Back to
Available Dogs

Andre 10/05/03
#018

Pictures

Andre's Foster Journey - To Rainbow Bridge 12/14/03

Pertinent Information
2 year old fawn male
70 lbs., Shelter Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered Near Utica, NY
Adoption Donation $250

12/14/03 - At about 9PM this evening, Andre passed on to the bridge.
Over the past couple of days, we knew Andre was failing but we were at the end of our abilities,
medically, to help him. He was not in pain, but just getting weaker. When his appetite began to fail on Saturday, I knew his body was giving up the fight. He did enjoy some steak that I fed to him yesterday, though...
When I brought him in from his last trip outside for the evening, Andre lay down on his bed, breathed some last breaths, I stroked his ears and neck and his heart stopped...just like that. He passed peacefully.
I am so sorry we could not save this boy...and at two years old, he was a boy. I will always remember him playing with my Maria...when he was a healthy Boxer, so full of life and enthusiasm. It is comforting to think of him playing Boxer style at the bridge with his new friends...maybe they have tennis balls there? We love you and miss you, Andre.   Patty

12/2/03 - Quite a roller coaster ride we're on with Andre. When he came home from the vet hospital, Andre made some excellent gains...his red blood cell levels were on the rise, urine cleared up, energy level getting better by the day, and we started to see some nice weight gain. Then all of a sudden, I noticed his urine becoming darker, color a bit worse, and his energy level going down. I brought him to the vet today for his blood test and his level was still decent but his other symptoms indicate that the hemolysis is recurring. We have increased his prednisone and will be monitoring his blood counts every few days. That's about all I can say for now...it's been a discouraging couple of days but we're not giving up on our boy. Oh, as for the reason for the hemolysis....we've ruled out some of the more obvious causes but one test did show that Andre had been exposed to the Leptospirosis virus...and not the kind of exposure that would come from a vaccine. So this is one possible cause that is being treated with the antibiotics. I hate that this sounds like a medical report.....Andre is so much more than his health issues. He's a wonderful dog...happy and strong and affectionate....and full of Boxer spirit.

11/21/03 - I can't thank you all enough for your kind thoughts and prayers for Mr. Andre.  Our boy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and is resting comfortably as I type. He's not out of the woods yet, but according to the doc he is at least headed in the right direction. His red blood cell counts are rising (slowly) so this is good news. He is not easy to look at...down to 55# when he should be a big strapping 75 pounder at least.
But...when you look in those big brown eyes, how could we not do everything in our power to help him? To say that without BAR, Andre wouldn't be here is NOT an exaggeration. The other thing going for Andre is his incredible Boxer spirit. The vet commented on how even when Andre's anemia was at life-threatening levels, he would pop up to greet whoever came into the room and wag that nubbin..."that's one strong dog" according to Doc.
So again, thanks, and keep those prayers and thoughts coming. Patty

11/17/03 - Since our last update, Andre has been to the vet twice and is now being hospitalized so more tests can be run and they can closely monitor his condition. Andre has been diagnosed with a form of anemia which causes his body to destroy the red blood cells that he is making. This condition can be caused by any number of things which we are trying very hard to pinpoint. We also have to turn around his anemic condition so he will respond to any cure that is prescribed. One of the possible culprits may be Leptospirosis...since we don't have a medical history on Andre, we don't know if he was ever vaccinated against this. This is one of the challenges of rescue. We are very confident that Andre is getting the best of veterinary care and will keep you updated on his progress as we get news.
Andre is a strong boy and continues to impress all who meet him with his sweet temperament. He is still greeting everyone at the vet hospital with wiggles and loves their attention. Say a prayer for Andre...he is certainly worth every bit of our efforts.

11/12/03 - Mr. Andre has been feeling under the weather lately. We took him to the vet and he ruled out some possible causes for Andre's lack of weight gain and general lethargy lately. We will be getting the results of his blood work in a day or two and that should tell us something. He has been such a sweetie. Even at the vet's office when he was being poked and prodded, Andre only had snuggles and wiggle-butts for everyone. BAR is doing everything it can to help Andre get back on his feet and feeling better.

10/25/03 - We've learned much about our friend Andre since he has been with us. I'll fill you in. First of all, Andre is a smart cookie. When he arrived he didn't know any commands in English and I doubt he knew them in any language. It must be no one ever tried, because he really is a quick study and learned "sit" and "off" in record time. Unfortunately the "off" command gets used frequently because Andre has quite a counter-surfing habit and when left alone, it's the first thing he does. It took us a while to get back into the habit of making sure every morsel of food is put away our of reach and out of sight before leaving the room, but I think we are doing pretty well. So I guess that means that Andre trained us more than we trained him. :o)
Andre interacts freely with all our dogs. He especially enjoys playing boxer style with Maria. We did have a male boxer over to meet Andre and that did not go as well. It seems Andre lacks the social graces when meeting other guys...he came at our poor visitor feet first..."C'mon, let's box!". Well, the other dog, being more of a gentleman, found that offensive...and the two of them just couldn't figure out how to approach each other in a way that wasn't going to put off the other. Which is kind of funny, seeing as how Andre has figured out that both the other males in our home (non-boxers) do not play like Maria and he treats them accordingly. In fact, Andre has taken to curling up next to our elderly Lab, Jonah. It's so cute to see the big, rough and tumble Andre boy gently sidle up next to the old guy. So it seems if Andre goes to a home with another boxer, it should probably be a female since he seems to get too pushy and intimidating around male boxers Andre really enjoys playing with the school-age kids in our home. The other evening, I heard 'hey mom, watch Andre do backflips'. They were playing a game of 'Andre-in-the-middle' with a football. Andre would leap into the air to get it, then twist and flip...unfortunately not always landing on his feet. So he's not exactly a border collie in the agility department.....Andre was having loads of fun!
We continue to work on Andre's leash skills. He's had a couple of sessions using a gentle leader, which I think will really help him. He is as strong as an ox...but with the gentle leader, I can walk him with the lightest hold on the leash. I think this will also help him learn to keep all four paws on the ground when he meets people. But Andre's forever family will need to keep up with this so that his manners improve more and more.
Oh, and did I tell you that Andre was a big hit at the vet's office? He completely won over the tech as she held him to have his heartworm test done. She was holding him nice and snug, and Andre just put his head on her shoulder like a baby. Awwwww.

/13/03 - Well, we've had Andre with us for a week and we're long overdue for an update. Let's begin by telling you that Andre is having a blast. He loves to play with our dogs....especially our boxer girl. They go all out running and bumping and boxing and wrestling. Then a short break and they're at it again. Inside, Andre is behaving much more like a gentleman. Oh, there's his little counter-surfing habit (hide your butter!) but all in all he's a very good boy. We've found that when Andre tries to give us a hug, if we turn our back to him he'll go right back onto all four paws, and then we reward him with attention. And that's really what he wants the most...attention. We've left Andre alone for several hours during the day in his crate and he is just fine...napping, most likely.
Physically, Andre is a strapping young boxer. We're waiting on a vet appointment so he can have a good going-over but all appears healthy from the outside. He came to us with a couple of large callouses, one on each hind leg...the result of lying on hard surfaces, likely concrete. Those are looking better and will improve with time....especially since Andre will no longer have to sleep on anything harder than a fleece doggie bed. Hope you've got a nice soft bed for Andre in your home. He'll thank you with gentle boxer kisses.

10/05/03 - Our newest guest has arrived and he is a big beautiful bundle of love. We are calling him Andre' in honor of the tennis pro since our boy has a real fondness for the tennis balls that lie around here. Due to technical difficulties, our pictures will be delayed by a day or so. In the meantime...we'll just tell you that Andre is a good size boy with a deep fawn color, black mask, white chest and socks. He has a beautiful blocky head with natural ears and a docked tail. What the pictures won't show is just how soft his fawn coat really is. Andre' was an owner surrender to a shelter but due to a language barrier, we don't really know what he was called or much about his past. But it seems his previous owners just didn't appreciate all his charms or perhaps had circumstances that caused them to give him up. What we do know so far is that Andre' is very sweet...a big strong boy who likes to play but can take orders when he needs to. He loves people and he is making himself at home in our big fenced yard where he can play with his new foster fur sister and brother. When inside, Andre' still likes to play but we are teaching him that inside play and outside play are two different things and if he gets to romping and wrestling inside he's either shown to the door to take it outside, or he goes into his crate to settle down. Andre' is very good in the crate and doesn't make a fuss at all...a few whimpers at first but then he's as good as gold. He enjoys our school age kids and would make a wonderful soccer competitor. Andre' appears to be fully housebroken as he's had no accidents yet in the 24 hours he's been here. We'll be learning more about this boy in the days to come....but don't wait to get your application in on this one. He's a winner.