Vetting: Due to age, chronic bronchitis, heartworm status (and he’s probably had the heartworms for a long time), and severe dental issues, Gramps is a hospice adoption. We have done several things such as neuter, vaccinations, Proheart 6 injection, ears flushed/treated, fecal negative, blood work and x-rays and professional groom at our groomer. He is also microchipped (having come to us already chipped…leading nowhere.)
Health issues: chronic bronchitis, heartworm positive, severe dental disease, hearing challenged
Temperament: very sweet, alert
Energy level: low-medium – at 15 or more in age and all his health issues, he still has some spunk!
Groom needs: High; he came to us in horrible shape (see link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14h3MefEYz/requires ) His hair will grow out but due to his age, it probably won’t be very thick but grooming is still a necessity
Biography: Gramps was found on the side of Hwy 80 in Calhoun. A good Samaritan picked him up and took him home. He posted him on a lost and found site on Facebook for Ouachita Parish with no luck. A couple of rescue friends saw it and reached out to us where we indicated he'd need to go to the Ouachita Parish Animal Shelter first to be checked in and start the stray hold. They took him there and then we picked him up. WOW... Gramps was in HORRIBLE SHAPE! Despite all his health issues, Gramps isn’t quite ready to travel over the Rainbow Bridge HOWEVER, due to all his health issues, he likely doesn’t have a long time until he’s ready to pack his bags for the bridge. We just want him to have a happy, loving home before it’s his time. Gramps does ok in a kennel if needed but it’s not his favorite thing. He wants to be out and about with what’s happening! He does excellent with other dogs. He LOVES his food… he’s a total foodie and he’s not picky. If you find that he stops wanting to eat, then he’s probably sending a message that he’s ready. We’re not sure what will take him first… the heartworms or the bronchitis but whoever gives this sweet guy a furever hospice home will know when it’s time. We know not many are equipped to take on a dog like Gramps… but all it takes is one person.
*Heartworm POSITIVE: Don’t let heartworms discourage you from adopting a heartworm positive dog! We have tons of examples of dogs adopted and then ultimately testing heartworm negative following our instructions! GRAMPS is on (or has completed) twice a day Doxycycline for 30 days, and he/she has received a 6 month Proheart injection. The Proheart injection releases heartworm prevention into their system continuously for 6 months as opposed to the MONTHLY pill which releases prevention only when first administered. Coupled with Doxycycline, the gentle kill (or slow-kill) method is a safer alternative to the harsh immiticide (arsenic) treatment. The Doxycycline kills bacteria, which heartworms thrive on, thus weakening the heartworms and eventually they will die off, but it could take months and possibly up to two years before (s)he will be heartworm free. The 6 month Proheart injection kills any heartworm larvae and sterilizes the adult heartworms so they no longer reproduce. While the “gentle kill” or “slow kill” method does take longer than traditional harsh veterinary treatment, we prefer this method because there is less risk, it is not as harsh on the dog and the dog does not have to be confined for up to two months during the treatment. We recommend the dog receives another 30 day course of Doxycycline when s(he) receives their next Proheart injection (6 months from the first injection). After one year, we recommend the dog be retested for heartworms. If positive, continue the Doxycycline every 6 months along with the Proheart injection. If negative, continue with regular heartworm prevention (Proheart injection or monthly pill or topical) just like you would do for any heartworm negative dog. If negative, discontinue the Doxycycline regimen. We do require that any interested adopters understand heartworms. They must also agree to continue our method of treatment or, if they wish, they can opt for traditional veterinary treatment; however they cannot choose to do nothing and we do require an agreement/contract be signed that the adopter will continue with a plan to rid him/her of the heartworms. We highly recommend that you discuss this with your veterinarian BEFORE applying (better yet, show this write-up to your vet) as some vets will ONLY do the traditional veterinary treatment... (which is poison). (Note: Heartworms are not contagious from dog-to-dog or by any other means OTHER THAN a bite from an infected mosquito. That is the only way dogs get heartworms and the only way to protect them is through prevention.)
**IMPORTANT NOTES**
*We do adopt out of state provided the adopter is willing and able to travel to us once approved. We do not ship or transport our animals and there is no exception to this rule.
*All of our adoptable dogs are small, and they are never to be left outside alone, ever! We only rehome our dogs to adopters that plan to have them as inside dogs and part of the family! We do allow adopters with doggie doors, provided there is SECURE fencing. There is no exception to this rule!
*NO SMALL CHILDREN!! As with almost all the dogs at NR2R, young children or a very active household is not recommended. Many of our dogs come to us BECAUSE of small children, thus we do not rehome our dogs to homes with babies or young children. KEEP THIS IN MIND IF YOU HAVE VISITING GRANDCHILDREN AS WELL! Even if the children are older, it would depend on the child AND the parent or parents.
*HOUSETRAINING: We do NOT guarantee that any of our adoptable dogs are housetrained. While most should be easily trained, keep in mind that they live in a rescue where they have access to the outdoors all day and are inside at night. Even if they were surrendered to us as housetrained, it doesn’t mean they will automatically be housetrained in your home. Housetraining them should be easy in the right home with time, patience, and consistency.
*We do not guarantee the age, health or temperament of any of the dogs we rehome. Many of the dogs we take in come from animal control and rarely do we have histories and even when we do, many times the histories are inaccurate.
*Only adopters with a responsible dog ownership history and excellent vet reference need apply. If you bring this pet into your heart and home, you will receive in return many years of love, companionship, and loyalty. That’s our guarantee.
Other notes: This pet is available for adoption through Ninna’s Road to Rescue, Benton, La. We are 501c3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to rescue small-breed dogs and a handful of cats and to re-home them into RESPONSIBLE and CARING forever homes. DOG APPLICATION LINK: http://www.roadtorescuela.org/dog-application
Time may be of the essence if you are looking to adopt a specific animal. We do not reserve animals, unless and until we have approved your application, provided the animal is still available at the time we receive your application. The first APPROVED application we receive will be considered. We are NOT a first come, first serve rescue!! We adopt our rescues out to the RIGHT home, not just A home. Only responsible pet owners need apply.
Applying to adopt does NOT commit you to the adoption NOR does it guarantee the adoption.
CONTACT: Our adoptable pets are updated regularly, but if you want to check the availability of a pet... OR still have questions AFTER reading this profile, message us via our Facebook page. Please indicate the name when communicating with us.
Pour toute adoption, nous demandons des justificatifs afin de compléter le dossier de l’adoptant : une pièce d’identité, un justificatif de domicile original de moins de 3 mois, et le certificat d’engagement et de connaissance des besoins spécifiques de l’espèce complété et signé 7 jours avant l’acquisition de l’animal.
Nous demandons également une participation financière, couvrant les frais vétérinaires dont l’animal a bénéficié lors de sa prise en charge (stérilisation, identification, vaccination, etc..). Si l’animal n’est pas encore stérilisé lors de l’adoption, un chèque de caution de 300€ est demandé.