Adopted Dogs · Happy Endings · Rainbow Bridge Memorials
This sweet gal is Molly. She is an adorable 5 year-old Golden Retriever. She is 94 pounds, and is overweight (we affectionately call her "Molly Moo Cow"). Her vet stated we would know once she gets down around the 80's what her ideal weight would be. Molly was surrendered due to her allergy issues, and not having enough time for sufficient exercise. 
Molly has been scratching, licking and nibbling at all parts of her body. In the past, she has seen an allergist and is currently on medication for her allergies (pills and injections). I took her to another allergist Monday for a second opinion, and it was discovered she has a bacterial skin infection (dogs with allergies are more susceptible to getting secondary infections). She has received meds for that also, and until we clear that up, we won't be changing her meds. Hopefully, she will start to feel better soon. We will also change her diet. She is used to eating Chicken and rice, so we will be moving her to a different protein and starch to see if that helps anything. During the Fall/Winter months, she isn't affected as much as she is during the Spring/Summer months. She has been tested, and is allergic to grass, certain trees, dust, cats, etc. So you can imagine how she is during the Spring when all the grass and trees start to bloom! She gets yeast infections in between the pads of her paws. We'll go back in to the allergist in a month to evaluate her itchiness and determine what the next step is.
With all the itchiness that she endures, it does not diminish the sweetness that is Molly. She loves all kids, dogs and even our cats. She is a very good girl. Most times I think we have a 10 year old dog, because all she does is sleep all day. Hopefully, once she sheds her extra weight, she'll get more energy. The vet did say that the meds she is on might contribute to her lethargy. She does love to fetch a ball every once in a while. She also LOVES to wrestle and play tug-of-war. My daughter will take her outside when the kids are all playing in the snow, and she romps around with them. She knows sit, down, stay, shake and turn around (in the tub). She's just going to have to learn that she only gets affection when doing tricks, because the treats are a thing of the past! We did try getting her up on the treadmill, and we were only half successful, as she would only walk with her front paws on the tread. We need to exercise ALL of her, not just half! She does walk very nicely on the leash, and trots down the road proudly during her walks.
Tune in for more updates on Miss Molly Moo Cow!
Molly Moo continues to be just a doll. She is a happy girl, and loves to roll in the snow, sometimes to the point where she doesn't get her business done right away, and I'm standing out there freezing! We have started putting her out on a tie-out and she does just fine. She can roll all she wants now!
Molly loves to wrestle and uses her weight to cheat. She will sit on me and try and pin me down, the stinker. She also is the very best retriever that we have ever had. She will run down the ball, and then very gently set it in my lap for me to throw again. Most retrievers I've fostered, you have to chase all over to get the ball again, but Molly is great!
Molly rarely barks, only if she wants to come inside, or if someone unknown is at the door, and it's just a couple of very deep barks, and then she's done. She also has this thing where if she wants to go outside, or if she wants to wrestle, she'll give this cute, deep, low grumble/woof and wag her tail. Then I will do it back to her, and she'll respond again. It is so cute!
Due to her skin infection, I have to give her 2 baths a week. She will jump in the tub on her own without me asking her. She just stands there and let's me scrub her down (I think she loves it, because she is getting major scratchies on her itchy skin!). When it is time to wash her other side, I say, "Turn around", and she does. She is just an angel!
Giving her pills has become a challenge, because she will no longer take them when they are wrapped in cheese or anything. She is suspicious of anything I hand her food-wise now, because she thinks that the nasty-tasting pills are in it. I do the open mouth, shove hand down throat thing, but she knows how to curl her tongue just right so that they don't go down. Then she spits them out, biting them in half in the process, so there is powder all over the floor! It is hard, as she takes about 13 pills a day. I am going to try one of those syringe pill dispenser things. I'll let you know how it goes.
I visited her allergist on Monday, and she is to continue on the antibiotics and twice-weekly baths (with prescription shampoo) for another month. We are going to try and restrict her diet to ONLY her food (no treats, no crumbs, no licking the other dogs bowls). This will continue for 2-3 months to clean out her system and let us know if she is allergic to any food. This will be quite the challenge, as she does not like her food and wants to eat my dogs food. We'll give it a try though, in the hopes that she will be itch-free.
The cost of her meds and vet visits per year will be more than most dogs. If, once we figure out the correct combination of meds, and she is comfortable in her own skin, then the cost might go down, but in the meantime, here is an example of what it will cost per month to have Molly part of your family:
Allergy meds: Hydroxyzine 84.00/Month
Thyroid meds: Levothyroxine 12.40/Month
Any meds for secondary infections (either bacterial skin infections, or yeast infections): Cephalexin 27.00/Month
Extra vet and allergist visits: Varies
Total estimated medication cost per month: $151.40
I just want whoever is interested in her to know that she will take a little more financially to keep her comfortable and healthy. She will need to continue to take these meds so that she can be as healthy as possible. She is totally worth the extra investment!!
Molly will be attending the Dog Wash in Lino Lakes on Saturday from 11-1!
Molly is such a great girl. She continues to do great with my dogs and cats. She LOVES to play with the dogs outside, and now that she is losing weight, the chase is on! She has a lot more energy and is very playful. She loves to chase my 7-year-old son around the house. He'll grab one of her toys and take off and she will chase him. She has gotten smart, though, and will stop until he comes around the bend, and then she'll pounce! He'll shriek and laugh, and the chase is on again! They both have great fun together, and it wears her out!
I am getting more comfortable with her bi-monthly shot now. She is so patient with me. She also is very good when given her meds. If I was getting 12 pills shoved down my throat a day, I don't think I would have the disposition she does. She just lays there every time we walk toward her with the pills. Such a good girl.
She goes in to the allergist this week for a check-up. We were doing well with only having her dog food fed to her. We have trained everyone in the house to not give her anything but her dog food (we are trying to figure out if she is allergic to certain foods). Unfortunately, we couldn't train our cat not to give her anything, so when he threw up, we couldn't get to her in time, and she ate some. Gross! So, as of Tuesday this past week, we are back at day 1 (she needs to have a limited diet for 2-3 months to find out if she is allergic to foods).
Please let your placement advisor know if you would like to come and meet Molly!
Molly came in at 96 pounds, and is now 84! She still has some more to go, but her energy level is no longer that of a 10-year-old. She and one of my residents (Lucy) LOVE to wrestle! Lucy is constantly soaking wet from Molly mouthing her. They play all the time, and the game will begin with just a little look, and then...Wrestlemania!
Last week Molly met a Great Dane, and was totally submissive. She would flop over and lay on her side wagging her tail. She also met my mother-in-law's 10 pound Shih Tzu. She was wonderful. I'd say she gets along with all dogs.
Molly loves my kids. She will hear the bus go by in the afternoon and run to the door and get all excited and cry. She will greet them with lots of kisses and butt wags.
We are trying something new with her meds, Molly had a night a few weeks ago where she threw up for 12 hours. We were not able to give her medications for a few days. In that time, she was completely itch-free. Under the allergists recommendations, we slowly introduced her back to each med, one each day. She was fine up until we had to give her the shot. Then about an hour after, she was itchy again. So we have her off all meds, except antibiotics. She is still a little itchy, but we'll see how it goes.
Molly continues to be a doll. She is so good. My dog Lucy is constantly slobbered all over because they love to wrestle (they are doing it right now).
I had to take Molly into the vet last week, as her tail was hanging down and to the side. They guessed that she was most likely bitten/stung by something. She is on antibiotics and antihistamines.
Molly currently is not on any allergy meds. We are testing to see if she might be allergic to any of them. So far, she is still itchy. I have an appointment to go see the allergist in about a week. We'll see what we'll do next. Some days are pretty good, while others she'll lick/nibble at her side so that it is soaking wet. Hopefully someday we'll find the right meds to help her out. I can't imagine being itchy and not being able to get relief!
Molly visited the allergist today. We can take her off the special prescription diet, and she can start eating my dog's regular dog food. She can also go back to getting treats (randomly given) and such as long as she doesn't start itching badly. She wasn't any less itchier during the diet test, so most likely not allergic to food items, unless we come across something that really makes her itch after she has it. She was given a topical steroid cream for me to put on any parts that she is scratching or licking at. She still needs her baths with the prescribed shampoo, as that helps with the skin infections. She will also go back on to the injections every 10 days. We'll start at .3 cc's, and work our way up to .5 cc's over a 60 day period. We don't need to go back to the allergist for a year unless she has a flare up and needs to be seen. She'll start back on her thyroid meds tonight, and then in 4 weeks will get retested to see what her levels are at. She still is an itchy pup, but hopefully the injections will help her immune system build up and conquer the allergies. We'll just watch her and take one day at a time. She'll always need extra vet visits and meds, but she more than makes up for it in temperament and love!
We will be going to the cabin for Memorial day weekend, so we'll see if she'll swim in the lake!
Molly is doing great. She is almost done with her antibiotics, so after that, she will only have her thyroid pills to take. That's only 2 a day! Hopefully, her skin will stay healed and not break out into sores so she can stay off meds. Putting on the steroidal cream on the itchy spots seems to help calm her.
I have included a few new pictures. The one wearing a tux is what my horse wore in a show I recently did. I brought it home and we put it on Molly. It's a great fit! I'm not sure if she enjoyed it as much!
Molly had a great time up at the cabin! She is a swimmer! She would just sit in the water waiting for someone to throw a ball out so that she could go after it. We could tell she's never been on a dock before. She would very s-l-o-w-l-y walk along the dock with her paw pads splayed out as far as they would go. It was quite comical. By the end of the weekend, she was going a little faster, but still very cautious and willing to come where we were. She loved up the neighbors and would run over to their beach constantly and steal their dog's sticks off the dock and bring them back to our beach (don't worry, the way our beaches are set up, she could only go between ours and theirs).
Again, Molly is such a great dog, even if she is a little high maintenance. She would require a family that has a steady income that can afford extra visits to the allergist and any extra meds she may require. It can get upwards of $150 a month just for the meds at times if she has a flare-up. They would also need to be willing to give her weekly medicated baths and at times twice a week. Also, she needs her injection, which currently is given every 10 days. It's very easy!
We had the extreme pleasure of babysitting Miss Molly last week, or as my son affectionately called her Molly ball or Molly moo moo. She is an absolute doll.
I was a little concerned, maybe like some of you, that taking care of a dog with allergies would be difficult. Well, I want all of you to know, if you are hesitating because of that you need to stop right now. You may have to give a bath a little more often than a dog without allergies, or you may have to give them a little extra medication, but they will love you even more because of it. Molly stepped into our house and within a day it was like she was our very own foster. That is probably in large part to her super sweet personality, but it is also apparent she is completely and totally loved in her foster home. We seriously thought she would have to stay with us, but I didn't get the impression that was going to fly.
We can tell you Molly is not afraid of storms, we were all huddled in the basement with tornado sirens blaring most of the night and she was just fine. Molly did not appreciate when my two girls would get upset with each other, she would give them a look and then quietly walk away from them. I don't think she wanted to get mixed up in anything they were talking about. My son had a blast wrestling with her and she seemed to love it too. Molly walks so nice on a flat collar with no pulling. She is totally trust worthy in the house and is your constant companion. Molly enjoyed going for rides in the truck with the rest of the gang. As you can see by the picture, Molly enjoyed a low calorie carrot snack (something her mom was surprised to hear). We think she decided to give it a try because our girls eat carrots all the time and she didn't want to be left out.
We have a standing invitation for Miss Molly anytime she needs a place to stay.
Molly went up to the cabin for about a week. Boy, does she ever love the lake!! She runs right down the stairs and LAYS down in the water! We would throw a white rock into the water and she would dunk her head under to try and get it. Most times, all you ever see is her head above water as she just lays in it and waits for someone to throw a ball. She is a stinker though, and drops the ball about 4 feet from me so I have to get up from my chair, walk over to the ball and throw it for her. Then we do the whole thing all over again! Molly can now walk on the dock like any normal dog. She is not wary of it anymore! It was hot enough for even me to go out and float on a tube. Molly would swim from shore, try to sink me, then swim back to shore again. Then she would turn around and do it again. I would hold on to her so she could have a rest and she would just float happily.
Molly is down to a slim 81 pounds! She sure worked it off swimming!
Molly didn't like the fireworks. She is not destructive, she just likes to go hide in a dark, quiet spot. Thankfully, the fireworks didn't last all week like they normally do!
She is currently taking her thyroid pill (12.40/month), her injections (28.00/month) and Antihistamines (84.00/month), which average out to about $124 per month for meds. She has some spots where she has lost her fur (on her sides and the tip of her tail). I have talked with her allergist and we have put her back on the Antihistamines, which she had taken a break from. So that is not a pill that is taken all the time, just during the times when the allergens are high. I am switching her to a grain-free food, and after she is fully switched over, I will start her on a raw food diet. I have heard nothing but good things for allergy dogs and raw diets. They are bags of meat patties (with added vitamins, etc) that are frozen. I would defrost 2 of these a day and give them to her. In the event that we were traveling, or up at the cabin, she could eat the new grain-free food (It is called Taste of the Wild -Bison and Roasted Venison). Hopefully, this raw diet will work miracles for her. Cross your fingers!!!