Name: Rocky
Breed: Beagle/Labrador Retriever Mix
Age: 1 year
Weight: 32 pounds
Coat: Medium, Chestnut/White
Adoption Fee: $250
Location: Wattsville, VA (Accomack County)
Vetting Status: Neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, heartworm negative and maintained on preventatives

Rocky came to K-9 Rescue in early March of 2017 after sustaining a fractured elbow. His former owners were not able to afford veterinary care resulting in their decision to surrender Rocky. As a matter of fact, Rocky had never seen a vet until coming to our rescue! Talk about an incredibly unfair start to life for such a young, sweet boy! Luckily with a fantastic veterinary team and his patient and loving foster Mom, Rocky has made a beautiful recovery without the need for surgical intervention.

In our eyes, Rocky is nothing less than perfect! He is a well-balanced guy that enjoys being active, yet also settles down beautifully to snuggle with his loved ones. He enjoys playing, likes to chase pretty much anything that moves and is super friendly to everyone and everything that he encounters. Rocky is nothing less than fantastic with other dogs, cats and children of all ages! He truly knows no stranger and will made a wonderful addition to a lucky family.

Unfortunately for Rocky, although healthy and stable now, there are aspects that a new owner will need to acknowledge and understand before making a commitment to adopt. After all, no rescue dog is perfect! Upon release from his medical hold on 5/23/17, the following write up was provided by our veterinarian:

“Rocky’s elbow fracture has done great healing. The bone is not 100% back to normal but it can take many months for the bone to finish remolding. We would like to see Rocky gradually increase his activity level to apply more and more stress to the bone to aid in its healing. Rocky is also already showing signs of arthritis in his elbow joint which will likely progress and he will deal with it for his whole life. In order to decease his arthritis issues, Rocky should stay on a good joint supplement like Dasuquin and welactin, maintain a consistent level of low impact exercise, and maintain a healthy weight. Very worse case scenario is that if he is unable to be kept comfortable down the road he may need that leg amputated.

Rocky is also showing skin signs that are consistent with allergies. There are many types of allergies in dogs such as food, flea and environmental and most dogs have a combination of allergies. Our goal is to control the things we can to keep him at a comfortable level where he is not getting secondary skin infections. This can mean trying hypoallergenic foods to see if that helps and doing bathing and moisturizing to aid with environmental allergens. Newest research is showing that environmental allergies in dogs are very similar to eczema in people so we should be managing it with fish oils, bathing, moisturizing and medications as needed.

Rocky is fine to go up for adoption as long as his adopters realize that his arthritis and his skin issues will be lifelong management issues.”

We are happy to report Rocky’s allergy issues have much improved with a change of diet (now on Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets - Hydrolyzed) and the incorporation of recommendations provided by our vet to include fish oil and medicated baths as needed with Selsum Blue. Thus far, our vet agrees we should be capable of managing the conditions without the addition of prescription medications. His adopter would simply need to resume with our current plan of action to ensure Rocky remains on track. 

Rocky is truly a fantastic dog that deserves nothing less than a wonderful family to love and cherish him. If you think Rocky is the dog for you, please submit an adoption application today!

Rocky is available for adoption through K-9 Rescue of the Eastern Shore. An adoption process is required to include filling out an online adoption application available at the following link: http://www.k9rescuees.org/forms/form_humanverify?formid=4070, veterinary and personal reference checks and a home visit are required prior to being approved to adopt. Non-local adopters are welcome! If you have questions about Rocky, please e-mail the following: K9RescueES@gmail.com

Please note, our rescue members are volunteers with many obligations. While we may not be capable of immediate response, we will respond to all inquiries and application submissions as soon as possible. Thank you for thinking adoption!

Good with Dogs, Good with Cats, Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Quiet, Does Good in the Car, Leashtrained, Cratetrained, Plays fetch, Likes to play with toys, Likes to swim, Likes to be in your lap, Needs special care, Obedient, Playful, Affectionate, Eager To Please, Intelligent, Even-tempered, Gentle, Goofy