SWEETIE - 5 YEAR OLD FEMALE

FOSTER UPDATE - APRIL 1, 2024

Sweetie has done a great job and finished her antibiotics for the urinary tract infection. She was able to ingest the medication with no issues. We are currently waiting for a week to pass for her to be seen by the vet for a recheck.

We really hope that she has made a full recovery and has no more issues. The good news is her urine appears normal and we have not seen her scooting, so we are hopeful that things should be okay! 

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FOSTER UPDATE - FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Sweetie has been feeling much better since receiving her antibiotics for the urinary tract infection. We've noticed that the frequency of her needing to urinate has decreased significantly ever since taking them. She definitely seems much happier. She will be having another trip to the vet soon to have a recheck--hopefully all goes well!

Sweetie has also been loving the extra sunshine lately. She's thrilled to soak up more rays on our carpet! As always, she loves to watch us meal prep in hopes of getting some veggies and is loving her trips to the garbage chute with her foster dad. 

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FOSTER UPDATE - JANUARY 23, 2024

Sweetie has been to the vet twice for appointments since our last update. One to assess her urinary health and another for her eyes. Unfortunately her behaviour at the vet was not as expected and surprised her foster family. She was squirmy and seemed to be very stressed. Sweetie will be given medication before her next appointment to help alleviate her stress and anxiety and hopefully make her more manageable for staff.

Her urine (collected by natural voiding as it was too difficult to retrieve a sample through cystocentesis) results were poor as there was a large amount of bacteria found in the urine and her white blood cell count was quite low. This combination suggests that the bacteria may have been from her lower urinary tract and not truly representative of a urinary tract infection. She will have another visit to the vet for a cystocentesis to see if she truly has an infection. On the brightside, her Parvo and Distemper vaccine titers came back positive for protection which is good and her blood work was normal.

Sweetie has been on her prescribed eye drops for about a month now. She will be having an eye recheck this week to see if these medications have made an improvement. 

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FOSTER UPDATE - DECEMBER 4, 2023

With winter approaching, Sweetie isn't too thrilled about the colder temperatures and the necessity of wearing her sweater. Since her walks are occasionally cut short due to the chillier conditions on some days, we're incorporating more engaging activities, such as food puzzles, into her routine. Initially, we'd sprinkle treats on towels and roll them up for her to enjoy, but since she's become quite skilled at it, we decided to invest in a more challenging food puzzle. It has quickly become her preferred pastime, aside from lounging on our collection of throw pillows.

In other news, Sweetie will be paying a trip to the vet. We'll be conducting blood work and a urinalysis to address the pungent smell in her urine, despite no changes in her diet. Additionally, we're hoping for an ophthalmology referral to gain further insight into the condition of Sweetie's eyes.    

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FOSTER UPDATE - OCTOBER 14, 2023

A big thumbs up for Sweetie as she has learned how to let us know that she would like to have a potty break out on our balcony. This has not happened very often at all, but there would be times where she has randomly gone to the bathroom on our couch and carpet. This only occurred when she would get very excited and when guests were over. Without being taught or prompted at all, her signal for us to let her out is scratching, scoffing, and spinning around/or directly on the door.

She loves being lazy and loves to get her snoozes in during any time of the day. Because of that, we try our best to keep her active and have some stimulating activities (one of her favourites is shredding egg cartons with kibble inside).

Car anxiety is something she unfortunately is still trying to get over. We will continue to work on this and are hopeful she will improve as she has in the past with other challenges. 

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FOSTER UPDATE - AUGUST 19, 2023

Sweetie is currently in good spirits. Her summer is brightened by the frequent visits we've been receiving. While there hasn't been significant changes since our last update, it's worth noting that progress in managing her anxiety has been gradual. We're committed to helping her cope with her fear of people leaving.

Despite her struggles with anxiety, Sweetie maintains her joyful demeanor. She's surrounded by affection, not only from us, her foster parents, but also from a loving circle of family and friends who deeply cherish her.

 

FOSTER UPDATE - JULY 11, 2023

There haven't been any significant changes with Sweetie. Health-wise she’s doing great other than some allergies here and there  due to the weather being so warm (she is not fond of the heat).

Her anxiety and triggers still remain (e.g. people leaving cars. She gets quite upset). Although we’ve gotten better and we’ve had some small victories, she still requires consistent training in order to help her deal with this behaviour better. We don’t doubt that Sweetie will overcome this, just as she has with everything else she has gone through.

One thing that she has gotten great at is learning how to be more of a “dog”. She has learned how to smell more during walks, has fun shredding (under supervision), and has learned to finish her puzzles quicker and quicker each time—it’s great! This is great progress for Sweetie as she has had a difficult time getting up and moving around more than what she’s used to.

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FOSTER UPDATE - MAY 3, 2023

Our Sweetie is currently doing one of her favourite past-time activities: watching her foster dad cook up some dinner.
 

She has been doing very well since our last update. We've met with an incredibly kind and caring dog trainer all thanks to Pugalug and their efforts in finding one for Sweetie. Overall, the training went well. Sweetie was very nervous at first and was uncomfortable with having someone come into our home that I too also have never met before.

 

Sweetie does an amazing job at differentiating between people that are friends/family and strangers. So because of that, she was very unsure as to why the dog trainer was in our home in the first place. Thankfully, the dog trainer worked wonders with Sweetie quickly in order to gain her trust. She thoroughly enjoyed all of the dog treats and pieces of cheese! We've done some training exercises that help with combating Sweetie's anxiety and reluctance to do new things.

 

Sweetie has little to no interest in things that dogs normally love to play with like shredding tissue paper. So when the dog trainer got her to gain the courage to shred an egg carton, that was an amazing success (she was terrified of the egg carton the minute she saw it as she had never encountered an egg carton on the floor during her time with us). Myself and Sweetie's foster dad received great insight on some practical ways on how to help with Sweetie's anxiety and overall health. For example, we were told to get some chews for Sweetie as she should get more used to actively chewing. The recommendation to use beef cheek rolls was a success! She absolutely loved it!

Sweetie will be paying another trip to the vet for a check up and some shots. Her eyes still unfortunately have quite a bit of discharge at times, but so far, we are able to manage it from getting very bad with the help of her eye drops.

She is happy, is in great shape, and continuously progressing as the days go by.

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FOSTER UPDATE - MARCH 20, 2023

Sweetie has successfully recovered from her spay surgery back on March 6th. Her pre-anesthetic blood work showed no concerns and everything went smoothly for her during her surgery. Her recovery was a little tougher than anticipated. We were able to tell that she was feeling really down and was in pain. She had a great amount of discharge production with her eyes and were appearing to be quite red and irritated. Thankfully there were no complications with her medication and it helped a lot with making her more comfortable--she really hated the taste of her medicine though! Her incision seemed to be a little inflamed when she got her stitches removed and has been given eye drops to help with the infection she had. She unfortunately also developed a small bacterial infection on her chin. The vet Sweetie visits believes it may be caused by moisture in between all of the wrinkles she has. We're guessing it may be because of the fact that she had to wear her cone which therefore restricts the normal airflow that Sweetie usually gets around her chin. She has also received some wipes to help with this. Things have now settled more with Sweetie. She is back to her normal self! 

 

With the help of Pugalug, we will be helping Sweetie even more now with combating her anxiety when it comes to situations she finds stressful (people leaving cars or seem to be getting ready to leave the car she's in, her meeting other dogs on the street, people who enter our home that have done some work like plumbing or anything to do with maintenance, etc...). She will be meeting with a dog trainer soon to help her develop more confidence and just have an overall better experience/reactions with the situations Sweetie finds hard to deal with. 

 

Sweetie is really enjoying the warmer days and loves to sunbathe on our carpet where the sun shines! 

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FOSTER UPDATE - FEB. 18, 2023

Sweetie has been doing great since last month. 

 

Nothing much has changed regarding her health or behaviour. We've just noticed her getting more and more comfortable with strangers and other dogs. 9 times out of 10, she usually runs away, but there have been breakthroughs with a lot of our interactions with other dogs and people which we are so proud of! Another thing we are continuously working on is her anxiety when someone leaves the car she is in. She often lets out an extremely loud scream (or screams) and will always be on the lookout for the person who left the vehicle. I don't doubt that she'll be able to overcome this though.

 

As you may know, Sweetie has been waiting for a spay surgery. Due to some health concerns (that have now been resolved) and because of her being in her heat cycle previously, her spay has been delayed quite a bit. She is scheduled for a spay surgery on March 6th, so let's hope there will be no complications with her pre-anesthetic blood work or anything else that may hinder her surgery date. 

 

That is all for now. Sweetie will carry on being Sweetie!

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MEDICAL UPDATE - JAN. 12, 2023

Great news, Sweetie's vet has confirmed that there is no evidence of heart disease! The heart murmur appears to be physiologic and there are no contraindications for going ahead with general anesthetic. Sweetie will be scheduled for her spay surgery and microchip soon. 

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FOSTER UPDATE - JAN. 9, 2023

Sweetie has been relaxing and having fun during the holidays. She didn’t seem to mind at all having many guests visit so many times. In fact, every time someone has come through our doors, she loves to greet them by running towards them to smell their feet and shoes and then either get very excited or make her way to her favourite spots on our couch.

 

We were under the impression that Sweetie isn’t the typical vocal pug who lets their owners know they want something, however, we were wrong. We’re unaware as to how she started developing this habit, but 9 times out of 10, she will holler for her food until it’s placed on the ground for her. She also has practiced this habit whenever someone leaves whatever vehicle we’re in at the time, however, she mostly yelps and screams for my husband when he either parks or leaves the car. We are pretty sure Sweetie experiences some sort or separation anxiety whenever this happens because of how strongly she reacts. So in order to deal with this, we try our best to make these scenarios seem as positive and rewarding as possible. 

 

Sweetie will also be making an appearance at the vet this Wednesday for her cardiology appointment to get more info about her heart murmur. This will be a drop off appointment which requires Sweetie to stay at the clinic by herself amongst other dogs that may be just as afraid as her. She can get overstimulated and nervous at times when she hears a lot of crying or barking around her when either my husband or myself are not right beside her. Hopefully this appointment will not be too stressful for little Sweetie. 

 

That’s all for now with Sweetie! She still remains the same. Spins around in circles when she doesn’t get what she wants, sleeps right beside you, and of course, snores every time she’s asleep. 

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Foster Update - November 22, 2022

As many of you know, Sweetie has been doing great despite the health issues that have come up. Things have not changed much in terms of Sweetie's health conditions after our trip to the vet--other than the fact that she lost another half a kilo! She still does have quite a lot of pigmentary keratitis in both of her eyes which leads her to sometimes bump into things if she is unsure of her surroundings. Because of this, we are extremely careful and always guide Sweetie when needed. Luckily, her eye drops have been helping her in terms of reducing the severity or progression of the pigment on her eyes. Also, just this week, she has begun her heat cycle and is currently spotting. She adjusted and does not mind wearing her doggy diaper and still has a great appetite to eat--she definitely lets us know that when we open the fridge (Sweetie loves her cucumbers!). 

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We have also observed that ever since the snowfall and the much colder weather, Sweetie does not enjoy the cold--as many pugs do not. Sweetie owns a sweater, but we could tell that it just was not enough to keep her warm. Sweetie would refuse to defecate in the snow, rain, or even when the wind chill was very strong or cold. Because of this and because she does not usually do her business indoors, we've resulted in getting her a doggy snowsuit that covers her legs as well as shoes due to how much we would see her shiver. Ever since this purchase, Sweetie seems much happier and much more comfortable now. 

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Keep wishing Sweetie the best! She will be having her cardio appointment this January 11th for her heart murmur. Hopefully everything will go great."

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Foster Update - October 10, 2022

Hi everyone! Since our last update, things have not changed much with Sweetie. She is still continuing to live life to the fullest enjoying her morning walks (sometimes she even jogs when she gets really excited), mid-day naps, and snacks—her favourite is mini cucumbers and apples (in moderation of course).
 
The only thing that we have discovered so far is that during one of our vet visits, her doctor revealed to us that she unfortunately has a heart murmur. It’s difficult to say the severity of it, but we haven’t heard of anything alarming or urgent that we must take care of right away. She will be scheduled to see a cardiologist. So hopefully, we will find out more about this heart murmur. Because of this, her spay is on hold and we are unsure of when or if she will be getting spayed since her doctor is worried about Sweetie going under any anesthesia due to the murmur.
 
Even though it’s unfortunate that Sweetie has a heart murmur, we’ve never seen Sweetie as strong and active as she is now. Her progress is amazing! She loves to play with her squeaky toys, steal our socks, get chased, swim, and so much more. Overall, she is so very happy!

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Foster Update - Sept. 4, 2022

 

Sweetie is continuing to do amazing here at her foster home.

We've been so proud of the amount of progress that we have been seeing with Sweetie ever since her arrival. Every month, she unravels a new layer to her personality. Socially, Sweetie has been tested beyond what she is normally used to. We try our best to expose Sweetie to things that many, if not all dogs, find uncomfortable (e.g. large, loud, and busy crowds). To our surprise, she has done exceptionally well in every situation we have put her in. We've taken her to an event that took place in a large and busy park with many kids wanting to play with her and she showed no signs of aggression at all. She was gentle and very sweet with all of the kids. She also has been to Toronto's Centre Island recently. Despite it being extremely crowded at one point, she remained quiet and calm. It was also her first time on the ferry with us and she loved looking at the water! Overall, she has been continuing to surprise and delight us when it comes to her social skills.

During the month of August, we've taken her to the vet once again to have a check up for her health concerns. In regards to her UTI, she unfortunately was still having the same bacteria as before which was resistant to many of the medications that a vet would normally prescribe her. Thankfully, they did find an injectable antibiotic that was resistant to her specific bacteria. She received her injectable antibiotic and we've seen a lot of improvement--no more smelly bathroom breaks! We will continue to monitor this issue closely since her UTI didn't fully heal the first time when given oral medication. She also will be continuing her eye drops for her pigmentary keratitis. Another great thing to mention, is that Sweetie's weight loss is still continuing to go extremely well. She originally was 12.95 kg and is now down to 10.10 kg!

Sweetie will carry on with being the silly and playful pug that she has grown to become.

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Foster Update - July 25, 2022

Sweetie is continuing to thrive here in her foster home. Her confidence has grown and we can definitely see that she tries to communicate with us more and more when it comes to telling us what she wants. When she doesn't get her way, she usually likes to let us know that. Sweetie would spin around in circles, hop around, or pick up some toys and throw them across the room. Personality wise, she really is a silly one.

Sweetie has increasingly become more active as the weeks go by. Since our last update, Sweetie has so far lost almost 2 lbs and...we have finally seen Sweetie run! This is a huge milestone for her because ever since having Sweetie, she was only limited to walking or speed walking. It truly shows how much she's progressed over time in Pugalug's care.

In terms of her health, Sweetie will be having another trip to the vet. She has been on antibiotics and painkillers to treat her UTI, however, she hasn't taken her pills properly to its entirety. We've found it extremely difficult to give her her medications. She's definitely a very intelligent pug. 9 times out of 10, she will always find her pills no matter how well we've hidden them. We do want to make note though that she isn't aggressive at all when it comes to giving her pills, eyedrops, and ear and paw creams.

For now, Sweetie will continue stealing the hearts of everyone she meets!

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Foster Update - June 13, 2022

In terms of Sweetie’s laid-back and carefree attitude, that has not changed about her! However, Sweetie has had much progress ever since she first came into Pugalug’s care.
 
We have discovered a lot more of Sweetie’s personality. She absolutely loves affection and being cuddled calmly and gently. She has become more curious with her surroundings than before and chews and picks up her toys more frequently--I have to make it known though, she is fond of socks! She really just likes to carry it around in her mouth and fall asleep next to it. She has gone off leash in big open spaces under close supervision. Sweetie does exceptionally well and follows you around despite not being on a leash.
 
Sweetie has paid some visits to the vet recently and we’ve recently found out that she does have a UTI which her doctor thinks has been a chronic one due to what was found in her urinalysis results. Just this week, she has started taking some pain killers to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort she has been feeling due to the UTI. This finding explains why she has been constantly needing to relieve herself, why she is always thirsty, and most likely as to why she has been bleeding for this long. She will also be starting antibiotics to treat this UTI, so let’s all hope things will go smoothly!
 
Sweetie’s weight loss has been going extremely well and we’ve seen a healthy significant change in terms of her weight. The more she has been losing weight, she has been so much quicker, her breathing sounds less heavy, and overall just seems much happier!
 
For the time being, we will continue monitoring her UTI. This week, she will also be visiting the vet. All in all, Sweetie has been doing great.

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INTRODUCTION - May 12, 2022

Sweetie lives up to her name with her laid-back and carefree attitude as she gets to know her foster family and neighbourhood. She’s not a barker so far. She’s very good on leash and will diligently follow your trail.  She doesn't really know how to play with toys, just holds them in her mouth and places them on her bed, then falls asleep.  She’s a bit picky with her food but drinks a lot, something we’ll explore more when she has her first vet visit on May 13th.

 

At her appointment, she will be given the usual physical exam plus a urinalysis and fecal test. Blood will be drawn to determine her overall health and to test for heartworm, Lyme disease and ehrlichia. The results will determine whether she is healthy for her planned spay surgery in the near future.

 

Currently Sweetie is urinating quite a lot. We’re not sure whether this is due to the fact she is drinking so much or the fact she is in heat, or some other reason such as an infection. A urinalysis and the pending end of her heat cycle will tell us more.

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She has itchy ears but doesn’t like to have them cleaned. She is licking her paws and the pads are quite red, and her eyes are red and goopy. These could all be symptoms of an allergy which we will be investigating more.

 

All in all, Sweetie is settling in well. We’ll have more to report once she has seen the vet.

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WELCOME - May 5, 2022

Sweetie is a three-year old female pug who has just entered the care of Pugalug.  She is settling into her foster home, and we look forward to a full introduction very soon.  Welcome, Sweetie!

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