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o swollen he was unable to breathe. He had been in distress for days, and they wanted to euthanize him. Thankfully, one of our local volunteers was working intake, and with our vet's help convinced the family to surrender Ryker and give him a chance at life. He had to be sedated and intubated, and required 24-hour hospitalization to keep him breathing while waiting for the swelling to go down. .
The initial assessment from the emergency hospital was that Ryker had an abscess in the back of his throat from ingesting a stick or some foreign object, and they confirmed it was swollen to the point he couldn’t breathe. X-rays showed rocks and other debris in his stomach, and his belly was distended and full of worms. This morning we received update that he is breathing on his own and is being treated with antibiotics.
After 2 days, Ryker was released from emergency care and is back with our vet for a few days of monitoring before he’s released to his foster home. His larynx is still ulcerated, necrotic, and unstable, and he could require surgery down the road. The doctor says it looks like one big ulcer, and must be so sore. They are hoping that antibiotics and steroids will do the trick, but we won’t know until we’ve had time to see if the meds are working.
The good news is he’s a resilient little guy and a sweet, good nature soul. He’s up and eating, and wants to be his playful puppy self, but excitement and movement make him cough and further irritates his larynx, so he needs to be contained for the short term. He loves people and is very calm around other dogs and has good doggy social skills.
We are monitoring Ryker and he will get the best care until he's ready to go home.The doctors feels he will make a full recovery from, but it may take a little time. Updates to come.
MEDICAL UPDATE - 8/14/18
Ryker had his recheck today, after being on antibiotics and steroids for the past 10 days, and got the ALL CLEAR from the doctor! He will NOT need surgery, and all the swelling and inflammation in his throat is gone. He's back to a normal diet and will be going to his SC foster home later this week. He still needs to put on some weight, but has gained 4lbs in just the past 10 days while he was boarded for observation. The only residual issue will be that, due to some damage to his vocal chords, his bark will sound more muted and strained, but it does not cause him any pain.
We are so happy to get this update on Ryker, and it’s thanks to those of you who contributed to this worthy dog’s care. He's now free and clear to start his new life. He's become a staff favorite at the vet’s office, and is getting spoiled by all the attention. He's still a little shy at first meeting, and will cling to his person, but quickly becomes all wiggle-butt and joy.
This little guy will be making his way to N. VA in mid September. Apply today so you are ready to welcome this cutie home.
FOSTER UPDATE - 8/27/18
"Ryker is a total love muffin. He is good with everyone both human and animal that he meets. We have two labs and a Pomeranian and he is very happy to meet everyone and has no issues at all. I have seen zero aggression in him. We have been practicing leash walking, and he is doing great. He just needs to learn to stay on one side. He is afraid of vehicles and will stand still until it passes, so he may be better in a more quiet, lower traffic area vs. city. He met a lady and her boxer and walked right up to them when cleared to do so. He loved her and the dog. To my knowledge he has not met any children, but honestly he would be great. He is just full of love and wants to be petted and loved.
I would say his energy is medium + - He loves toys and loves to play. He is completely crate trained. He plays, but he also relaxes. My only issue with him so far is that he likes to jump on people, but we are working on that. So far on walks he will go about half a mile to a mile. He seems to get tired at about a half mile so far, but that may be because of the health issues he has been through.
We are working on his leash training. He is in a harness because of his throat and that works well for him. He is not a fan of walking on the leash yet, so he's still a work in progress. Yesterday I just dropped the leash and he followed me. When we went to the vet last week, he walked right into the clinic with no problem. I expected him to resist, but he never did. He greeted everyone warmly.
Ryker is not shy at all. He loves people and he loves to have all the attention he can possibly get. He goes right up to people. He does love to snuggle. He got weighed in at 25 pounds this morning. He has a lot of lap dog in him. He rides great in the car. He likes to sit on the console in our truck and then he got sleepy and crawled into my lap.
His only bad manner that I mentioned before is the jumping on people. We are working on that and he is getting better. By the time he leaves we should have that conquered. He is crate trained and has had no accidents since the first night he was here. That was in the crate. When they all come in it is to the laundry area, but he hasn't done anything in there at all.
Overall he is a wonderful dog. Due to his throat injury he can't bark as other dogs do. He wouldn't make a good alarm dog, but you don't have to deal with any barking either. He tries to bark, but it's more of a coughing sound that comes out. Anyone will be thrilled to have him as a pet. I haven't seen anything, except for the jumping, that would be a negative."
This adorable pup will be coming to N. VA on 9/15, ready to start his new life. Apply today!
BREED ESTIMATE: Boxer mix
GENDER: Male
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 25lbs (We expect Ryker to be ~ 50lbs when fully grown)
APPROXIMATE AGE: 5 months
COAT TYPE: short
ADOPTION FEE: $350
OTHER INFO: de-wormed,utd on shots, neutered, microchipped
LOCATION: Fostered in SC, coming to N. VA 9/15
FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to adopt.worthydog and complete the application.
You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to foster.worthydog and fill out an application.
Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.