November is “Adopt a Senior” month and we’ve got a special senior located at the City Of Taylor, Texas Animal Shelter looking for his forever family. His name is Sully. He was found at the tennis courts in Murphy Park and has been at the shelter since July 19. The fur on his neck was worn like he had a collar on at some point so he definitely belonged to someone. Sadly, nobody claimed him.
Sully began to show signs of an illness that included weight loss and coughing, as well as a fainting episode. So the shelter staff reached out to us for help and we had Graef Veterinary Hospital check him out. Of course he’s heart worm positive, as most dogs that enter the shelter are. But his cough was being caused by fluid accumulation in his lungs; something similar to pneumonia. They also found that he has a heart murmur and an enlarged heart. It’s hard to tell if those issues are caused by the heartworm infection or if they were pre-existing conditions since there is no way to tell how many worms a dog is infected with unless you subject them to open heart surgery which he is definitely not healthy enough for. Xrays also revealed that his abdomen was filled with nothing but gas which would explain why he was losing weight despite being fed a very healthy serving every day. No blockages though, so food was basically going right through him.
Sully has a bucket list!
After consulting with the vet we came to the conclusion that Sully was not a candidate for neuter surgery or heartworm treatment at this time. All we could do was treat him for the fluid in his lungs with antibiotics. Our best guess on his age is between 10 and 15 years. While at the shelter, he has become increasingly stressed. To the point that while he is definitely potty trained (keeps his kennel spotless) and enjoys being indoors, he HATES having to go back in his kennel.
BUT after changing his food to a more digestion friendly formula, he’s begun to put some of that weight back on! He’s not done yet! SULLY WANTS TO LIVE HIS BEST LIFE!
If you can give Sully an inside home that is somewhat calm (he faints when he gets overly excited) where he can live out his life, please contact the Taylor Animal Shelter at 512-352-5483 or send us a message. A meet and greet with your dog(s) prior to him going home with you is required as well as proof of spay, no exceptions. Once he’s settled in after a month or two, we’ll have him re-evaluated at our vet (no cost to you) to see if there has been any change in his prognosis. Since this is a situation where he likely won’t be able to undergo any treatment for his conditions, Texas Critter Crusaders will be there to help with any medical costs his health may require.
Please share this so we can get Sully out of the shelter for how ever much time he has left.