Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Meet Koda

     Koda is our newest pack member.  His family suddenly became allergic to him after 6 years.  Unfortunately his family let him free feed and did not have a veterinarian check his blood work for hypothyroid problems.  The result is a VERY large malamute.  Arctic Breed Rescue (ABR) in Utah was alerted by the HSU that they had a very forlorn Malmute in need of help.  ABR contacted Moonsong Malamute Rescue (MMR) and many emails later Koda was on his way to Idaho.  He has been in our home since Sunday afternoon and is a great dog.  He likes other dogs and ignores our cantankerous cat.
     Koda's vet visit was this morning at 10 am.  I was very worried about his heart.  We waddled into the clinic and I herded Koda towards the scale.  It was unbelievable watching the numbers role upwards.  They finally stopped at 178 lbs.  It was silent for a minute in the office and then one of the vet tec's said, "Wow, that is a lot of dog."  She patted Koda's side and assured him he was beautiful and would feel better soon.  Dr. L and I herded Koda into an exam room where she listened to his heart, checked his temp, and gave him the once over.  Koda let us know he did not appreciate having his temperature checked or  having his blood drawn by howling.  We won't know for several days what the results of the thyroid test are, but based on Koda's weight and coat it is likely he has hypothyroidism.  Fortunately his heart was not beating erratically and we can start an exercise regimen.  Koda does have a very tender left knee so short distances, more frequently where prescribed.

     I am so excited for Koda to start losing weight and live life as the dog he was designed to be.  He tries so hard to keep up with my other dogs!  I am looking forward to posting pictures in the near future of him on the move with the rest of the pack.

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