BBBBB’s Ryder!

Where once he was a 10 month old emaciated barely 48 pound cherry eyed Great Dane listed as free on an online ad, tonight at the Vet he now weighs 43 kgs(94.6 pounds)! WTG!

When he is done maturing and filling out, he should weigh 100-110 max. He is a small male Great Dane and 100% stunning and that right matched forever loving home shall not care about his size….or colour….we love the blacks!

Where once his coat was bare, thin, sun dried, dull, dead and coarse, it is now growing in sleek and shiny and glossy black. He still has bare/bald area’s along his back and tail yet greatly improving. He may never develop hair on all the rub spots on his tail and rump from being kept confined in some small space for prolonged periods. He has a big callous on the tip of his tail that we are moisturising so that it does not crack and bleed.

The Ester C has lifted those collapsed pasterns beautifully! His front feet are genetically in an eastie westie position yet front and back feet are looking strong and he stands in an upright normal position on them.

The muscle mass and tone in his rump now is solid!

We did pre-op blood work and also for his Heartworm and Tickborne disease testing. I had asked for the heartworm/tick testing to be done prior to transport yet I never received paperwork stating it was done nor was it on the invoice I paid for his vetting.

His heart and lungs were giving a thumbs up! His teeth look good…the right side has some very minor tartar on his back molars and now that he is with us, he has plenty of excellent kibble plus appropriate toys/bones to chew.

He showed pretty good manners as well at the Hospital. He wanted to play and greet all the dogs and he is learning that not all dogs are going to like him and want to be friends. His leash manners are improving daily!

He was given treats and love and while we waited for our turn to be seen, he enjoyed laying on the benches, half in my lap and if I was not by myself, I would have snapped a pic of him!

Once his bloodwork comes back, we shall know if he is healthy enough to be neutered and to address that Cherry eye.

He loves everything and everyone! Only once was he a bit nervous and I said ‘we are going to make a new friend’, he got a small treat or two and he was perfectly fine after that.

His bad habit is counter surfing and one cannot blame him as he was so starved and he is also making leaps and bounds on that front. He is learning that he is going to be fed on time, fed enough food and that his food is his and his alone.

Amazingly enough, he has no resourcing issues over toys or the communal water bowls.

One photo is from being at the Hospital waiting our turn to go in. His head is high and body relaxed and comfortable. Another photo is of BHRR’s Ryder ‘supervising’ me putting gas in the car and the final one is why I shall always have a sunroof in my vehicles. ??

On the way home, I stopped on the laneway and BHRR’s Ryder & I watched the sunset and the horses in the pasture as the light faded gently away to dusk….

This boy will make a home a truly WOW addition. He travels great in a car(travelled all the way from Ohio), is great with people, kids, dogs of all sizes and cats.

In the meantime, I am so loving our time together as he rehabilitates.