Nelson



Nelson 8/04

Nelson is sweet, loving, kissable, huggable, and LOVES to have his belly rubbed!!! Nelson is going to need a home very soon because he has medical needs that have to be tended to on a daily basis.

Nelson was found in front of an apartment building on Nelson Ave by his rescuer, Nichole, a NY Police Officer. The super of the building said that Nelson "plopped" himself down there and hadn't moved in 24 hours. He had a collar on, so it was obvious he belonged to somebody at some point. He was breathing extremely fast, his eye was swollen and infected from either a bite wound or from human infliction, and he couldn't seem to walk. Nelson was yet another victim of the harsh streets of the Bronx...but he’d found his rescuer!!!! She tried everything to get him to accompany her, but nothing was working. She truly thought he was going to die in front of her. She’s not sure where the idea came from, but she asked him if he wanted to "go for a ride?" All of a sudden, his ears perked, his tail wagged, and off they went. It was quite a challenge getting him back out of the car; he thought Nichole was just dumping him off again.... but at the end of the workday, Nichole and another cop got him into the back of her truck and off they went to her vet's office with Nelson in tow. Nichole called ahead to let them know she had a bad one again and to be prepared.

They lifted Nelson out of the truck when they got to the vet, and he just looked at her and basically said with his eyes, "thank you". Inside they went and the examination began. A severely abscessed left eye had become infected, the infection then spread throughout his body causing extreme weakness, dehydration, and he was losing his hair on both sides of his body (along with his tail).... the vet recognized the hair loss as a sign of thyroid disease, but ran a complete blood panel, just to be sure. He was poked and prodded in the office with vaccination shots, IV fluids, and antibiotics and not once did he show the slightest bit of aggression. Nichole was quite worried b/c he's a Chow, that he may be very loyal to his owner and wary of strangers, but not Nelson--he LOVES everybody!!!

Nelson underwent surgery the following morning to drain the abscess and he was neutered at the same time. He received all his vaccinations, however, he tested positive for hookworm (a condition easily treated with de-worming). He was kept on IV fluids and antibiotics for 3 days, and today he was ready to go home with his rescuer. Nelson has a condition known as Hypothyroidism, and will need a thyroid supplement everyday for the rest of his life. It's not an expensive treatment, but it does require someone who will be responsible enough to administer the pills on a regular basis, and have his blood levels tested occasionally to assure the proper dosage is being given. He has lost some of his hair on his sides and his tail, but over time with the supplement, he will once again have the handsome Chow Chow coat he's supposed to have.

If you think you can find it in your hearts to give Nelson a forever home, contact Nichole at moosey911@optonline.net. She will do a complete background check with vet references, and previous pet experience...as well as the type of environment he will live in. Nichole does a complete temperament test to assure her rescues are great with kids and other animals--so far Nelson has passed the cat and dog test...she’s not sure about kids yet.

The pictures of Nelson are post-op and he was still a bit loopy from the anesthesia. Nelson has been issued the title of Nichole’s "Most Expensive Rescue" to date---$594.00. She will ask a donation fee to help her cover some of her costs.