Poor Boy! Perhaps Dave can fill you all in on the details of this poor man.
He's not in good shape..... skinny and chewed up (self inflicted apparently).
He's a real sweetie (so far).
The Kennel owner has been trying to feed him up a bit and has been treating his wounds. Zack certainly has something going for him..... His eyes are bright and his coat is smooth.
Will get him booked in for a health check and various other bits ASAP.
Please send some big hugs to such a nice boy who's been to hell and is now back in heaven..... He's already found the big comfy bed to lay in and is currently enjoying a well deserved nap after his meal.
I've emailed some pictures to Dave hopefully he will post them here.
two adults - Ian & Katrina two kids - Rosie & Thomas four dogs - Dusty, Max, Missy and now Zack two rats - Cocoa & Caramel two fish - fish 1 and fish 2
plus four childminded kids - fraser, robert, kirsty & shannon
unfortunately Maverick had to go back into kennels as he got some issues not condusive to young children.
Some dogs just seem to get so distressed in kennels. Ive no doubt he will flourish in a house hold where he can get all the love he needs. Their eyes can give away a lot. Blue was in a state when we got him but had that little spark in his eyes that let us know what a fantastic friend he would make fingers crossed it will be the same case with Zack.
Welcome home, Zack! Hope you thoroughly enjoy yourself with your foster family. They'll look after you and show you how to relax and have fun being waited on hand and foot!
It's great that he still has a spark in his eyes. I can't bear to see them when the eyes are dull and lifeless and they don't even know what a cuddle is.
Zack had a very good night. NO POOP ! NO NOTHING !
I didn't use the cage this time as I thought that he would go upstairs to sleep.
He was already stair savvy and he settled down nicely and slept all night without incident. I think he was just glad to be somewhere warm, cosy and relaxing after being in kennels (he's definately NOT a kennel dog).
I've taken him with me on my travels today and has been quite happy. I even managed to leave him for half an hour in the house without incident.
He appears to be a greyhound/deerhound X .... more greyhound than deerhound though but does have the deerhound height.
On first appearances the poor wee soul has chewed most of his feet and legs, he's a bald bum, a wound on his back, you can see 9 ribs, see most of his spine, see his hip bones, thigh bones, bum bones and the sternum at the front between his front legs.
The kennel owners says he's been trying to feed him up since he arrived two weeks ago and has put weight on, so I'd hate to think how thin he was then.
Zack is wanting to sleep most of the time which is expected. He's also feeling a little more confident and nearly played with a ball but then went back to sleep.
He appears to have a good nature and is just wanting loads of cuddles (which he's getting). He's also managed to fool a few people into thinking that he was Missy but the plums amongst other tackle give the game away !!!
Only time to heal and time to trust and time to recover will show his true personality.
He's booked into the vets for the works tomorrow.... the usual vaccinations, worming, flea treatment, leg treatments and possibly nutritional assistance. We will deal with the neutering later when he is fit and healthy to deal with an operation.
Sounds as though he is going to be a real sweetheart. Having seen before and after pictures of Suzanne's wee Maisie and how she improved so quickly I'm sure Zacks physical and mental wounds will soon start to fade especially with so many people to love him.
Would love to see some pics of him but understand you probably want to wait until he is in better condition.
OK OK I'll post them...... I was hoping Dave could put them into the forum instead of a slideshow but I've now had time to upload them so here is the link to the photo's of Zack.
oh the poor lamb, what a shame. at least he is in the right place now safe and warm with all the love in the world. he looks like a complete sweetheart.
lots of love and lots and lots of hugs from nicki and wee janie.x
Poor Zack he looks just like Dexter was when we got him from Bothwell Bridge SSPCA two years ago. (OMG has it been two years already?!) Couple of scars are all Dexter has now to remind of how poorly he was, so I'm sure with all your love and care he will look great in no time.
Weight 30kg - too low for his size (Missy is 35kg and is smaller than him but more muscle) Right foreleg - infected - hardly surprising he used to walk in his own excriment. Now on antibiotics. Foot had swollen overnight but since walking on it the swelling has gone down. Other wounds are being treated with Intrasite gel. Has been wormed Will be flea treated tonight. Have to treat infection before vaccinations.
One thing for sure he's in for a few weeks of treatment. Oh and a new designer lampshade !!
Back to the vets on Saturday to redress the leg and retreat the deep sore.
Looks like he is wearing a christmas stocking on his leg as the bandage is bright red and you see the white bandage at the top.
Today ....
As I've said he went to the vets and ended up with a 40min appointment.
He has travelled with me today on all my journey's and has thoroughly enjoyed himself. He started off in the boot and by the end of the our travels had worked his way onto the back seat and was laid with his head resting on the door handle. For those that don't know me, my car is a Land Rover Discovery.
He is a cheeky boy who has a lot of love to give. Its amazing that he is still SO trusting.
He never once made a noise with the vet, never flinched and was totally chilled. Even his tail was not tucked away. He let the vet do what she had to do to fix him up.
what an amazing boy - to have been so poorly and yet still let the vet do what was needed for him. he must know you are helping him and trusts you already.
as siouxsie said, can't wait for the "after" pics - i can see he'll turn into one stunning dog.
Regarding his ideal weight - remember if he is part deerhound that he will be relatively lighter weight than a greyhound, even once you have fattened him up a bit.
Once when I was at the vet with Sim a full deerhound went in ahead of me. It looked huge, but the vet told me when I went in that the deerhound only weighed 35kg, while Sim (apparently much smaller) weighed 32kg!
He loooks lovely maybe a bit tired after his visit to the vet, but very obliging for the camera and photogenic too, going to make someone a very proud owner.
Ahhh What a handsome chap he is. Love the contrast between his sandy coloured face and jet black wiskers!
You'll soon forget what he looks like at the moments and only see him as the picture of health that he will be in a few weeks.
Got a shock when I read his weight was 30kg as it made me remember Blue was only 29kg when we got him (he is naturally a big grey with very broad shoulders) and that was after 3 mths trying to be fattened up in kennels He now weighs in at 36 kg and we can't look at the previous pictures of him.
You are doing a wonderful thing for Zack. He sounds much happier already
What a gorgeous boy Katrina,and I love his red sock!! I'm sure he'll come on leaps and bounds with all the love and attention he's getting from you and the family. Will hopefully meet him on Sunday .. if we can make it!
Shirley and the gang
__________________
NO MATTER HOW LITTLE MONEY AND HOW FEW POSSESSIONS YOU OWN,HAVING A DOG MAKES YOU RICH.
You should have seen the number of worms that came out of him..... disgusting to let a dog get in this state.
He will of course have to be wormed again in about a weeks time.
Since his clearout he's eating really well and now getting the full value of his meals.
If he's got worms then its unlikely that he's been vaccinated or anything for that matter. Its a good job he's with GAL now.
I've left him home alone with the other dogs for the last couple of days when I've had to go out and there has been NOTHING.... no issues, no mess, no nothing.... What a good boy
He's a cheeky boy he keeps raiding the dog food bag and if he can't get to that then he raids the bucket but gets chased. He does know some commands but NO isn't one of them yet. He's very much laid back and so far we've not had any tussels with him or the other dogs.
Over night he is absolutely minted except he seems to think that our bed is his bed but he will be put back in his place for that so he knows his beds the one on the floor.
He also has some VERY quirky ears.... Esther they are like Fynns !!!
Still can't believe that he trusts me so much considering what he's gone through.
Evelyn (my sister) and I took all the pooches to Strathclyde Park today.
Zak appeared to be a great hit with everyone. Zak is SUCH a chalmer.
I've not heard Zak bark until today when he just wouldn't SHUT UP ! Think he wanted to socialise more than I let him.
Sorry I missed most of you going but the call of nature was just too important.
Ev, Marian and I took all the dogs for a nice small but short walk along the lochside and all the dogs managed to get their feet wet except Zak (bandaged foot still).
Zak enjoyed his walk its only the second walk he's had with us as he is supposed to be garden tied and no walking until his foot heals. It made a nice gentle change for him and by heck he slept for Scotland this afternoon when we got back.
Zak will be back at the vets on Wednesday for another bandage change so will keep you posted with his progress. All his smaller wounds appear to be healing nicely.
He was at the vet yesterday and got a rebandage job but we also weighed him and thankfully he is now gaining weight. He was 30kg when he arrived with me and weighted in at 30.8kg / 31kg yesterday - he kept cheating by puting his head on the trolley! He's approx 31kg.
I can actually feel a difference along his spine (not quite so boney now) also out of the nine ribs you could see, you can only now count 7 so only 5 more ribs to go.
Lets hope he gains more weight by next Wednesday again.
You're right, Katrina, Zak is a big charmer! He had a good old lean against me and he was certainly letting everyone know he was there! It's great he's at last putting on some weight and thankfully in a home environment he'll not get the chance to do himself any more harm. I'm sure he'll be putting on weight every day now. We'll hear from you how he's getting on.
Zak's wrist is starting to heal but will take a few more bandage changes yet. The other wounds are healing nicely also.
Bad news he's maintained his weight from last Saturday's weigh in but I'm sure he will still increase a bitmore yet. Anyway we don't want him to put too much weight on too soon.
Zak went to the Vets today and his ankle is healing very well. He's progressed from a full foot bandage to just one around his ankle.
Zak was also weighed and he's now 32kg. A whopping 2kg in two weeks.
We also took all the dogs to Crammond Beach and Zak had a lovely slow walk and enjoyed himself enormously but would have like to go for a run and a paddle but not this time. We will take him back to the beach once his foot is better.