Meet WAAGR's Special Needs Dogs

Sometimes, WAAGR takes in dogs that need a little more TLC.  Maybe the dog has a broken bone, a some medical condition that takes a little more time to diagnose, or even something like heartworm.  Whatever the case, WAAGR wants to help give dogs the best possible chance at a new life and to help them find their forever homes.

Medical bills are already piling up for our special needs
goldens.  If you would like to help us with these bills via "snail mail", please send a check made payable to WAAGR to 12605 W. North Ave., #285, Brookfield, WI.  53005.  All donations to WAAGR are tax deductible. 

You can now donate for WAAGR via PayPal! 
To utilize this option, click on the donate button below.

Will these dogs touch your hearts too?  Continue reading below to find out more about these great goldens!  We will continue to provide updates as they come in from their foster families.

Ruby #811
Where do we start with Ruby? When this beautiful 6-year-old female was surrendered to WAAGR in January, we immediately noticed her limp. This poor gal had injured her leg more than a year ago and the previous owners didn't get it fixed.

The ulna and radius in her left front leg were fractured but mended with time, but her elbow joint was dislocated and over time destroyed.  In the x-ray it was evident that her severe lameness is due to the humerus (upper arm) sliding down past the ulna and radius (forearm) with every step she took.  On Jan. 31 Ruby had her front leg amputated as there simply was no saving it.  The good news is that Ruby should make a full recovery. Dogs with three legs do very well in normal everyday life. It sure beats being in pain 24/7!

Ruby will recuperate with a couple of foster homes and we will note her progress on this page!

Feb 28
Ruby's social skills continue to improve daily.  She goes to work with her foster mom daily and is in a multiple dog environment.  With big dogs, little dogs, an occasional cat, and lots of human visitors, Ruby is becoming more friendly and outgoing all the time.  She has discovered toys and enjoys playing with balls and stuffed animals.  She is crate trained, but prefers sleeping on the bed with the other dogs in her foster home.
This is a very sweet and loving golden who will make an excellent companion for many years to come.  Ruby's "perfect adoptive" friend will be one that can keep her in leaner condition, can provide a premium diet with supportive supplements, appropriate exercise, occasional chiropractic, and TONS of love! 

Feb. 22
As reported by Ruby's foster mom:  "I look at what this girl has been through in less than 1 month........amazing!  Ruby's amputation site has healed beautifully, her spay stitches are out as well, both ears look good........we are heading for the home stretch!"
Other updates include some medication to help with Ruby's urinary incontinence.  This only happens at night when she's in  a deep sleep.  Ruby also received some chiropractic adjustments to help.  Ruby's forever home will need to keep her slim and make sure she is gets exercise.  Because her remaining front leg now does the work of two, she is on Glucosamine and chondroitin, along with fish oil to maintain good joint health and flexibility. She maintains her weight on Canidae All Life Stages, and gets a little more antioxidant help with some yummy canned mackerel.  With a commitment to insuring her future health, her new family can look forward to many wonderful years with this special girl.

Jan. 31
The surgeries went well for Ruby.  She will learn to get up, walk and even run on three legs.  The best part is she will be pain free when she does move around!  Her foster mom was feeling very angry that her injuries were not taken care of at the time they happened, as she would have made a full recovery.  Ruby is loving and sweet, a real velcro dog!  Her foster mom said she will make a wonderful and very deserving lifetime friend.
 

Augie (Buddy) #813 (found his forever home!)
Buddy is a four-year-old golden/German Shepherd mix.  He came to us from Manistee Humane Society in Manistee, Mich. on Feb. 16.  Apparently Buddy had been adopted out to a family that simply adored him, but unfortunately he was hit by a car and the family opted not to fix his damaged shoulder on one of his front legs. Buddy now walks on 3 legs.

After Buddy had been hit the family decided to get another dog and Buddy soon found himself outside (literally) in a fenced in area in a dog house.  He started developing anxiety and the family couldn't deal with that, so they returned him to the shelter.  WAAGR stepped up to help!

Arrangements needed to be made to get Buddy over to Wisconsin.  After a few phone calls, WAAGR volunteers met a woman from the airport who helps with rescue herself.  She made a few phone calls and Buddy made his journey west via plane.  He rode as a passenger and our WAAGR volunteers met him at the airport.  Buddy went to Wisconsin Dells to meet his foster family.

Tests were run to see what type of damage his shoulder sustained.  The bad news was reported:  the accident damaged the nerves and destroyed his shoulder.  The leg has very little blood flow and the muscle tissue has shrunk to next to nothing.  There is no hope that he will ever be able to use his leg or that it can be surgically corrected. Also, with very little blood flow, there is a chance for infection in the future.

The decision was made that Buddy's leg will be amputated.  Buddy will become a foster with intent to adopt dog with one of WAAGR's members who is a nurse and will help Buddy through his recovery from surgery.  Since he walks on three legs already, we expect the transition to go well for Buddy.  From what our member told us, Buddy will be spending his future as a therapy dog, visiting hospitals and nursing homes!  What a lucky guy!

If you would like to contribute to Buddy's surgery costs, click on donate above.  Keep watching here to read about his journey to recovery!

March 17 (surgery day)
Augie's surgery went well.  The surgery took twice as long as expected because they tried to keep the incision smaller (it's still pretty big according to his foster mom).  There was so much muscle wasting and deterioration that it was hard to locate and deal with all of the nerves and blood vessels.  He woke up agitated, but was fine when his foster mom got there 20 minutes later.  He's a real trooper. If all goes well and he's walking, eating and drinking, he can come home tomorrow afternoon (March 18). He's being a really good guy about it all!

Feb. 28
As reported by his foster mom:  Augie is doing very well in foster care. He has a couple quirks like being afraid to walk on the shiny vinyl floor (walks on tile, though) and not finishing his food unless I'm in the room with him. He does great with other dogs, cats and toddlers. Did great at the groomer even while I get getting all of the matts out of his tail. For walking on three legs, he has managed to escape from a wire crate and hurdle two baby gates. He did do fine left uncrated in my bedroom today with Hogan while I was at a meeting. He loves to run in the deepest snow he can find and is very interested in the squirrels in the backyard. He is having some growling, toy guarding issues that we are working on.  Overall, a very mellow and laid back dog. We've determined that he is mixed with a little aussie.

Medically, he was evaluated on Wednesday. His leg will need to be amputated. We are most concerned regarding his very labored and unusual gate and loose appearing rear-end. While he is having surgery, he will be x-rayed to see if we can find the problem. He runs much better than he walks. Meanwhile, I have started him on glucosamine and will start DGP.  Tentative date of surgery is St. Patrick's day.
 

SIMBA #7101 (adoption pending)
Simba came to WAAGR in October 2007.  He's a 6-year-old dog who lived his entire life in an outdoor kennel.  He needed a good grooming and bath when he first came to WAAGR.  WAAGR volunteers noticed that when he ran, his back legs almost seemed welded together and he seemed to hop.

After he was brought into WAAGR, we found out he's heartworm positive.  His current foster family has gotten him through his treatment for heartworm and he should be ready for adoption in about five months when he tests negative for heartworm.  He does have some arthritis along with the birth defect that is present in his back legs.  His foster family reports that for the most part, his back legs don't bother him.  He runs and plays, but just looks a little different when he runs.  He also can't manage more than a few steps.  Other than that, he's very good in the house and does great with the two dogs he's living with.  Check back with this page to find out more about this wonderful golden!

Jan. 26, 2008
As reported by his foster mom:  "Not much new with Simba this week.  He is still doing very well and I will be making an appointment for x-rays on his legs in the next couple of weeks.  No more issues with growling lately and has actually been very submissive rolling over on his back for a belly rub every time you walk past him.  He has become a part of the family and we have decided to adopt him when he has a clean bill of health."  Congratulations to this golden guy for finding his forever home! 

STARR #656 (ready for adoption!)
Starr came to WAAGR on Sept. 24, 2006, from the Oconto County Shelter.  She was extremely hand shy, had definitely been used for a breeding dog for years, her skin and coat were in horrible shape from allergies that had never been properly taken care of, and she had entropia in both eyes.

 WAAGR scheduled her eye surgery and she recovered quickly from that.  Her allergies have been an ongoing battle and we are just now beginning to see some major improvement on this issue.  When we started to treat her she was full of Candida and several other funguses.  She has also tested sensitive to chicken, wheat, dairy and corn.  She was constantly scratching and would often have open sores from itching.  Her coat is extremely thin and she has lost most of her hair by her back legs, hind quarters and under her neck.

We choose to treat her holistically rather than assault her immune system by loading her with steroids.  Her foster family has been working hard to get her conditions under control.  Starr is on a raw diet and a variety of supplements to help heal her digestive track and rebuild her immune system. She is now clear of the Candida and fungal infections, and has started to show great improvements with her allergies.  Her skin is starting to heal and she is no longer warm to the touch, nor is her skin red and inflamed.  Her foster family is now working on getting her to gain some weight and grow in some of the hair she lost.

Starr, who is nine, has a very sweet, loving personality.  She loves to cuddle and would sit by you for hours to be petted.  She is very well behaved in the house, loves car rides, walks very nicely on leash and gets along well with other dogs.  We'll keep you posted on her progress and are so proud of the strides she has made while with WAAGR!

March 9
Starr has been having a horrible time the last several weeks with itching again.  She went to her vet appointment and she is testing positive for hay fever.  Her foster family did her treatment and gave her a small dose of prednisone shot to help her heal.  She is doing much better now.  Her appetite is wonderful and she still has tons of energy, loves playing with her foster sister, going on walks and car rides.  She would make an awesome dog for an older person.  She is very quiet in the house, loves to snuggle, is good on leash, loves attention, doesn't jump, and is good with other dogs. Her foster mom thinks she will always have some itching going on and needs to be on an excellent diet, but that is her only requirement in a forever home!

Jan. 6, 2008
Starr is doing very well.  She has grown all of her missing coat back in on her back end, her feet and on her chest.  She's still doing some scratching, but she's much better than she was!  She's starting to play with one of her foster siblings and the two of them wrestle and run around the yard together.  When she's not playing, she's works hard to keep her foster family's couch warm!

Dec. 2
Sounds like Starr had quite the adventure recently as reported by her foster family.  She managed to get over a three-time reinforced fencing with the electric fence on!  This time Starr didn't go far.  She must have realized it was almost supper time, so she just ran up to the front yard and barked to come in.  So now, the family is back to "puppy training" with Starr.  Her foster mom watches Starr and another of her dogs like a hawk when they go outside to potty and as soon as they are done she calls them back in and give them jackpot treats for coming back in the house. Her foster mom is hoping this is going to be much more rewarding than running away.  Other than being an accomplished escape artist, she is doing well!

Oct. 13
Starr has earned a new nickname this week – Spunky!  She is feeling much better as she has tons more energy and is trying to initiate play with the other dogs in her foster home.  Her foster mom reports that Starr and one of the other dogs were playing tug of war the other night and it was a joy to watch!  Her foster family has been working with her for more than a year and it has taken that long to start rebuilding her immune system and for her to start regaining her health. Her foster dad looked at her the other night and said she is starting to look like a golden. She has a ways to go yet, but she is a very happy, energetic girl right now!

Sept. 30
Starr has been with WAAGR more than a year now and continues on her journey back to health. Her foster family reports that she had a few set backs with her skin, as she has started to itch a little again.  She is nowhere near as bad, so the family is excited that progress has been made.  Additional great news is that the hair around Starr's eyes is starting to grow back in!  She continues to be her sweet, loving self; loves to bask in the sun, snooze on the couch, and is always ready for treats and car rides.  What a life a golden leads, huh?  She has even tried to initiate play with other dogs in her foster home.  Her foster mom reports that "Starr is a major snuggler and loves to be as close to you as possible."

Aug. 31
Summer has not been kind to Starr.  As reported by her foster family:  "With the intense heat and whatever pollens are out there, she has been miserable itching and biting at herself until she is raw.  Yesterday, at her treatment, we decided to give her a very low dose steroid shot to help reduce the itching and inflammation along with a low dose steroid spray, which will not absorb into her organs.  She seemed more comfortable last night.  The interesting thing is she does not test positive for any outside or seasonal allergies.  There was also an article that was just published in the Whole Dog Journal about raw, unprocessed honey helping heal allergies.  I have started adding a TBS of that to her food which she loves!  They also recommended mixing it with essential oils in a shampoo to sooth the skin.  I did that for her last bath and she was good for about three hours.  I am still convinced that we need to find the “magic solution” for her, fill the hot tub with it and let her swim in it all day!"

WAAGR • 12605 West North Avenue, #285 • Brookfield, WI 53005
phone: 414-517-7725