# Nikita my foster



## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

This is Nikita, the nine year old I picked up last Friday. I sometimes want to bang my head on the monitor because I keep getting information that is not what the owner told me. She is not seven, she's nine. They didn't operate on her throat, they lanced something in it. He also said she had a growth on her side, but as far as we can tell it is infected skin from possibly a hot spot she has chewed. He told me they wanted $800 to remove a growth but there is no growth there that i can see and nothing on her vet record to suggest there ever was.

She is quite a sweetheart. First thing she does is have a snow bath for her head. But she's not happy with the current icy conditions and the hard chunks all over. I finally got her groomed out. Not finished, but the worst of the dead hair is gone and her feet are trimmed. Hopefully my furminator will be here next week.

Nikkita came with a severe ear infection. I'm still treating that. Plus she weighed 81 lbs. I have her on a good chow and green beans. Yesterday she started leaving a few of the green beans so I might cut those back a bit.

They had a gentle leader for her because she had some kind of neck injury last summer that caused what I thought was an abcess but it does not say that on the record. It does note there was some bruising though and the owner told me he thought the choke collar had done the damage. I have not put her on a nylon choke until I found out for sure, but think I will switch her now. She doesn't really need this.

My only concern right now is that her foot pads appear very soft, and not rough like a dog's normally is. When they are wet you can see that they are half pink, spotted like a pinto pony. She also has a small split on one toe pad. Given that she has good pigment elsewhere, I'm not sure whether this is just in her heridity or whether she has some kind of skin problem.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

She is gorgeous. Has she come inside yet?


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Oh she is so pretty!!! I take anything owners say with a grain of salt (preferably on the rim of a margarita glass...) They makes things up to make their ultimate decision to dump their dog easier. The owners who truly want to see their dog find a great home tend to be much more forth-coming, but they aren't the norm unfortunately.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Nikita is beautiful. I'm so glad she has you looking out for her. Have she and Leah been together yet??? I bet they'll be good buddies. Bless you Betty for your love and dedication to these golden oldies !!!!


Dallas Betty


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

She's a beauty and she really doesn't even look that old in the video. How does she get along with Leah?


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

We are just doing some short introduction, like Leah goes into the kennel on a lead, and today Nikki came into the house on lead. Leah was very tense. She didn't show any signs of being aggressive about it, but she was not "best pleased" as they say here. So we'll keep this up for a couple of days to get her used to the idea. Nikki was happy as a clam. Sniffed Leah, sniffed cats, wanted to stay.

Everything I know is "he told me", and from the way things have turned up, it's like they just didn't pay much attention to the poor thing.

- He said she was vaccinated last August when she was boarded.There is only one vet in town, that took care of the thing on her throat and they did not do it.
-He said they had a health record but couldn't find it. So he told me she was seven but the vet record from Aug 07 shows her age as 8 years 3.6 mos. So they must have shown the vet something that had her birthdate on it.
-When I asked about the chewed area on her flank, it was like he hadn't even seen it before. Then he told me the vet had said it was a growth and no problem, or he could have it removed for $800. There is nothing on the vet record about it, and I can't see for the dense, chewed off hairs. My vet will shave it and remove the growth if there is one.

Her coat is well colored for almost nine, but my female that I lost in December was 12 and she only faded in the face last year, so that's not saying too much. Her face is not that white yet, but again, Chessie retained hers till long past nine.

She is overweight, but even after she loses some pounds, she's going to be a big dog. It's in her bones and her height.

So we'll try and get her into the house and routine over the next few days. Leah might like a playmate once she gets used to the idea.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Nikita is just beautiful and so sweet. I pray that her and Ms Leah get along and become the best of friends. Those people sound like they just made things up for your questions. She is in safe and loving hands.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I am so glad she is with you! The people who had her are idiots. You might as well start all over with her medical history, what they gave you sounds like it's worthless. You probably know more about her already than they did.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> ! I take anything owners say with a grain of salt (preferably on the rim of a margarita glass...)
> Isn't THAT the truth!!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Nikita*

Nikita is JUST GORGEOUS!
Thank You for fostering her!!!


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

She looks an absolute sweetheart - i hope the two girls hit it off. As an afterthought, is it possible her pads are soft because she has not been excercised? I don't know why people cannot be honest and tell the truth when they want to rehome their dogs - it makes me so mad


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

Yes, I am wondering if she ever got out much at all. I"m finding she won't potty more than three times a day. Also, today is very cold, wind chill is about -15F and she's very unhappy with the snow and ice crust all broken up. She would hardly put a foot down this morning, so I put Leah's boots on her although they were a bit small. Nikki wasn' too happy but once she got outside and discovered her feet weren't cold she was pretty good in them.

I notice again this morning there was just the faintest trace of blood on the snow. There is one outside toe pad on her right hind foot that is cracked. And it may be my imagination, but I felt that the foot between the pads seemed very warm and perhaps flushed pink. I don't think there is any infection or anything, but her feet appear to be very sensitive.

The weather hopefully will hold this week so we get to the vet on Wednesday and he will look at cleaning up her side, whether that is a growth or infection, and they told me they could bath her too! I was so grateful, because she needs it badly and is simply too big for me to handle alone. So she should come home with pearly whites, smelling good, and ready to party!


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> Oh she is so pretty!!! I take anything owners say with a grain of salt (preferably on the rim of a margarita glass...) They makes things up to make their ultimate decision to dump their dog easier. The owners who truly want to see their dog find a great home tend to be much more forth-coming, but they aren't the norm unfortunately.


Lisa, you crack me up!!

Nikita is a beauty and certainly looks like she'd be fine without the gentle leader...


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

Yes, she is managable. "He told me", that they got it because of the problem with her throat, and that it was caused by the choke collar. I have not seen that page of the vet record, they are mailing it to me, but it does say there was bruising around the thing that had to be drained. I don't know what they called it, but the girl at the vet's says it's not noted as being an abcess. So I would guess that yes, an injury was caused by inappropriate use of the collar, but I didn't want to put one on her till I knew for sure it was a mechanical injury and not a growth that might come back. I have nylon slip collars that will do her just fine.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

wonder if she started to absorbed her choke? (if she grew and the choke was too small for her neck..)


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

I got the impression that it was a single spot of damage. But I'm not even sure where it was, because I don't have that first page of the records. I am guessing in the soft tissue under the jaw somewhere.


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm happy to report that we had a whole evening together last night, with only one small growl from Leah because Nikki had stepped on her. I would growl too, considering her size.

Leah was a little nervous at first but settled down and even napped on her back with her belly up. Nikki was very anxious, and went back and forth a lot at first. I wondered if maybe she was looking for her other family, because she had already had a pee and pooped earlier in the day. She would settle and get up again, but Leah had laid in the pathway around to the kitchen, and Nikki wouldn't step over her, so she had to stop going to the patio door. As it turned out, she pooped as soon as I took her out before bed, so I will be more vigilant about that in future.

They didn't play with each other or toys but that will come. They did enjoy treats, and Leah would shove her head in when Nikki was too close, so I made sure to keep petting her as Nikki got attention.

Nikki's feet really are sensitive. She could hardly put a foot down on the show with -20F temps again. I put Leah's boots on and she was okay, but they are not big enough nor adequate for walking on the highway. I have got to find Nikki a set of hard material boots that can take walking on pavement. She's sensitive to cold and I suspect those paw pads will not take much abrasion against rough surfaces. I'll be interested to see what the vet has to say about the sensitivity. I hope it is just lack of exercise/exposure to outdoor surfaces. I can't think of anything else that it would be.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Sounds like last night was one of good progress. Those two will be best buds before long I think. Sending good thoughts that you're able to get her to the vet this week and after a "spa day" she'll be good to go !!!!!! ENJOY!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Betty I was looking forward to your post!
Sound like a really successful first evening together.. 

Look forward to your share regarding your vets input about her tootsies and her neck issue...


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## Carraig (Jan 4, 2008)

She has always ducked her head and evaded me with the Gentle Leader. Not that she is a bad dog about going out. This morning I took out a slip collar and lead and she came to me eagerly. That tells me how much she hates that Leader. And she does fine on the other collar, but granted, we haven't had a lot of open territory to work in with all this ice. And tomorrow we have heavy rainfall warnings. Winter really bites. This morning it was -20F and now it's +22F. The rain will turn my acres into a skating rink.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm so glad to hear that things are going (relatively) well with Nikki. It's an absolute shame that the people who were her "family" for so many years seem to know nothing about her. I'll never understand that! Hopefully her current issues (infection/growth and the sensitive pads) are minor and can be easily treated. I think I would want boots too in -20 degree weather.... BRRRRRRRRRR!!! Sounds like the longer term visit in the house went as well as you could expect. I would love to hear that they have reached a point where they are playing together, but I suppose that will take a little time. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with these beautiful girls with us! 

Julie and Jersey


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