeful that this incident was a freak episode but we will not know for certain until his appointment.
On another note, Duke’s allergies have finally subsided and his skin and ears look great. His allergies did return a few weeks ago and he had to go back to the vet. The doctor decided to try the medication called Atopica and he is responding really well. This is an expensive medicine but it doing the trick. Tucker was also prescribed Atopica for his allergies and he had great results as well.
Please keep Duke in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping the Cardiologist gives us good news.
06/01/09: A short Update and new pictures from Duke's Foster Mom:
Duke returned for a final visit with his doctor and was given a green light for adoption. All of his sore spots are gone and his ears have healed well enough that he will not need surgery. Hurrah!!!
The doctor feels we should continue to give Duke the Prescription Diet Z/D food and DermCaps fatty acid supplement for a while, but he no longer needs ear drops, oral medication, skin wipes nor frequent medicated baths.
We are grateful to Duke’s doctor and his foster parents for doing such a great job helping him to get better. His recovery was possible because of their hard work and dedication to his care. THANK YOU to Jacqueline, Jessica, and George. You all did a great job!
Here is an update from Duke‘s foster mom:
“Duke is looking great!!! All of his bald patches are half way filled in and his ears look wonderful. When Duke first arrived with us one month ago he was on many medications and wipes for his skin. He was the perfect patient; he would lie down and roll over so I could wipe all of his sore spots. We were also giving him baths twice a week and he was great with them. I am amazed that Duke was so tolerant with all the medications and baths he needed in addition to being in an unfamiliar home with strangers.
Duke is a very lovable and energetic dog, sometimes almost to the point of being ‘over the top’ lovable. Duke loves to go on car rides but when he can't go he has adjusted to his crate and goes in and lies down with no more barking!! When we come home he bounces around and licks you for at least ten minutes.
He has been very good with visiting children and the other animals in the house. He was initially a little protective of his food with the other dogs, but that behavior seems to have disappeared; he has never been a problem with people.
Duke is completely house broken and has never chewed anything inappropriately. He is just starting to play with stuffed toys. His all time favorite toy is a stick, and he likes to play catch but needs some work on the return. He is a great cuddler but is a little bit of a bed hog. With some more work on his manners and leash walking he will be perfect.”
