The good news first. Harley now weighs 60.0 lbs and stands 20.5 inches tall at 5 months of age. I was so proud of his behavior. He sat promptly on command and yes, it's obvious that we still need some more work on the stay command. He was interested in everything around him and was a real gentleman during his examination. He received the last of his puppy vaccinations today so he's good on all that until his next kennel cough booster in 5 months.
The bad news next. The small but noticeable amount of hair loss around his eyes and on his left front leg is due to demodectic mange. It is most likely due to an elevated stress level while he was on the street, then a shelter animal as well as poor diet and an immature immune system. He's now on a high quality food and has been for the last 6 weeks. I have the meds to treat his mange in hand and he will need to return for a recheck in one month. Thankfully, his mange was caught early and he should recover fully as the meds are administered. He doesn't require heartworm meds while on the mange treatment. It's a clear liquid form of Ivermectin and is administered orally with a measured syringe. For the first time also, he readily entered my garage while on a leash and hopped into the Batmobile for the ride to the vet. Progress is progress and I'll take it.
His vet strongly recommended a tummy tack for him but wants to wait until about 8 or 9 months of age. We're good with that.
The bad news next. The small but noticeable amount of hair loss around his eyes and on his left front leg is due to demodectic mange. It is most likely due to an elevated stress level while he was on the street, then a shelter animal as well as poor diet and an immature immune system. He's now on a high quality food and has been for the last 6 weeks. I have the meds to treat his mange in hand and he will need to return for a recheck in one month. Thankfully, his mange was caught early and he should recover fully as the meds are administered. He doesn't require heartworm meds while on the mange treatment. It's a clear liquid form of Ivermectin and is administered orally with a measured syringe. For the first time also, he readily entered my garage while on a leash and hopped into the Batmobile for the ride to the vet. Progress is progress and I'll take it.
His vet strongly recommended a tummy tack for him but wants to wait until about 8 or 9 months of age. We're good with that.
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