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My basic info
Breed
Beagle
Color
Tricolor (Tan/Brown & Black & White)
Age
Adult
Size
Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less (when grown)
Weight
–
Sex
Female
Pet ID
SK - 14
My details
Good with kids
Good with dogs
Purebred
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Housetrained
Has special needs
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Josie is a beautiful little doll, only 13" tall and weighing 23 lbs. She is approx. 6 or 7 years old, according to our veterinarian, and she came in to a Houston area shelter already spayed and tested heartworm negative.
Josie is a special dog in many ways. She is SO well-behaved that you would hardly believe it, especially because she is a beagle! (grin) She is great on leash, behaves perfectly in the house, in the car, and is mellow and polite. She rarely barks, never gets into spats with other dogs, has not had a single potty accident in the house and does not ever chew on anything (not even dog toys).
Yet, Josie is special in other ways as well. She came in to the shelter with some health problems which prevented the shelter from putting her up for adoption. The staff loved her so much that they called our organization to PLEASE rescue her and in an unprecedented move, they held onto her for almost 3 weeks while we made room for her and found a foster home to take care of her while dealing with her health issues. She had a "cherry" eye (lower 3rd eyelid which was bulging out in spite of getting a tuck procedure done), had 7 spongy-looking growths on her legs, between her toes, on her neck and her face, and she had a severe staph infection on her belly and legs. Her paws were swollen to twice the normal size, and she was chewing them constantly. Her ear flaps were bright red due to a major infection. Our vet immediately did bloodwork and found that Josie's thyroid was not functioning normally so she was started on thyroid medication as well as antibiotics for the skin infection and a special "pack" for the ears. After 4 weeks, she went in for removal of the growths (which were sent out for testing and came back as non-malignant), and also had a dental cleaning. The vet decided to put her on a second antibiotic for another 4 weeks. After that time, he removed the cherry eye rather than to re-tuck it since it was irritating her eye. He also prescribed a different shampoo for her skin condition. In her 4th photo you can see a bandage used to protect her paw after removal of a growth. She left it on for the full 3 days like a good girl, without pulling it off!
So, what does all this info mean for Josie's future? She likely has allergies, but testing a dog to try to find out exactly what they are is expensive and not always successful. Therefore, the course of treatment her foster mom is following is to give her the thyroid meds (which are not expensive and her second round of tests showed that they were effective in bringing her to normal levels), using the medicated shampoo once a week, watching to be sure that the growths have not returned, and occasionally giving her Benadryl if she is having a bad day with licking and chewing on her legs. She is eating a "limited ingredients" dogfood with salmon and potatoes, which can be bought without a prescription at several different pet shops. Josie is taking a break from antibiotics now but might need another 4-week course in the future, and maybe periodically for the rest of her life. Her paws are now nearly normal size and her eye looks great as you can see from her photo.
In spite of what sounds like conditions that would make a dog miserable, Josie is as happy and cheerful as can be! She relishes her nightly walks with the "pack" and she really, REALLY loves sleeping in the bed with the humans so this is a real "must" for anyone who adopts her. It would break her heart if she could not sleep with you, and it is really the main thing that would be a dealbreaker for her! She is ok with taking her pills (as long as they are hidden in something good), she is fine with her baths, does not mind visiting the vet even when getting stitched and bandaged several times when she has gone there, is not bothered by being bossed by the other beagles in the household, and tolerates the kids (ages 10, 8 & 5) who come to visit the foster parents sometimes. So seriously, shouldn't she get to sleep in the "big" bed??? If you want to consider adopting Josie or any of the other dogs in our group, please go to our website at www.HoustonBeagleRescue.org and follow the instructions on adoption. Josie's adoption fee will be reduced because of her special needs status and she will bring along a month's supply of her thyroid meds and her shampoo, plus antibiotics if needed. Whoever adopts her must be very committed to taking on a dog that requires some extra care, and on the flip side of that, you will own a dog that is absolutely delightful in every other way.
