Ramona4-06

2/17/06 - Many of you will recall that awhile back, I wrote about Ramona's hind leg problems. Ramona is my sweet boxer girl who I adopted from BAR in June. Ramona came to me as a one-week foster, so Katie could foster another boxer in her home during that time. After that one week, I was a goner, and Ramona stayed for the rest of her life.
Ramona's history is sketchy and much of it speculation.  She'd been bred, probably many times. She had apparently been dumped in a woodsy area near East Haddam, Connecticut. She was scared and difficult to catch, but a kind family managed to lure her close enough for capture. The good people at the East Haddam pound kept her for three months and named her Rosie. Then Ramona was brought into BAR, fostered by Katie. She had surgery to remove mast cell tumors and multiple rounds of treatment for worms and Lyme disease.
When she came to me, Ramona had recently recovered from her surgery. Her hind legs were wobbly and unpredictable. I believe it was her previous foster mom, Katie, who called them "crazy legs". Those crazy legs made Ramona all the more endearing to me.
Ramona was approximately 10 years old, according to my vet. Ramona's spirit was young.  When her legs allowed it, she jumped and played with Ali, our German shepherd dog... sometimes when their game peaked, she could leap right over her 85-pound brother. But her crazy legs got more so. A neurologist confirmed the worst: It was probably degenerative myelopathy, a progressive disease that, like multiple sclerosis in humans, steadily destroys the myelin sheath of the neurons in the spine. The end result would be progressing paralysis. They told me she was not in pain. We tried the few treatments that could be offered but without result.
Because I could no longer crate her while I was at work three days a week, I began bringing Ramona to my office, where I practice as a psychologist. I worried at first that my clients might find her distracting or object in some way to her being there. Quite the contrary. All but one were enchanted by sweet Ramona. In many cases it seemed actually therapeutic to have her with me in the office.  Ramona was allowed to greet each person, then go to her bed and lie quiet for the session. She held beautifully to the rule... well, except for the dreadful gas she expelled regularly enough to require me to add Gas-X to her morning regimen on days we were heading for the office. Folks brought her treats and toys and Ramona felt like a princess. As her condition got worse and I had to take her outside using a cloth hoist for her back end, my fellow building tenants would cheer her on.
Ramona's legs got worse by the day, though her spirit endured. The last weeks, she could no longer stand on her own but used her powerful front legs to propel herself. In trying to follow me downstairs, she plummeted herself down the stairs landing on her back. She was losing control of her bladder.  We made accommodations but it was clear we were near the end.
Finally, Friday, February 16, we made the trip to the vet. Ramona crossed over peacefully in my arms. She's waiting at the Rainbow Bridge. Her ashes will be returned to me.
Thank you all for your parts in helping Ramona to experience love and care for the last year of her life. It was a privilege and a joy for me to walk with Ramona during the last eight months of her journey on earth.  Ramona was as devoted to me as ever a dog could be. I will always find comfort in the memory of her beautiful snuggles, where she'd lay her head on my chest and gaze into my eyes

8/28/06 - I adopted sweet Ramona about six weeks ago. Age estimates on her have ranged from 6 to 10. Ramona has been through a lot... She was picked up as a stray in a Connecticut park, after 2 months trying to catch her. Then she spent 3 months in a shelter. It looks like she was used for breeding, then dumped when no longer useful. Ramona has "crazy legs" in back, due evidently to neurological damage... Her weak hind legs go in unpredictable directions, but that doesn't stop her from leaping over Ali when they play.... When her legs get tired, she flops onto her back and keeps playing with front legs and mouth. Ramona was lucky enough to be fostered by BAR's Katie for about 3 months, where she learned things like peeing outside, walking on leash, and how to behave in the house. Ramona came to me as a one-week foster, while Katie was away. After a dreadful week where Ramona and my German shepherd dog, Ali, seemed intent on mutual homicide-- or shall we say canicide-- all calmed down, and the entire household, Ali included, fell in love with Ramona. What could we do but adopt her? :-D

So, Ramona is home now and all is well, except for convincing Ramona that the birds are not sources of protein. Ramona has inched her way into my bed and is the best ever snuggler.

Here's my current concern: Ramona regularly has dreams that seem like nightmares. All my dogs have "run" in their sleep, which probably most of us interpret as dreaming of running... With my other dogs, it's always seemed a joyful dream. Ramona "runs" in her sleep, but it seems not joyful but frantic, like she's trying to escape something frightening. Sometimes when her feet are pummeling, her head is convulsing, and it seems she's re-living some terror. Frightening to witness. (An aside, for what it's worth: Someone who does Reiki with companion animals visited Ramona (and didn't know about the dreams) and said that Ramona "told" her, "I was running and running, and I was very scared.")

When it happens, I've been quietly touching Ramona and speaking softly to her. I'm almost scared the violence of the dreams will hurt Ramona, but maybe I'm being overly concerned.

8/5/06 - Ramona is doing beautifully. She's so loving and appreciative of affection. She tries hard to please, even though it's clear she has spunk and an independent mind. lol I think I love her as much as if I'd raised her from a pup. My son Jon is fond of her, too, which is saying a lot for a 15-year-old boy. Ramona seems to touch everyone she meets. I took her to my office two days last week, rather than leave her crated during the heat wave (didn't trust the air conditioner at home). She stole everyone's heart.

Ramona seems very much at home. She's very attached to me, follows me everywhere and won't go outside with my son unless I'm with her, too. We're working on that. She has a hard time being left in the car (with the AC running, of course) when we're out... Acts as though fearful she's being dumped again, poor girl.

She and Ali the German shepherd dog are the best of friends now, after such a rocky start. Ali positively dotes on her. Seeing them romp, you'd sometimes never know she has that awful hind leg weakness. She can keep it up for a couple of minutes-- darting, prancing, leaping-- then flops down and continues playing from the ground, legs and teeth flashing. Ali seems to know and he seems to be finding a balance between raucous playfulness and gentle concern.

Ramona is out of her crate most of the time now, except when we are out or when the birds come out of cage.

We are working with the vet to find out what caused Ramona's urine test result (lack of concentration and a little protein). It may be Cushings Disease, which would account for thirst, thinness, and perhaps even a bit of the hind leg problem, or could be another adrenal issue, or who knows what. Cushings would be "good" news, because it's treatable. I should know a little more Monday and will let you know.

Best wishes and thank you so much for sweet Ramona

7/24/06 -Ramona's doing beautifully. How did we ever live without her. She follows us all around, so affectionate, accepts all the pats and hugs and politely paws us for more. She obeys nicely, and is mastering the "leave it" command, which is especially necessary to co-exist with the birds. She and Ali the German shepherd sleep head to head and romp every possible waking moment. In the house, her crazy legs flop all over, but when she plays in the grass, you'd never know she has the problem with her hind legs. She can actually leap right over her 90 pound brother.

7/18/06 - Ramona has been adopted
While Ramona's foster family went on vacation, another BAR volunteer took care of Ramona and she and her family have fallen in love with her and are going to make her a permanent member of their family.

6/9/06 - Wow. Time flies when you're not updating your foster! It's been almost a month and I am totally ashamed of myself! Ramona is doing wonderfully here, she's figured out the routine and is living the life of one happy dog. She's figured out our routine here and does well with it, although I'm sure she'd prefer humans who were home more (spring is a hectic time of year!). Ramona is housebroken as long as you are sure to let her out on schedule - I think that the back injury that makes her rear legs wonky also affects her bladder control. Just a little. If she gets out regularly she does fine but if she has to be inside for a stretch she can have accidents (only pee) even if she is crated. We've found letting her out at the last possible second before bed or leaving the house and right after eating pretty much eliminates her issues. Ramona is doing well on the leash, she can be fun to walk because, I swear, she's not too sure what that butt is doing at any given time but BOY does she enjoy getting there. She wears her booties like an old pro and keeps right up with everyone else - she definitely doesn't miss anything. Ramona comes when she's called, even if she accidentally slips out of the yard (influenced by her very bad foster sister who's name should be Houdini) and never goes far. She loves to be with people and will follow you wherever you go, never straying too far. Ramona has done very well with kids from 18 months right up through grown ups so I'm sure she'd be ok with any children that were ok with her occasionally treading on their poor toes with those crazy legs. I'm surprised such a good natured girl is still on the website. Don't let her back end fool you - she's full of it and ready to go!

5/13/06 - Here is a long overdue update on our lady Ramona. We have the results back on the lumps that she had removed and they were, as the biopsy suggested, Grade 2 mast cell tumors. The doctor is confident he got all of them and we're just watching carefully to be sure nothing reappears at the incision sites. Ramona happily let me take her stitches out and her fur is growing back in beautifully. She's very happy to have those itchy stitches out - they made her look like Frankenstein! Ramona is doing so well here - she crates beautifully and is happy to retreat to her crate when she decides she's had enough of the nonsense from the other dogs or if she just wants to relax and enjoy a chew toy. She's coming along with her housebreaking although our current obstacle is carpeting. It's a much more tempting surface than linoleum or hardwood because it's absorbent but she's making progress every day and I think she'll be just fine in the house very soon. Ramona has learned that the furniture and the upstairs here are off-limits and, though she still tests our resolve on those rules occasionally she also doesn't require any intervention other than eye contact to sigh and go back to the first floor floor. Ramona is getting along well with our dogs, there have been a couple of tussles that were stopped by the humans in charge and we're carefully watching her behavior with the other dogs so we can cut it all off at the pass. Ramona does challenge them very subtly, sort of like sneaking up on the couch to see if we'll let her nap there this time. With nice slow introductions she does wonderfully and now they all bound through thebackyard like a pack of wild dogs when the sun is out and we go out for some romping through the grass. I've been in contact with a volunteer at the shelter she came from, they tell me she took 2 MONTHS to catch because she was so wary of people and that she was skin and bones when they finally managed to get her. They believe she may have been used as a 'breeder' then dumped by someone - I hope that's not true but it might be. Now she needs to be someone's loving pet! I know the silver in her face makes her look older than she is but I promise that she's only middle aged at best and her looks are very deceiving - she's a young girl in search of the perfect home!

4/18/06 - Ramona is settling in so well here it's hard to imagine it's only been a short time since she arrived. It's become clear to us that Ramona was never an indoor dog before coming to Boxer Angels but she's so grateful to be admitted into our family that she's doing her best to learn the rules and, I must say, she's a quick study. Ramona has quickly learned NOT to counter surf and (mostly) to stay off the furniture. She's walking really well on a leash for us and I'm currently only using a flat collar on her while we walk. Unfortunately because she has an old back issue we don't walk an awful lot on the paved roads. One of BAR's members has suggested, and we're looking into, getting her a pair of hunting boots so that she can walk anywhere with us without hurting herself. She LOVES to walk and be outside and her back doesn't stop her from getting around it just means we have to watch out for her. We don't want any boo boos :-) Ramona is getting along swimmingly with our dogs. After an initial adjustment period she's figured out where she fits in our home and is perfectly content to go along with that. She loves our kids and is learning how to behave with them, she always looks like she's smiling whenever any of us acknowledge her. Ramona did have some surgery yesterday to have two lumps removed. One on the top of her head and one on her neck. We're waiting to hear back about the results on them, the vet did a needle biopsy and found they were mast cell tumors. Hopefully they'll be nice little grade one MCT's and we'll just have to keep an eye on the site to make sure they don't recur. This girl is just amazing and I think, with her silver face, she's beautiful. It's so sad that she missed out being part of a family for her first 5 years but she's not dwelling on it and is just looking forward to spending the rest of it with a human she can love!

4/8/06 - Our newest beautiful foster girl, Ramona, arrived last Saturday from a shelter in Connecticut where she'd spent the last 3 months :-( She's a lovely girl who could use a few more pounds on her but isn't too skinny in the grand scheme of things. She also seems to be prematurely grey. She's what I've heard called a 'silver boxer' but it makes her even more beautiful. Ramona is getting along swimmingly with our other dogs after some initial careful introductions. Ramona is a very pushy girl both with people and with the other dogs but responds well to firm treatment from both as she settles into our routine here. Ramona saw our favorite vet today, Dr. Wolfe and we pointed out to him that she seems to have some weakness in her hind legs. He gave her a very thorough going over and said he believes she had a back injury at some point in her life. Ramona doesn't have all the nerve connections to her legs that she should but she gets around just fine. The only thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that she does drag her toes when she's walking so a lot of time on concrete or other rough surfaces would, most likely, result in her developing sores on the tops of her toes from them dragging. And speaking of being on a leash. . .Ramona seemed to be a big clueless about the process when she arrived here she wasn't horrible to walk exactly. It was more like landing a fish. She was ALL over the place. Next to you then way behind then trying to surge a head, she ran into the backs of legs and stopped right in front of you. It made staying upright somewhat challenging. We're happy to report that she's doing much better with her leash skills these days and will be a champion at it very soon. Doc also aspirated two lumps that Ramona has, just to be on the safe side, one on her head and one on her neck. We have our fingers crossed that they're cysts and perfectly harmless but when we know on Monday we'll pass that information along. This girl is a real treasure, dumped by someone who obviously had bred her at some point and decided she wasn't worth it anymore, BAR found her and is dusting her off so all her beauty glitters through. The person who stares at her picture won't be disappointed - she's worth her weight in gold!