Ten years ago we purchased an English Mastiff pup and picked him up in March of that year at 8 weeks old. Two weeks later, we drove back to Pennsylvania where he had been purchased and brought home a beautiful, almost all black German Shepherd pup from a different breeder. The Mastiff is now an old man that needs help to get to his feet. The German Shepherd developed a neurological disorder at about 14 weeks and by 16 weeks was in so much pain and almost totally immobile that we had to face euthanizing our beautiful puppy. Not wanting the Mastiff to grow up alone, we sought another pup and on our way to visit our daughter in Florida that summer, met and paid for another German Shepherd pup, picking her up on the way home and she was 16 weeks old already. She is a pretty pup, but has always had emotional and physical issues. Though sweet and good with children and other animals, she is fearful of large men, terrified of bikes, skateboards, scooters, or other things on wheels. And fearful of people with walking sticks or canes, though she is better now than when she was younger.
About 8 years ago, she developed an infection that the vet said was not uncommon with female German Shepherds that might or might not be treatable with surgery, but couldn’t be done until the infection was under control. So for the past 8 years, she has been on and off antibiotics to treat the infections. About a month ago, it got bad again and she needed vaccines, so back to the vet. This time they treated her again with the oral antibiotic, but did an anaerobic culture that showed a couple of bacteria that would not respond to the less expensive oral antibiotic she was on, so after two weeks of being on it, they ordered Euroflox and a box of syringes and taught me how to give her subcutaneous daily injections, scheduled for a month to 6 weeks. After about 2 weeks, though she patiently sat while it was given, we became very concerned that there was a crusty spot every place an injection had been given and lumps in several places. Back to the vet, injections stopped, she now has fasciitis and a major skin infection probably due to a reaction to the antibiotic that was prescribed. After getting her scruff trimmed, the wounds soaked in betadine solution then rinsed off, she is now on oral antibiotics to treat that and a topical antibiotic as well. The poor girl has never been truly well and now must be miserable. She goes back in another week for a recheck to see if the skin is healing and the inflammation is subsiding, though they said it would look worse before it gets better. The oral antibiotic is two huge pills twice a day and the only way she will take a pill is in a “meatball” of dog food. I’m guessing that will upset her stomach to go along with the other issues. Poor pup.
