Meet Juno, my fospice dog.

[snakemama]

I have wanted to get into fospice since the first time I realized that such a thing existed. My husband at the time didn't want me to...he didn't want his heart broken. A few weeks ago he told me he wanted us to go our separate ways, and one of the first things I did was start researching fospice again. If you don't know, fospice is fostering terminally ill dogs who still have some good time left but aren't really adoptable. Muttville Senior Dog Rescue is near me, and they started off primarily as a fospice organization. They do a lot of regular adoptions now, but they still have a huge focus on taking in these special dogs. I emailed them on Thursday to inquire about joining the fospice team, and due to my background as a vet tech and my realistic views on quality of life rather than quantity of life, I was accepted immediately. Today I was given Juno, who is a 15+ year old American Eskimo mix.

Juno is not actually *ill* that we know of, he is just extremely old and frail. He languished in a shelter for over a month before Muttville pulled him...he was full of worms and in a lot of pain. Now that he has been de-wormed and given some wonderful pain meds, he is doing much better, but the rescue coordinator still feels that he is probably only going to have a few good weeks or months left....though he might rally some now that he has lots of good food and care. I have to say, for how frail he appears, he does have some good times left. He LOVES walkies, and I've had him out three times today to totter slowly around the neighborhood. He sleeps a lot, and he prefers to be hand-fed because his mouth is still quite painful. The rescue coordinator felt that he wasn't up for being sedated for a dental, otherwise he would have had most of his teeth removed already. IF he rallies really well, he might have those teeth pulled, but I'm doubtful about that. He likes the other dogs in the house, and I don't think he even notices the kittens.

He's pretty unflappable. I took him out to the pet store briefly to get some bath wipes and a new sweater, and he was interested in all the dogs and people, and VERY interested in the bins full of bones! His rotten teeth didn't stop him from ripping off and swallowing a chunk of rawhide earlier, so for now I'm keeping the chewies in a drawer away from him. :)

Without further ado, here is Juno!

At the rescue
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/cebogart/Fospice/junoface.jpg

Napping
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/cebogart/Fospice/008.jpg

"What's that flashy box? Make it stop, please."
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/cebogart/Fospice/004.jpg

OK, back to sleep now!
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/cebogart/Fospice/003.jpg

[Karen]

Aww, hope he gets to grow some fur back! Looks like a sweetie!

[Karen]

By the way, I had never heard the term "fospice" before, so it good you explained for others. My brain made the "combine foster and hospice" connection before I read your explanation, but we should add that to the "Furminology" dictionary thread!

[snakemama]

I hope he gets some fur back too! I got a lot of comments about his haircut while we were out, but he doesn't tolerate a lot of grooming so it was 100% necessary to get all those icky mats off!

I'll have to check out the "furminology" thread!

[mrspunkysmom]

Welcome to Pet Talk, Juno!

[chocolatepuppy]

What a cutie! Juno's in good hands now! ;) Bless you for taking him in.:love:

[snakemama]

Thank you everyone! I am trying to plan ahead so that each day can be special. Today I mixed a spoonful of cream cheese into his food, and suddenly mealtime went from "oh, ok, I'll eat that" to OMG FOOD!, so I think cream cheese will be a regular addition now.

[pomtzu]

What a cutie Juno is. :love: It takes a special person to fospice an animal. I had never heard of this, but it is a wonderful idea for those that can do it. Kudos to you for opening your heart and home to little Juno. Hopefully he will rally back while in your care, and outlive the short time that he supposedly has.

And sorry about you and hubby..........:(

[cassiesmom]

Copied from Muttville Web site: "Muttville has a wonderful program for dogs that arrive here with untreatable terminal illnesses. It is called fospice, a combination of foster and hospice. Fospice, part of our foster program, means taking a dog into your home and giving it palliative care, love, and a wonderful life until it is their time for euthanasia. It can be a very rewarding experience for both the dog and family."

Sending very gentle hugs and lovies to Juno and you! :love: I am glad he enjoys walkies and meal times.

[snakemama]

Thank you pomtzu and cassiesmom! Juno had his first cold laser treatment on his spine today. I was told it would take 3-4 treatments to see a difference, but I swear he seems to be moving a little more easily already. We're going to do cold laser 3x a week for now since he liked the treatment (Basically he got a massage with the laser while I fed him bits of food, what's not to like?), and we're going to see how he feels about acupuncture as well. He has several herneated disks in his spine, so I'm hoping to just keep him comfortable for as long as I can. Overall, the vet was pretty impressed with how he's doing given his age and obvious neglect. He only weighs 13lbs!

He's definitely starting to recognize me and follow me around, probably mostly because I'm the person hand-feeding him bits of fresh meat with cream cheese several times per day! :D

[Karen]

Cream cheese is on sale this week - so stock up! keep spoiling that that boy!

[Bonny]

Juno sure is cute. Those Walkies have to make any dog happy to get out in the fresh air. My dogs jump around, run, & bark, they are so happy & excited getting out on the trail. The cream cheese is a good idea & I bet it wakes up Juno's taste buds.