What about Bob?

It’s dogs like Bob that we go The Extra Mile for and boy it is going to be a long mile for this heart breaker of a hound dog.

When we received word from our friends at the Richland County Animal Shelter there was a dog in desperate need of medical attention we knew we had to help. Bob, a stray Bloodhound, was picked up in Richland County and brought back to the local shelter and was immediately loved by the staff and volunteers at the shelter. It was obvious that he needed medical attention given the two large protruding tumors coming out of his neck, the cantaloupe sized soft tumor lodged in the side of his neck, his extremely smelly and infected ears and his ever-so-obvious blindness. Bob was happily walking into walls making the rounds at the shelter greeting everyone his Bloodhound nose could sniff out.

We put a call out to our volunteer transporters and Monica stepped up and made the near four hour round trip to pick Bob up and bring him back to Cleveland. It was a smelly ride but rewarding nonetheless. He arrived safely and promptly sniffed his way inside where he was greeted by the staff at The Mutt Hutt. Much to his surprise he was getting a much needed bath! We did our best to wash away his odor making sure to be extremely careful around his ears and his exposed tumors and then he was dried off and awaited his next ride from his newly appointed foster dad Doug.

Doug, a volunteer that started fostering for us late last year, is no stranger to large breed dogs. A former owner of the mighty Saint Bernard breed Doug is  a man with a soft touch we had hoped he and Bob could make it work for a week as roommates. Doug met Bob and he was up for the challenge and agreed to take Bob home. We are so grateful to have a place for Bob while we continue to seek a long-term, committed foster home until a forever home is secured.

Bob made himself quite comfortable at Doug’s house:

“I tried to barricade him in the kitchen when I went to work. I set up two layers of barricades which were very solid. I came home to find him sleeping on the couch in the living room. He is big, clumsy and blind. Yet somehow he delicately moved my barricades, walked to the couch and sacked out. Without damaging a thing.”

Next up our volunteer Justine offers her assistance to take Bob to see Dr. Liz and Emily at Gateway Animal Clinic for a medical work up. Once again Bob was a big hit with the staff at the clinic impressing everyone with his sit command. And then the work to check Bob over began:

♥ Skin issues and infection throughout his body will be treated with antibiotic spray, medicated baths and medication
♥ Sores cover his legs and underbelly from neglect will be treated with antibiotic spray
♥ Double ear infection leaving one to plug their nose as soon as his 12″ ears are flopped open will be treated with medicated plugs
♥ Eye exam determines severe eye infection and possible blindness will be treated with a two-step eye drop and ointment
♥ Exposed dangling tumors stuns the veterinarian staff of how neglected Bob was by his former owner will be removed at a later date
♥ Blood draw and lab results indicate Bob has a lot of protein in his urine which we will re-test in two weeks now that he’s on a healthier diet routine eating higher quality food.
♥  Heartworm test results are negative (phew!)

Ear Infection	Sores on legs
Sores on his belly	Tumors on his neck

Throughout his exam Bob insisted on being a happy-go-lucky hound dog making sure he’s getting extra treats for being an extra good patient. When he was all done he was transported back to The Mutt Hutt where he patiently waited for his foster dad to pick him up and start spoiling him again.

Bob will require weeks of medical care which we have committed to providing. Dr. Liz recommends we start with the skin, ears and eyes and have him checked out in two weeks to see how things have progressed. From there she will make a determination of the steps to take to surgically remove his visible tumors and the tumor under his neck skin plus neuter him while he’s under anesthetic. Bob will be receiving medicated baths two times a week to help with the itching and skin infection. Good thing he likes the ladies at The Mutt Hutt Grooming Salon!

Doug reported to us quite a bit in the short time he’s had him as a house guest and we wanted to share his report:

“He is housebroken and not destructive. His vision is bad (if existent at all). He bumps into a lot of things but nothing slows him down. He is very curious and loves sniffing around. He is very trusting. He will go wherever you lead him, including up and down stairs. He is very good on a leash. He does not pull or chase things. He bumps into bushes, trees, fences and the like, but he seems to really enjoy going for walks. He met my parents and was very gentle. He likes affection and did not show any aggression whatsoever.

He ate his food immediately when I put it down in front of him. He is a little messy (food falls on the floor and gets stuck in his joules). But he cleans up the floor and sniffs out every piece of food that falls out of the bowl. He drinks a lot of water. I thought my Saint Bernards slobbered after drinking but Bob puts them to shame. His ears go in the bowl and it looks like a pipe burst when he comes up for air. Have towels nearby.

Unbelievably gentle and ridiculously cute.

He sleeps well and seemed to get comfortable pretty quickly. He is pretty big so I felt bad putting him in the crate. I then figured he has had a rough go and could use a little couch time.”

We estimate the veterinarian expenses alone to care for Bob will be $1500.

If you would like to help please consider making a donation to The Extra Mile Fund or click here to make a donation through Paypal. You may also send a check directly to us in the mail to:

Secondhand Mutts
c/o Bob the Bloodhound
2603 Scranton Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Welcome to the Secondhand Mutts family Bob. We are happy to have you here and are looking forward to helping you feel better and finding you a wonderful forever home to live out your days on a couch (hopefully).

Stay tuned to our calendar of events to find out when you can meet Bob at Pet People or PetValu during one of our upcoming Meet-Our-Mutts adoption events.