An Update on Rooney

The day we brought Rooney home.

I've had a few people ask me how Rooney is doing these days so I wanted to give you guys a quick update on his health/diet and how he is adjusting to city life.  If you're just meeting Rooney, he's our super cute and feisty Weimaraner. 

He's two and a half years old which for a breed like his means he is still very puppy-like.  To us, he's calmed down a ton from his early puppy years, but if you're used to a chill dog that doesn't need to exercise everyday, our dog would give you a run for your money.  For us though, he's the perfect pupper.  He loves the woods and has energy for days, which keeps us active too.  But when you get home at the end of the day, he wants to snuggle you and be a little velcro dog. 

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4 months old

One of his first real hikes.

With his cast - saddest little pupper face.

When we hiked 1,400 miles this summer, Rooney was right there with us.  He hiked everyday, lived in the tent with us and was a resident of the woods for 4 months.  And he loved it all.  Well, maybe not all of it.  The bugs drove him bananas!  Remember this post? 

And as annoying as the bugs were, the ticks were the real nuisance.  They were always on us and we pulled 10-15 off Rooney every single day.  I guess looking back it's not that shocking that he ended up with Anaplasmosis.  It's a tick-borne disease kind of like Lymes.  We got off the trail and found a vet that hooked us up with meds and a cast for the pup's swollen paw (a side effect of the disease).

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Can you find the tiny puppy in this pic?

There was a squirrel there that was taunting Rooney.

Bliss.

The meds were a month-long treatment and they kind of did a number on Rooney stomach.  Even after we were off the trail and his meds were done, he still was having tummy trouble.  We found a vet here in Chicago that we love (she's a holistic vet and truly looks at everything in Rooney's life and not just the symptoms he presents with) and she helped get him on the right track again.

We adjusted his diet back to raw food (he was raw before the trail) then started incorporating pumpkin and probiotics into his daily diet.  I'm super happy to say that he has made a full recovery and is doing so well now.  Everything seems to be back on track and we're so grateful. 

Thank you for the concern and questions about Rooney - it seems he has quite a fan club.  I get it though - this is a hard face to ignore :-)

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Our pupper.

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