Yes, he is clearly in A LOT of pain. He was on my bed and breathing so hard I thought he might die then and there. I texted my friend and asked if they sent pain meds home with him and she said no. This guy has visible metal staples all over him and his penis area is swollen as a balloon, but no pain meds?? I told her she should ask them for some.

You are right, @Aly, I have started to tell her I won't take care of him. I made him go downstairs last night even though I felt awful, because I knew I would be putting in way too much work, and I don't have the energy for it. She told me that he went to the bathroom in the house multiple times last night, so I clearly made the right decision. But first thing this morning he is back up at my door wanting to be let in again. I have to sneak around him so he doesn't see me and come running. I am thinking I will put a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs so he can't come up at all. I don't think it's safe for him to climb the stairs unsupervised. He's so wobbly.

 

It sounds like an animal abuse case. Maybe that lady is mentally impaired and can't help it but it seems that there needs to be an intervention on behalf of this dog. You see these cases on Animal Planet. I think I would respectfully put all cards on the AC table to save the dog(s) and the lady as well.

 

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting (or overinterpreting) what you've written about this dog, but he sounds to be begging for help. Whether he's begging for relief from pain/discomfort, to be adopted by you, or to be 'let go,' I cannot say. But that's what it reads like to me; breaks my heart.

Whatever the case, I'd insist that the dog needs to be seen by a qualified vet --- not the rescue vet. If your friend (who I assume isn't your roommate, is that correct?) doesn't understand that need or is unwilling to arrange it, *I* would either take the dog to a vet for assessment or call animal control to intervene. But, I'm fairly pushy that way, so ...

Aly

ETA. Just read @Wolfydog's post. I agree.

 

Well, my friend is technically my landlord, but we just call each other friends at this point. We often go out for coffee, go shopping together, go for walks together, go to the lake to swim, etc. We just introduce each other as friends now.

She is speaking with the rescue at this exact moment about pain meds and his bathroom issues. Based on the one-sided conversation I can hear, I think the person on the other end is telling her he's just in a new environment and it isn't pain related. I beg to differ, but the crappy thing is that it isn't my call. Animal control will not get involved, IMO. This is the shelter for the entire city. They are huge and a very big name. They would likely assume that I don't know what I'm talking about and completely write me off. At least, that has been my experience in the past. Like I said previously, I have had dealings with this rescue before, and all of them have been negative. I've been completely screwed over by them with no recourse.

 

Someone asked about raccoon poop.

" Is it safe for the puppies to go outside in our fenced backyard? My friend feeds the squirrels and mice back there (yes, I know. I can't convince her to stop) and I have for a fact seen raccoons and raccoon poop in the yard as well. The puppies clearly are not well vaccinated, if at all. So, is it safe for them or should we just keep them inside? "


https://torontodogwalking.com/dangers-raccoon-urine-feces-dog/

Diseases Spread by Raccoons
Leptospirosis
Raccoons are one of many animals that can transmit Leptospirosis through their urine, which is a bacterial infection causing flu-like symptoms. Additionally, dogs can pass Leptospirosis to humans who then come into contact with their dog’s urine. This disease is most commonly spread when dogs ingest urine from a raccoon latrine, or drink infected water, such as from a puddle or stagnant pond. Symptoms include muscle aches, fever, yellowing of the eyes, diarrhea, lethargy, and dark urine. Dogs that spend any amount of time outdoors should receive the Leptospirosis vaccine.

Giardia
Raccoon feces is home to a number of bacteria, including Giardia. Like Leptospirosis, Giardia can be passed from raccoon to dog to human with disastrous results. Dogs can contract Giardia by consuming raccoon feces or by drinking infected water. Giardia symptoms in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and weight loss. Many dogs do not show symptoms, however, which is why annual fecal exams are important. Whenever your dog develops unexplained vomiting or diarrhea, a veterinarian should test for this infection.

Raccoon Disease
Raccoon disease, also known as roundworm, occurs when dogs eat feces from raccoons that have been infected with the Baylisascaris procyonis parasite. Similarly, dogs that become infected with raccoon disease have the capability of passing it along to humans, as roundworm is a zoonotic disease. While raccoons are not adversely affected by roundworms, they do cause a number of problems in dogs since roundworm larva migrate to the brain and attack the central nervous system. Oftentimes, the early stages of roundworm are mistaken for rabies. Symptoms include loss of coordination and muscle control, difficulty swallowing, lethargy, circling, confusion, and seizures.

Canine Distemper Virus
In 2009, Toronto was plagued by a case of distemper that killed hundreds of raccoons and skunks. While distemper cannot be passed onto humans, it is extremely deadly to dogs, particularly puppies. Canine Distemper Virus is spread when dogs come into contact with infected food, water, urine, or feces. Keeping your dog’s vaccinations up to date is an important step in preventing this deadly disease.

 

I am aware of all of this. I have spoken with my vet and there have been quite a few lepto cases in my city. I sent all this information to my landlord, but she says she can't bear to stop feeding them. After all, what would they do? They would starve!

Yep, we are trying very hard to move out.

Thanks though. I will send her this information as well. The more I send, the better, right?

 

OK, at a last resort, how about this? You adopt him so you can make the best decision for this poor dog. Like Aly, I find this a heart breaking story. Give him a few good days on pain meds and put him down when that time comes. Then find another land lady so you don't have to maintain this, seemingly unhealthy, friendship if it bothers you and having to witness all this heartache.

 

Don't worry, the plan is to move out ASAP.

It's just ridiculously expensive to rent in CO, so moving out is not at all easy. We pay $825 for rent right now, not including utilities, but average for a 1 bedroom is about $1,200. Since I need a two bedroom, I'm looking at $1,400 a month, depending on where I live. Plus I have pets, so I have to be in very certain rental properties... It isn't easy, but we are looking and trying to figure something out. Worst case scenario, we become "homeless" and move into a friend's house for free. They won't let me keep my rats or chickens though, only my dog, so that is very last resort. If we can tough it out for about a year more, we can move into our own house.

 

@wolfydog, I would love to adopt this boy. I have seriously considered it. But, I cannot afford all of his vet bills on top of my own animals. I am at the point where I can care for my current pets just fine, but I am saving for my new puppy, and I cannot add more on top of that. It would come down to him or a puppy, and I would pick a puppy every time.

 

Can your friend/landlord afford his vet bills? If so, see if you can convince her to underwrite a trip to a qualified vet. If not, I would use the situation to both leverage better care for the dog and to start leveraging an exit for myself. Something along the lines of,

"This dog is clearly in pain which NO ONE can diagnose over the phone, the swelling around his penis suggests an infection for which he'll need antibiotics as appropriate, and he's eliminating in the house which is never a good sign. He clearly needs medical help. Denying him medical help is CRUEL. I don't think you're cruel, but you're not helping him either. So, will you get a decent vet to help this dog?"

If she refuses or says she can't, simply say, "Well, your dog, your choice; it's on you." Then, back off and stay away.

IMNSHO,


Aly

 

On the housing situation - I always had a hard time finding a place to rent with dogs - Never tried it with dogs + chickens + rats --- at least not intentionally although I did have rats in one rental. And housing - rent or purchase - is darned expensive most places now. If you are looking to complicate this with a puppy.....

I'd spend the money on vet bills for this dog - shouldn't be many if you and the vet agree he isn't long for this earth. Wait until you are in your own home or a new rental already to get a puppy. Because you want out of your current situation.

 

The puppy likely won't be gotten until summer next year, but it is possible one will come home this winter. Either way, I have the whole puppy situation figured out. He will be a service dog prospect, so I'm not waiting around longer than I already have been, and he won't *technically* complicate my housing more than it already is. But, I will be moving out on my own eventually and will then only have him, no chickens or second dog. The rats will be dead by then. They don't live long, and I do not plan on getting any more. Thanks though! I do appreciate the concern.

I'm guessing we will be staying here until we buy our own house. It is really nice that my landlord does not care what animals I have. I think I just need to put down some very firm boundaries in the meantime.

 

Holy crap. I detest rescues that don't provide humane vet care. If they can't afford to provide that, they shouldn't be taking in more dogs.

I'm the one who authorizes vetting for our rescue, and if I had a foster text me a picture of a dog penis swollen like a balloon my answer would be "Vet, today -- I'll tell them you're on the way now."

He might have an infection from a neutering complication. This has to be dealt with. If you can figure out the vet of record who did the surgery, THAT is who this pup needs to see.

Isn't that Dr. Jeff/Rocky Mountain Vet guy on Animal Planet supposed to be super cheap and rescue friendly in the Denver area? We used to do foster volunteer chip-ins for emergency vet care when we fostered for the city shelter with crappy vet care -- there were a lot of dogs who had bills covered $20 at a time by lots of people. We all helped out with each other's emergencies, when they happened. It was an frustrating way of saving a foster dog's life, but the shelter wouldn't pay for emergency care -- even if the dog was gushing blood out of an orifice. We got together friends and founded our local breed rescue because we were tired of not getting access to good care with dogs fostered for the shelter, so I really do get it.

Maybe take a picture send the shelter's medical contact a text with the photo that says something like: "Neutering site looks infected, severe swelling. SOS -- need vet appt to get abx and pain meds asap." If that doesn't work, I'd probably go to their shelter with the pup and not leave until care was authorized. He likely needs you to be a *cough* "mama dog" in advocating for him. Your friend/landlady should understand.


And as for WolfyDog's suggestion about adopting him, who says you have to keep him? Just get him through this and then rehome him yourself -- it's very easy to advertise on Rehome by AdoptaPet without a rescue doing it for you now.

 

Just a quick update. After leaving the poor guy outside for basically three days straight, she finally decided to take him back to the shelter because she didn't want him soiling in the house. Why did she agree to take a renal failure dog in the first place then?? They told her he would do that. Anyway, Thunder went to a new foster home and he was adopted. Happy ending!

Also, I went to the shelter and had her taken off of the foster list without her knowing it was me. She asked me if I could watch three more 5 week old puppy fosters while she was out of town for the weekend. Like... NO??? Why would you foster dogs, especially puppies, if you're going to be gone??? Ugh. I will never understand.

She will no longer foster, and Thunder was adopted. Happy endings all around!

 

Man, Thunder's come a long way...

GOOD on you for taking her off of the foster list.