Ripley's Page
Ripley has a new home! He has moved in with a wonderful family who lost their elderly Foxwell boy the fall of 2006. Congratulations Joan & Family!!
Ripley, when he first arrived to me, 10/28/06 weighed
in at 16.5 lbs, Heartworm and Lyme positive
Ripley as of 02/16/07, after being groomed
for his first AKC show since his return.
The show was on 2/18/07 at Hartford, CT
where he went Reserve to his kennel mate.
Ripley went to his new 'co-owner' when he was about 10 weeks old. The contract for this situation was that this puppy was to be shown to his Championship if he turned out to be competative, or returned to me to show. The dog was briefly shown as a puppy, and did earn a point towards his AKC Championship, but then not shown again. The co-owners life took a huge change.....but instead of returning the dog to me if she could not care or keep it (as stated in the contract), it was simply 'kept', and not cared or fed properly so he has not matured properly, was not on heartworm prevention, though the GA Vet tested him negative for heartworm. The dog was not kept as a house dog (as I was lead to believe), he was crated or put outside in a pen (where he learned to climb as he was probably seeking human companionship), and eventually tied out on a chain which was hooked to another male unalterd mutt. He is not housebroken - yet. I was told the dog was stolden just before he was to be returned to me - luckily he was found. The dog was returned to me ungroomed (co-owner IS a groomer), with long nails, and at least 5 lbs under what his normal weight should be, and he had not been vetted since a baby puppy - with no Rabies given prior to the required health certificate exam and required inoculations for the airline flight back to me. Today, 10/30/06, he will be evaluated & tested by my Veterinarian for condition and any health issues. He will not leave my home until he is in proper weight and condition and is micro-chipped. Thankfully he is a very happy-go-lucky fellow and should thrive with the right family. Updates will be posted to this log.
Photos taken the day after arrival his arrival on 10/28/0610/30/06 The visit with my Vet this afternoon proved interesting. Apparently the GA Vet either did not read their test results correctly, or decited to 'fudge' it in order to get this dog on the airline flight. He is positive for both Lyme AND Heartworm. He started Doxicycaline for Lyme tonight - for 28 days, and his blood will be sent to the lab for a more complete analysis on the extent of the heartworm - and also to test the condition of his internal organs. Test results should be back within 48 hours. He has gained 1 lb since his arrival - a very positive sign that he will become healthy in just a few months. His tail never stopped wagging the whole time he was at the Vets - even when they took blood. He charmed everyone at the Clinic. He is also now microchipped for his safe return should he become lost.
11/12/06, we were able to get some photos of the damage to his teeth. He is 3 1/2 years old, and the dog I used to compare his bite with is my 6 1/2 year old house dog - nearly 3 years older than Ripley. Ripley's photos are on the left, Janies photos (with normal wear for a 6 1/2 year old) are on the right:
In the left photo, notice how the top incisors are flattened off compared to the photo on the right.
The bite is a tight fitting scissor bite (top teeth overlapping the bottom teeth) Flattening is not common, especially in a dog of this age.
In the left photo, you are viewing the lower incisors - the marks on the teeth are where the enamel has been worn off, and the interior of the teeth is showing thru. The teeth are very smooth and give the impression of being 'sanded'.
Note the photo to the right of normal teeth for a 3 year older dog showing no wear and no enamel showing thru.
This view shows the top incisors, again you can see how the teeth have become 'squared' off, compared to the normal older dogs bite on the right.
11/13/06 I took new photos today to mark the progress for building weight and muscle on Ripley. He is near 19 lbs now, and is still eating well. He is not as noisey as he was, perhaps because he is getting regular meals of a decent portion of food. Hopefully the weight will move to where it is needed - his chest is drastically under developed...and I am hoping he will fill out there by the front of the year.
11/17/06 Today I noticed some great break thru's for Ripley. He has finally loosened up and is much more fluid in his movement, not the stilted jerky movement he has displayed since his arrival. He did not seem to be using his food as well as he should, so I have added Probotics to his meals, along with his Solid Gold Vitamin powder and Life Extention powder. His body appears to be adjusting the new body weight to where it is needed, and he is slowly filling in the hollow areas. You can still see his backbone thru his coat, however - it will be a great day when that finally smooths out.
12/04/06, Ripley was dropped off at the Vet today for his Heartworm treatment. Photos below are from this morning before leaving for the Vets. He is now 21 lbs - with more fill needed in the shoulders & chest, but he is comming along excelently. Keep your positive thoughts for him that he will get thru the treatment with flying colors. He will come home tomorrow - then will be on total rest for the next 30 days. From these new photos, you can tell he is feeling alot better! He now has some Fox Terrier attitude!
On 12/18/06 Ripley returned to the Vet to make sure all the bad 'bugs' were out of his bloodstream. He is now clear of the Heartworm, and there is no more evidence of Lyme. I was very relieved that the treatments were successful. The only problems now, are to keep him quiet for another month...not easy to do since he is feeling much better, and at the left hip's injection site, there is stil some swelling. It will take time for that swelling to return to normal, but as of 12/25/06 it is less than it was. More photos will follow soon.
02/16/07. Ripley is now in total health. He was groomed up today in preperation for an AKC Show - the first since he was 7 months old. I think he's looking pretty good! His buddy, Riley, is also entered, so it will be interesting to see what the Judge thinks - they are so different. Ripley measured out at 15 1/2", which is right on Standard - a rariety these days! Wish us luck at the Show! Well, Ripley did great - he was Reserve Winners Dog to his kennel mate, Riley!
Ripley tied on a chain in the sand.
