# new owner from a rescue home



## joeblack6 (Sep 1, 2008)

Hi. We just adopted a 4 year-old (red&black,even though we think she is more tan-but AKC paperwork states red!). After 2 days, we noticed she has some missing teeth-this dog was the shelter's owner dog who decided not to breed her. We adopted her the day after her spaying, and she is not doing too well: today, she stumbled a couple times and just lays there. Though, we were told she never had any litter, when we looked closer, some of her nipples are swollen. I am not too sure what to think. The dog has not eaten (we got her the recommended EVO brand), and strangely she has not barked once! It would be nice that she does. What do you guys&girls think?


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## fourdogsrule (May 10, 2007)

Get her to the vet ASAP to make sure everything is ok after her spay.
It is common for a dog not to eat the first day or so or to only eat a small amount.
Keep us posted on her progress and we love pictures.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

Wow, It does take time for rescue to adjust to a new home. But your comments raise concerns. Hopefully the dog will begin to adjust within the next few days.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

How long have you had her and how long has it been since she was spayed? Do you notice any redness at the incision site? Was anything else done at the same time she was spayed? Is she on any drugs right now?


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## Skye'sMom (Jul 11, 2004)

Take her to the emergency vet as soon as possible. I wouldn't worry about her not barking - many dogs are initially quiet when move to a new home. However, she should be eating and she should not be lethargic. Is she drinking water? If not, she will quickly become dehydrated.

Have you spoken witht the person you adopted her from? Sounds like not a rescue, but a kennel dog no longer wanted the way I am reading it.

Please get a vet's opnion.


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## joeblack6 (Sep 1, 2008)

thanks for the quick replies. We discourage her from licking the wound which is pink. She does drink, she took a tiny portion of treats (forgot to mention if it does matters), but not touch the food even when I give it to her like treats. We got her on Saturday and were told she was spayed on friday. She was still drugged when we met her. We were successful in contacting the worker we dealt with but not the owner. We left a voicemail. Should we be concerned about the teeth also? She has no teeth on all her right side and one on her left!


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Right now the teeth are not a concern. Her lethargy & general attitude seem alarming for a post-spay operation. I would worry that something is going on. Tuesday, I got a dog back from a major operation, she was not drinking or eating. She ended up back at the regular vet for fluids and some super antibiotics because she had a stress induced infection that was causing lack of appetite. This is serious. Get your dog to the vet. Once this issue is resolved you can then discuss what to do about missing teeth.


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## joeblack6 (Sep 1, 2008)

I agree. We contacted the ER and are waiting for a response. Again, we would rather talk to the owner as we could get in touch with her vet. It may sound bad but we feel that not everything were disclosed to us and we have a 7 day trial we could return the dog. But we really do not want to do that!


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## Kaylas Mom (Oct 6, 2007)

Any news on this poor dog, did you take her to a vet?


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

How's the dog? What did the vet say?


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Hows the dog? This is scary stuff. I would agree that you might not have been given the full story. I am glad that you didn't wait to get ahold of the former owner or her vet. This just doesn't seem right.


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## joeblack6 (Sep 1, 2008)

This is a great forum! Thank you so much for everyone's concern. The vet called us late last night, and we were advised to keep a close eye on her. She seems to be walking better today;however, we decided to let her rest up and not take her on walks. Yes. We feel that not all things were disclosed to us. No word from the owner yet! Now one more question.... Again, we were told she never had any litter but her nipples look rather swollen(I want to say "used"). Thank you again to all of you guys&gals!


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

The missing teeth might have been caused by an injury. I would check whether they are broken off or pulled. The owner should have explained to you what happened. If the teeth were properly pulled, this should not cause particular problems.

Considering her condition, she was obviously not treated well or cared for properly. I hope you can keep her, she will not last long with her previous owner. This is very sad. Please keep us posted.


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## Skye'sMom (Jul 11, 2004)

Again - I would get this poor dog to the vet to be seen as soon as possbile. She may not have had a litter, but she could have been spayed while carrying pups.

Can you post pictures? That will help, but we are not vets and best we can do is offer ideas.

All you will get here are guesses but you need a professional opinion.

Sounds like she may have had a rough road before you got her. Please get her health, including teeth and any infections from the spay, checked as soon as possible - she could be very sick.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

When mine were battling skin issues which turned out to be mange, their nipples got quite large.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

As for feeding, if the dog is not eating much try BARF for a bit. That simply means bones and raw food. Another thing that has worked good with my rescues is hot dogs with the kibble, yes hot dogs.


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## CVF_Kennel (Aug 7, 2008)

okay........suppose _I_ just got the dog. I look in the mouth and find that some teeth are missing. First I would ask<span style='font-family: Verdana'> are there signs of gum infection, extreme tooth problems etc?</span> If so get the dog to a vet asap! If there are just some teeth missing but everything seems okay, then not a problem.

But she is acting strangely. I get the thermometer and take her rectal temperature. The right temperature is 101 to 102.5 degrees. If it is any thing else, I call the vet....

I, too, suspect the dog was pregnant when spaying. I would sooooooo investigate...was it just a spay or an abortion/spay? 

Now.......this is the scoop. Would you have taken her in if you knew she was preggers? Would you have taken her if you knew the 
"whoever the ***" you got her from" aborted her pups just to find her a home?

Just give a real big thought as to how much $$$ you are willing to invest in the doggie.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: joek23Should we be concerned about the teeth also? She has no teeth on all her right side and one on her left!


I hope your dog continues to improve.

The tooth thing is not normal. They are completely gone? What kind of a situation did you get her from? Does it look like she was kicked?


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

There are several possibilities here:
1. She may have had pups recently - it takes time for the mammary glands to return to normal size
2. It may have been a spay abortion, for whatever reason, health or convenience
3. She may have had mastitis, she may have lost or may have been unable to nurse the pups - which may have led to the decision to stop breeding her. We rescued a female from a local shelter that was still lactating and nobody came to look for her. The vet found lumps in her mammary glands that turned out be mastitis. We suspect that she was dumped because she was unable to care for the pups (or they died if the infection was not detected soon enough).

Her recovery from the spay may be slower, but there is no reason why she would not make a full recovery after the spay (unless she has additional health problems).

The loss of teeth could be caused by human abuse but she could have been kicked by a horse, for example.


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

If she has no teeth you may need to help her out with soft food. It could be her gums hurt and that is why she is not eating. 

Hoping for a happier update soon.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

You can pre-soak the dry food for her so that it is soft and mushy.


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