Cleopatra Chocolate Labrador Retriever Female 7 Years Old ID #3314

November 15, 2023

We are so excited to report that Cleo was able to get her first injection of the new drug, Librela. This is the medication for arthritis that we have been waiting for since Cleo came into care. She had her shot on 11/3 and we saw almost immediate results. Within 2 days, she was clearly getting up more easily and moving around more often. She always loved her walks but she started to want to go faster and further. And, now when she stands, her back legs are parallel and at the correct width from each other whereas they previously almost touched at the foot when standing. She is also getting sassier when she is ready to go for a walk in the morning and voices her displeasure at the time it takes me to put on my sneakers. 😂

This beauty is loving the fall weather and enjoys sunning herself on the back deck and hanging out in the yard. She is playing less with resident dog Tucker than she used to, but we think it is because they are both getting plenty of exercise and time outside now that it is cooler. They will still wrestle once or twice a week on bad weather days or if they don’t get 2 walks.

Cleo is now 10 days post injection and she is up to 1/4 mile walk twice a day! This is about 3-4 times what she was doing before – she usually wants to go further, but we have been making her turn around so we can increase her distance gradually. She is now able to make it to the path by the pond in our neighborhood and she loves it! She is very alert when the ducks quack and enjoys taking a break to watch the geese fly and swim. Of course, there are endless things to sniff there as well.  We did a little photo shoot today. She is such a photogenic girl!

We have another Librela injection scheduled for a month after her first. Assuming everything is still going well at that time, our plan is to remove one medication at a time to see if we notice changes. We are hopeful we can get her off of at least one or two of her meds, but time will tell. Right now, we are so happy for the relief Cleo must be feeling.

October 19, 2023

Cleo had been doing very well, keeping active with her short “walk” and playtime with the other pups. She went to visit other BLRR volunteers while we were away for a weekend in September and was reported to be a very good guest. They even took her to a Brookline event to meet some potential adopters. She loved the attention 😊

Cleo continued to do well with no major changes until the beginning of October. She really slowed down all of the sudden and didn’t want to walk or play with the other dogs. She seemed irritated when they even came near her and would let out a soft growl (which the other dogs respected and they left her alone). We were concerned and in touch with our vet. She just wasn’t her normal happy self and we were thinking she was in pain. After about a week of little activity and withdrawal, we woke up one morning and she was obviously feeling much better. The day after that she was back to her normal self, going to the corner for her “walk” in the morning and playing bitey-face with the resident dog. Although we had been emailing the vet back and forth to discuss options (which are limited) for a few days prior to this, we still had not tried anything different so whatever was going on was resolved on its own. We are guessing that she must have tweaked or pulled something that was causing her pain which caused her to limit her activity.

She is now back in her routine – walking to the corner in the morning (and sometimes again when foster dad gets home from work). She still gets super excited and almost runs out the door in the morning. She plays with the resident dog most days, but not every day – the activity level in the house has definitely decreased since foster puppy Kylie left for her forever home.

Cleo is looking for that special family to call her own. She would do better in a home where someone is home fairly often or she has another dog to play with (or she has access to another dog friend). She loves attention and her people. She is sweet as can be but has advanced arthritis so there is no cure, just pain management. We are waiting for a new medicine to come on the market this fall that our vet is optimistic about.

For now, she is a happy girl just looking for someone to love her and that she can love back. She is fairly easy as she is potty trained and has great house manners. She should not do flights of steps and the number of stairs to the outside should be limited. We have two in the front and three in the back that she is fine with right now. She will also need carpet in the majority of the area she will be living in. Currently she only needs help to get in and out of the car. Since she is not a big fan of the car, this is not a big issue right now. However, in the future, her adopter may need to assist her with getting outside so that should be a consideration.

Her meds are currently about $150/month.

Cleo sunning herself on the back deck.

Cleo helping foster dad with yard work.

September 4, 2023

Miss Cleo celebrated her 7th birthday in August by having some special treats with her friends and then sunning herself on the porch.

She recently completed her Adequan shot series and she was a very good patient. Foster Dad had no problem administering her shots twice a week. We have not noticed a big difference in the way she walks, however, her energy level has definitely improved. I have attached a video of her running in the backyard and playing with the other pups.

Cleo’s day starts with breakfast and then wrestling with Tucker and Kylie in the living room. She is still over the top excited for her morning “walk”. If I am not fast enough getting my sneakers on, she barks and cries with anticipation and excitement until I am ready. She also loves to hang out with her people and the other dogs. Foster puppy Kylie has really taken to her and Cleo enjoys Kylie’s companionship as well. When not playing bitey face, they can often be found snoozing together.

As you can see from the video, Cleo still has a lot of life to live. She will be available for adoption soon and will be looking for a family who is understanding of her limitations but willing to work with her to ensure she is able to stay as active as she wants for as long as she can. Cleo gets the most joy from playing with the other pups so she will need to have a doggy friend to share the home with. Although Cleo and Kylie seem to have a special bond, she also enjoys the company of the other dogs.  Here she is hanging out with permanent foster Lucky.

July 31, 2023

Miss Cleo continues to do well in foster care. She is an absolute joy to have around the house – easy and affectionate. Good with all people and the dogs she has met so far. She plays bitey-face with the resident dog every morning and has started going on a “walk” every day. She gets super excited and heads to the front door when we get her leash and tell her it is time for a walk. We go down to the corner of our street, sniff the sign and fire hydrant and come back. It is just one house down, but she seems to enjoy it.

She also enjoys laying outside when the weather is nice and playing in the kiddie pool. She did venture upstairs once when I was away for an extended period and had to be carried back down. We now keep a gate at the bottom of the stairs.

She spent a week with another foster home and did well meeting some new people and pups. Since car rides can be stressful for her, the vet prescribed some medicine to help her relax. It worked somewhat but she is still nervous about riding in the car.

Medically, Cleo has started Adequan injections for her arthritis. Foster dad is giving them at home because of her car anxiety. She will get the injections twice a week for four weeks and then we will re-evaluate whether she will have maintenance shots monthly, stop altogether, or try a different approach to managing her arthritis.

Cleo likes to be with her people and is an excellent house guest.

She will make a wonderful companion for a lucky adopter.

July 8, 2023

Sweet Cleo continues to do well in our home. She is always happy to see us and meet new people. We have also had a few canine visitors and she has done well with them all. We had a houseful of people over the 4th of July holiday and she loved the attention. She wasn’t bothered by the fireworks or thunderstorms. She is content to lay outside or on her mat in the living room and chew on bones. She always greets foster dad with a gift (dog bone or toy) and wagging tail when he gets home from work. She has the sweetest disposition and wags her tail furiously when we talk to her.

Cleo had sedated radiographs of her only front leg and her hips on Thursday. She also had a large skin tag that was hanging from one of her back legs near the foot removed.

The skin tag was no problem. She has staples that will need to be removed in 10-14 days.

Her x-rays were about what we suspected. They showed severe arthritis in her front elbow and hips in addition to some hip dysplasia. We had a long conversation with the vet about potential courses of action.

The vet is getting back to me with some options for a pain management specialist, hydrotherapy, and laser therapy. More immediately, we increased Cleo’s pain meds slightly and the vet recommended we do Adequan injections. The vet also mentioned a new medicine that was just approved and will be available in the fall.

The vet commented that because of her incredibly sweet personality, Cleo’s adopter will really need to be sensitive to Cleo’s emotions and be able to notice subtle changes in her mannerisms as she will not be likely to show avert signs of pain. She will be looking for that special family after her staples are removed.

June 22, 2023

Cleo has had a great first week with us. It took her no time at all to get comfortable in our home and adjust to our schedule. She gets along well with our two male dogs and loves everyone she meets. She has even started playing bitey face with our younger pup, Tucker! She initiates the play about half of the time. It is so good to see her look so happy!

At her vet visit last week, the vet adjusted her pain/anti-inflammatory meds and wanted to see her back in two weeks before doing any further testing. The vet also wanted her to increase her activity a little each day and lose a few pounds. We did see a change in her movement and pain level within the first 48 hours after her med change, however, that plateaued and we are pretty sure the vet will want to do more testing when she sees Cleo next week.

For now, this sweet, cuddly girl is doing very well considering her mobility challenges. She is exploring more of the backyard, gets up to greet us when we get home (always with a toy or bone in her mouth), and is generally more active each day. She also received her foster gifts from Brookline – the stuffed duck is her favorite!

Cleo just loves to be loved and will make a great companion for some lucky family!

Hanging out with my best friend, foster brother Tucker.

Helping my human foster sister study.

Thanks for all the great gifts Brookline!

June 17, 2023

Cleo’s first weekend in our home was a busy one, but she did great!  Our daughter got home from a camping trip and she and her friends put up the tents to dry in the backyard while Cleo supervised from the porch. She enjoyed meeting the new people and watching the activity.

She also met Grandma and our son’s girlfriend and her dog. She was very happy to meet them all 😊 Cleo is very vocal when meeting new people or when she is excited or wants attention. She barks and makes other funny noises (much cuter and softer than the barking.) We are discouraging the barking mostly by ignoring and then giving her praise when she makes her softer ‘talking’ noises or is quiet.

Resident dog Tucker has been trying his best to get her to play. She has been more interested each day and even got up and tried to play with him this morning. It was wonderful to see but only lasted about 2 minutes and then she was tired and took a nap. She visits the vet today (Monday) and we will update after that.

After a busy weekend watching all the comings and goings of the house – it’s hard work to keep track of everyone! – Cleo was exhausted. She was snoring contently on her mat both nights by 8:00 PM.

She sleeps through the night with no problem, she is eating well, she is not crated when we go away, she is potty trained, and she has not gotten into anything she shouldn’t. She loves when we snuggle with her on her mat and wags her tail furiously when we say her name or talk to her.  She is such a sweet girl! Looking forward to getting her medical needs addressed so she can find her forever home.

June 13, 2023

Cleopatra “Cleo” came into our care Thursday evening. She is a beautiful 6 year old chocolate female who had her front leg amputated at 10 months due to a deformity.

Cleo did well in the backseat with me on the ride home. She was a little nervous but nothing unexpected. She was having a very hard time getting around (seems to be an issue with her back legs or hips). Her hair was matted and shedding in clumps, however, after a long brushing and a bath, her coat is soft and shiny. As you can see, she is a beautiful girl!

We gave her some pain meds and Rimadyl to help her sleep. She had a good first night. She slept on a mat in the living room and I slept on the sofa next to her. She barked/whined once or twice but went right back to sleep when she knew I was there.

She seemed to be doing a little better with her mobility in the morning and the nervousness had subsided. The dogs have all been introduced but there has been little interaction. She is mildly amused by and interested in Tucker as he hops around her mat trying to get her to play. So far, they are all just coexisting. She is obviously uncomfortable and mostly lays on her mat. She will go to the back door to go out to potty and she definitely knows her name. She has a little happy tail which we have wrapped until the vet can look at it.

For all her struggles, Cleo is an absolute sweetheart who just loves attention and madly wags her tail when you say her name or come over to her mat to pat her. She is also very vocal with funny little noises and barks to get your attention. It amazes me how happy she seems to be, but we are still very concerned – she does not get around well at all.

Her vet appointment is scheduled for Monday.