Christmas update

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

Well, the first few holidays (events) are over and I have much to report. Firstly, because of my very demanding schedule (hee hee), my foster mom had to take me with her to visit family for Christmas. I was the only doggy who got to go - packed up in my carrier and with a heating pad. I met lots of new people and everyone loved me, of course. They wouldn't share any of their food with me though - I really wanted some pie. I got to meet a nice pitbull as well. She's my foster cousin. I'm too little to play though so I got held for most of the visit.

SO, all about me... I have a few things to report. The first one is that I have teeth - big sharp teeth that are growing really quickly. These are called k9s and my foster mom says that they really hurt her when I bite her. I really like to chew on things (fingers) because it makes my gums feel good. I have more teeth coming in. I also like to be a bad boy and chew the tube that my foster mom feeds me with. She said I'll get into trouble doing that because I'm not allowed to have formula in my mouth.

I've also reached a goal of mine. I am an over achiever so it does make sense that I'm way ahead of schedule. I'm 2 pounds! I'm a bruiser too. I'm now allwed to come out and walk around the floor when I'm being watched. I can pee and poop on my own and I can play with the other dogs! Just like a boxer I use my paws first. Right now I'm not too steady and am slow but I'll be playing bitey face soon enough. I have a foster brother who is a boston terrier and he's only little. I like him the best because he doesn't flatten me, hahaha.

Well, that was tiring so I'm going to go and take a nap for a little while. It's soon going to be feeding time again and then time for play!

xoxo

Brosa

Writing my own posts

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada
I've decided that since I can now see and hear and walk that I'm going to be taking over and writing my own posts from now on. I'm not going to dictate to my foster mom any more. That's so over! I'm a big boy. I can walk out of my crate and scream like a banshee when I want to be fed so why would I not write in my diary? It is my diary, after all. I'm going to post you all a picture so you can see me doing this. And no, I didn't pee on the keyboard. I can't wait to open my Christmas presents.

PS... I'm on my way to the 2 pound mark - my vet's going to be proud!

Love, Brosa

25 days old

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

I got a new house today! My foster mom calls it a crate and it's like my old one but much bigger. I have furniture and everything! Now that I'm a big boy and am walking around she wanted to give me more room to exercise. I now can see and hear things. The other dogs are pretty interesting too. They're nice to me. I can now pee and poop on my own too - the freedom!

I'm eating lots now too. I'm now 1 and a half pounds. My vet is gone away for Christmas and I'm hoping that I can show him how big I can get and be more than 2 pounds when I see him again. He misses me, I know. Everyone loves me. Thank you for loving me.

I saw the vet today

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada
Well, I'm home from the vet. It was nice outside today so that was good. My foster mom took my hot water bottle for me to cuddle up to though.

My vet is very nice and he likes me very much. I didn't care too much for his 'manhandling' of me but I tried to be good. He said that my heart and lungs sound pretty good. I had a bit of a set back when we tried to stop the antibiotics but I'm getting fixed up again. I have new medicine too, to help my poops. I also have some new food that I'm looking forward to trying.

I didn't get just good news though. It seems my cleft is a lot worse than everyone thought. Now that I'm a little bigger my mouth is easier to see and the vet said that my cleft in the back isn't repairable yet. So, now we need to wait and see again and I'll still need that yucky tube for a while longer than I hoped.

I'm tired now so I'm going to go and have a nap.

Small but mighty

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

Tomorrow I will be 3 weeks old but I'm still very small. I'm growing though. I weigh 1 lb and 4 ounces. I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow and am going to get x-rays and get my organs checked out to see how they're developing. I sure hope his hands are warm and that he gives my foster mom some good news.

I can see!

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

I'm not in darkness any longer. My eyes are opening and I can see light! Just a little right now but I can't wait to see people and my doggy pals.

2 weeks!

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada
This is Brosa's 10th day with me and he's now 2 weeks old. So many didn't think he was going to be here this long but I'm happy to report that he is and doing pretty well. He's certainly small for his age but he's getting stronger. His eyes haven't opened yet. He's still needing to be tube fed every 2 hours and have antibiotics and supplements but we're getting through it, so far.

Brosa is 1 week old

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

Brosa is now 7 days old. The last few days were terribly nerve wracking. This is such an emotional roller coaster to not know if he's going to make it or not. He's now gained an ounce and he weighs 8 ounces. I'm tube feeding him every 2 hours, around the clock and making sure to keep him very warm.

Meet Brosa

Originally posted on the website Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada home page - December 2008. Reposted with permission.


This is Brosa. His name means 'smile' in Icelandic. The reason he was named this is because he's going to have a special look about him as he grows up. You see, Brosa was born with both a hare lip and a cleft palate. This prevented Brosa from being able to nurse from his mom. He could not feed with his litter mates and was destined to starve to death.

At 4 days old this little nameless puppy made out to survive a 7 hour drive to his new foster home. We had no idea how delicate he would be until we saw him that day. He really touched our volunteers. Time was spent hand feeding him with a dropper during his long road trip. It was a terribly stressful time for everyone. So, at 4 days old, Brosa was able to be settled in his foster home. Thanks to Charlotte for sharing the drive and caring for this precious passenger during her leg of his journey.

We're going to be completely honest and admit that Brosa's first few days were tough. Brosa was so small - he was the runt of the litter and he wasn't even 1/2 of the size he should have been at that age. His foster mom didn't think he was going to make it, despite the feedings every 2 hours, around the clock. This dehydrated, weak little puppy deserved a chance though. He couldn't nurse, he was getting so little nutrition, even supplementing with a dropper wasn't enough - he was dying. However, his foster mom wasn't going to give up. She started to tube feed him.

Slowly things began to look up. Brosa was given a name and round the clock care. All of this seems to have paid off because Brosa has been making improvements. He's getting the best of nutrition and supplements and his foster mom has devoted herself completely to his care, feeding him every 2 hours and trying to nap in between. We hope Brosa can make it and think he has a really good chance.

We think this little fighter has already defied the odds by making it this far. At the time of posting, Brosa seems to be doing well! This is miraculous in itself. But for Brosa to have a chance at life he needs to keep going. He's already fought so much and overcame the odds. But, we need help.

Brosa's formula is a large expense. Before he is able to be transitioned to any type of solid or semi-solid food his formula will cost $40/week. He will also need a full work up to ensure that all of his organs and systems are developing properly. Following this we hope that Brosa will be deemed fit to have surgery to reconstruct his palate and help him to live a semi-normal life. With this surgery Brosa will be able to eat like a normal dog and reduce his risks of lifelong infections. We know he's got the spirit but he needs the physical likeness to help him succeed.

Of course this is quite a bit outside of what BRAC is prepared for and able to handle at the moment. So, we're putting a plea out in hopes that anyone able will assist us in helping Brosa to get what he needs. So, if you can help at all, please do. This little guy deserves it. he's a fighter but he needs a push. No amount is too small - every little bit will help. You may donate via paypal using the link below or you can email transfer to info@boxerrescueatlanticcanada.com . Please put Brosa's name in the message field.

Thank you so much.

Brosa's Arrival

Reposted with permission from Boxer Rescue of Atlantic Canada

The tiniest little 4 day old puppy arrived today. He's so small and fragile and thin. I'm truly amazed that we made it home. His tiny size gave us so much of a shock - we really weren't prepared for such a small little guy.

Blogging

I've had a gmail account for years - it's about time I took advantage of the built in blog! And how about this: I found a template called "Tequila", my poison of choice heheheh!

So here I am... Lisa in Lower Sackville, NS. After 8.5 years together, my ex and I went our separate ways in 2004 and on May 31, I moved into MY first home that I purchased, in which to live in with Delta, a 2.5 year old Boxer mix, and kitties Judah and Kayzee.

My "first born" Duncan, a 4.5 year old Valley Bulldog (or Boxer/Bulldog for Lee Anne & Joan), remained with my ex. Thankfully, we'd remained friends and Duncan spent many weekends, even weeks with me over the next 2 years. In September 2006, Duncan came to stay for a few weeks and in October, my ex officially turned him over to me for good. Oh happy day!

The first summer in our home, Delta had a difficult time adjusting as she is a very timid, highly stressed girl. I'm so sure she was depressed, missing her papa and Duncan as well as the stress of a new environment. By the time August rolled around, I knew I needed to adopt a companion for her. Given that I work 5 days a week, I decided to adopt an adult dog (puppies need more time than I had for them). I also knew Delta was very good with small dogs, and so I decided that was where I would look.

Oscar, a 6 year old Lhasa Apso, blasted into our lives and they became great friends from get. Unfortunately, Oscar was obviously not cat-tested (and I have 2!) and the hatred showed immediately. Do I give him back, or do I give him the opportunity to acclimate? For Delta's sake, I decided to give him a chance to settle in. I was his third home in a very short period so this was as much for his sake as well. Well, this was one "old dog" that couldn't unlearn 6 years of bad habits. Here we are, 3.5 years later, and he will still attempt to kill the cats if given the opportunity.

In February 2005, I was called upon by my good friend Lee Anne, who had an urgent rescue situation for Boxer Rescue Canada. I was unsure how Delta would react with an adult female Boxer as she still preferred small dogs, but decided we could only try it and see how it goes. And there began my association with what would eventually become Boxer Rescue Atlantic Canada. More posts to come on my foster dogs over the past 3 years.

After only a year back together, my beautiful Duncan succumbed to a brain tumor on November 13, 2007. He would have been 8 years old on January 1, 2008.