Milo #8 Black Labrador Retriever Male 17 Months Old ID #3614

Meet Milo!

Milo is a 76 lb, 17-month-old purebred black lab who came to us this week from a canine training center in New Jersey.

He spent most of his early life in Texas (details unknown) and was brought to the area for consideration for training as a police sniffer dog. However, once he arrived at the trainer’s, it became clear that his background was not as advertised—he had not had any immunizations and was both heartworm and hookworm positive when tested. Additionally, he did not have the best skill set to become a police dog. So, the trainer began his medical treatments and asked Brookline for help in finding him a new home. Please read the blog from the bottom up.

June 25, 2026

Milo’s Medical Mission

Milo had his first heartworm treatment injection this past Tuesday, and it was quite an experience.

In anticipation of his procedure, in true lab fashion, the day before he decided to eat a good number (probably 10 to 12) of granola bars from a box (inadvertently) left where he could get to it! But this fortunately did not adversely affect his treatment plan.

Following his pre-medications the evening before and Tuesday morning, we dropped him off at the vets. He was administered the melarsomine injection along with other medications, including sedatives and anti-nausea treatments. He reportedly tolerated the actual treatment well and was his usual charming self (as much as he was able to be!) while at the vets.

We picked him up in the late afternoon, and he was moving in slow motion due to the sedatives. We had to pick him up to put him in the car, and he struggled to get into the house when we got home. He immediately crashed and was pretty much unresponsive for most of the evening until we took him outside to do bathroom chores before going back into his crate for the rest of the night. He was so sedated that he showed no interest in treats placed right in front of him, which is so not Milo!

However, the good news is that after “sleeping it off,” he was pretty much back to his normal self the next day, except for being more tired than usual and with some shaved areas for his intravenous catheter and at the injection site. He is also not having any pain at the injection site, which is common after the procedure, so no “cone of shame” was needed!

Now we continue his steroid taper for the next few weeks and get to repeat the entire process again in a month.

But the sweet boy seems to be doing as well as possible—so far, so good!

June 16, 2026

Milo continues to get as much done as he can before needing to take an extended rest due to his heartworm treatment.

He went on a lovely hike through a nearby nature preserve and, in true lab fashion, decided to take a mud bath the day after having had a thorough washing!

A highlight of this past week was also a visit from his foster brother. They had not met before, and he was a little skittish initially, so we are wondering about his prior experience with young men during his previous life in Texas. But he quickly warmed up to this other member of the pack and was all-in on the pats and treats his foster brother could provide!

He continues to do extremely well in the house. He is now comfortable throughout our home, feeling free to go into other rooms and into the basement for some private quiet time. He’s had no accidents and loves to spend time out in the backyard watching the world go by. He is (slowly) learning new commands, and we are trying to temper his focus and excitement on food at meal and treat times, and this is going well.

His leash manners remain excellent, and he thoroughly enjoys encountering other dogs, kids, and people in the neighborhood on our many walks, making friends with almost everyone and enjoying the pats involved. He remains one of the gentlest and “chill” dogs we have ever had!

Medically, he is scheduled to receive his first melarsomine injection next week with the associated pre-medications, immunosuppression, and strict activity limitation. We are anticipating at least a few days of him not feeling well but plan to keep him comfortable, supported, and entertained through this process. As he is otherwise healthy, we are hoping for the best and am sure he will soldier through his treatment.

Will keep you posted!

June 5, 2026

Milo is continuing to thrive in his foster home!

Big activities this past week included attending a local outdoor concert with loud music, several hundreds of people, and many, many other dogs. He had a marvelous time, making friends (and receiving pats) from as many people as he could and interacting extremely well with both children and other dogs.

Yes, he was a bit overexcited and exhausted when it was over, but he seemed very happy and slept well that evening!

He also had his first bath (potentially ever). He was initially quite hesitant to climb into the tub as he wasn’t sure what was happening, but once there he actually seemed to enjoy the cool water and body-wide massage involved (as well as the undivided attention from FM and FD!). It also helped that it was around 85 degrees outside, and being damp made the walk home much more comfortable for a black dog.

Milo continues to do extremely well at home.  His inside manners are excellent with no accidents, significant chewing, jumping, barking, or food-seeking behavior.  He is now fully out of his crate and comfortable roaming throughout the entire house (and enjoying periodic “quiet time” by himself in different rooms).  And he truly enjoys roaming around his large backyard.  He also continues to do well on leash and has met almost all of the other dogs in the neighborhood and become friends with most.

He is scheduled to begin his heartworm melarsomine treatments on June 23rd. We are not looking forward to that but are eager to get his treatment started and hoping for the best. He remains asymptomatic and otherwise healthy, so hopefully he will do well.

Milo has many more adventures to pursue before then and will keep you posted!

May 27, 2026

Milo had another big week!

Following our neighborhood block party where he made the acquaintance of many of the people and dogs in our community, he accompanied FM (briefly) to work the polls on election day. He took that opportunity to greet people coming to vote and certainly enjoyed the many pats involved!

He then prepared for the Memorial Day holiday by donning his flag scarf and attended the Doylestown Memorial Day Parade. While not a fan of the marching bands due to the noise, he enjoyed being around all the people who were there. Many people commented on how handsome and well-behaved he is, and two families who met him became emotional when they met him as they had recently lost their own labs.

He continues to do well at home. He finally worked up the courage to explore all four levels of our home, including the basement, which had previously been too scary to venture into. He has identified an upstairs room that he has claimed for his own and will periodically go there on his own for some “quiet time.” He is now almost completely out of his crate (except when FM and FD are away for more than an hour or so, although he would likely be OK) and is now sleeping in FM and FD’s bedroom. He clearly has “sit,” “wait,” and “down” mastered, as well as “shake” when getting a treat (mostly).

Up next is continued waiting for his next stage of heartworm treatment in several weeks, and work on leash manners, including “heel.”

With all this effort and excitement, it’s time for a nap!

May 17, 2026

Milo continues to live his best life and discover new and exciting things!

He is now fully accustomed to living in a house and has developed the courage to explore both up and down the stairs (although he remains hesitant to venture to the third floor, at least for now).

He has had several fun adventures over the past week.

He took a road trip to Peace Valley Park (partly to give him an experience riding in a car that is fun and not traumatic). He truly enjoyed the many sites and smells, although when confronted with a large body of water, he was quite unsure as to whether it was safe or not. However, in true lab fashion, he ultimately worked up the courage to venture in and plop down to cool off! However, he will probably need a few more visits to the lake to fully embrace the water.

He also had his first vanilla ice cream pup cup—probably ever. He thought this was the greatest thing in the entire world!

We also had a neighborhood “block party” this past weekend, and he was the real star of the show, mingling with all of the adults and children (and occasional dog) who attended, receiving lots and lots of pats from everyone (and the occasional treat)! He was extremely mild-mannered and gentle, not intimidated at all by the people there and the noise and excitement of the gathering.

Medically, he is completing his doxycycline this week and will then have a 30-day rest period before the melarsomine treatments start, which we are obviously not looking forward to. However, Milo remains asymptomatic from his heartworms and is otherwise very healthy, so we are hoping he will do well with his treatment.

Milo continues to be a wonderful addition to our home, and it has been heartwarming (no pun intended) to see him grow into a new life that he can fully enjoy!

May 9, 2026

Milo is now in week 3 of his foster experience.

He continues to do incredibly well! He has mostly transitioned into becoming a “house” dog with increasing comfort in his safe spaces (particularly his crate and bed) and is more open to exploring other (potentially scary) areas of our home. And he is almost fully housebroken. He is also making great progress in calming down when eating or getting treats and has almost completely learned “sit,” “stay,” and “down.”

He says “thank you” for the foster care package he received this week. He absolutely loves the toys and treats, and it has made his welcome to his new life much happier!

He remains one of the gentlest and most loving dogs we have ever had, with amazingly few undesirable habits. He interacts well with virtually everyone, including adults and children and most other dogs (although he tends to become very submissive with larger, more aggressive dogs). He loves attention and is a real “leaner,” although his want for affection is not intrusive at all. His leash manners are improving daily, and his curiosity and comfort about different places and things are expanding steadily. The quiet and stability of his current living situation have let him relax and unwind from his previous (unknown) life experiences and allowed him to be much more of the puppy he still is!

His most significant issue is with his health. When he arrived here from Texas, he was initially diagnosed as being both hookworm- and heartworm-positive. He was treated initially for both but was given a non-standard course of doxycycline for the heartworms, and to further complicate things, a confirmatory test for heartworms at his initial local vet visit was negative. So, he was restarted on a full course of doxycycline and had repeated heartworm testing done last week. We found out today that this advanced testing was positive, so his heartworm infection has been confirmed. Therefore, the current plan is to complete the new course of doxycycline and begin melarsomine injections a month after that. Because he is so young, otherwise healthy, and asymptomatic, we suspect he has an early, mild infection, and this will hopefully help him tolerate the treatment well. One of the biggest challenges will be keeping this active boy quiet as is needed during heartworm therapy, but a lot of slow, short walks are in his future.

Because of his medical issues, he will need to be with us for a while, but this is a great thing for us, as he is such a sweet guy and an absolute joy to have in our home!

May 2, 2026

Milo continues to do remarkably well on his journey to a new life!

He has spent much of the last week “decompressing” from the transitions he has experienced over the past several months and seems to truly appreciate the calmness and quietness of his current setting, particularly enjoying the safety and security of his crate and bed.

He is increasingly comfortable living in a non-kennel/home setting and has managed the courage to venture up the steps to the second floor of our home, which he had initially been hesitant to do (although unfortunately he decided to mark his territory while there!). However, his curiosity and eagerness to explore his new world have steadily expanded, and his “accidents” in-house have been few and far between.

He remains an incredibly sweet dog with very few bad habits and generally good manners. He is one of the gentlest animals we have ever encountered, craving attention (but not overly so) and expressing friendliness to others, both human and animal alike. Despite being a genuine lab with a huge focus on food, he is remarkably calm in taking treats and has done well with a slow-feeder bowl. He comes to the table when we start eating a meal, but he quickly loses interest if ignored. He continues to not jump, chew, get onto the furniture, or even bark (we’ve only heard him bark twice, and those were only when he was excited to meet another dog or eat!). He clearly recognizes his new name and is continuing to learn to sit and stay. He loves our many walks, and although still needing to learn some additional leash manners, he does extremely well for a pup who clearly has not had a lot of experience walking on a leash. He does startle at times to loud noises, and he was clearly uncomfortable when we took a walk on a busy, noisy street but quickly calmed when in a quieter area.

Unfortunately, Milo’s medical issues remain in flux. We are continuing discussions with the vets regarding his heartworm diagnosis and treatment. He is continuing on doxycycline and preventatives and tolerating them well. However, the need and timing of additional treatment are less clear, and we will hopefully have a better idea of what is needed in the next week or so. He will also require neutering, and this will also be highly dependent on his heartworm status.

Milo has been a great addition to our home, and it has been wonderful, over just several days, to see him becoming more comfortable and confident in still being the puppy that he is. We are sure he will continue to make great progress over the next several weeks and months!   

April 24, 2026

Following a somewhat nervous ride home (he’s not a fan of being in a car), he settled into our home marvelously! He clearly has not lived in a house before and was initially hesitant but quickly became comfortable with the main room in our home (but hasn’t worked up the courage yet to explore beyond the first floor of the house). And he absolutely loves his crate!

He increasingly recognizes his new name, is starting to learn how to sit and stay, and is showing increasing interest in different toys. He is also getting used to walking on a leash and taking lots and lots of slow walks around the neighborhood. He has not had any accidents in the house with his many walks, but he will need to learn to let us know when he needs to go outside.

He is the only animal in our house but is welcoming to all the dogs we meet on our walks. His response to cats is unknown. He will periodically pay attention to squirrels and bunnies but is not obsessed with them.

He loves meeting others and is a real “people magnet” on our walks. He loves attention and has interacted extremely well with others, including children. He does not jump.

Although he is very food-motivated, he takes treats gently and shows no interest in counter-surfing or trash-diving. He is also comfortable in his crate, on his dog bed, and on the floor, and not that interested in getting on the furniture. He has not shown significant chewing behavior with minimal attention to objects other than his toys.

His medical issues are unfortunately in flux. He came to us heartworm positive and was given a nonstandard course of doxycycline but never had a confirmatory test until his vet visit on Tuesday. This test was negative, so his heartworm status and need for treatment are unclear. He will need additional testing before we have a more definitive plan in place.

Milo is an amazingly gentle soul who has been wonderful to welcome into our home. He is extremely well-mannered and eager to learn. He has a lot of confidence to build but has had an incredibly good start to his new life!