An anniversary of sorts

[ksmith]

It was three years ago yesterday that I decided to bring home an underweight, quiet little girl that someone had left tied to the front door of my vet’s office. I brought her here on a Friday, intending the weekend as a test run. I had to make sure that she and King would get along, and that she wouldn’t get hurt when they roughhoused.

I guess you could say things worked out.

I take Gaby in tomorrow morning to get her teeth cleaned. Our vet told me during our Saturday visit that every time she sees Gaby, she tells the techs her story. I decided to assemble a quick Before and After 2-shot photo album that I will give to Dr Vet tomorrow:

Gaby Before (August 2008)

and After (August 2010)

I know I talk about it a lot, but the difference between Gaby Then and Gaby Now boggles me. Yes, that is the same dog, 19 pounds later. She looks a little hefty in the second photo, but it’s the angle. She’s a good weight at 45 pounds. At least 5 pounds of it is hair.

Happy Anniversary, Gabster!

Mirrored from Kristine Smith.

Comments

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

So happy for the Gabster, the King of all he surveys, and the dogmom, who is a very good dogmom indeed.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. If I could do it over, I would have caught her dietary issues much sooner. But I'd never had a dog with IBD before.

She's doing well now, though. ::knock wood:: That's the important thing.

She's the best thing that ever happened to King. I think he knows this.

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Good work! ;-)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[affreca.livejournal.com]

What an amazing change. There's the fuller body, but then there's also the change in attitude. In the first picture she's uncertain, and in the second she's home.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

You know, I never noticed that before, but you're right. She did stick by King from the very start--she played with him and followed him around the yard and felt comfortable with him. But she had gone through a major upheaval--her people had abandoned her, and she didn't know what was going on.

She was sick at the time, as well. Besides the undiagnosed IBD, she had a condition called 'cystic ovaries,' which resulted in her being continually in heat. Her vet back then said that she must have felt uncomfortable all the time. I had her spayed in September, iirc, and vet said she was a couple of months away from a life-threatening infection.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

What a difference! There's just nothing of her in that first shot...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I think The Essential Gaby shows through a little in this icon pic, but it did take time for her to emerge. She'd been through a lot.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Awww, what a sweetie!

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Best little girl ever!