Coonhounds’ Last Day

Today is Donald and Daisy’s last day with us. Tomorrow they both return to the Champaign County Humane Society and will be available for adoption when the Shelter opens in the afternoon.

Daisy Needs a Home from Tom Schaefges on Vimeo.

Donald Needs a Home from Tom Schaefges on Vimeo.

We will have had these pups for 10 weeks, longer than our normal foster projects. It seems like forever ago that they were terrible-looking, sick puppies. As far as the mange and skin infections, Donald and Daisy’s recovery is almost complete. It’s going to take another couple months for all of their hair to grow in, so in the meantime, they’ll need a coat or sweater when they go out. The only lingering effects might be a few little scars, but those will be hidden under their now-beautiful, red hair.

Their feet still need time to develop, and that means no strenuous activities for now. They need moderate exercise on soft surfaces (grass, sand, etc.) to build the muscles in their feet. There’s no reason why they can’t start in training classes and go on short walks. Hopefully with the right amount of exercise their feet and joints will soon be normal. In the meantime it’s a matter of taking it easy and monitoring them for foot or leg pain.

Dr. Stone says they should have a “low stress” lifestyle to prevent the demodex from coming back. For these two that means being with their people in the house, having good food, and getting the right amount of exercise.

All three of them turned out to be very handsome dogs. They’re smart little pups who love human contact. They’ve been through an awful lot and it’s great to say that they are doing well now and are ready to move on to permanent homes.

Daisy

Donald