I am happy to report that Valentino basically looks like a normal dog now. He was 33 pounds when he first ended up at animal control. As of last Thursday, he was 48 pounds. I'm sure he's gained a couple more pounds since then. I soak his kibble ahead of time (before each meal) since he has a hard time chewing because of his broken jaw. I am having him neutered on Tuesday. At that time the veterinarian will also run an x-ray of his jaw. It seems to be healing and I don't think there is anything we can do about it at this point. I suspect he will always just have a hard time closing his mouth fully. His tongue sticks out most of the time. The reason we haven't done the x-ray before now is that (and I learned something new here) you have to flip the dog on his back so that his chin is exposed, move all of his appendages out of the way, and then shove an x-ray plate in his mouth. Apparently dogs do not do this voluntarily, which is why anesthesia is required.
I am planning to list him on the rescue's website soon so that he can start entertaining suitors. I think he'll get adopted quickly, particularly since a lot of people have been watching his story closely on Facebook. I will miss the little guy. He's very sweet and he adores the kid. He follows her around and snoozes next to her bed sometimes. Of course, there is also the added benefit that she drops food occasionally.
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| Valentino is in the lower right corner |
