Stevie - Adopted

Name: Stevie
Sex: Female (altered)
Breed: Siberian Husky
Age: Estimated 3 -6 years
Location: Las Vegas, NM

Vet Info: UTD on Bordetella (3/16/12) and DAPP (3/6/12).  HW negative.  Lepto not done due to nursing babies.  Rabies 4/16/12 - 1 yr.  Vet feels Stevie is between 3 and 6 years of age, likely closer to 6 (her molars are well worn, and one is broken). Stevie's blindness appears to have been caused by entropic eyelashes having turned inward, thus scratching her corneas repeatedly over time and causing thick scarring. That would take significant time to reach the point at which she is now. Spay verified.

Owner Info: Stevie was picked up as a stray with her newborn litter by San Miguel County Animal Control. When taken into the shelter, Stevie was extremely stressed, constantly pacing, and moving her puppies back and forth. I feared she would continue to de-compensate and possibly harm her puppies. I was able to secure the best possible foster home I have available on the very day Stevie entered the shelter. She spent less than five hours in a shelter environment! Stevie's foster mom has given her an amazing environment to raise her puppies and recover physically and emotionally. The puppies are getting close to being weaned and they will be transferred to one of the puppy rescues we work closely with in Colorado. Stevie will now need the expertise of a group that can provide her the best possible placement for a long and happy life. This girl is incredibly smart and adaptable! She relies on her other senses and her human companion to guide her. She is of course very concerned about knowing where her babies are, but if she feels they are safe she is willing to go for walks and enjoys exploring. Stevie is walked on leash several times each day, which we both enjoy, but now we also routinely let her loose in our fenced yard and she does VERY well. She is so intelligent that she can memorize an area very quickly, and she learned our yard in no time. She enjoys having her freedom, but she also is great about coming when I call her. She will make someone a PERFECT companion. It took her only a handful of minutes to "learn" the room when she was introduced to it. She bumped into a chair twice, and then never again. She seemed to sense when she was close to a wall. She could tell where the doors were. She immediately returned to her water as soon as she knew where it was. I think she would adapt quickly and easily to a larger indoor area. I do not let her loose outdoors because our yard, although fenced, is not level (she could fall) and has evergreen trees and other sharp objects (that would be painful and dangerous to bump into). She is totally blind, so she does need a handler to keep her from falling into ditches, running into objects, etc. That said, she learns a new area VERY quickly and then can remember where obstacles are!  Stevie is shy, but gets along well with men/women.  Note: Because Stevie's immunization history was unknown and both she and her puppies are vulnerable to infectious diseases, we have kept her and the pups completely away from other animals.  Stevie is an indoor dog confined to one area of the house.  She is housebroken and leashed trained.  Stevie has had an ongoing problem with loose stools. She eats Purina One Puppy Chow, rice, scrambled eggs, chicken broth and a multi-vitamin. She has been on and off Imodium which helps a little. Dr. Gaffney feels that the poor girl had a HUGE parasite load. Stevie has been de-wormed with Panacur and Strongid T and been on meds for Giardia. Upon intake, Stevie was covered with ticks. 2/29/12: due to chronic diarrhea, stool sample analyzed: Negative for parasites except POSITIVE for Giardia. Began 5-day treatment with Panacur for Giardiasis and any other possible parasites. 3/5/12: started on 7-day course of Metronidazole (500 mg 2x/day) for Giardiasis. 3/6/12: vaccinated for DAPP (used Fort Dodge DURAMUNE* Max5). Could not vaccinate for Lepto because of nursing babies. 3/16/12: vaccinated for Bordetella (used Intra-Trac 3 intranasal).   Stevie is a great dog and deserves the best possible chance for a great life that only an experienced blind dog organization can provide.