Seamus #2 Silver Labrador Retriever Male 5 Years Old ID#2367

Meet Seamus! Seamus is a 5 year old neutered male silver lab mix. He was surrendered by his loving owner when he could no longer care for him after having his own health crisis. Seamus is easy going, affectionate, and loves to be with his people and with other dogs. He is housebroken, beautifully trained, and excited to meet his forever family!

November 11, 2022

Seamus has had a truly wonderful week. No seizure activity at all after that mistake with the heartworm preventative almost two weeks ago. We have started giving medications at 8am and 8pm regardless of when he has his meals so that his meds can remain as effective as possible. He gets them crushed up in about a quarter cup of wet food, so depending on when his meals happen he just considers his medications an “appetizer” or an “after dinner treat.” Shhhhhh!! Don’t tell!

Seamus has flourished in our care and has increased his stamina for long walks, thinned out a little, has become more playful, and has settled perfectly into our routine, even claiming “his spot” for naps under my feet at my desk. We’ve loved everything about this beautiful boy and we know he’s ready to find his forever family. He will be made available for adoption today! If you are interested in adopting him, please reach out to your BLRR volunteer or click the link to fill out an adoption application in the tab at the top of main page.

Thanks for reading along…. Seamus is excited to hear from you!

November 5, 2022

Seamus had an excellent week (after a bumpy start!) The vet would not commit to the idea that the preventative caused the one seizure, and he was relatively blasé about the whole incident. He increased Seamus’ medicine by a touch based on his bloodwork (which showed low levels) and Seamus has taken his new dose since Wednesday. Seamus is the gentlest, sweetest, most well behaved dog we could have asked for… and I feel confident that with the proper attention to his routine his seizure disorder could truly be managed to the point of it being a non issue.

Meanwhile, we are LOVING our time with him! We had an outing to the dog park where Seamus happily played and romped with the other dogs (there was about 12 other dogs there, too!) He is friendly with all, a very good dog park citizen, indeed. His tail wagged the whole time and his energy was almost puppy-like! He got tired after about 30 minutes so we went home where he napped by my feet while I made dinner. He is a giant, but his presence is soft and sweet.

The next day we did an impromptu photo shoot in the amazing summer-fall sun. Seamus said he’s never known fall to be quite so lovely and posed like a model… have a peek!  Seamus will be available for adoption on or around November 11. Our hearts might break again, but he is going to complete someone’s family in an unspeakably beautiful was and yea re just so lucky to be a part of it.

November 3, 2022

Seamus has had a very eventful first week with us!! I took him to the vet first thing Monday morning so that his seizure disorder could be assessed and managed right from the start. Seamus had no seizures all weekend and I was happy to talk to the vet about the best way to monitor and record if/when they do. He had a very good visit and got a clean bill of health in terms of his overall wellness. He is 90 lbs and NOT overweight at all!! He could use some “toning up” which will be easily achieved by exercise, but his weight is just fine, according to the vet.

Unfortunately, we also got some bad advice at the vet when he was prescribed a heartworm preventative for the first time since he was diagnosed with seizures three years ago. You see, his previous vet would not prescribe preventatives with the understanding that they could cause seizures, especially in a dog who already suffers with them. This vet agreed that flea and tick preventatives could cause seizures, but not heartworm preventatives. I went along with his advice, gave Seamus the preventative on Monday night, and on Tuesday he had a seizure. It lasted about 60 second and fortunately it happened outside on the grass during a walk. He is 100% fine now, but it took a few hours for him to feel better. mostly he was anxious and confused. Going into a covered crate and having us nearby was ultimately what he needed to “reset”. This morning (Thursday) he woke after a 10 hour sleep and is back to his easy going, happy self.

It’s clear that preventatives are not going to be on the docket for this dog, and I’m inclined to go along with what his previous vet advised now that I have seen what happens when we stray from the plan that has been working so well for so many years. It will be good for Seamus‘ new furever family to work with a vet who is well versed in caring for a dog who has intermittent seizures. Don’t forget, his previous owner had his own health issues that prevented him from giving Seamus the attention he needed, Seamus was NOT surrendered as a result of worsening symptoms himself. Thanks for reading and send good juju or prayers for no more seizures!

November 1, 2022

Welcome to the BLRR family, Seamus! Seamus is a five year old silver lab mix, and in three short days he has completely stolen our hearts. From the first moment, he was all about kisses, love and incredibly good behavior. The car ride from New Jersey to Exton was uneventful and the introduction to our family was perfect, including to our six year old resident beagle (who has claimed Seamus as his BFF.) Seamus has a seizure disorder and was surrendered due to his previous owner’s inability to be with his as much as Seamus needs. It appeared that Seamus’ seizure activity increased when he was left alone for long periods of time when his owner had a health crisis. However (and very fortunately), Seamus is taking medication for his seizures and they seems to be well controlled, with his previous owner reporting only 1-2 seizures in the last 4-6 weeks. I took Seamus to our vet today and he had a complete check up, bloodwork, and medication management visit and it was decided that his concoction of anti-seizure medications are working just fine and no changes are needed at this time. He also got an awesome bath and a new Halloween neckerchief. He’s very fancy now! As I’m sure you’ve figured, Seamus is SO MUCH MORE than his seizures!! He is a 90 lb silver/gray ball of affection and love. He adores ALL people, seeks out and is great with all other dogs (even the tiny ones!), and is willing to go with the flow in everything we do. He believes is the car was invented just for his pleasure, and has accompanied us to weekend ballgames, a trip to the park, and a long (3.5 mile) trail walk. He like ice cubes, belly rubs, and snoring in front of the TV.He had never been in a crate before coming here, but he sleeps soundly for 9 hours in the crate at night and never so much as whines for more than about 10 seconds. He is 100% housebroken and will ask to go out by standing by the door. He is responsive to commands (sit, come, lay down, off, and paw) and will happily play fetch with sticks and stuffed animals (although I don’t think he gets the point, as he does not bring them back!!)By far, Seamus’ favorite place is wherever you are, and he makes an AWESOME footrest and doorstop! With how lovingly he has been attended to, we wondered if there would be separation anxiety behaviors, but so far there has not. He loves to be near you, but even if you are in the house somewhere, he’s good. We have crated him when we leave the house and we come home to him snoring, cuddled up with his stuffed elephant. It’s all good for now… Stay tuned for more on this awesome guy.