Max - old, blind, ouchy hips, missing teeth - loved a lot

 Max was found wandering and lost in a town south of us. He was matted from head to tail, his teeth were in terrible shape, the whites of his eyes were blood red and he had a hard time getting up from a sitting or laying position.

A rescue friend sent an email and we contacted the people who had found him and said, sure, we'll take him. Off to the vet  for an exam, dental (he lost 9 teeth) and trying to solve his eye problems. Finally a trip to the opthamalogist at Medvet where he was prescribed 4 different eye meds fixed him up. No more eye pain and the whites are white again. He's feeling better.

We are working on his stiff hips but let's face it, he's somewhere between 15 and 18 so there's only so much we can do. We add Missing Link to his meals and hope that will help his joints. Time will tell.

He has learned our yard, can come in the doggie door, he handles steps amazingly well and he can use the ramp to go both up and down when the mood hits him. He has mapped our house in his head and is quite comfortable as a Spoiled Royal. (See photo above) We don't know what happened and how he got lost with no one looking for him. Don't know why he wasn't vetted, why his eyes were allowed to get so bad and how an owner could let him matt to the skin but we do know that is all behind him. He is now an official Spoiled Royal. So glad you are here Maxxy!

The Boys. . . appearances can be deceiving

Prince and Mason, our two Maltese, were playing the other day and I caught it on video. They are well loved and well cared for, and look as healthy as can be. Appearances can be deceiving.



Mason came here scared to death. He started life in a mill in Texas, was sent to a mill in Oklahoma and eventually was rescued by a dear friend from Puppy Mill Rescue. He was flown from TX to OH and immediately became Mason the Magnificent and owner of my heart.



Prince's mother was purchased pregnant at a MO auction. Prince and his sister were both born with hydrocephalus, microvascular dysplasia and a few other problems as a direct result of poor breeding. Their two brothers fared a bit better, no hydrocephalus or MVD, but they too have poor teeth and luxating patellas.

They are both doing well today and to look at them, you would never know that at Prince's last dental he had 29 teeth removed or that Mason has lost a total of 26 teeth. Poor nutrition for generations of mother/father, grandparents, great grandparents along with inferior breeding practices have resulted in bad teeth being common place in Maltese.

Another common but avoidable condition is luxating patellas -Prince has Grade 2 in both knees and Mason has a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 - their knee joints do not stay in place sometimes making walking difficult. So far, we have been able to avoid surgery by managing their diet and keeping them at the proper weight. However sometime in the future, we expect Mason will need surgery as his luxating patellas are a bit worse than Princes'.

You'll also see Prince do his little "head shake" about half way through this video - a result of his medical issues. So far, Prince has not had seizures that often accompany hydrocephalus, but we are ever watchful.

I wanted to share this video because so many times, when taking the boys out in public, people see this kind of behavior and think that now that they are out of the mills and in a good home, Prince and Mason's mill experiences are behind them. But the sad fact is that regardless of how well they are cared for now or how cute, how playful, how down right adorable they are - they will carry the damage inflicted on them at their respective mills for the rest of their life. We manage their health problems, but they are still there. Sub-standard kennels are producing thousands of dogs just like these every year. Please gt involved and support the legislation needed to ensure the welfare of all of the "Prince's and Mason's" being born each year. As you can see from this video - Appearances can be deceiving. . . .

Introducing The Spoiled Royals

They started as the dogs no one wanted . . . . one was covered with Velcro and dumped in the middle of a cold January night in an outside cage at a vet's office. Two others found themselves with no one to love them when their owners passed away. One was locked in a basement for 5 months the other pulled from a shelter hours before being put to sleep. Several survived years living in a puppy mill - one by one they started their new life in our home and secured a place in our hearts.

This blog will share the adventures and perceptions of a pack of dogs affectionately known as "The Spoiled Royals". Wherever they go, they inspire smiles, laughter and joy. They are a forgiving bunch, quick to offer a doggie kiss, a head butt or ask for a belly rub. Stop in every so often to meet the pack and see what they have been up to. . . .

SpoiledRoyalsMom