Progress is progess

Hello, Chelsae here. Rick suggested that I hop on and maybe share some thoughts about what it's been like fostering Sherman. It's been a busy few weeks at our house, so apologies for the lapse in updates! Ok, here it goes!

Things have been going great! So many milestones have been hit in the five weeks Sherman has been with us! As of yesterday, Sherman has:

• Had no less than 13 medicated baths
• Gone through half a dozen rounds of medication (and more to go!)
• Started a new medication for a urinary tract infection
• GAINED 15 POUNDS SINCE HIS ARRIVAL 
• About 85% of his body is covered in new hair, most of it thick 
• Started wearing a collar that he has finally gotten used to
• Barks at passing airplanes

Photo taken on arrival on 4/11/20

NEW hair coming in, photo taken 4/27/20

LOTS of thick hair and wound almost filled in, photo taken 5/17/20

This sweet boy is such a joy to be around. Several times I have tried filming his reaction to fresh blankets at night before bed. Not since my dog Neptune that I had when I was in my teens have I seen a dog get SO EXCITED for a blanket. We're talking full on butt wiggles, jumps, skips, he just cannot wait to hop in the kennel with the new warm blankets. Due to Sherman's leaky colon (this is where he also urinates) he does leak at night or when sleeping in his kennel. He is able to "hold it" for the most part because in the morning he definitely has to pee, but the leaking is not his fault. I do at least one load of laundry a day with just Sherman's blankets because of course he deserves to have clean, dry blankets, but he also goes through them quickly. We do hope that surgery down the road will fix his leaking problem because we so desperately want to let him come into the living room and be a couch potato with the other dogs, but I can't have pee pee puddles all over the place. Plus, I'll take washing and folding the same dozen blankets over and over versus matching socks and folding baby clothes!

Pulling fresh warm blankets off of the chair while I change out dirty ones. 

Sherman has started playing his own version of fetch... Basically, he wants his toy, he wants our other dogs to want his toy, but he also wants to just lay on the grass next to his toy and roll around making weird barking noises and barking at any passing airplanes. He's a total puppy! Madison really enjoys playing outside with him and Sherman has been doing really well playing with an active child. He doesn't seem bothered by the baby strolling around in her walker or when she has a fit and starts crying.

Sleeping near his toy... He's still figuring out how to lay like a "normal" dog!

"Please play with me George!" 

For such a young dog, he has a great temperament. He's not a crier, he hasn't destroyed anything, he's not terribly mouthy (mostly gives kisses and an aggressive sniffer) and he's mastered the art of begging! He has a little bit further to go before his next vet appointment and then we will have a better timeline of his upcoming medical needs. Until then, we will continue to keep him happy, healthy, and very well loved.

Getting lots of love and attention from Maddy

He's filling out!

I do try to post something on him daily on the Instagram account for our dogs HERE  Yes, I know, I'm that person! As always, thank you all again for sharing Sherman's story. Thank you for supporting him and Underdog Animal Rescue. They are always accepting donations on his behalf or for any of the dogs in their care. Most dogs average $500 or more in medical bills and it does add up. Donations can be made anytime at www.underdogca.com/donate 

You can also follow them on social media here: 

Instagram

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Thank you again so much!

There’s like hella dogs in here.

Sherman Update:

Sherman is really coming into his own. He has a ton of puppy energy and he has so much more fur, it seems like he gets more fur every day. He continues to get ointment and medication but he actually looks like and acts like a dog. 

House training has gone pretty well, he still leaks when he sits sometimes but he's really getting the hang of being here.

DAY 1 

Progress, Progress, Progress

Fostering with other Dogs:

I know I've mentioned this before but Sherman isn't the only four legged creature in our home. Chelsae and I have had dogs throughout our entire relationship and marriage:

 It started with Ethel, she's a very sweet beagle/ american bulldog mix. She's medium dog height but shes thin and has long skinny legs. She's the sweetest dog you've ever met and all she wants to do is be a lap dog. Chelsae had her before I came along but I quickly fell in love with Ethel too. Chels is the love of my life and Ethel was a perk of the relationship. To this day Ethel still greets me when I come home and she can be a little pushy when she wants attention but she won't ever turn down a belly rub.

Next came Bailey, our Beagle (she's purebred and there's papers for her somewhere but we don't really care about that). We actually got Bailey the day after we moved into our first place together. We had talked about getting a second dog so Ethel would have some company when we were both away from the house and it just worked out. One of our friends inherited Bailey and due to a renting situation gave her to us. Bailey is our oldest. She can be a crotchety old lady and demands to be fed earlier and earlier every night but she's basically our cat. She loves to sleep and loves to eat. She rarely asks to be pet, but when she does we make sure to give her some extra time, just her. She's also the more "motherly" of our pack. She will let my girls basically do whatever they want. Her patience is incredible.

Lastly came George, a Basset/Rottweiler mix. He is definitely our goofiest looking dog, and the only other male in the house besides me. George has typical Basset coloring and floppy ears but he kinda looks like a Rottweiler  with short stubby legs. George is our youngest and was our first "foster". A while after Chelsae and I had been together we decided we would try fostering. We reached out to a couple rescues to see if we could foster through them (we were very new) and either didn't get a response or were told we lived too far away. So we did what reasonable people do (j/k).... we found George on craigslist and decided we would just foster him ourselves, it couldn't be that hard right? We "fostered" George for almost 3 minutes before I decided we needed to keep him. 

I've often talked to people about our journey in rescue and I get a lot of different responses to why people say they can't foster. The most common is definitely that they "could never give the dog up". This is what we call a "foster fail", not because the dog failed but because the person failed to give the dog up. It happens and it's not a bad thing. I'm a firm believer that every dog person is looking for their dog, and every dog is looking for their person. Sometimes that process starts with rescue in mind but ends with the dog staying forever. For us, we try as much as possible to keep the mindset that if we keep a foster then it would prohibit us from continuing to save more dogs, that has seemed to work for the last couple years.

The second most common response I get to why people can't do rescue is because they already have a dog/dogs. I get it, this was my initial hesitation when we brought home our first rescues, and I understand that sometimes it may not work out with your resident dogs for whatever reason (there's always room to help in some way though). But from my experience I couldn't imagine doing rescue without the help of Ethel, Bailey and George. 

Anytime we bring a new dog home there is an adjustment period. We practice social distancing and let the new dog decompress and get used to their new situation without the added stress of having to meet stranger dogs. It took some time to learn just how much time was needed and what to watch for, but once introductions are made it seems like we all have our own roles in helping the foster learn basic things. 

Chelsae and I teach them how to take direction from people, that they can trust people and that they don't need to worry about where their next meal is coming from. 

Maddy and Morgan teach them how to deal with kids. How to have a little patience and play gently with kids.

Bailey teaches them to respect their elders and boundaries. She's not unfriendly to other dogs but she doesn't necessarily like her personal space invaded and she definitely doesn't like to "ruffhouse." Bailey also is the one that will teach the new dog how to go around the kitchen and lick up every crumb that drops.

Ethel is our "tester" dog. She gets along with everyone and she's very submissive. She takes a bit to want to play but she is very good at introducing new dogs to our pack.

George is our rockstar!! He seems to take every dog under his wing and teaches them the ropes. He will teach puppies how to play with boundaries. He helps teach house training. He can be a companion, a teacher, a "fatherly figure", how to do yard patrols, not to mess with the girls, when it's time to play and time to rest, and so many more things only another dog could teach. 

We haven't been without issues with previous fosters but I can't imagine doing it without my pack.

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.