Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Ember: Relying on the kindness of strangers

I learned about Ember from an e-mail I received along with many other animal lovers. He appeared as a stray on the farm of a kind family who cared for him and tried to find his previous owners. They had only good things to say about him, but he was older and needed vet work they could not afford. I contacted our friends at RAGOM (Retrieve A Golden Of Minnesota) to see if they would stretch their definition of "Golden" a bit to help this guy if Friends of Flicka would sponsor him.

RAGOM worked their magic and this sweet old boy regained his health (if not his youth) during several months in foster care and then was adopted by a new family. See the posts and photos from RAGOM below.

RAGOM POSTS:
Ember #12-323
(Fostered in West St. Paul, MN)


Sponsored by:
Friends of Flicka
"In memory of Rolf Ljungkull"

Hi there, Let me introduce you to the sweet Ember 12-323. He is a golden mix. Ember has come to RAGOM as a mystery. He was a stray and was found in a family's yard up in northeastern MN. These good samaritans took him in, fed him and loved him and called RAGOM and he is now in our home as a foster.

Ember is approximately 7 to 8 years old. He is neutered. Up-to-date on shots and is microchipped. We had blood work done on him and found out he is heartworm positive. So treatment has begun with Doxycycline for 30 days and then onto the shots of Immiticide. Ember does have some range of motion issues in his hips and were going to start him on an anti-inflammatory but due to him needing heartworm treatment, we decided to hold off so it is not so hard on his kidneys and liver. Ember weighs 88 lbs. The vet advised that he needs to loose 10 lbs and that should help his hind end area. So he is on a diet. Otherwise, he is a healthy happy dog except for the heartworms and has no obvious outward sign of heartworm disease except for his bloodwork.

Ember is a beautiful dog! He is apricot and white in color along with a very sweet disposition! I have two of my own Golden boys, one being a pup and Ember just ignores him. He has shown very little interest in our two cats. All three dogs will drink out the same water bowl together with no issues. There is no resource guarding at all. If anything, Ember will retreat.

He is crate trained. We had to take the mats out of his coat and give him a bath and he has the patience of a Saint! A very good boy! He does not know sit or down and are working on that. Ember does come when called. That is pretty good for a dog that was just named three weeks ago! Ember is a very sweet dog and he bonds to you very quickly. This dog does not bark. When I get home from work, he will "Roo Roo Roo" to you softly. This goes on for about a half an hour. He is just so happy to see you! Ember is definately a velcro dog and just loves attention but is not pushy about it. He loves to be petted and stroked and lays down next to your chair. Ember will roll over for a belly rub! He does have the Golden habit of following you room to room though. He rides in a car great and just lays down in the back seat and relaxes. He takes treats very gently and gives gentle kisses. He is great with kids from what the good samaritans have told me.

This guy is an awesome teddy bear and whoever is his forever family will be very lucky! I will give another update about Ember soon! Thank you for reading!



UPDATES:
11/19/2012: Hi there! Here is an update on the fabulous Ember #12-323! He has come a long way in the last few weeks. Ember has just blossomed. Good food, much love and some medical care goes a long way. He has become more lively, bright and is moving much better. When I come home from work, I get my normal "Roo Roo", many tail wags and he bounces around as he is sooo happy to see his foster mom. He used to walk slowly outside to go potty. Now he definately has much more of a spring in his step!

Ember gets along great with our resident goldens. He will correct our puppy if he gets to rambunctious with Ember. Ember does have issues with stairs. He can handle a few with no problem. If there are many, he will avoid them. I do think this has to do with his arthritis in his hips. If you want a velcro dog, this is your guy! He will follow you room to room. He will lay down and relax if you do the same. Ember is very affectionate and loves his attention. Ember will seek attention from you and I always give it to him. I give him body rubs and he just totally relaxes and this makes his so happy. It warms my heart for me to see the happiness in this older gentleman. We feed him Wellness Dog Food. I am a firm believer that a good dog food makes a huge difference is the way they feel, their coat and their health in general. He loves his "Pup-Peroni" Beef dog treats! Ember absolutely is crazy about Nyla-Bones and loves to chew on them! It doesn't take much to keep this gentle soul happy!

Ember had his first Immiticide shot for his heartworm this last Friday. He is handling it very well! He is eating great. He is a little more subdued than usual. We keep him very quiet. He does get medication for pain at the injection site and the vet did give him an anti-imflammatory for the arthritis in his hips. It does seem to be helping him move easier. Ember also has a urinary tract infection and is getting medication for that, so he should be fine in a couple of weeks. So all in all, Ember is doing wonderful.

The picture I took is of Ember "Rooing" at me. Ember is verbal! I find this very endearing. He always has something to say.
The other is of Ember out in the back yard just checking things out.
Please consider this older gent for your fur-ever home. Yes, he does have some issues as he is getting older, but we all get old and need help dont we???
I am going to keep Ember as unavailable until he is finished with his heartworm treatment and his bloodwork comes back as negative. I will still do updates, so that you know how Ember is doing. Thank you

12/25/2012:
Hi All! Hope everyone is enjoying their Holidays! Ember is doing just great! He went in for his second set of Immiticide shots for his heart worm a couple of weeks ago and is having no adverse reactions. He is resting but is somewhat of a rug anyway so no worries about him running around. =) Ember goes back in for a final check in April to make sure that he is clear of heart worms. He will need to be on heart worm preventative the rest of his life, so he doesn't have to go thru this again.

Ember is just the most wonderful dog. He is an extremely loving and a gentle soul. He loves to rub up against you like a cat looking for attention. So if you want a velco dog, this is your guy. Another thing he does is come from behind and go in between your legs looking for a body rub! Ember continues to "Roo" at you looking for his love!

Ember is doing well on his Norocarp for his arthritis. He seems to be able to move around much more comfortably on it. Stairs are still an issue for him. He will go up and down two or three but a whole flight of stairs he is not able to do. He has changed so much from when we got him. He is such a happy dog. He looks awesome. His coat is healthy and soft. His eyes are bright. A weekly grooming is all he needs and ear cleaning.

Here is a picture of Ember with our resident Goldens. Kirby, our year old pup and Jay, our six year old. He gets along great with them unless Kirby decides to really bug him. Then Ember will correct him and Kirby leaves him alone. So keep this love bug of a dog in your sights and I will update again soon.

Happy Holidays!

01/27/2013: Hi All! Ember 12-323 continues to do well! He made it through his heartworm treatments with flying colors! I just have to take him for a microfolia test (tests for baby heartworms), and then he needs to go back in in April for a final check to make sure all the adult heartworms are gone from his system.

Ember has so much energy now! He is such a different dog from when we first got him. He was so lethargic and I'm sure it's from him being on his own and the heartworms. His coat was dull and lifeless. It is now soft and shiny. He is eating well and always looks forward to feeding time and his treats! He is the talker! Roos at you when we wants his love and attention, when he wants to go potty, and at feeding time. Ember rubs up against you like a cat for his love. He absolutely loves massages! Ember is a gem and whomever becomes his forever family will be extremely lucky to have him. You couldn't ask for more of a gentle soul than this guy. I just think it must be because he is a senior dog. He seems so grateful to have love, food, a warm place to rest his bones and excellant veterinary care that RAGOM has provided. He is still on his medication for his hinder-end and it is helping. He gets up much easier than than he used to and having a much easier time negotiating our few stairs.

So if you are looking for an older gent and don't mind having your feet kept warm in these frigid temps by Ember, please contact RAGOM.
 

01/27/2013:
Merry Christmas from Lisa, Maddie and Sam 12-349 Merry Christmas from Lisa, Maddie and Sam 12-349
 "To Ember - We love you! Foster Mom and Foster Dad" To Ember- we love you! Foster Mom and Foster Dad

04/03/2013:Hi all! So sorry for the delay in getting an update done on Ember. We had some family stuff going on, but all is back to normal now.

Em is doing just great! He is playful, loving, and gentle. He is moving around pretty easily. He is a little slow to get up, but once that is accomplished, all systems are go! He runs around the back yard with my two Golden boys and has an awesome time!

In two weeks, he heads back to the vet for his final heartworm check. He is acting normal, eating and drinking great! Ember is just the most affectionate old man. He comes up to nuzzle you, "roo" at you for his love. I don't think he had much of that in the past and thrives on the attention. He has learned to "sit" with the bribery of a treat or his food. We also are working on "down" and "shake" but have a ways to go on that. He loves to lean up against you, and when you rub his bum, Em fluffs all up. He loves that and it must feel so good to him.

He has no problem navigating the four stairs we have off our deck to the yard. He still doesn't appreciate a lot of stairs, so we don't make him go up and down to the second level of our house. He just sits patiently at the bottom of the stairs and waits for us to come down. If you take too long, you will get "roo-ed" at! He wants to be with his people. =)

We no longer put him in his kennel. He does just fine having the run of the house all day while we are at work. We leave him with water and his Nylabone. No accidents. He is there to greet you at the door with a "roo" and a look on his face of "Please love me" and he gets plenty of it! He is a doll.

Will update again soon and please give this gentle old man a chance to come into your home and let him love you!



05/29/2013: Hi All! Ember has been adopted! Thank you to the J's for adopting Ember! I know he will have a wonderful life and will be very much loved! I am grateful for having this wonderful dog as a foster. I love Ember and always will. Thank you!

Here is a picture of Ember and me, his foster Mom, Jeanne.

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