Maxie

Maxie came into the Pound in appalling condition as shown in his before picture (click on the link below). But Maxie's case is worse than the usual matted dog arriving at the Pound. He was completely blinded by the matted hair covering his eyes and behaved like a blind dog, banging into the wire run and the dogs he was in the kennel with. This was not his only problem as Maxie also behaved like a dog with a neurological problem and spun around in circles for most of the day. This was very distressing for the Pound staff and also for his rescuer on first meeting him. Maxie's rescuer asked the Pound if he could be taken to the vet for a full clip off while under anaesthetic as it was the only way to remove his filthy, matted coat with the least pain and stress for him. Maxie was taken to the local vet and anaesthetised and the job to remove his coat began but it took the vet nurse two hours to remove Maxie's coat! He was checked by the vet while asleep and he then stayed the night at the vet clinic before returning to the Pound the next day. Maxie took a turn for the worse back at the Pound and spun continuously. The Pound staff were upset and moved him to a quieter area but it did not help him as Maxie was so stressed that he could not stop spinning so it was decided to release Maxie under duty of care to PAWS. This was a blessing for Maxie who went to stay at the vet clinic until he was assessed and treated. Maxie was taken on walks with another PAWS dog while at the clinic and each day the spinning lessened and he began to enjoy the open space, seeing the world for the first time in a very long time. Maxie would stop walking after a while and he would put his paws up on his carer who picked him up and cuddled him for a while. She would then put him down and he would continue on his walk. Maxie is being fed three times a day on Eukanuba dry food and he has started to gain a little weight. He is also now wearing a 'Thunder' coat which works on pressure points and Maxie is responding to this. He is under the care of a qualified behaviourist who will assess and begin training Maxie so that his circling can be brought under control. He is a smart little dog, having learnt how to walk on a lead and respond to kindness in a matter of days. Maxie has a long way to go though and won't be rehomed until we are confident that he is ready for his final move. We wish Maxie all the best in the next phase of his life and will do everything possible to ensure his happiness and safety and feel privileged to have been given this job as Maxie is a beautiful soul who deserves the best life has to offer him.

UPDATE 5 SEPTEMBER: Maxie has gone from utter despair when he first arrived in care with PAWS to the absolute joy that he is today! Maxie has been to see a neurologist at SASH who assessed him and believes that his spinning behaviour is environmental and has probably been caused by the conditions he was kept in for years in his previous home. He was almost certainly kept in a confined space (similar to dogs in puppy farms) and for that reason he began to spin due to boredom and so the spinning behaviour became normal for him. Maxie is now on medication under the guidance of his neurologist and 6 weeks later we are seeing an "almost" normal dog. On his latest visit Maxie took food treats from her hand, walked normally around the consult room, wagged his tail and came when called to have his lead put back on. On Maxie's first visit to the neurologist he spun uncontrollably and was clearly distressed. His rescuer did question why she was putting Maxie through this on his first visit but today we are rejoicing for Maxie. Tears of joy have been shed and we believe that we can now begin the search for the perfect home for Maxie's needs. He will almost certainly stay on his medication long term and need to be reviewed by his neurologist in 3 to 6 months depending on how he progresses. Listed 10 May