Koozie
Update 9/4/09
Sweet and handsome Koozie is doing great in foster care. He even spent a week vacationing with another GRR family while his foster mom and dad were on a trip themselves, and made quite the conquest! “Koozie was shy and timid at first, but relaxed pretty quickly. And with our 2 Goldens (3 yo & 6-8 yo females)… well, in less than 24 hours, Koozie was play bowing, running up to them and instigating bitey face, chase, tumbling, and keep away. He had a blast playing with them during the week. He enjoyed talking tennis balls away from our Lexie and hoarding them. He’s good on leash and CLEARLY loved his walks, sitting quietly at the door to be leashed up. But for all his energy for playing and walks, he’s calm in the house. Loved to lounge on top of the bed during the day (and night)!! LOVED grooming. Jumped right into the tub for a bath.”
In short, a paragon of Golden virtue! And mild-mannered, to boot. So where on earth did that impressive “dueling scar” come from? Well, it represents the cure to a problem that Koozie had had for a long time. When his original owners took him from a backyard breeder, he was in really bad shape—underweight, toenails so overgrown they curled under his paws in a spiral, skin infections, you name it. He also had “four or five quarter-sized lumps on his back and legs—the vet aspirated and said they were nothing to worry about.” When Koozie arrived in foster care, we noticed the lumps right away (they were larger than quarter-size by that time), and his foster mom and dad kept an eye on them. They began getting larger. In fact, by about two weeks ago, the biggest one had grown to the size of a small grapefruit, and it was tender, too. Time for another jaunt to the vet! This time, an aspirate revealed some infected and inflammatory material, and the vet suspected an imbedded foreign body. “He’d really benefit greatly from having the lumps removed, due to their size and his sensitivity now,” she commented. After a week of antibiotics (which really helped to make him feel better in advance), Koozie headed back to the clinic for his surgery.
As you can tell from those long incisions, the operation was more extensive than expected! There was that grapefruit-sized lump on his right lower back, two lumps trailing down his right leg, and two high on his left leg. They were all connected by tracts of inflamed tissue, as if something had “migrated” through the area. But what? The vet didn’t find anything to remove, but she thinks perhaps the culprit was plant material (perhaps he backed into a cactus at some time?)—or maybe it’s infection from some old injuries (like a dog fight) or an encounter with some wild animal like a porcupine (though that's generally the face).She also found several small holes that had healed—there again, maybe injuries from an old fight, or perhaps places where the area had abscessed, broken open, drained and healed over. We DO know he’d been “living rough” in his former life—and those big lumps were doubtless a souvenir of harder times.
Anyway—the hard times are past history, and now the lumps are, too! Koozie is recovering nicely, although you can tell from his somewhat grumpy look that he does not appreciate the E-collar, thanks very much. But in no time he should be all healed up and ready for his forever home. He’d love another dog to play with, and he likes kids, too. And we know he loves walks, grooming, baths, in fact attention of all kinds is just fine with him! If you’re interested in meeting this sweet guy, or just in finding out how he’s doing, please let us know.
Koozie and his friend Bradley came to GRR when their owners could no longer care for them. The boys had been living outside, and the hot summer likely damped down their appetites—both are on the thin side. Koozie is getting settled into his foster home and really enjoying the cool floors and soft sofa. He arrived in GRR with an ear infection and a couple of wounds on his chest and one leg, so he’s spending a lot of time just resting and relaxing. And eating! He needs to put on at least 10 pounds. Once he gets healthier and adds some muscle, he’s going to a real tall, dark and handsome type.
Right now Koozie is not interested in playing with his Golden foster sister, though they get along fine. He doesn’t pay a bit of attention to the cats.
Watch for more updates as we get to know Koozie better!