It breaks my heart to write this. Jon and I are grateful to the rescue for giving us the chance to get to know Maggie. Maggie passed away two nights ago, peacefully in her sleep while we sat by her crate. It happened quickly and she fell into a coma before she could be in pain, all while being surrounded by familiar smells, sounds and our love. We didn’t recognize the signs in time, but we are told her symptoms and behaviors are consistent with hepatic encephalopathy. After doing our research, we emphatically believe this is the correct diagnosis. We thought we would have years with Maggie after we adopted her this July; instead, we provided her with the best hospice care we could, without knowing the disease she was battling.
If you have a dog taking phenobarbital, please make sure you are also getting routine blood work done.This is something I want to make sure you all are aware of so you and your vet can prevent this from happening to others. If caught in time, liver disease can be managed. Thank you all for the opportunity to fall in love with one of the laziest, stubborn, and most perfect dogs we will ever get to know.
We are so excited to announce that Maggie has been adopted and is living in her forever home!
Welcome owner surrender, Maggie to rescue. Just look that smile and you will know how sweet she is. She is at the vet for evaluation and shots and then off to her new foster family.
9/16/16 Update: I have been spending some time getting to know Maggie Mae. Maggie came to me with double ear infections and her skin was red and irritated. Maggie’s allergy issues were more than likely caused by the food she was being fed. She also had pressure sores on her hocks from sleeping on a hard surface. Maggie has been getting better every day sleeping on a soft mattress with a fluffy blanket and eating good nutritious food.
Maggie Mae is just too stinking cute and such a sweet girl. She loves to chew on bones, but is not sure about toys. She likes to be wherever I am. She will go outside and take care of her dog business, but if I am not out there with her, she wants back in the house immediately. Maggie is a snuggler and loves to just sit with me and have her ears rubbed and get a good booty scratch! She gets along with the other bulldogs in the house as well as my Mini Aussie but her former owners reported she is not a fan of big dogs! As Maggie tried to eat a Rottweiler that was at the vet’s office, I believe this to be true!
10/9/16 Update: Anyone want to adopt a Billy Goat? I mean…a Bulldog??? Isn’t she absolutely adorabull? Maggie is a sweet girl that just wants to be with her person. She has to be where ever I am. She cares about 3 things….Her person….Her food…and Her chew bones. She will go outside and take care of business and then wants right back in with me. She’s so sweet and LOVES to cuddle. Maggie is NOT a morning person! She hates mornings. Getting her out of bed can be a chore sometimes. She gets up in her own sweet time. Give her a nice fluffy bed and a soft cuddly blanket and she is a happy little bullie girl.
She likes everyone and gets along with other dogs just as long as they just don’t get in her face. She likes her space. The negatives about Maggie….she doesn’t share. She does not like it when other dogs try to take her toys. She is also food aggressive with other dogs. When fixing meals, I make her wait in her crate. If someone is looking for their best friend to hang out with and snuggle with while watching TV….Maggie would love to apply for the position!!!
10/22/16 Update: Maggie has come out of her shell completely and her cute personality is shining through. She has figured out that toys are fun, and loves a game of tug-o-war. Getting her on a quality food has been made a huge difference. She has lost a few pounds and her allergies are under control. She has stopped itching and scratching all the time and she is not longer losing her coat in handfuls. She now has a lovely soft coat and she loves for everyone to pet her and feel how soft she is! Maggie is all about going for walks and riding in the car. She just wants to go, see and do things with me.
We still have the issue that she does not share toys. If she has a toy, no other dog is allowed near her or her toy. While I prepare meals, she is very content to wait in her crate for her food. She has been the perfect little house guest. She doesn’t chew on anything that is not for dogs, she is perfectly house trained and crate trained. She is so easy going that nothing much bothers her. She doesn’t even care about the vacuum cleaner. I literally have to vacuum around her because she isn’t moving for that stupid thing. Maggie has a few requirements for her furever family. They must provide her with a soft fluffy dog bed, a snuggly blanket, lots of chew bones and they must not be morning people! Maggie hates getting out of bed in the morning.
1/4/17 Update: It has been awhile since I have done an update on Maggie Mae as she had to go on a temporary medical hold. The past two months have been a bit confusing for this Foster Ma. You see, over a month ago Maggie started making very strange noises at 3 AM. At first I thought she may be having a nightmare but when I went to try and wake her up, I realized that she was having a seizure. It didn’t last very long. She had some temporary blindness when she came out of it and then she went right back to bed and snored while I lay there with my eyes wide open jumping up every time the snoring stopped. The next morning, she acted as if nothing ever happened! Office visit with the Doc and some bloodwork showed absolutely nothing wrong. She was put on medical hold to determine if this was a lone incident. About 2 weeks later she was laying on the sofa and made a funny noise. I immediately ran and put her on a bed on the floor as I knew what was coming. This seizure was shorter than the last one and she came out of it much more quickly. At this point we determined that she has Idiopathic Epilepsy. Idiopathic simply means that there is no identifiable cause. It is an inherited neurological disorder.
Now I understood why this perfectly wonderful precious girl wound up in rescue. Her previous failed to tell us this little fact about Maggie Mae. After the second seizure Maggie was put on the anti-seizure drug Phenobarbital. She has been seizure free for over a month now and the drug has almost completely leveled out in her system. After a couple weeks of acting like she was stone cold drunk, she is returning back to her normal self. She is playing again, chewing her bones and commandeering all the dog beds in the house. In addition, she is very vocal about the fact that I am terribly slow in the preparation of meals. She is also very vocal about sitting in the chair with me while I watch television. Maggie Mae is very much a lapdog and will snuggle in for a good snooze. We enjoyed many afternoon naps over the holidays! At night, she will sleep in my room on her dog bed all night long. I would like to say without making a single noise but she is a bulldog….and bulldogs snore! The only issue I really have with her is she can be a bit difficult about getting out of said dog bed in the morning!!! But hey…..I don’t blame her! I don’t do mornings either! She is 100% house and crate trained. When you take her outside she immediately takes care of her business and is ready to come back inside and be your shadow! She gets along okay with smaller dogs as long as SHE is the boss and they respect her Divaness. Otherwise, she would do really well as an only dog. Based on her personality I don’t think that she would mind sharing a home with a cat.
Maggie Mae will always need to be on anti-seizure medication. Dogs can live long happy lives on anti-seizure meds by monitoring blood levels on a regular basis with their veterinarian. Please do not let this fact scare you away from adopting this absolutely wonderfully adorably cute girl! She is a perfect little house guest.
2/5/17 Update: Maggie has completely made herself at home. If she’s not passed out on one of her beds, it’s because she’s sitting right against us waiting for bellyrubs. Maggie’s favorite time of day is walktime, where you see her happily huffing forward. After her walk, Maggie passes out on the couch while I use her as a pillow. At night, Maggie sleeps on her bed in our room, but only after burrowing beneath her blankie. Overall, she’s a very happy, sleepy girl who wants to be pet until she falls asleep. Maggie is scheduled to attend out Bulldog Bonanza on Feb. 12 at Cold Beer Company in Dallas. Come out to meet her!
2/27/17 Update: Maggie has settled very quickly into our daily routines and really has made herself at home… VERY at home. So much so, in fact, that I’ve begun to call her a Couch Princess. When she’s awake, she likes to watch everyone from her regal couch arm. If it’s nap time, she’ll pull the throw blanket down until she has enough room to bury her head. In her favorite spot? Too bad, that’s Maggie’s spot and you’re getting slept on. When she ventures from the couch, she wants to be near you. While not seeking your attention every time, it’s just enough for her to be close to you.
3/26/17 Update: Maggie would be great for any first time Bulldog owner. She is our first of the breed and we’re hooked now! Anyone that’s looking for a laid-back presence in their home would be hard pressed to find another companion like her. Our favorite ritual we have with her is when we come home: after letting Maggie out of her crate, she needs a few seconds to wake up and will come greet us all bleary-eyed from sleep. She stretches her front legs out (usually letting her chest plop onto the floor so she doesn’t have to support herself… so lazy). Then she comes to excitedly sniff at us and lick our faces if we let her. After saying hello, she immediately gallops (for all of 3 seconds) to pounce at her bone. Sometimes she chews it for an hour, sometimes she falls asleep on it within minutes.
We just love how comforting her presence is in our home! It’s kind of like when people say that the sounds of laughter should fill a home; with her, it’s the sounds of piggy grunts and snores. We have friends from out of town staying for the week and can’t wait to show her off to them!
4/2/17 Update: We had friends stay with us for the week. Obviously, they were smitten with her. It probably helped that Maggie abandoned Jon and me very quickly to cuddle with them as though they were long time pals. She was on her best behavior and gave lots of kisses to everyone in exchange for on-demand belly rubs. While giving Maggie a 5 minute walk to get her back into the routine of exercising, she made new friends. A family was coming home and Maggie just HAD to greet them. They all pet her and while we talked, she sat on the husband’s feet. When it was time to go, she tried getting into their car. I’m starting to feel insulted. Ha! We started giving her Phycox Joint Support, so we hope to see her stiffness lessen over the next few weeks.
4/10/17 Update: This girl is stubborn, but we’re persistent! She has become much more responsive to the commands “sit, crate, outside, inside, walk,” and of course, “treat.” She’s also become a little less aloof and will seek out our attention, sometimes even to play! She still isn’t very good at sharing her bones, but it’s being worked on.
5/1/17 Update: Maggie’s been impatient with us because we’re limiting her walks while we strengthen her joints up a bit. We haven’t seen the limp in awhile though, which is a relief! But Maggie doesn’t understand this, and huffs about the house, sometimes staring at us and then making sure we see how frustrated she is. What unique noises she makes…haha! We have a lot of nice, squeaky Kong balls for her, which she enjoys chasing and happily sleeps on.
