BHRR’s Giselle was at the Vet last night for her recheck appointment. October 21st, 2016.
She travelled wonderfully in the car!
She has been putting on much needed muscle mass and weight. Her Vet commented so nicely on her stacked muscles in her thighs and hind end now! 
She was a lot easier to handle to get a weight on for this is one strong minded girl and what Giselle does not want to do, Giselle makes it very clear she does not want to do it! We have to compromise on some things, yet for others we have to *work* through for if she *wins*, it will be only harder moving forward. She is not scared….she just does not wish to do things unless it is her idea….so, it was a very long appointment last night but she had treats and praise and even a nap during the exam/visit and she wagged her tail and kept us on our toes also!! This visit was so much better and more thorough than her last one and the next one shall be even better.
She no longer has issues going in her crate – she loves it! – or putting a leash on or off and does not try to lip curl or mouth. We have worked through so much with her and while we have a long journey still ahead, really proud of her!!
She has clearly used intimidation in the past and thrown her weight around and huffed and puffed to make sure that she was not touched. She is still very sensitive around her head and face and I wish she could talk to tell me what happened to her prior to rescue. 
The better her ears and skin and eyes feel, make it also easier to touch plus handle her.
We have been able to give her, her very first nail earlier this week and get a good ear cleaning in too.
Last night at the Vet her eyes are still infected so we are continuing treatment with them and went home with two more medications for them. The Vet also did a fluroscein eye stain to rule out an ulcer in the left eye. The right eye could not be properly examined and we will re-visit. She is so good at closing those eyes shut tight and getting her head into a position making it difficult to examine them yet, the Vet had an excellent look into the left eye to start.
Her one ear (left) is very yeasty and KT ear treatment was used over having to stress her out applying not just eyes meds yet also daily ear meds. We were able to get an ear cytology done on this ear. The right ear has just been filled with so much wax when she arrived into rescue and is now super clean with all of the efforts made since she arrived.
She has come a long way from her first Vet visit in being able to handle her and we got a really great look at her sore feet/pads. This was not fully possible when she first arrived. They are raw and swollen and red.
Her bacterial skin infection has now been resolved! Yay! She has new hair growth in many places on her body and now we have to tackle the big yeast problem her body is experiencing. Her Vet is ordering in a special product for her to help. I had never heard of it and this is the first time her Vet is going to use it and when I am back to work, I will look it up in her file.
Her UTI has also resolved plus the suspected sarcoptic mange has been treated and all of the urine burns have healed!
She remains on a special diet to ensure that none of her problems are due to food allergies. We will trial other foods when she is no longer battling all of the other medical issues she is.
She had been proactively / preventatively treated and de-wormed and will bring in a fresh stool sample to be tested.
She went through a lot last night – Her Vet, myself and Ashley also who helped hold! – and as we cannot spay her soon as is, we are holding off doing her pre-op bloodwork and heartworm/tick borne testing for next time.
We keep moving forward one day at a time and I know I said this above, yet I am proud of her!! Her leash manners are coming along nicely and she was calm, relaxed and quiet while I stayed for a bit after her visit chatting with members of the Vet team.
I know right now that she will have to be adopted to a home that is experienced….very experienced or BHRR’s Giselle will walk all over them….she is a survivor! So she has backbone.
She is giving us more and more trust and as she relaxes plus becomes healthier, is such a happy, affectionate and goofy gal! She loves to dig her head right into your stomach, thigh or side.
