Meet Henry!

So, on Sunday January 20th Anthony and I did it. Yes, we adopted a dog! After many weekends of visiting Petsmart and almost crying over the puppies that I wanted to take home, we took one home!

Here is Anthony during our meet and greet with Henry ("Jeager" at the time). He was actually the second dog that we played with that day. But this guy was so soft and cuddly and we couldn't leave him there. I called my mom to make sure that she and Dad would still speak to me after I adopted a dog (you know, I had to get the responsibility lecture and whatnot) while Anthony filled out the adoption application.

We sat down with the KY SAVE representatives as they reviewed the application. After we had signed everything and we were ready to pay (after the ATM trip) they mentioned that our soon to be new pup was heart worm positive. WHAT?! They proceeded to tell us that he was in the process of being treated for them via the "slow kill" process. They were providing us with all of the medicine that he needed to finish the process (a full year!). I just remember asking, "but that means he will be okay, right?"-- "oh yeah, of course." In our minds he was already ours so the heart worm thing was just a minor bump (hmph) and we took little no-name home.

First Picture of him in his new home!

When we got home we did a little more research on heart worm and the methods to treat it. Everything I read said that the "slow kill" method was not the preferred treatment and that it was usually only used when the other option was not possible due to health or finances. So how sick was this precious dog that we just adopted?  It kind of felt like we had been bamboozled. Luckily we had an appointment with the vet a few days later. In the mean time, we struggled to name him while he discovered every surface of the house that he could sleep on:

Crate

Doggie bed

Couch

People bed

Finally with the help of my sister we settled on Henry. Henry Jasper Baker.

The vet, as we expected, recommended the "Adulticide" treatment for Henry. A $700 something treatment (with enrollment in the Banfield health benefits package of course). She did a chest x-ray and blood work to make sure he was a good candidate for the treatment and then it was up to us...but who could say no to saving that sweet face?

The money we could find but it was the 2 months of crate rest after the injections that bothered us the most. And that is where we are now. Henry had his first injection on Thursday and he has been on crate rest for a total of 3 days and it is already killing me!  Don't get me wrong, he is being such a good boy. He mainly sleeps in the crate or chews on his new favorite toy (triceratops was such a good idea!). He never whines to get out or anything, at least not yet. He seems to be perfectly content. I, on the other hand, just wish he could be on the couch with me cuddling. But I know it is for his life that we are doing this so I can't be selfish for these few months so that I can snuggle that precious boy for a much longer time.  I will make it, but in the mean time I am making a countdown for when Henry can be a normal, heart worm negative, dog.

We have had him for 2 weeks today and I just love him so much! But really, how could you not?!

Loving on his triceratops!