My name is Kisses!

03/01/14: Wow! I didn't realize it has been so long since I updated my profile so I thought I'd better get busy. Let's see where should I start?? Well, I have been with my foster family for a little over a year now so I am a year older - I'm 5 now! I love to take walks with my foster mom; oh -she also lets me go with her in the car sometimes, I loovve that - especially on warm days, she will crack the window and I can feel the breeze. Mom doesn't put the window down far; she said, "it's too dangerous".

I'm what I would consider low maintenance; see, I have foster brothers and a sister, but I think humans are far better so I don't mingle with them much. I do my own thing; I am my own dog! I do love to be close to my foster mom though; she is my best friend. She helps me out a lot…. She keeps my hair short - I have allergies - and they make me itch a lot if not groomed on regular basis - so I go and get my hair cut and then mom usually lets me walk around Petsmart and buy something new. I can't have treats though; I am on special food (also due to allergies) and treats would be counterproductive to the special food - let's see, what does mom call it? Oh, yeah, "hypoallergenic". You can get it from your vet; or if they don't have it, they can write you a prescription for it - either way - you need a prescription to purchase hypoallergenic food. I currently just buy my food at the vet. Speaking of my vet, she tells me that I am completely blind but mom says I don't "act" blind, I go up and down the steps, I don't bump into things, I am easy to walk on a leash.

When mom tells people that I am blind, they don't always believe her. Ahh - sight - it's overrated. I can do anything a sighted dog can do! Let's see what else can I tell you? I don't really play with toys anymore, once in a blue moon, but truth be told, I would rather curl up on my chair and take a little nap. I am dreaming of warmer days - what is up with this snow - ugh. I am a little guy, I don't have a whole lot to keep me warm - how about some sunshine down here?? Well, better sign off for now, promise to update again soon - I won't wait so long next time:)

04/02/13: Kisses was seen at the vet today. The vet thinks Kisses suffers from allergies. Kisses will now be on Hypoallergenic Royal Canin and a lifelong med to control his itchiness. Kisses is currently on a steroid to get his discomfort under control; however, the vet does not want to put him on steroids long term. But Kisses will be on something lifetime to control itchiness. Also, the vet recommends keeping his hair shorter than normal will help with him chewing and also the itchiness. It is our hope with these changes, he can lose the cone of shame:)))



03/22/13: There was some confusion around the med that Kisses will be on for the rest of his life. This med is $42 for a bottle from Diamond Back drugs out of Arizona; the bottle lasts 2.5 months, but can last 3 if you are really good applying them. If you hold Kisses like a baby on his back, he loves this, and you can get the drops in fairly easy. Again, please DISREGARD previous mention of $100 for a med that lasts 6 weeks; it was a miscommunication by the vet.



02/25/13: Kisses was seen by Ophthalmologist today and these were the findings:

Kisses is blind; his diagnoses is Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (dry eye) and Pigmentary Keratitis. Both eyes full of pigmentation. Kisses was put on Tacrosporine and will be on this the rest of his life. It is imperative that this med not be stopped, even short term, because if Kisses was to start it again, he may not respond to treatment. This med is $100 for 6 weeks. Kisses will need to be monitored for squinting, discharge and redness of the white of the eye. These are signs of an ulcer and he would need to be seen by vet. The Tacrosporine would be shipped to adopter from Arizona. This med is substituted for two meds and apparently Arizona is the only place producing it. The opthalmologist has seen much success with this med. Also, IF the med were to get tear production close to normal, a surgery to reroute the salivary duct would be an option, which has potential to increase his sight. However, this surgery is only an option if tear production gets close to normal (right now, it is not), and this surgery is not long term. Kisses gets around extremely well for being blind, so surgery would not benefit him as much. This surgery is recommended for dogs who have a hard time adjusting to being blind, etc.



02/22/13: Kisses was seen at vet today. Kisses had been biting himself near his tail. After examining him, the vet found his anal glands to be "full" The vet recommends that Kisses be seen by a vet at least once, perhaps twice, a month to examine the anal glands to keep them from becoming "impacted." The signs that the glands are full are "scooting" (sliding butt across the floor), and biting himself near the tail area. The area near the tail will also become very sensitive to touch. If Kisses goes to a home with small children, this will need to be monitored closely due to Kisses's possibly nipping if small children were to touch the area. When his glands are not presenting a problem, you will be able to touch and play with him normally.



01/06/13: I have had Kisses just about a week, and we're still getting to know each other, but I have learned a lot about him!

Kisses is a 12-pound Shih Tzu and he is a very sweet and affectionate dog! He is settling in very nicely!! Kisses is very affectionate; he already follows me everywhere and as soon as I sit down,Kisses will sit at my feet and look up at me as to say, "You are going to hold me, right?" My husband had a friend over the other night and Kisses fell asleep in his lap - this was within days of arriving to my home - so he settles very quickly and tends to be very trusting.

Kisses spent some time at a temp foster - the vet there said that he believes that Kisses has limited vision; I don't believe that is the case now. Kisses was put on several meds for his eyes and he has responded 110%. Kisses has not walked into one thing in my home and he follows me everywhere.Kisses can jump on my bed with no problem, so I have a hard time believing that he can't see. When I let Kisses out in the morning, he does his business and goes and sits by the door to be let back in. Speaking of business, Kisses is 100% housetrained. Some dogs, even when housetrained, can have accidents when put in a new environment; however, this has not been the case withKisses. :) He has not had one accident!! Kisses sleeps in a crate at night, and sometimes will nap in there during the day. I leave the crate door open so he can come and go - when it is nap time - it's either the crate or my bed.

He is fine with other dogs 98% of the time. He will growl if other dogs (or people) get too close to him when he is playing with his toys. He does not like to share and I am working on this with him. I will pet him while he is playing with his toys so he will learn that I am not out to take his toys from him. Food is very much the same. He will growl - and eat very quickly - if dogs approach his bowl. I put a gate up between two rooms to separate my other dogs from Kisses at meal time. This works fine! Kisses does not growl - as long as the gate is up - even though he can still see the other dogs - something else that tells me he isn't blind.

Kisses likes everybody - he does prefer people to other dogs. Kisses has been around men, women and teenagers since coming to me and he hasn't met anybody yet that he does not like. Kisses is very good about taking treats out of your hand; very gentle!

Kisses is microchipped and this will be transferred to whoever has the fortunate experience of adopting Kisses.



If you are interested in adopting Kisses, please fill out our
adoption application.


The Board of Directors has voted to prohibit the use of Invisible/Electronic fences on Blind Dog Rescue Alliance dogs. This policy will be effective immediately.


If you would like to donate to Kisses's care, please send to:

BDRA
PO Box 63401
Philadelphia, PA 19114