SOOOO much to write in Little Tyke’s update. When we met his Fostermom in SYR, NY on the 17th of March; Tyke had put on 5 pounds during the week that he spent at her house. That put him at a weight of 88 pounds of which he still needed another 25+ pounds to go as he was so underweight. Unfortunately, we had to pay for a new HC at a cost of almost another $50US as the first one was not handed over when the Fostermom went to pick him up from the person who pulled him for us. We were told that it would be mailed to the Fostermom and it never arrived in time. I talked to Sean on the Monday to see how Tyke was doing as I was in NC and he had settled in well. The slight cough that he had at his Fostermom’s home was a bit more pronounced and so he was started on Cephalexin 1,500MG TID. The lump that he had on the back of his head on the left side also ruptured but did not appear to be causing him any distress. When I saw him again myself on the 24th of March; it was very clear that he had put on even more weight! WOOHOO! I brought him to the Vet tonight and his weight is now 44 KGS!(96.8 pounds!). It just over 2 weeks that means that he has put on just under 15 pounds! The Vet agrees with me that he needs about another 10 to be considered in the ‘normal’ range and from there if the bw that we did tonight including HW test comes back normal; he can then be safely neutered. I am very grateful to his Fostermom in listening to my medical recommendations in feeding him 4-5 smaller meals as his system is pretty much now normal(we will run another fecal in 2 weeks time) and his stools are nicely formed. His body had been starved, he was in shock and he was adjusting to having food in his body. We got him at a very critical time and I am keeping everything crossed that his internal organ function is operating within normal parameters. The ruptured lump on his head is a histiocytoma and is quite common in younger dogs and sometimes they just fall off on their own. If this does not; it will be removed when he is neutered and microchipped. He was quiet as a mouse at the hospital and quite inquisitive and showing his amazing level of intelligence! He is great on a leash and his manners are improving daily. He knows he will be fed his meals on time, in the same place and that no one is going to take it away from him. That has given him a great sense of ‘calm’ and confidence. He is a very trusting boy and he reminds Sean and I daily of Frost ‘T’ with his soft coat, kindness, easy, accepting demeanor, gentleness and sheer ‘sky of purple’. 🙂 What makes him so different than Frost ‘T’ is that he does not need me long term. I am his helping hand to give him foundation, health and confidence but from there; he will no longer need me and we know already that this one is going to be VERY VERY VERY hard to say good-bye too. 🙂 Tyke greeted everyone at the Hospital with happiness and was much better with any head shyness around strangers. He is awesome about walking up from a dead sleep and his startle reflex is wonderful. He was a little like Soul at the Hospital, seeing lots of bags of food and treats to investigate and exam rooms to go into and he was just a right ol’ Christopher Columbus! 🙂 He does have several old scars from something on his face and it looks like the teeth marks of another dog. Within the next couple of days; I will have Sean hold him and I will give him a manicure and pedicure with lots of treaties! He will need another bath before too long as he and Soul along with Dyce now really create a mess running around outside in this melting snow! He is coming out of his honeymoon period with some things such as grumping at Maggi when she walked by his food bowl when he was eating and then he grumped to kick our EM Guinness of a blanket he wanted to lie on (AND Guinness the big 200 pound lug moved!)and then grumped at Dyce when Dyce wanted to lie on another blanket with him. So, sharing is going to be the new focus for him. I am actually very delighted to see this from him as he means that he does have spirit and confirms to me that he is a survivor. He has no issues with us handling his food and treats and he is quite gentle in taking treats from you…..MOST of the time! 🙂 HE is going to make someone an awesome addition and the inquiries are already coming in on him. He will not be adopted until I am assured / better aware with the results coming in of his health status, altered, microchipped and properly assessed as to what the right type of home should be for him. He continues to go out during the night anywhere from 1-2x a night and he will get up from the bedroom(he likes to cuddle on the bed but then sleep on one of the beanbag chairs SO the hunt is on for more chairs!)and go to stand or sit at the front door. He has only had a couple of pee accidents in the house and that is our fault not his. He now has been in tune to his night time schedule and I wake up automatically to follow him out to let him out. The Vet agrees that he is less than 9 months old but his teeth have some tartar buildup from being fed very poor food. I will post a height on him later. The pressure sore on his left hip is healing well and he does not appear to be affected or discomforted by it. It was real nasty at one time but it is dried out and the hair may or may not grow back. His Fostermom is going to send me some more pictures she has of him from when he was still at her place and I will post them AND from there; I will post new pictures of his awesome continued transformation with the weight. HIS eyes are so gorgeous a shade of blue surrounded by lovely markings and he has no visual impairment plus his heart is great. He knows quite a few ASL and made up hand signs already and gosh, this boy is SMART! I think I have made this Gwennie Novel update long enough and more shall be posted later once his test results are in.

I have noticed in Tyke’s latest pictures that he is flat footed and his Fostermom has confirmed this. We will be starting to give him supplements of Vit. C to help him. A couple of nights ago when his FosterDad was out pushing the plastic wheelbarrow to feed the horse in the pasture; Tyke thought it was a great thing to chase and playbite at for it looked like a big moving toy! He did it again the next morning when his Fostermom was out doing the same thing! THIS ‘Little Tyke’ is going to be SUCH a Ham! AND I know that he and my Soul are going to be fast friends! I am not sure if my place is ready to have two thundering SN’s pups racing around. OK! I admit it, I CANNOT WAIT! 🙂 Tyke has also become more patient around food and is no longer acting like the starved pup he was a week ago. From his FosterMom ‘He is very much improved with counter surfing, not saying given the chance he would not swipe something, but now when I am preparing the food he is very good about keeping his nose off the counter. He is still an attachment to my side while I am making the meals, but he is more respecttul about letting me actually prepare them.’ He is still being fed with a CUZ toy in his bowl to slow down his eating. As of March 12th, he had a normal poop that evening and yes, EVERYONE was excited! At that time he was eating 2 cups of food per feeding of which he is still getting 4 feedings a day and also with rice and beef. He is doing wonderful on it and I am so beyond happy his Fostermom has been so willing to follow out instructions on his feeding regime to get him on track to becoming healthy. He is learning words such as ‘no’, ‘sit’, and ‘kennel’ and as we all knew; he is very SMART! His is doing great about letting them know when he has to go out too. March 12th was his first day that he actually stepped up to a bit of a run and so he is developing more endurance and strength. He also jumped right into the tub for his bath too. WHAT a good boy! 🙂 New pictures are below. There will be no more updates on Tyke until my return from NC at the end of the month.

I have much to update here but with work and all the other Rescues that have needed to go to the Vet’s for annual exams etc.; it will have to wait another day. 🙂 I even have some new pictures to post! THANKS to his fostermom! Tyke is scheduled to see my Vet on Friday March 30th. He will be arriving this Saturday from NC and we are very excited to meet him! HE is doing great and I already love the ‘little Tyke’ and I have not even met him as of yet! 🙂

Tyke was picked up by his new new foster mom last night, was a GREAT passenger and will be staying with her until we meet up on the 17th of March in SYR to bring him here. He was given two smaller meals last night and the plan is to ensure that he receives 4-5 smaller meals a day with some yoguart, raw eggs, hamburger(he has been getting boiled steak, the lucky spoiled boy!), a little wet dog food, broth, rice and was put on Canidae. He was dewormed, will be given another bath and is settling in wonderfully. His drinking is excellent and the foster mom also believes his is around 7-8 months of age. We will get a better idea after he arrives here. He is not neutered and when he is healthy enough that will be done(he is only 82 pounds right now) and he will also be microchipped. His HW test and a full CBC shall also be done upon arrival to our program. He is very food motivated and has discovered counter surfing is a great source of food! 🙂 That will be worked on and is perfectly understandable. He is not food aggressive, possessive and any toy, treat and body part on him can be handled without issues. He is proving to be brilliant (of which I had no doubt!) 🙂 and has made fast friends with the two Danes this fostermom has too! I am really looking forward to meeting and getting to know him. When Sean saw his pictures and said he reminded him of Snowball and I have to agree that there is something in his eyes and face that is very reminiscent of the our RIP Energizer Bunny Girl. The other thing that seems to call to me is that this is the first Dane we have brought in since the loss of our own incredible SN’s Frost ‘T’ and I think it was meant to be. I think Frost “T” would be smiling down at us bringing in Tyke to help show him that he shall fear no more of being abused(his Fostermom says he has ‘ducked’ his head upon occasion) and shall receive a very soft bed, lots of toys, treats and food for the rest of his life. He is not so thrilled with the crate training but as he is very treat motivated and that he is being let out and not being left there is learning that it is not so terrible. His fostermom is making him ‘work’ for his treats and I am in agreement so that he knows it is a reward and not a privilege and when he comes out of his ‘honeymoon’ period; his adjustment will be a very smooth one. He has even given his fostermom kisses and tail wags today! 🙂 He is a boy that is very eager to please and due to malnourishment is quite small right now. His diarrhoea by this morning was just soft stool and then a little runny at the end and as he gets on more solid food and has more meals in his belly; as I figured; he should be just fine. His body has been without nourishment and he has been stressed for so long that the diarrhoea is very normal. His energy level is not as high as a healthy dog but his desire and will to play is there and he trotted along very happily during his walk on leash this AM. He has been playing with the fostermom’s Danes and they are doing well in teaching him about playing and toys! 🙂 A quote that I loved from his fostermom ‘I can not wait to see in a year how Tyke is, because I see fleeting moments of how great a dog he is going to be.’ I am so appreciative to his fostermom in receiving such a detailed report! He has been doing very well with the cats and this is what his fostermom said to sum up her update, ‘He’s a neat little boy or better yet, Little Tyke (LT) as you called him. Very fitting name.’

BHRR’s Little Tyke(LT) – DEAF Male Young White Great Dane, young (approx. 7 months), most likely not neutered, extremely emaciated and is going to the Vet’s today in WV for an exam, HC and rabies to get him to BHRR on March 17th, 2007 to begin extensive bw, HW, microchipped, altered and other required testing for him. Will update later on his Vet visit after his Fostermom gets back from the vet. She was able to bathe him within hours of getting him without any issues, he actually jumped into the tub for her! 🙂 According to her and the Shelter, he is very sweet, happy go lucky and so calm, good and well adjusted. He is an owner surrender and was dropped off with a Rottie that is in just as bad of shape who is going to Rottie Rescue by end of week. He does not have fleas and at this time we do not know if he is housebroken but would not be surprised to hear that he is not. He is very small and malnourished and the pictures below are graphic. He is going to need lots of TLC and vet work and if you would like to contribute to his Vet Bills; you can either contact our Vet Hospital of Kanata Animal Hospital 1-613-836-2848(he does not have his own account as of yet as he does not have a name but you can donate to the Birch Haven Rescue Account for him in the meantime with a note) or you can donate via paypal to gwen@birchhaven.org We were worried that he might be pts and so when we were contacted to assist; we offered if no closer Rescue could assist. His Fostermom told me that the pictures below do not show just how bad of shape he really is in. She said that every single rib is protuding terribly. He is being fostered in a home with three kids, another Dane and will begin basic OB and socialisation while he is with them.