Mutt mom Barbara shares her story about Buddy! Here is a great Seniors For Seniors story! Thank you Barbara!
Buddy, a Muttville alum, is our sweet little Shih-Tzu mix who loves to give kisses, lie in the sun, sit on your lap, and hang out with Cookie, our Maltese. We adopted Buddy (aka Wonton) from Muttville in February of this year. Our 16-year old Shih Tzu had recently passed away and we thought that if we were going to get another dog, we should do it soon before Cookie got used to being an only dog. So we took Cookie with us to a Muttville adoption event, where we met Wonton, who was being fostered by Don and Susana. Cookie and Wonton got along fine, so we decided to adopt Wonton and we renamed our new family member “Buddy” since he would be Cookie’s new buddy.
We learned that Buddy had been picked up as a stray in Orange County and treated by a vet there before Muttville took him in. He was around 9 years and a very sweet boy even though he had numerous health issues, the most critical one being a ruptured cornea in his right eye that was causing him pain. Muttville and Don and Susana’s vet in Marin County had already determined that removing the eye was the best option, and he was scheduled for surgery the following Saturday. He also had skin problems and ear infections, no doubt due to his time on the street, and was on numerous medications, including one for pain.
We filled out paperwork and took Buddy home with us from Muttville that day. Don and Susana were wonderful; they even drove down to our house in Redwood City the next day to drop off the rest of Buddy’s meds, and we arranged to meet the following Saturday so that they could take Buddy to their vet for his surgery. Buddy adapted quickly to our household and found the important places – food and water, door to backyard, beds, etc., and Cookie immediately taught him when to expect treats and how to beg for them. Buddy can be quite verbal, and right away he let us know when he wanted out or needed some lap time. We take short walks twice a day and Buddy quickly got to know the neighborhood kids, who immediately took to him.
The following Saturday, Buddy had his right eye removed, and on Sunday, Don and Susana brought him back. The surgery went well and he was a trouper about taking the pills and dealing with the pain – though was not too fond of his protective cone collar. Cookie wasn’t too crazy about the collar either, as Buddy would run into him with it. The neighborhood kids were interested in Buddy’s eye surgery (one girl asked if his eye would grow back), and we heard that he was the topic of some good family discussions about disabilities. Buddy has no problem having only one eye – maybe his other senses have improved – but he doesn’t miss a thing!
We have had some minor setbacks. The skin and ear problems persisted and we were constantly trying to keep him from scratching, licking, or rubbing. Then he got a small sliver in his foot, which became infected, and we were back on multiple antibiotics, foot baths, and the dreaded cone collar. Apparently, Buddy is susceptible to infections that resist common antibiotics, probably because of his past health issues. But again, he kept his sweet, sometimes silly, personality. The infection cleared up and the licking and scratching has greatly decreased (it seems to be mostly habit now) and we finally are able to stop telling him “No” all the time.
We are really grateful to have Buddy as a member of our family and we appreciate all that Muttville and Don and Susana did to save this little dog. He is such a sweet boy and deserves a good life. I totally recommend adopting a senior dog; these dogs have so much to offer and fit in so readily, and you don’t have to go through long and painful puppy training! Muttville also makes it very easy for seniors to adopt senior dogs.
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include 3 of your favorite photos and send to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line ‘Success Story’.
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7/24/13
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
