I HAVE BEEN ADOPTED! ~Andrew~ English Bulldog Available for Adoption in Texas

[JennieS]

Please welcome Andrew to Rescue. He has lived a very hard life in his short years. A kind person found him free on Craigslist and when she could not handle all his issues she contacted us.
On the positive side, he seems very sweet and appears to be around 4 years old. Thankfully he is heartworm negative.
The Bad:
He is severely malnourished. He has a severe bacterial infection, most likely from several recent punctures and abrasions. His liver enzymes are elevated, but this could simply be due to the infection and other issues. He has about the worst case of hookworms ever seen. He has a type of dermatitis.
Some time in the past he was shot with a pellet gun and the pellet is still lodged in his left chest. Both knees are horrible. X-rays show several chips and bone spurs. With all the stuff in the joints it is hard to manipulate them enough to get a good feeling of the ligaments, but he thinks most of them are a mess also. The knees are so bad he is not even sure they are fixable. Both knee are old injuries which might make repair surgery even more difficult. There is more scar tissue built up.
6/10/16 Update: Andrew is getting better. The vet started him on an antibiotic for the infection and on meds to ease the pain in his joints. He is eating and walking much better. He will also start hookworm treatment. We plan for him to be at the vet for two weeks for the hookwork treatment, check out his blood work more and get him on his feet. When he gets stronger, he will see the orthopedic doctor.
6/15/15 Update: Andrew continues to surprise the vet staff with his progress. Yesterday he was having a lot of trouble urinating and you could tell it was very painful. The vet called me and wanted to put in a catheter and do a sonogram. While he was under I told him to also do the neuter. Today he is feeling much better and his urination is almost normal. The radiology report shows a mineralization in the bladder wall. This could be just an infection or inflammation of the wall. They have also detected some arthritis in his lower back. The meds are working well. He is walking much better and it is obvious that he is feeling much better. He has been nothing but the sweetest guy through all this.
AND…….drum roll….. he has gone from 42 lbs. to 49.5 lbs. in a week!!! They will administer the second round of hookworm treatment the end of next week. He would like to keep him in the clinic for a few days after that just to make sure there are no more surprises.

7/10/16 Update: Andrew has overcome MANY horrible challenges in his short past. When we went to pick him up, the vet wanted to talk to us first before bringing him out. He told us that he was SEVERELY underweight, infected with the worst case of parasites he had ever seen, ridden with scars as if he was a bait dog and severe joint issues, including arthritis and possible torn ligaments. The vet said the injuries suggest that he was thrown out of a moving car in the past. And if that’s not enough suffering, the vet informed us he has a pellet lodged in his chest from being shot. The vet then proceeded to get Andrew as we waited in the exam room. What we saw next was heartbreaking. Andrew came in looking like a bag of bones supporting a big bully head. And that’s with the 10 pounds he has gained while being boarded at the vet. It’s hard to say what he is as he is taller than your typical bulldog. The vet thinks he’s a bulldog mix or a product of bad backyard bulldog breeding. Either way, it doesn’t matter because he’s cute as a button!
When we met Andrew, we were surprised how forgiving a dog can be. Andrew LOVES people. Anytime you approach him, he lays down and wants constant belly rubs. Honestly our arms are getting tired of giving him nonstop belly rubs, but that’s all he asks for! He’s very easy to manage, listens to our most basic commands…anything for bully rubs (and milk bones!) He shows no food aggression to us- we’re constantly petting him while he eats and are able to remove toys from him without any issues. We pet him in every way possible to test out his limits and he has yet to show any signs of anxiety or aggression around people. He just wants to be loved!
At first he had some trouble adjusting with his foster sister and brother who are also bullies. There were a few scuffles as he tried to establish dominance over them. However at day 4, we are seeing less of this kind of behavior towards his foster bulldog siblings. He does, however, get tense around his foster sister black lab and has lunged at her a few times. It’s possible while his was used as a dog bait, our black lab reminds him of his horrible past. We are eventually planning on getting him used to her too around the house, but as of now they are separated. It may be that he’s very curious by her? He hasn’t showed food aggression towards the dogs but we haven’t really put him to the test yet.
Andrew is potty trained! He has yet to have an accident in the house. He’ll stand by the door and bark/whine when he needs to go out. He does like to mark, but only outside. Hopefully that habit will go away as he was just recently neutered. Overall, Andrew appears to be a very human friendly and loving dog. We’re working on putting on the pounds and improving his acceptance of other dogs , which hopefully won’t be too much of a challenge considering how trainable he appears to be. He will definitely make someone a good pet!
7/17/16 Update: Andrew has been opening up a lot more to us this week!! He’s such a sucker for love that all he wants to do is be pet!! He’s such a sweetheart that we’ve nicknamed him LoveBug! He has not shown any aggression to us and is the most gentle dog around people. Poor guy has been through so much pain and suffering, yet he won’t ever show you. He acts like such a baby! He loves snacks! He eats until he gets full and then leaves the food bowl alone (even with food still left in there), which is great because that shows us that he is not a bit food aggressive. We continue to pet him while he eats and all he does is lean in for more love!! He is now kennel trained and loves being in there. He’s beginning to feel comfortable enough to play with toys (once again not showing any possessive qualities). Oh and he looks like he’s gaining weight!!! His ribs are less visible and his spine doesn’t protrude as much as it did before..WOooooHoooo!!
We’ve taken him for walks, and he’s great on the leash! Very well manageable. We think the short walks have been helpful to loosen up his stiff arthritic joints because he definitely limps a lot less and cries less from the pain of his joints. Andrew is such a happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to be shown love and comfort, both of which has been devoid in his earlier life! We’re expecting nothing but great news this week from the vet after his vet appointment.


Wanna Adopt?

Please view the adoption process and fill out an application at their website ---> dfwbulldogrescue.org

To view more available English Bulldogs from this rescue, click this link ---> Lone Star

Please let them know you found them on English Bulldog News!