Hi Shy,
Just came across the post and I was wondering how long you had Rosie with your family and around your son before your circumstances changed?

I have a Rottie and she is a true treasure with my children.
A very family oriented dog.
Despite their large size, they make great indoor pets because they love being with the family so much.

Mine happens to get depressed when separated from us.
Stuff like family vacations or long outings are hard for her.

I'm so happy to read that she was happy to see you guys again.
She had possibly bonded with your family and the changing circumstances and new home was difficult for her too.

As you already know, they are great animals despite the bad rep they receive.
Ours is the best family dog we have ever had and I hope it works out for you, Rosie, and especially your son.

I just wanted to share that with you and wish you all the best.

Kae

Thank you, Kae. Rosie came to us when she was a pup, in fact I picked her out of the litter and had to wait till she was ready to go. Was still married then. So, as a whole famly, she was with us all for three years. When the divorce came, my ex took custody of Rosie. I was moving closer to Brandon's specialists and also knew Brandon faced some major ortho surgery, so it made sense for the ex - to keep Rosie. Brandon had three ortho surgeries in less than four years and with all the time spent in the hospitals and in rehab, it was the best choice for Rosie, to be with his Dad. But Brandon and I have kept in contact as he sees his Dad once a month - mostly to see Rosie (lol).
Sometimes when his Dad has come up here to see Brandon and our oldest son, who lives with me, he would bring Rosie with too.

Still, I know it will take some time for her to adjust. You are so right about the breed - they get a bad name, so undeserved for the most part.

Rosie is still at the Vet's and will be for the next four weeks. She has heartworms, not sure how she contracted them, in fact I did not think heartworms were this far North. The Vet started her on Immiticide today and recommended she stay at his clinic so that her level of activity can be monitored and for her meds. In four weeks she will be re tested and we go from there. I feel so bad for her. Left her this afternoon. One thing I am thankful for is her Vet. He is so close to retirement and does not take new animals but said Rosie is a new old friend. My ex said he would go and check her everyday. Brandon and I will go back down this coming weekend and see if we can at least take her out of the kennel for awhile.

I have had dogs with some really strange things but this tops it.

I am glad you found the heart worms. Left untreated, the dog just falls dead one day. At least the newer cures are easier on the dog. The older arsenic didn't have much margin between killing the worms and killing the dog.

Unfortunately anywhere you have mosquitoes, you have heart worm. Sometimes they slip by the preventatives.

We are all anxious to hear Rosie is back with Brandon.

Oh Shy! :( I am so sorry to hear this. Considering the flea and ear mite problem I am not very surprised. Your ex and the farmer did not take proper care of her. She should have, at the very least been on heartworm preventatives. You have mosquitos in all areas of the U.S. If the vet has to keep her that long, it probably means the heartworms are in an advanced stage. Hopefully the vet will get it under control and she will survive for a while. But, you need to ask him how much damage has been done and what he believes her long term prognosis. Oh, I am so upset over this! That poor dog.

My old friend Findley, one of the best dog experts that ever was on the net, claimed the Pacific Northwest was free of heartworm. I really miss him when there are tough questions and bad answers.

I have heard that about the Pacific Northwest. I find it hard to believe with all the rain they get there. But, if a vet said it, I guess I would have to take his word for it. I believe North Dakota does have them. They have 'em in Canada. Those buggers are as big as poodles up there!

Yes, that poor girl! I am so furious and I do not know who to be more furious at! I agree with you, Labman, that old arsenic treatment was either kill or cure. You're right, we have tons of mosquitos around here, in fact the mosquito is the unofficial state mascot; the horsefly is second. Ruby, I did ask about her vaccinations and she was up to date, except for the heartworm. Just makes me sick.

Laughs. Poodles! You betcha. They can carry a pound of flesh quite easily.

I'm so sorry, shy.
I hope there is a good outcome for Rosie.

I have no idea what Findley's qualifications were. He? Refused to say, but didn't sound like a vet, just somebody with a deep love and knowledge of dogs, a gift with words, and not a mean bone in his? Body. I am giving better answers for what I learned from him?

I am not sure how the north west escapes. Maybe all the mosquito eggs get washed out to sea and die in the salt water. I have noticed here after prolonged hard rains, it seem to take them a while to recover.

Update - my oldest son was down to spend the weekend with his Dad and came back with some good news about Rosie. She is doing well, still tired out, but her Vet said she is making improvement. I am to call him this week Thursday and he will make a decision whether she can go home or have to stay. He did say that if he releases her, she does have to come back the middle of May for repeat labs and I have to guarantee she will not be out running. Fine by me. It will take her awhile to get used to this place and all the noises of apartment living. She will not be alone - my oldest goes to work at 3 pm and I am home by 1:30 pm. The big question we are discussing now is whose bedroom she is going to sleep in? We might let her decide that one.

So, knock on wood! May this work out.

Shy, that is wonderful news! You should make the decision as to who's room she will sleep in. Don't let her decide. You don't want to hand off the power to her no matter how badly you feel that she is sick. She really needs you to be the Alpha now. She needs to know that someone is in control and taking care of her. It will help her to relax and speed up the healing process.

That's wonderful to hear, Shy!
Great news indeed!

Kae

Since Rosie is going to be for Brandon, I think she should be sleeping in his room.

Saturday we had a chance to talk to a couple that have a service dog for their autistic son. They had the dog, but not their son at a fundraiser for the organization that trained the dog. They specialize in assistant dogs for youths. They couldn't say enough good things about what the dog is doing for the boy. They had the dog there, but not the boy.

Look into the AKC Canine Good Citizen certification for Rosie. I don't think it gives you any access rights, but would help with the Rottweiler issue in places you can take pets. Go back to some of the early discussion of service dogs and the contact information. It is possible you could get Rosie certified as a service dog or even a therapy dog. Even with a service dog tag, you would at times still have to fight ignorant people. Even people with a dog guide in harness sometimes have trouble.

Our weekend was blessedly free of them. In addition to our 8 month old Lab, Holly, we had our friends 2 month old Golden, Fionia. This was even with passing Fionia up and down the table in the restaurant where our group had dinner Friday night. We did have many chances to educate friendly people about service dogs. Fionia had a tough weekend, but some great early socialization.

Rosie the Rottie is home. She is laying on the floor by Brandon and they are watching Barney. Laughs. She looks better today than she did two weeks ago. Her coat is getting back to being shiny. She smiles and is really an attention hog now. After dinner we are going for a walk - there is an empty field nearby and she can go over and explore. She doesn't like all the sounds in the apt building - but that should get better.

Am glad to have gotten to this point. Next weekend she meets the dog rehab trainer for evaluation. Crossing fingers.

I am so glad to hear that shy! Since you know her disposition, I am sure that this will work out. Keep us posted on how she fares with the trainer.

That's great news!
I'm glad she's home
And doing well:D

Kae

It was not a rough night but not a quiet night. Rosie was awake quite a bit, I took her outside twice and put her back to bed. I imagine this will go on for a few nights until she settles in. A walk after breakfast, a nap now and the day will go fast. Nothing major planned, just staying home and relaxing.

Yes, shy. You are absolutely right. It will more than likely take a week or two for her to settle in. Quiet time is a good idea because of her illness.