WEEK 2 UPDATE!!!

"You talking to me"

WEEK 2

Well, Sherman is feeling better!!!! He may not look 100% yet but we can tell that he feels a whole lot better. He's spunky and extremely awkward, like cute puppy awkward. He gets these excited fits where he just likes to jump around, but it's almost like the "hot lava" game as a kid where every time his foot touches the ground he immediately has to pick it up. It's really funny. I've also come to realize he has a very short attention span... like a puppy, or my kid. I've tried to get a video of him playing and as soon as I pull out my phone he stops and either sits or comes to see what I have. Photos and video have proven to be somewhat difficult.

He looks so much younger

On a health note... SHERMAN IS GROWING NEW HAIR!!! This is just peach fuzz and I probably shouldn't be so excited about it but he has new hair growth all over. It's mostly noticeable on the top of his head and his legs but you can see it on both legs, butt, feet, chest, head... all over, besides right in the middle of his back right now. I'm not sure if it was just time or the meds but we tried a new cream called Nu-Stock. The cream turns him yellow (the cream is yellow in color) but has really seemed to help. We still have no idea what he is going to look like or what color he will turn out to be but the transformation is exciting.

NEW HAIR

What do you think? What do you think Sherman will look like when he's finished healing? (comment below)

Weight wise, Sherman is now at around 44 lbs. (weighed him yesterday). He still looks like he needs to put on a bunch of weight but to put in perspective just how emaciated he was... he was at 35 lbs when we got him.... 35!!!!!!. He still looks skinny and kinda malnourished but he's put on almost 10 lbs in a week just by feeding him the recommended amount of food based on his weight and age. He's doing so well, I almost can't believe it's the same dog.

Let's try a video

I'd also like to open it up if anyone has any specific questions they would like addressed or answered comment  here. I'd be happy to answer any that I can.


I realize its been about a week since I last posted and I'm sorry about that. My job is classified as "essential" so I'm still working, I'm also trying to limit undo exposure so I've been going to the grocery stores and getting supplies for the family. Needless to say, when I get home I'm greeted by a four year old that hasn't seen me all day and just wants to play. In the future I will really attempt to get two post in a week, sorry about this long delay.

Photo Update

UPDATE:

I'm sorry it's been a few days since my last post. The weekend got away from me with projects and other things, then straight into my work week.

Sherman has been great and seems to really be making progress. He has much more energy and he looks like he's putting more and more weight on. He loves his meals and can't wait to eat.

 Now!!

Day #1

Sherman continues to get his medication and medicated baths but the baths get better and better. During his bath this afternoon we noticed he's getting a little peach fuzz on his tail , hip, and face... It's the first signs of new hair growth!!!!!! I also realized his baths are a lot less crusty, meaning i'm not wiping crustiness off of him as I bathe him, it's more like giving a hairless dog a bath.

His skin also looks a lot better. He's gone from crusty, very stinky skin... to a more smooth, leather looking skin.

 Now!!

Day #1

Besides that, he has been introduced to and does very well with our three other dogs. He even did some "zoomies" the other morning. He's just an easygoing, happy, dog and we hope he starts to make quick progress so we can have him checked for any other underlying things.

 New Peach Fuzz!!

Teeny Tiny bits of new hair!!

I's like to thank everyone who has been following along and sharing Sherman's story. It's a story I feel needs to be told and heard.

Fosters with Kids

He loves to lay in the sun

SHERMAN UPDATE:

Oh man has this guy gotten spunky!! He's like a completely different dog from when he was first left with us. He seems to have found the pep in his step (he even jumped outside the other day).

We are doing a lot of learning on both sides. Sherman is learning how this house works while we learn his cues. For instance, he has started to learn that he should go to the bathroom outside (preferably in the grass on not on the deck or concrete). We have learned that the loud farts that I blamed on my daughter is actually his butt telling us he has to poop. (Seriously, its the loudest dog farts I've ever heard). Sherman is also figuring out he is going to get a next meal, he definitely lets us know when he's hungry.

On a medical type update... he is a little incontinent. I read up on Hypospadias (see the last post for more info on that) and it is a side effect of the condition. It doesn't seem to bother him but sometimes a little urine leaks out when he sits or lays down.  His feet are still a little puffy (its his natural immune response to the mange) and he's still itchy.

Good news is he seems to be filling out a little in the hind end, putting on a little weight, and his skin looks like its starting to get a little better. The old, dry, broken, coarse hair that was on his back when we got him seems to be mostly gone. His skin seems to have gone from and old shoe leather look to a more just hairless look. He still has some crustiness but that seems to be getting much better also. He isn't out of the woods and completely better, he just seems to be making progress. He's going to have another bath tomorrow and I'll get some pictures posted of the progress in the coming days.

FOSTERS WITH KIDS:

I've mentioned before that I have two daughters, a 4 year old and a 7 month old. We've also been fostering since just before Maddy turned 2. We have always said there will be one of three careers for Maddy when she grows up. She will run a rescue or animal shelter, she'll be a veterinarian, or she's gonna be a lawyer. Basically she loves animals and she likes to argue and negotiate.

Maddy is normally our little dog tester. She's come with us to the shelters more times than I can count. staff at one of the shelters knows her by name. We always bring her, and make sure whatever dog we decide to take home is cool with kids, especially one that wants to pet them all day. Due to COVID-19 we didn't get to do that with Sherman. We made sure to warn Maddy that we were getting a new dog and that he was kinda sick. We had to tell her that he may look scary at first but that he needs our help.

Well, last Saturday came around and Sherman was dropped off with his load of medication. Maddy's exact words once we got him in, settled and introduced were "He looks scary but it's not his fault" she then proceeded to scratch and pet him and try to get him to play a new game called "follow me". Now we've gotten to the point where Maddy tells every we talk to (friends and family on FaceTime) that "we have a new foster dog", "He has no hair but it isn't his fault", "He pees a lot", and "He has Iguana feet".

Iguana Feet

Sherman absolutely loves the kids, as have every dog we've brought home. If you've ever thought about fostering, don't let being a parent or having small children stop you.... they may surprise you.

Sherman Medical Update

Shmooshy Face

SHERMAN MEDICAL UPDATE

I'd like to start with a medical update on Sherman. We recently found out Sherman is a more special and unique than we originally thought.

We noticed the first day we got him that when he pees it doesn't quite look right. We've had male puppies before and it isn't uncommon for them to squat to pee and not lift their legs, but it looked a lot like Sherman was peeing from his butt and his urine was rolling down his hind legs.It was bit concerning but he is also so emaciated that we just weren't sure if it had something to do with his condition, a genetic issue, or abuse. It also didn't seem to bother him all that much so we decided we would look a little later, once he was a bit more comfortable with us. 

On Sunday he seemed to warm up a bit more, he didn't seem unsure or afraid and seemed like he knew we were here to help. I lifted him up so Chelsae (my wife) could get a look at his manlyhood and take a few pictures for the vet. It wasn't pretty and looked like his genitals were underdeveloped and just didn't look like it should. We sent the photos and the video of him using the restroom to Amanda (the rescue coordinator) and eagerly awaited the response. None of us had ever seen it and it was a bit of a medical mystery.

I'll admit, I'm one of those people that will google anything that is going on with myself or one of the dogs and I couldn't find anything. A small part of me started to think Sherman may have been tortured but I had no clue. Chelsae was on it and found a condition called Hypospadias. We included our internet diagnosis in the communication with Amanda. Later on Easter we heard back from the veterinarian (who had to dust off his textbooks) and he asked to see Sherman.

On Monday Sherman had his first vet visit under our care. and this is what we found out...

"It was confirmed that our little Sherman has the a rare condition called Hypospadias. Hypospadias is a congenital anomaly of the genitalia where there is fusion failure and incomplete development of the urethra. This is why it looked like Sherman was peeing from his butt. As of now Sherman has a long road to recovery ahead of him- months of TLC, medicated baths, antibiotics, wiping each time he uses the bathroom and continued application of ointment to his butt area to avoid the pee from burning his already raw skin. Once his skin starts to heal and is under control he will then need a sonogram at a specialist to figure out his internal set up and make a plan. The surgery is uncommon, expensive and something vets usually read about in text books, rarely see in real life. On top of this all when Sherman is healthy enough he will need to be fully vetted and have his cherry eye corrected."

I had to read it a few times and do a little of my own research to understand. Basically Sherman's boy parts didn't fully develop due to a genetic abnormality. The vet even said there is something like one reported case of Canine Hypospadias in the entire state of California all year.

So on top of Sherman be extremely malnourished, his cherry eye, his horrible skin condition, his swollen feet, and all of the ongoing medication, baths, and sprays.... He also has to deal with a congenital issue that will very likely require surgery to repair. Luckily the one of the only veterinary surgical hospitals that can do the surgery is very close, at UC Davis.

Unfortunately, we are in a holding pattern since we need his immune system to get stronger and have his skin and other issues clear up before we can even think about him being sedated or treated for some of these underlying issues. It's amazing all of this can get to this point in just his first 5 months of life.

His crusty skin and dry clumpy hair

So, for the time being we will be continuing all the medications he was sent home with from the animal shelter along with some supplements like fish oil and probiotics. We will be applying petroleum jelly or neosporin just bellow his butt to keep his own urine from burning his already sensitive and beat up skin (think doggie diaper rash), and we will be wiping his butt after he uses the bathroom to keep the area dry and unaffected. DID I MENTION MY WIFE IS A SAINT????? I help when I'm home, but my job is considered "essential" and I'm going to work during the days.

I know this is long but I wanted to be thorough. He has a very long (and expensive) road to recovery. Sherman is a true UNDERDOG

SHERMAN'S PERSONALITY

On a much happier note, Sherman's personality has really started to shine through the last few days. He not only comes to check on us when we come into the room her is in but he actively seeks out scratches and love. He has shown a real interest in both of my daughters (4yo Maddy and 7mo Morgan) and follows the baby around while she runs around the kitchen in her walker. He loves to get pets from Maddy and leans in while she gently scratches over the sweater we have him in (more on kids and foster dogs in the coming day or two).

Sherman loves getting Maddy pets

And boy does he have a voice on him. When it's chow time he sings the songs of his people until there is a bowl plopped down in front of him. He even seems to really love bath time, that or he just really enjoys the 10 minutes of straight scratches and body rubs while we wait for the medicated shampoo to work on his skin. He's a very sweet and affectionate soul.

If you're curious how to help Sherman or another dog feel free to comment below and I'll try to get back to you to answer whatever questions I can. You can also check out UNDERDOG ANIMAL RESCUE

ANGRY!!!!!!

Sherman and Orchid

Woke up this morning:

So today is Easter. The crazy part of me decided I wanted to cook a twelve hour brisket with Maddy's (my oldest daughter, 4 yo) favorite vegetable.... Artichokes. So, I decided to wake up at 4am and start the smoker for this dinner I had all planned out in my mind. I got up, and walked into the kitchen to see sweet Sherman perk up in his kennel like Christmas morning to see what the clatter was all about. Poor guy had gone to the bathroom in his kennel (not uncommon for fosters since they may not know to go outside). I did let him out and his feet looked on so I let him out of the kennel for a while to explore the kitchen... poor thing just went into George's kennel. It's like he has no clue on how to be outside of a cage. I proceeded to clean up the mess and I had this overwhelming sense of angry wash over me...

First Crusty Bath

SHERMAN'S CONDITION

I think my anger stemmed from yesterday. I mean, I saw the photos of him at the shelter. I saw the condition. But once I actually laid eyes on him my heart hurt, my blood boiled, I wanted retribution for him, to make someone hurt as badly as he was hurt.

You see.... yesterday I gave him his first or many, many, many medicated baths. From what I have googled (gotta love Google), Demodex is a form of mite that lives in the hair follicle, making it eventually fall out and the skin to be crusty and smell horribly of yeast. It is typically passed on from mother to pup during birth and can happen to any dog. This isn't what infuriates me... What makes me mad is the  condition I first saw him in.

Sherman is estimated to be five months old.... 5 MONTHS!!!!! He looks like a dog you'd see on a zombie movie... he has almost no fur, he has flaky skin and sores over his entire body, he's itchy, droopy, crusty, a few open sores, and I can count many more bones on his body than I should be able to....he looked defeated. He's tired and yesterday he looked like he had simply given up. There's no reason a young puppy should have given up.

He's so skinny and lacked energy yesterday that when I was giving him a bath I thought for sure he had an inflamed anal gland. I later realized what I was feeling was his hip bone.... HIS HIP BONE!!!!! I mentioned yesterday that this dog has no reason to trust people whatsoever and it's true, but the entire time I was scrubbing him down he was leaning into me, grunting in approval, and laying his head on my leg. He would have a hard time standing but he would grunt and almost purr with approval. After the bath he went back to sleep inside the kennel (although he had free roam of the entire kitchen and backyard.

Car ride from the Shelter

Sherman's Backside (what I thought was an infected glad... it's his bone)

FAST FORWARD TO THIS MORNING

I was so conflicted this morning when he greeted me. I was more than happy to see him, see that he made it through his first night with relative ease (the first night with a new foster is always the hardest). But I was so angry he was failed by a person. Failed by someone he should have trusted. And as it is with many dogs... he showed me who the stronger species is. As I was cleaning his kennel, he sniffed on me and gave me licks , almost like he was thanking me. Like wherever he was before, a simple kennel cleaning wasn't a normal thing.

People suck. Not all people, but a lot of us do and we all know it. We argue about everything, we debate everything from politics to what we eat for dinner. Dogs are simple. All they want is a warm bed and someone to come home at night and give them attention and food. They don't argue over who spends time with them, they don't argue what you put in front of them to eat, they don't care about politics or celebrities... they're simple. Sherman in particular is a simple, sweet pup. He looks like he could be cast in "I Am Legend" but he has a sweet soul.

All of today has been more or less a whole new dog. He still prefers to lay in his kennel to rest but he's perked up, he followed me around the kitchen sniffing for food, we even got to hear his bark. (Note to self- don't feed the other dog first while I get his dinner ready or he will bark "what the hell dude"). By the end of the evening he would even come up to us looking for to be scratched. He's growing on us all fast. More updates to come.

Sleepy Boy

I've been asked quite a bit over the last day on how to help this guy. If you are one of those people or if Sherman's story has inspired you in some way you can find Underdog Animal Rescue's Facebook page here, there is a fundraiser post on the page.

At First Sight

THE BEGINNING

Hello, my name is Rick. I'll start by saying I'm new to blogging. I've always wanted to start a blog and talk about all the crazy things that run through my head on a daily basis but I could never hone it down to just one topic. Today I found that one topic, that one story, that needs to be told.

This journey with UNDERDOG ANIMAL RESCUE started a few years ago. To be exact it was the beginning of July 2017 when my wife asked me if we could foster two pittie puppies. At the time we already had our own three dogs, a toddler, my job and a pretty active social life. To be honest, I was cool with it. I just reminded my wife that the bulk of the duties of caring for the pups would be on her since she was home during the day. On July 3rd of that year she went and picked up four pit bull puppies that were rescued from the porch of a home about an hour and a half drive from our place. We ended up only fostering two, and the other two went to another foster home, but that was the start of our  three year journey into the world of dog rescue. Since that fateful day, we have had 28 different foster dogs pass though the doors and beds of our home. Some for months, other for days, one senior that stayed with us through his last days.

Rescue is hard work and my wonderful wife is a saint for how well she handles it all. I get to retreat to work during the week but she is here, feeding, bathing, and  cleaning messes from not only the dog but also our two kids. With that said, rescue is also a lot of fun and extremely rewarding. You get to hang out with and train a new dog all the time. You get to love on and cuddle with a new dog all the time, and if the dog has some quirks that are hard to get through, it isn't permanent. And there's nothing like sending that dog off to its permanent home, to live and be loved for the rest of their days.

We have had our fair share of sad cases. We've taken in Kennel Cough cases, malnourished cases, we even took in a 17 year old beagle that was deaf, lumpy, and had no teeth. Nothing prepared us for what was next...


 THE FACE OF RESCUE

I have had a special place in my heart for every dog that has come into our home but none have really made me tear up just looking at them. Maybe we are just lucky but these dogs bring a smile to my face. Some are sad but we try to do our part, and my mindset has always been that we are just a stop, don't get too attached.

Today was the day that changed. Today I realized we can be much more than just a random stop in the life of a four-legged creature. This is The Face Of Rescue....

Meet Sherman!!!! This boy has pulled at my heartstrings more in the last 5 hours than any other dog we've had. He's crusty, stinky, skin and bones, and he has no reason at all to trust humans. Someone let him get this way and I'm here to tell the story he can't!!!


SHERMAN'S BACKGROUND (as far as we know)

Basically all we know about this pup is that he has the worst case of Demodectic Mange any of us have ever seen, he's a sack of skin and bones (more on that in the future), he's got a cherry eye, and he was confiscated from a person in the Sacramento area.

He was brought to Front Street Animal Shelter with a female that wasn't in nearly as bad a shape as he is. Underdog Animal Rescue pulled both from the shelter, and we got Sherman.

Stay tuned for the story on this incredible pup and his rehab from Frankenstein back to, well.... I guess we'll find out together!