 |
German Shepherd Dog : : Male : : Baby : : Large
Learn more about the German Shepherd Dog.
Riggs was surrendered to a shelter in Texas by his breeder because he would not gain weight and regurgitated often. He is a handsome sable purebred German Shepherd with AKC papers. He arrived to his foster in Virginia on September 26th where after much testing and patience, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and congenital mega esophagus. He has gained over 20 pounds and has caught up on his growth. He is a very sweet, smart, affectionate boy who is eager to please, loves playing with toys and other dogs of all sizes. He is still very much a puppy and will push other dogs buttons but responds well to correction of an alpha dog. He likes kids and people of all ages but can take a little bit to warm up to them. Since Riggs spent the first 6 months of his life with his breeder with little to no socialization, new situations can be scary for him at first. He has made huge strides and will greet new people in no time. He does not like cats, small rodents or small livestock and will try to hurt them. Mega Esophagus is when the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to his stomach, does not properly propel the food into the stomach. This can be caused by decreased motility of the esophagus or disfunction of the muscle that joins the esophagus to the stomach. The esophagus is connected to the stomach at the lower esophageal sphincter muscle or the LES. In Riggs' case, he has decreased motility and his LES does not properly relax so the food pools in the esophagus causing it stretch out and become a Mega Esophagus. Fortunately, with proper management, he can live a full happy life with simple modifications to how he eats. His foster Mom has been working with him to find a feeding routine the works for Riggs and has it nailed down tight. Riggs has worked his way up to his meals and upright time in his Bailey Chair. He has learned the command chair and is working on learning how to put himself in it. His current diet consists of Purina Pro Plan kibble blended with one cup of water to a mashed potato consistency twice a day followed by 30-45 minutes of upright time in his Bailey Chair. Since he needs to gain weight, he’s also getting a can of wet food twice a day between his dry food. His current medications include thyroxine first thing in the morning with a smidge of peanut butter. He does not need to be upright in his chair after this medicine. He will lay at an incline on your pillows while you get ready for the day. He then takes omeprazole, metaclopramide and sildenafil with breakfast and a multivitamin, a probiotic, metaclopramide and sildenafil at dinner. He does not need to stay on the multivitamin and probiotic long term. He is currently on them as he has not had the best diet until her arrived to SSR. His medications cost about $60 a month when purchased through a local warehouse store. Since his Bailey Chair, neck hug pillow, blender and other supplies were donated specifically for Riggs, they will go with him to his forever home! If you would like to donate supplies to Riggs, his foster Mom has an ongoing wishlist for him at the link below. If you would like to donate towards his monthly medications, please contact us for his foster Mom's PayPal address as she buys these for him as the pharmacy will not take payment over the phone at this time. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3BQN9IDAECX7Y?ref_=wl_share More about Riggs 1042Good with Dogs, Not Good with Cats, Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Very vocal, Does Good in the Car, Does not require a yard, Leashtrained, Cratetrained, Plays fetch, Likes to play with toys, Likes to be in your lap, Needs special care, Affectionate, Eager To Please, Intelligent If you are an approved adopter and are interested in this dog, please let your case worker know. If you are not yet an approved adopter but are interested, please complete an adoption application! Other Pictures of Riggs 1042 (click to see larger version):
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you are viewing this animal on Petfinder, please see our organization’s Petfinder home page, linked below (on mobile) or to the right (on desktop), to read about our adoption process and to start your journey!
|
