Sex:
Age:
Weight:
Spay/Neuter:
Heartworm Status:
Microchip:
Good w/Kids:
Good w/Big Dogs:
Good w/Small Dogs:
Good w/Cats:
House Trained:
Adoption Status:
Location:
Special Considerations
for Adoption:
.
Female
5-6 Months
29 pounds; she's very emaciated
No
Negative
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
Yes
Bella is fighting demodectic mange. It will take a couple of months to get her completely healthy. At that time, she'll be ready to go to her forever home.
Kingwood, TX
Bella will be matched with a puppy home -- one that is prepared to take on all of the work involved with caring for a puppy.
Meet Bella.... Bella came to us from a local animal shelter very ill and in extremely poor condition. Her face, legs and back are badly infected, and her face is missing quite a bit of hair. Bella is also extremely emaciated -- she weighs just 29 pounds. To put that in perspective, a dog her size and age should weigh about 40-45 pounds! At her initial vet visit, we learned that Bella has a bad case of mange and a severe secondary skin infection. The vet is very concerned about her health and informed us that it is going to take a lot of care and expense to restore this sweet girl back to health. We were all very relieved to find out what type of mange Bella has -- she is infected with demodex, which is the type of mange that is not contagious to humans or other animals. She has started antibiotics to fight the secondary infection and Ivermectin to treat the mange.
The name Bella means "beautiful". This name was chosen because we know that underneath the scales, the scabs, the infection and the ooze, there is an absolutely beautiful GSD waiting to emerge. Because she is so sick, Bella has no energy and isn't acting like a puppy, though she's always able to conjure up enough energy for a big tail wag for her foster parents. The vet said that at this stage it is very important that she stays in a quiet, stress-free environment so that her body can fight the infection. At this time, she is being isolated in a quiet room in her foster home, away from her foster siblings. The vet advised her fosters parents to monitor Bella very closely, to ensure that she is eating and drinking, though it's expected she won't want to eat much. So far, it has been a battle getting her to eat, as she just doesn't feel good, but her foster parents are working at getting some food into her every day. Bella is scratching a great deal -- it must be miserable to feel so itchy all of the time! Foster Mom and Dad would love to give her a bath to help ease the itching, but the vet told them to wait until she stops oozing from her secondary infection. Her foster parents are determined to nurse her back to health so that she can enjoy doing all of those things puppies are supposed to do -- playing, barking, running, jumping, chasing balls and getting into trouble!
Bella has a few months of recovery, vet visits and medication ahead of her to beat the mange and infection. Her care is going to be very involved and expensive. Please consider donating some money in her name, or becoming a GHGSDR Guardian. Your funds will enable us to provide the medication and vet care needed to nurse this sweet girl back to health. Please check back for updates -- and watch our beautiful Bella blossom!
12/11/08
Bella is making some amazing progress!! The secondary infection has almost completely cleared up. You can see the difference in her pictures, as her face is a lot less puffy and crusty. Bella is eating a lot better too -- it takes a lot less coaxing to get her to eat, though she sometimes holds out to get a scrambled egg mixed in with her food! We recently discovered that she is infected with tapeworms, which she is now on medication for. Hopefully, once that clears up, she will put on weight more easily.
Bella is still sleeping a great deal -- her body is working hard to fight off the infection. She is gaining some strength and energy -- now when she sees her foster parents, not only does she wag her tail, but she jumps up on them for some scratchies. It's exciting to see her have enough energy to do something besides just wagging her tail! We are still hoping she will start acting like a mischievous puppy soon, and start enjoying doing all of the things puppies like to do!!
12/17/08
Finally, Bella has done something worthy of a puppy!! Bella has been staying in the laundry room, isolated from her foster siblings, spending the majority of her time sleeping during the day. Up until now, she hasn't had energy to do much more than sleep. Today, we heard a strange loud noise coming from the laundry room, and we quickly went to investigate. Opening the door, we discovered that Bella had pulled some hangers, a box full of knick-knacks, and a container of dryer sheets off of the top of the dryer, scattering these items all over the floor! There she was, standing in the middle of her mess, looking so proud of what she had done! It looked like she was saying, "look, Mom, I know how to be a puppy!!" Foster Mom and Dad have never been so happy and excited to clean up a foster's mess!! Bella has also added something new to her greeting ritual for her foster parents, which is an encouraging sign that she's starting to feel better. Now she greets us with a wag of her tail, jumps up on us, and BARKS a happy little yip! What a cutie pie!
Bella's mange continues to slowly improve. She will be seeing the vet this weekend for a check-up. Hopefully he will be happy with her progress. (continued below)
1/02/09
Bella returned to the vet for a check-up on December 20. The morning of the vet visit we noticed that Bella was limping on her right hind leg. Come to find out, her knee joint was tender and swollen. The vet put Bella on a new, stronger antibiotic and pain medication, hoping the antibiotic will clear up whatever infection is in the joint. Bella is still limping and the joint is still swollen, so we continue to monitor her leg as she finishes up her course of antibiotics. The antibiotics were also prescribed to treat a mild cough that she developed.
The vet is very satisfied with the progress of the mange, but says that Bella will need to continue treatment and medications for at least two more months to kill the mange. Once the mange has been successfully treated, Bella will be spayed and then will be ready for adoption. Bella is looking really good -- her fur is beginning to grow back and she's scratching less and less. Most of the swelling and redness on her face is gone, as you can see in the pictures, and the hair is beginning to grow back. We were able to remove a lot of her scabs, making way for the new hair to come in. Bella has a lot of bald spots on her legs and behind her ears, but you can see patches of new fur growing in. While at the vet, it was discovered that Bella is suffering some effects of malnourishment. The toes on her feet are misshapen, so she walks a little awkwardly, though most of the time it's almost undetectable. Bella is being fed a large breed puppy food, to ensure that she gets the appropriate amount of calcium and other nutrients so that she will grow healthy and strong. We are amazed at how much Bella has grown in a matter of a few weeks! As you can see, there are many vet visits, treatments and medications in Bella's future, all of which we need funds to pay for. Please consider making a donation to help offset Bella's medical expenses. Without donations from individuals like yourself, we would not be able to rescue and rehabilitate beautiful German Shepherds like Bella.
As she is feeling better each day, Bella's personality continues to blossom. Bella loves going for walks, taking in all the new sights and sounds and exploring everything, as puppies like to do. She is quickly learning that she's a big tough German Shepherd -- when she sees an unfamiliar object on her walks (such as a mailbox or a reindeer decoration), she stands up really tall and straight, and lets out a big, deep bark, letting the object know she's boss and is in complete control! What a beautiful gait this gal has -- she loves to strut her stuff like a show dog. During her walks she will occasionally let out a sweet little whine and rub herself up against my leg, all the while wagging her tail. It seems to be her way of reassuring herself that her person is still there and that she has their approval. After her walks, Bella enjoys snuggling up for some love and attention. Bella returns to the vet in a few days to have her leg re-examined and to follow-up on the cough. We are hoping to get the "all clear" so we can end Bella's isolation from our other dogs; we are very excited to introduce her to her foster siblings and see how she gets along in the pack. We are sure she will enjoy playing and interacting with other dogs.
1/05/09
We took Bella back to the vet today because she was becoming more and more phlegmy and her cough was getting worse. The vet took an x-ray and diagnosed Bella with a very serious case of pneumonia. To treat the pneumonia, the dosage of her current antibiotic was increased and a second antibiotic was added. Breathing and coupage treatments are being administered a few times a day at home. The vet is really worried about Bella's recovery. At this point the doctor is hoping the antibiotics will do their job, but says that if there isn't quick improvement, Bella will need to be admitted to the hospital for more extensive and more expensive treatment.
Poor, sweet Bella has been through so much and continues to be put through the wringer! It still amazes us how, despite all of the suffering she has endured, she has such a happy, beautiful spirit. Bella is one special girl who is going to need an extra special forever home. Please keep your fingers crossed for this little girl!
2/3/09
Now that she's at least feeling a bit better, Bella's true colors have emerged -- and boy, does this gal have per-son-al-i-ty!! This little girl is one happy soul, who believes in her heart that she's a Princess and all are here to serve her (could it be she's been treated that way!??!). Whenever she's out for a walk and she sees someone about to pass by (or approaching), her hind end winds up and her tail bursts into full wiggle-waggle mode. The front end of her body drops to the ground with her rump straight up in the air and she lets out the most joyous yips, and all the while her tail thumps in an all-out wagging frenzy. If the person doesn't come to her fast enough (or not at all), she switches game plans and tries another method. She will change her body position to a sit, then starts pawing vigorously at the air, simultaneously yipping and shaking her head from side to side, encouraging the person to hurry it up. It's like she's signaling with her paws -- "Come here! I'm adorable -- pet me!!" Once contact is made, it's an explosion of "the happies"!! The tail and butt move at lightning speed, the tongue passes out kisses, and she rubs her body up against the person's leg to ensure that they are aware of her presence.
Bella was recently introduced to her foster siblings. She greatly enjoys being a part of the pack and having canine friends to play with. So far, Bella has exhibited an omega personality, so she's happy to submit to the bigger guys. Because she's so playful, she works really hard at enticing the other dogs to play. She'll lay down on the ground, turning her head side to side while yipping, letting the other dogs know it's time to play. Bella is quite a vocal little girl -- she loves to talk. Not only does she like "talking" to her foster siblings, she enjoys communicating with her foster parents by moaning, grumbling and yipping.
Bella went back to the vet on Friday, January 30 for a check-up. To our surprise, since her last visit a couple of weeks ago, she has gained 18 pounds!! Despite the weight gain, Bella is still on the thin side and needs to continue to put on more weight. (She is also growing taller, which also increases the need for the extra weight). The vet decided to do an x-ray to check the progress of Bella's pneumonia. She didn't like the look of the x-rays and was very concerned about what she saw, so she sent them off for a second opinion to ensure the right course of treatment is pursued. The results came back today.
The second opinion concurred with the first -- Bella's lungs are not in good shape. Bella still has pneumonia, but the good news is the pneumonia has improved since its onset. The bad news: the vets have determined that Bella has permanent damage to her lungs which has resulted in a chronic lung condition. It's expected that Bella's pneumonia will clear up within a couple of months, but she will struggle with chronic lung problems and infections for the rest of her life. Once Bella is healed from this round of pneumonia, it is just a matter of time before she can (and will) get another infection.
The next step for Bella is an expensive procedure, a bronchial wash, to pull some of the fluid out of her lungs so that it can be examined to determine what is causing this infection and to do a sensitivity study. They are also going to check to see if this infection has a fungal component to it, as recommended by the second vet. The estimate for this procedure is over $400. Bella continues to take two different antibiotics daily -- one of which is fairly expensive. She will be on antibiotics for at least another month or until her pneumonia clears up. (These are the drugs she will have to take to cure recurrences of the pneumonia). Bella also continues to take ivermectin for her mange. Her skin has made huge improvements and the bald spots continue to sprout new hair -- a beautiful soft, shiny coat is emerging! In a few weeks the vet will do another skin scraping to see if we have beaten the mange. It will take two negative skin scrapings in a row (a few weeks apart) to consider her mange cured.
This is an amazing, super sweet puppy who is going to need an extra-special home -- one that is prepared to deal with her chronic health issues and assume responsibility for her on-going medical expenses. Because of her lung issues, Bella will never be able to go to dog parks, dog stores, groomers or any place where there is a risk of encountering unvaccinated or sick dogs, as she is very susceptible to picking up a lung infection. After Bella has healed from her mange and lung infection, she will be available for adoption.
Bella's vetting has become quite an expense, though she's worth every penny! We need to raise funds to help cover the cost of the medical procedure she so desperately needs. If you can donate even $5 towards this angelic puppy's care, please do so, as every dollar helps! Or please consider becoming a GHGSDR Guardian. It's because of sponsors like yourself that we are able to rescue and rehabilitate sweet, homeless dogs like Bella. Bella deserves to be healthy when she starts her new life; we need your help to ensure she receives the medication and treatments needed to restore her back to health.
GHGSDR
Adopt Bella
Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue
PO Box 6168 m Kingwood, TX m 77325-6168
281-506-0400
12/06/08
12/11/08
1/02/09
1/02/09
1/02/09
