In memory of your neighbor Buddy 12-182, from The Austin's

We would like to introduce Rosie 14-081! Rosie is a 4-year-old, spayed, purebred female Golden Retriever. Rosie is a beautiful dark red color with just the sweetest face! Rosie has lived with two families that we are aware of. The first two years of her life she lived with a family and was left behind when their home was foreclosed. Her second family took her in and she has been living outside on their farm with another dog and cats for the last couple of years.

Rosie has hypothyroidism, which means her thyroid gland is not producing enough of the hormones she needs. This disease is very common in Golden Retrievers and is treated by taking a thyroid hormone pill once or twice a day for the rest of their lives. Rosie has some of the typical signs of hypothyroidism: hair loss and weight gain. Currently, Rosie has multiple hairless patches on both sides of her body and a small patch on her snout. The veterinarian noticed that these areas were also infected with bacteria and yeast, so she is being treated with oral antibiotics and a medicated shampoo for two weeks. The veterinarian believes that Rosie’s hair will grow back once the infection resolves and once she has consistently been getting her thyroid medication twice a day. Rosie weighs a hefty 93 pounds (she should probably be in the 70-80 pound range), so we have her on a diet, but the thyroid medication may also help with this.

Rosie also has a dry eye condition. At some point in her life, Rosie had surgery to correct eye entropion, which means her eye lids were rolled inward and this must be treated because it causes eye irritation. Somewhere along the way, she developed very dry eyes. The veterinarian tested her tear production and she does not have any. Without any tear production, she ends up with thick drainage in her eyes. The veterinarian gave us a new medication to try that is supposed to stimulate tear production. We are using this in combination with lubricating and antibiotic ointment and hoping that we can help this sweet girl with her dry eyes.

At the vet, Rosie was brought up-to-date with all of her vaccinations. Her fecal sample was negative and she also tested negative for heartworm and Lyme disease. She is being treated for an ear infection, which is common for Golden Retrievers. Rosie was very patient and well-behaved at the vet. She came to us full of mats and in desperate need of a bath and a good brushing. She has been very patient with all the grooming, bathing, eye drops, and ear drops.

We are thinking that Rosie may have lived indoors with her first family because she is very calm in the house. She has not had any potty accidents. She has not tried to counter surf and she even does well when we are eating. She does excellently in the crate. We have been using the crate while we are at work and at night while she gets used to her new surroundings, but I believe she would do fine with free roam. She does not know basic obedience commands like sit, come, stay, but I think she will learn them quickly. She pulls a bit on the leash during walks, but nothing a little training can’t fix. She lived outdoors with other pets and reportedly did well with them. Her surrendering owners also had young children and they said she did well with them. She is playful and getting along with our resident Golden, other than some guarding over toys; we have put toys away and also feed them separately. Rosie is gentle and loves attention. With a little TLC and consistent medications, she will be a happy, healthy dog for a loving family.