In two short weeks, Hector, an American Eskimo rescue,  has made noteworthy strides. With his regime of raw diet dog food from K-9 Kraving and a heavy peppering of affection from his foster family, he’s growing stronger, more alert and sports a more lustrous coat (all things considered).

As we enter the third week of Project Pet, our six-week study of Hector’s rehabilitation – aimed at documenting the positive role raw diet plays – there is still a laundry list of things to accomplish.

One of the most important is Hector’s mouth. The gaping holes where his canines once resided are at risk of impaction and/or infection regardless of what diet he is eating.

On March 5, 2009, Dr. Marcella Bonner, DVM  chief veterinarian of the Swan Harbor Animal Hospital in South Baltimore, attempted a gingival skin flap. The procedure involved taking tissue from a healthy area of Hector’s mouth and grafting it over the targeted region. In Hector’s case, this skin graft was applied to the right side hole that resulted from a rude extraction of his canines. Unfortunately, the grafted flesh and intact flesh did not bond.

The next step was for us to contact a veterinary dental surgeon in hopes that other methods may prove successful.

Dr. Ira Luskin  med vet, FAVD, Diplomate, AVDC came highly recommended. I didn’t realize, until preparing to contact him what a gem this man is.

Since 1979, Dr. Luskinhas been actively involved with Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery. He’s the hospital director of the Animal Dental Centers located in Annapolis and Towson, MD., and one of only 73 Diplomates of the American Veterinary Dental College  worldwide. He’s also a well-known speaker on small animal dentistry and oral-facial surgery. In 2000, he established the first private post-graduate training center for veterinary dentistry in the United States named the Animal Dental Training Center of Baltimore.

With a picture of Hector’s mouth and the few facts we had, Dr. Luskin was contacted. Perhaps more intrigued than hopeful, he agreed to a consultation with Hector.

To prepare for the consultation we needed to provide any and all medical records available on Hector and immediately called Sallyann Jennings, Hector’s rescue guardian. Within twenty-four hours…tada…Jennings had Hector’s admission records from BARCS along with his blood screen, procedure notes and comments from Dr. Bonner.

It was after receiving these records that I realized an error in our original post stating that Hector was neutered at BARCS. Hector’s neutering was, in fact, performed by Dr. Bonner.

Scheduling the consultation proved the more daunting task. Luskin’s office was great. After dodging conflicting appointments, out-of-town plans, etc. all parties agreed to meet at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7th.

The small wait is welcomed. With Hector’s health improving, from the inside out, daily – we feel that the extra week or two until his consultation will increase his odds of being a viable candidate for oral surgery.

Meanwhile, we hope to get Hector groomed.  Maybe it’s the sight of dead cells suspended in his fur from underlying healing skin. Or the random multi-colored lengths of his coat making a comeback from the nasty allergies that ailed him. It could just be that the lively and sweet spirit that exudes from Hector doesn’t match the scraggly outer package. With Dr. Bonner’s approval, we’ll be in the market for a shampoo, trim and blow-dry.

Hector, despite his remarkable adaptability, had to overcome a few obstacles over the past couple weeks.

First there was a small issue of getting food inside him effectively. Since he cannot nibble or bite bits of food, he must push it in. Working against him is the length of his snout when he was fed from a normal sized dish for a dog his size. Dave and Debbie Adams, his foster family, tried a paper plate for his feedings, but it slid across the floor. The end solution was a [big dog] bowl with a rubber non-slip base.

Hector also had trouble trying to jump or climb on to the couch to be close to his new and adoring long term foster humans. However, as the days have passed, his physical strength and confidence have improved. Today, the couch is not such a frustrating hurdle.

Dave was concerned that Hector wasn’t getting enough to eat, so we reexamined the situation.

History: Hector clearly was under-nourished at the onset of our study. Introducing too much food upfront, we feared, would be too much for his delicate system. Based on his weight two weeks ago, 22.6 pounds, we outlined four ounces twice per day. Since he’s handling that well, we have increased Hector’s meals to six ounces twice daily.

Age: Based on available information, Hector may be suffering from moderate canine arthritis.  Dr. Bonner adds, “Hector’s skin, mouth, coat and eyes indicate that of a senior dog. Yet, he does not seem old enough for his teeth to have fallen out naturally. Whatever his actual age or story, I believe Hector has been medically neglected his whole life. From the suspected neglect his body is worn down. If the stiffness Hector displayed is arthritis, keeping him at a positive-minimum weight is ideal for his joints.”

Activity Level: Hector’s not herding, running or otherwise bouncing off the walls with energy. He scouts his surroundings unhurriedly, enjoys a few daily walks and naps a lot. With a lower activity level, his body does not burn as many calories. As with humans, if you’re not burning the calories you take in, you’re storing them.

On that note – I am ready for my evening ice cream.

Click in next week for more details of Hector and the documentation of his rehabilitation on a raw diet with K-9 Kraving.

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