# " rescued " dog need input on future progress expected



## Jay0582 (Mar 5, 2011)

My family and me found a dog running around outside in a rural area looking lost and looking like it needed help. It had a choke collar on it, but no tag, and it was afraid of us but obviously weak we managed to get the dog and pick it up and take it in. The dog just kinda sat there and did not do anything like it was in shock. Looking at it it was obviously neglected matted long hair, really long nails, severely under weight and something mentally wrong. I figured it had been just really neglected, and you could tell that these were not from the dog just being outside for a long time, that the dog has definitely not been taken care of. My fiance works for a vet so she took it to work the next day. We had her examined and had bloodwork done. Not all of the blood work is done its been like three days, but what we no is she is about 5-6. She is some sort of shelty mix that looks like mini lassie. She has lime, and she needs to be spayed and needs a dental. All of that we will take care of. We took her to a groomers( my fiance also works there part time) She gave her a bath and cut her hair and nails etc.. She was not microchipped, but even if she was i wouldnt have wanted the owners to have her back and here's why.. Aside from the neglect that was apparant ( oh yea the dog weighed 13 lbs 5 pounds less then my moms cat and she is suppose to be over 20 lbs) she has obviously been severely abused. The dog does not bark( never not once), does not wag its tail, does not react to affection, does not trust anyone. She will let you pet her once she flinches with your initial movement if she does not back away all the way she will stay there and let you pet her but shows no sign of enjoying it. So i mean with this dog showing no normal animal emotions and flinching severely at every movement i bet she has been beaten her entire life. She does not go to the bathroom in the house, but again does not bark just runs back in forth between the door and us when she wants to go. She shows interest for three things, food, going outside, and other dogs. In the pet store she was showing interest in another dog and wagged her tail one time. She will smell your hand for food always and back away if u have none, and she prances when we walk or run outside and thats the only time she seems like a normal dog. We have all had soft encouraging voices, slow movements, and much affection to try to help her come around. I did see some progress today she just seems a little more trusting and even laid in her dog bed a couple times. So i am slightly encouraged, but i have never been around a dog like this before, and she seems really messed up mentally. If we keep showing her affection and rewarding her and walking her and feeding her etc.. just showing her the most love possible whats her prognosis to eventually be semi normal? what things can i expect, and what can i do to help that i am not already doing? thanks


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## Jay0582 (Mar 5, 2011)

4 days, 45 views, o replies... man this forum is awesome, so helpful and informative. I'm glad i posted.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

I'm sorry you didn't get the response you hoped for yet, but your post is extremely difficult to read. I know whenever I see posts that are solid blocks of text like yours, I just skip right past. In the future, if you separate your posts into paragraphs, it will make it much easier to read, which will greatly increase the likelihood of your getting replies.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

It sounds like you are doing everything you can. She's eating, not showing any aggression toward people (even though she's scared) and seems friendly around other dogs...these are all good signs! But it sounds like she's been through a lot and needs time to adjust. For now just focus on getting her healthy and continuing to be calm around her...as she starts to feel better, she may well come out of her shell. 

Time, nutrition, affection without imposition, and medical care is your best ally here


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## philovance (Jan 7, 2009)

Hey, Jay, it's obvious you're stressed and why but chill a bit, about this forum and your new dog. Yeah, paragraphs are helpful and this is a *very* busy message board but your post was very heartfelt and a lot of people have gone through what you're going through. So let's look at what you told us: the dog is from a rural area and it may have been on its own for a while or kept outside a lot. Doesn't mean she was abused but she's not well socialized. She sounds as if she's really shut down so it's hard to know what her personality is like at this stage. If she has Lyme's disease (you said "lime" right?) her immune system isn't up to par and that will cause her to go in on herself also. 

But you said she doesn't bark or go in the house, yes? Score!! 

I'd say at this very early stage, wanting to "go out," food, and "liking other dogs" are all very good signs.

So please don't fantasize about her ill treatment. You are taking care of her physically and that is bound to make her feel better. Once she's better she may turn into a little monster  but you'll deal with that if and when it happens.

There are a few things you can do to speed up her "psychological" recovery. Please take her for walks for as long and in as many different settings as you can. If she's calm in public around people, take her to stores or a sidewalk cafe but maybe ask people not to pet her until she's come out of her shell. If she's not good on a leash, help her not to pull and try to keep some momentum going so she burns up energy.

If she jumps up on people or on the furniture or hides in a corner, try to ignore it. Don't you or anyone in the family try to discipline her at this stage unless she is going to do herself harm. Catch her doing things you like and praise and/or treat her.

Feeding time is important. Try to feed her twice a day at the same time and for the time being use a good quality commercial kibble or canned food. Don't be tempted to overfeed her; it will just give her diarrhea and lead to accidents. A dog that should weigh 20 lbs doesn't need more than a cup of most foods a day divided into two servings. Give her a little less if you are giving her treats. An easy (if not totally nutritious) treat is small milkbones; I break them into six pieces! Each corner comes off easily and then I break the middle in two.

Before you give her her meal try to get her to sit without making a big deal about it and don't repeat "Sit Sit Sit." You'll stress both of you. It's enough if you hold a piece of kibble up to your face and say "watch me."

Your dog needs a few simple things: 1) to get clean, healthy and well fed (you're on your way. Congratulations!) 2) to bond with you so she can feel secure in her new home and 3) to become confident in situations she will encounter everyday. That will take lots of walks and gradual exposure to new experiences.

I think if you do these rather simple things, you'll have a "new" dog in a few weeks. You may even find she temporarily becomes a brat as she rediscovers what it's like to be a normal dog. I think you'll do fine as long as you focus on the present and the future and forget about what you *think* may have messed her up in the past.

Is this a good enough answer to keep you coming back here? HINT: everyone here *loves* photos. You should provide updates within this already started thread and post a couple of photos of her.

Good luck!


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## Jay0582 (Mar 5, 2011)

thanks for the input.. sorry for the hissy fit I will try to format any posts better from here on out...that's encouraging information though...she has started to play some if I lay down on her level and has barked a few times now while playing... Still has most of the same other behaviors but she seems to enjoy being pet now to some degree i will put some pics up sometime soon


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## philovance (Jan 7, 2009)

Jay0582 said:


> thanks for the input.. sorry for the hissy fit I will try to format any posts better from here on out...that's encouraging information though...she has started to play some if I lay down on her level and has barked a few times now while playing... Still has most of the same other behaviors but she seems to enjoy being pet now to some degree i will put some pics up sometime soon


Try to keep your expectations low and concentrate on her showing you some good manners before she eats (ideally she should sit calmly and not dance around. Don't feed her until she's calm), walking nicely on a leash and doing her business outside. Try not to react strongly to her one way or the other in most situations. You want to project calmness and security.

Keep us posted.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Thank you for taking her in. Sounds like she really needed somebody to rescue her.

All of my dogs for the last 20 yrs have been rescues. They are great...so very appreciative of having a home. It may take a while for her personality to come out, but it will. And you truly will have an amazing dog. The dog's that i've had that have been strays for a while have all been housebroken. I guess it just seems unnatural to go to the bathroom inside the home.

If possible, buy some canned pure pumpkin (not the spiced pie filling), so if she has any unexpected diarrhea, you can add a couple of tablespoons to her food, and it'll firm things up. I also usually keep some frozen, boneless, skinless chicken, and some wihite rice around, for times one of mine gets an upset stomach. Boil the chicken and rice and feed tiny meals frequently for a couple of days. Antibiotics that she'll take for Lyme disease can cause an upset stomach, as can the stress of a new home.

Many times, strays are escape artists. Make sure she's always leashed outside, and keep id tags on her collar. Use a separate collar for tags, and a different one for the leash so if she slips her leash, she still has the tags. Check fencing daily for areas that she may have started to dig under. Make sure she can't climb/jump fencing. Watch that she doesn't try to bolt out open doors.

Good luck with her.


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## Kodiak (Mar 14, 2011)

You know something I was told regarding a bait dog we were working with, which had been severly abused and did a lot of the same stuff your talking about. Minus go outside unless you weren't near the door...then it took awhile to get him in. 

After trying to bait the dog with treats and calm voices...we were told ignore him. So we did. 

When we walked by his kennel we wouldn't say anything. When he was out we'd walk by, ignore him, but have a treat in our hand that we would drop behind us sometimes. 

You need to start with showing him your presence is ok and won't hurt him. He is probaly very overwhelmed in the situation and doesn't know how to react.

Good luck.


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