At 12 years old, Bella is a YOUNG AT HEART alum from IBR. Her family wanted to share a little about adopting Bella at an older age. IBR received Miss Bella, an Old English Bulldog, from a shelter in the spring of 2013 at the age of 11 1/2 years. Upon intake, Bella was found to be heartworm positive, extremely overweight at 85 pounds and had arthritis in her hind leg was so badly that she could not stand, much less walk. She had a couple masses and dry eye. As soon as she left the shelter with IBR, she began heartworm treatment. Her vet was unsure if her leg problem was her hip or her knee, but his recommendation was to get some weight off of her and then reevaluate. Since exercise was out of the question due to her heartworm treatment and her bad leg, she began a strict diet of kibble and a small handful of frozen veggies twice a day, plus daily vitamins. As the weeks passed, the weight started to drop off. Once Bella was declared heartworm-free, she gradually started an exercise program. As the months passed, she gradually built up strength and the walks became longer. A pleasant surprise surfaced about 6 months after we picked Miss Bella up. One day while playing, we noticed a twitching on her hind end. A tail! Miss Bella had a nubby tail hiding under the weight! Today, Bella is happy and healthy. She weighs just over 50lbs, which is an ideal weight for her. She still walks with a little limp but has started running, in her own unique way, when she is playing with her fur siblings or dancing in anticipation of mealtime. She does not bark, but rather makes a unique sound. After being fostered for almost 12 months, Bella’s foster family adopted her!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:00:10 +0000
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