Oliver is a very special boy who is searching for a very special home.  Oliver is an adorable bundle of love who will be 2 years old in June of 2023.  Oliver was surrendered to Lucky Star in September and we quickly realized he had medical issues that needed to be addressed.  We have been working on sorting everything out with him so that he can live the best life possible.  We have made great strides in improving his quality of life and he is now searching for a family of his own that understands his needs and is willing to love him and care for him for the duration of his life. 

Oliver is an incredibly sweet little guy who wants to be with his people all of the time and absolutely LOVES to sleep in your lap for as long as you are sitting down.  As soon as you sit, he will run over to you and make funny little noises and wag his tail until you pick him up.  Oliver’s foster mom says he will literally sit for hours at a time in her lap as she does work on the computer. Sometimes she gets too hot with this little lap warmer so she has a chair pulled up right next to her with a bed on it (see picture below) that Oliver will agree to move to as long as he is right by her side.  Oliver is also a big fan of sunbathing.  He absolutely loves to lay in the sunshine and will follow the patches of sunlight around in the house throughout the day when he’s not in someone’s lap.  Oliver has a playful side as well.  He loves toys and will happily entertain himself when he’s in the mood to play.  He raids the toy basket daily and piles his prizes in the various dog beds around the house.  In regard to energy levels, Oliver is a very easy keeper.  Although he is a young dog, he is not high maintenance and is not a mischief maker.  He is also fully housebroken and will vocalize at the door when he needs to go out.  Oliver is also crate trained and sleeps well all night in his crate without issue. 

Oliver gets along well with other dogs and is friendly with all the humans he has met.  He has not met any cats, but I would imagine he would be fine in a home with a cat.  While Oliver enjoys all of the dogs he has lived with in his foster home, he could also do well as an only dog.  As long as he has a human to love him and give him lots of cuddles and lap time, he would be very happy. 

Oliver is clearly a special boy in his capacity for love and affection, but he is also a special needs boy medically.  Oliver has syringomyelia (SM), hydrocephalus secondary to the SM and grade 4 luxating patellas in both hind legs in addition to a bone deformity in his right tibia.  While this clearly looks overwhelming in writing, Oliver is well managed and currently living a very good quality of life.  I will share the journey we have been on to get him to this point as well as what we are looking for in his forever home. 

When Oliver was first surrendered, we immediately noticed his unusual stance.  He looks like a dog when they are about to have a bowel movement and they hunch their back to go.  This back curvature is called kyphosis.  Although he can move around well, he has a very abnormal gait.  His back legs do not fully straighten due to soft tissue contracture so it causes his back to look curved.  There is a picture below of his posture.  Due to his structural issues in his hind legs, he bears most of his weight on his front legs and he moves remarkably well.  He can even run in a “bunny hop” type of motion.  Due to the legs not fully straightening and their abnormal functioning, he has very weak muscles in his hind legs.  His orthopedic exam revealed that he has grade 4 luxating patellas in both hind legs. His right leg is worse than the left with torsion in the tibia as well.  Realistically the orthopedist told us there was only a 50% chance of success with surgery on his legs and the recovery would be long and painful.  Given his neurological issues it was not recommended that we proceed with surgical correction.  Instead we are medically managing his legs to keep them as healthy as possible. 

As mentioned, Oliver has neurological challenges as well.  Shortly after arriving in his foster home, it was also observed that Oliver was exhibiting a great deal of neck scratching, crying and biting his back feet while kicking himself in the head.  He was having episodes at least 6 times a day and we suspected SM.  We took him for a neurological consult and the doctor began a trial of medication to see if it helped and recommended an MRI.  Upon doing the MRI Oliver was officially diagnosed with SM. He has two syrinx in his spine and the spinal fluid also backs up into his brain causing hydrocephalus.  We have been working on different combinations of medications for the past 6 months and have found a protocol that is very effective in managing Oliver’s neurological pain.  He went from having 6 or more prolonged episodes of frantic scratching and attacking his feet to one mild, brief episode a day where he may bite lightly at his back foot. He can now easily be distracted out of it by calling his name and offering a toy to chew. 

So at this point you may be wondering what is involved in his care and what are the long-term costs.  He receives medication 3 times a day and supplements in his food.  He gets pregabalin (Lyrica), omeprazole (Prilosec), Trixsyn (hyaluronan), PEA and Dasuquin.  He also gets an injection of Adequan monthly.  The monthly cost of all of this combined is about $50.  We are also doing cold laser therapy treatments on Oliver’s back and legs.  Donors generously purchased him his own device which his foster mom uses on him weekly.  Because the devices that are for home use are not as strong as the ones used by professionals, his treatments take about an hour in order to receive the same benefits he would get from going to the vet for treatment.  This is a tremendous cost savings since he can benefit from weekly treatments for the duration of his life.  Oliver’s new home will need to have access to a neurologist and an orthopedist for maintenance care and supervision. 

Oliver is currently a very happy boy and is so deserving of a wonderful home to live out his life.  If you are considering bringing Oliver into your family we will gladly discuss his conditions, long- term prognosis and every detail of his care with you to be sure you understand every aspect of what life with Oliver will entail.  A potential home for Oliver must have someone home most of the time who is able to administer his medications 3 times a day as well as to provide the companionship he so desperately craves.  Oliver can go to a home with other dogs as long as the dogs are calm and very gentle.  Because Oliver’s hind legs are fragile, he cannot be in a home with a playful dog that may jump on his back.  A quiet home without children would be best, but teenagers would be fine.  Oliver should live in a home with a fenced yard, but the yard does not have to be very large.  Oliver is located in CT and we will be seeking a family within driving distance of his current location.  Please read this entire bio and understand the commitment needed in order to provide him with the best quality of life.  After completing an application, please contact Mary Coyne, mary401339@aol.com of your interest.