Tillman is home and his name is Angel

[Christine]

When I first got Bailey, she also had terrible separation anxiety and it manifested in her destroying carpet, lamps, tv cable and door jams. She became a different dog when left alone in the house. I read everything I could get my hands on, but ended up leaving her in her little outdoor world while I was gone. She rarely barked and I always believed it was due to the cruelty of her former owner.

One of the things the research suggested was not doing the same thing when you leave, such as saying goodby, "I'll be back", "Be a good boy", putting on coat or picking up car keys, that sort of thing.

Another training thing they suggested was to leave, wait a few minutes and come right back, leave, wait a little longer, etc. Wonder if trying this in the middle of cuddling session - totally unexpected would work.

You said he is totally deaf so leaving on music not do anything - do you have a little tv he could see movement and be a distraction? Change the barricade to something different? Just brainstorming here...I wish we could hit on something. Hopefully, once the vet sees him, you will have some pieces of the puzzle and he will calm down and eat too.

[CarolC]

Where is the rescue needed post? I would like to read it. Do you think it would do any good to take him for a walk to work off some of his nerves? Is he up to it?

Call the hospital where he was treated and ask what the cephalexin was for.

I think you might want to take another look at the questions critters was asking above, they sound right on. Merlin gradually quit eating, even though he wanted to, and he turned out to have a combination of infected tooth, renal failure, and a touch of pancreatitis. I hope it's not that with this dog, but I'd stay with bland diet.

[CarolC]

Well...Missing Link is called that for a reason!

No kidding!!!

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

He has the run of the yards when Allicks is locked in a BR which she is during the weekend and at night when I get home and juggle dogs. He doesn't go anywhere I am not. Although I can trick him by walking to the steps and he'll follow Albin down, or go down on his own. He was on leash today to go to doc and fought like crazy. I put him in Albin's Gentle Leader harness out of fear. Albin weighs less than 20 #. It fit Angel, snuggly, but it FIT HIM! He does not do leash well at all, if you want him to go somewhere. If he wants to go there, you breathe in and you breathe out, but if he doesn't your heart is in your throat, hoping the harness holds. Oddly for a dog who can't walk, he can walk, run, do stairs, JUMP on the bed! I took him into BR tonight with me so I could try some close hugging, which he doesn't tolerate very well. He let me snuggle a bit, and I hummed into his skull and he didn't care for it. Jumped off the bed. Albin made him squeal in pain tonight, so Albin got locked down. Even though they were right next to me, I don't know what happened. When I got home from work Friday, the baby gate was knocked down as well as the barricades I had put up to keep that from happening. No bloodshed, so today, after the aborted vet visit, I left him loose while I did errands. No screaming. Well, there was, but it was Albin, Gabriel & Angel. I haven't even had time to catch you up on Albin, he has eaten my braided rub, my couch, the sheet that covers it and the eggshell underneath. He ate his toy box, a cute wicker basket in the LR. Left the toys in there. So threw out th wicker and got hard plastic and now he doesn't touch anything except carpet & couch. Got the bitter bitter and sprayed it all over everything. Like vita gravy, he loves it. Bought a new vac last weekend, and about killed it trying to try to pick up during the week. That is classic separation anx., but in Albin's case, just being Albin. So, do I risk leaving them alone and Albin, Gabriel, Ambrr & Angel getting into it while I'm gone, if it alleviates his .. terror, stress, ???
Angel is heading outside right now. Doors open it's a cool 78 right now.
Gave him a couple tablespoons of beef fat with 2 calmer downers hidden in there. He licked a few and found the tab and turned up his nose. So gave the mess to Allicks who also got his days worth of nose turns, quite a combo of baby food, ground beef, canned food, vita gravy, pea soup and cottage cheese. She will of course, have to be let out every hour now, which means everyone else gets locked up.
I wish I could solve Angel's problem. I wish I could get him to eat. I wish I could comfort him. I wish I had good diagnoses on what all is going on. He received as much care as the folks in NJ thought he might endure and that he might be worth. He was to be PTS the a.m. after his arrival, and the staff really moved Heaven & Earth saving his life.
Oh, and he was wormed. His beautiful ochre eyes I was going on about with the coordinator are actually hemorrhages. He had severe head trauma. When you think about it, his being here is a mircle by itself. Which is why I am so frantic to make things better for him.

Here's the Camden County AS post:
This handsome guy came in as a stray after being hit by a car. We were told he suffered some mild neurological damage, and for the first few days he was here, we tried to make him comfortable, hoping his owner would show. He steadily declined and stopped eating. The vet who first examined him felt that he was suffering, and that he should be euthanized. While our staff didn't want him to be uncomfortable, we just couldn't give up on him. We decided to see how he did overnight, and then put him down the next morning if he worsened. When we rushed to his cage the next morning, there was Tillman, still not standing, but wagging his tail, alert, and best of all, hungry!

While he may not have much time left, (we believe he is at least 12 yrs. old) we feel this old guy deserves to enjoy the next few months or year.

If anyone can provide a hospice-type home for him, please let us know!


Niki Dawson
Executive Director
Camden County Animal Shelter
Phone: 856.401.1300
Fax: 856.401.1309
P.O. Box 475
125 Barnsboro Rd.
Blackwood, NJ 08012Attachments
I am so sorry for being so obsessed with this boy and for taking up so much space. I just need to make things better for him. He deserves to be happy, for as long as he has, and while I can make him smile and love him so his fur falls off, I can't seem to fix these problems. It's tearing me up.
He doesn't have a diet at all. I can try some things that aren't bland and tomorrow and going to fix a mess of ramen noodles to see if he will eat that. Also some mac & cheese. He won't eat! He won't eat! Bland or tasty. He has to eat anything at all. He has to eat to live. I can't get him to eat. He won't eat anything I give him, tasty, bland, good for him, bad for him, he won't eat.

[BC4EVR]

Karen,
You have done a remarkable job with Angel. Stop beating yourself up. He was almost dead a week ago and he is walking and enjoying life probably more than he ever has. Just enjoy your time with him - you have done what you set out to do - give him a family and some love in his last days. As we age our bodies begin to shut down and if Angel is 14 years old and that may be happening to him. He is such a lucky dog that he is with you - you are such a loving and caring person and he will know that he has experienced a little heaven on earth. BTW have you tried Vienna Sausage or Potted Meat? I use it to give my dogs their pills in plus it would be soft for him if his teeth are bad.
You and all your furbabies are in my thoughts and prayers. I know you are still grieving over Possum and Jude - take care of yourself.
Carole

[puremutt]

what about those plug ins ( forgot the name) with the scent to calm them down for t storms and such.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

PUremutt, it's DAP a pheramone. Some sort of gender ... related scent.

Carole, I'll try weenies. I put 7 Ace to capture the wild highway 170 dog and all it did was make him unstable. But if I can get Angel to eat, hey, I'll try to slip a vita tab in it, although they are huge with a very distinctive scent.

Just make some melted cheese & chips. I'll see if he'll eat that.

[CarolC]

His beautiful ochre eyes I was going on about with the coordinator are actually hemorrhages. He had severe head trauma.

In humans bloodshot eyes can occur with kidney failure, I think because of the hypertension.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

He ate some chicken and half a hot dog (I sneaked some kibble into both) Good start to the day!
On the plus side, he is very happy as long as I'm close by. He has adapted beautifully except for the eating and the separation anxiety. He spent the day outside with me yesterday, and had 'quite' a workout, walking about sniffing things.
CarolC, he has a knot on his head right next to his left eye, they said his hemorrhages were due to the impact of the car. And they do bother him, he rubs his head on the floor grunting.
His water intake and 'ex-take' are very good, imho, and being a boy, he feels he has to mark everything and I do mean everything that is upright, table leg, garbage can, tree, vacuum ... man, I am so glad I got myself a steam cleaner for Christmas.

[critters]

Sounds good! Maybe he just had to adjust. He had a long, long trip and all...

[puremutt]

Agree with Critters, when he knows your daily routine, hopefully it all works out.

[Christine]

How'd things go at the vet? So glad to hear he is coming around!

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Hospital yelped when I told them what I was feeding him (not that he's actually eating it) so no more anything that has fat in it, which is about all he actually will eat. boiled chicken and rice. Nope to both, but baked yes, and made some more ricearoni last night, he ate a couple of tablespoons and again this am with half a hot dog. Gads.

[puremutt]

At least it is something right?
reward with the favorite hot dog piece maybe? Encourage, dance reward LOL

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Well, still nose turns to the delicious slop I fix of chicken broth, some lamb bits, some rice but I made the mistake of sneaking canned dog food in there, just a tiny bit. So a couple of licks and then nothing.
I have to tell you though, the last two nights he barks when I get home. How does he KNOW???? He senses vibrations I guess and as I walk Allicks to the back yard for her lock up till I can lock up the inside dogs, he watches me through the BR window. Bark Bark Bark. Into the bathroom, the other three into the BR, and outside to get Allicks who goes into the other BR with her dinner, then the 3 come out, then Angel, then I fix his dinner, lock him back in bathroom, feed the other three, they eat, let him out, re-feed him because he doesn't eat when in the bathroom, and he still doesn't eat. We are all out running free which means Gabriel is posed at the door to pounce on the puppy who runs in and out, Ambrr & Angel lay around and Allicks of course is locked up for thenight. Then at 4 a.m. we do the same thing in reverse. With the slop and the breakfasts.
He really isn't any work at all, except for my trying to get him to eat (which takes up a couple of hours a day) and having to sequester him so the others can eat and he doesn't make any mistakes of trying to check out their bowls, and his hours of barking. Right now, he is just laying around ...