AABR Boxer

Hello again everyone! Just wanted to update you all on Eve's progress. We are now about 2 months out from her last knee surgery. She started physical therapy about 3 weeks ago, and is making progress. It seems to be slow, but relatively steady. She is using her leg pretty regularly, but still has a wicked limp, and relies on her other leg for the majority of support. Her leg muscles have severely atrophied since this arduous journey began back in May, and it will be no small task to rebuild them. Unfortunately her arthritis is returning, as we knew it would, but she takes Rimadyl and Tramadol every day to try and keep it all under control, and manage the pain associated with it.

Eve started swimming last week, and this is a major step toward her recovery. As you can see by the look on her face, she is not exactly loving it, but she's really trying hard, and she's on her third visit in these photos. There's a lot less panic involved than there was on day one. We're getting her into the pool at least twice a week on top of her regular therapy sessions. She really loves her cold laser treatment, and usually falls asleep during it. The swimming takes a lot out of her, and she's pretty sore the next day, but in the long run she'll be much better for it.

Once again I need to ask you to please help Eve financially. The cost of therapy, laser treatments, and her medication is so very expensive. All of these expenses are on top of the meds she already gets to control her mega esophagus. Please, if you can help in any way we would truly appreciate it. No amount is too small. I know some may wonder why we spend all this money on a little dog with so many issues, and all I can say to that is spend just 5 minutes with her and you'll know. She is the most wonderful, loving, sweet, funny, and in spite of everything happy little monkey you'll ever meet. She is a true ambassador of what a wonderful breed boxers are. Please continue to support our Eve, and Adopt a Boxer Rescue. You'll be so glad you did the day we post that picture of her running and playing in the yard, and you can say that you had a part in saving a very special girl.

Happy New Year to everyone from Eve!! We are all hoping that this year will be a better one for Eve. As you know, Eve needed knee surgery over the summer. That was when the trouble started. She had the first of four surgeries in June in New York. It went very well and she was recovering on schedule until one of her roommates ran into her in the yard. The collision caused the wire holding her knee together to break, which led to surgery a few weeks later when it began irritating the inside of her skin and had to be removed. At that time, the vet also discovered that she had developed a form of auto immune arthritis that only affects the knees, and she had a moderate to severe form. It was a set back, but our little fighter started recovery all over.

Eve begin going for acupuncture, and started swimming as part of her rehab. Things were beginning to show signs of improvement, and then another set back. The pin that went through her lower leg bone had literally started working its way out of the bone and was rubbing relentlessly against the inside skin and tissue of her knee. We couldn't believe it! Once again, she needed surgery to remove the pin, but she just didn't show any improvement post op, and the arthritis was worse.

Eve went to see a new surgeon, closer to home, and it was decided that the initial surgery had failed, and a fourth and extensive (as well as very expensive) surgery would be needed. What a nightmare for Eve! She had the surgery in early December, and so far so good. Eve has started physical therapy, and is just beginning to try and use her leg again. It will be a slow and difficult process, but if anyone is up to the task - our little Eve is! Even on her worst days, she always had a gentle kiss, and a little wiggle for everyone - even when it was obvious as to how much pain she was in. It just broke my heart to see her so sad.

I am happy to report that I am seeing her old spark return, and she is betting back to beating up her stuffed toys, trying a little tug of war with her best pal, Lilly, and bossing Rocky and Treasure around. She loves her therapist, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she keeps improving.

All total, Eve's care has been very expensive for the rescue, and is well into the thousands of dollars. Her therapy will be hundreds more, but this rescue will not her down. Eve has been with us for over three years now, and has worked hard as an ambassador for AABR, even though she has yet to find her forever home. Until she finds a forever home of her own, Eve will remain a cherished member of the AABR family. Hopefully, you will also become a part of her extended family by making a donation on Eve's behalf so that we can get her back to the happy, playful, and oh so sweet little bundle of joy that we all love very much. She is counting on your support. Thank you for helping Eve!!

EVE NEEDS SURGERY!! CAN YOU PLEASE HELP? You all know our Eve by now and her medical history of megaesophagus. She has been doing quite well with her condition, maintaining a steady weight of 40-42lbs. She is a typical happy, rambunctious 2yr old boxer girl despite her mega-e. Unfortunately that wild side has now gotten her into serious trouble. Eve has somehow managed to tear her ACL (cruciate ligament) in both of her hind legs. She is painfully lame, and anti-inflammatory and pain meds are not helping her. Her injury is causing arthritis to develop in both knees and both hips. She still wants to run and play, but the effort is just to painful. Some days she needs help getting up from her bed It's very difficult to see this spunky little mite so sad.

The only answer now is surgery. She will need both knees repaired. They can only be done one at a time, and the estimate we received from the University of Pa Veterinary Hospital is $2000 PER knee. She will need months of rehab before the second knee can be done. The road ahead will be long and difficult, but this little powerhouse has beaten the odds on a daily basis dealing with mega-e by living a full and happy life.

She loves everyone, and everyone she meets, people & pets alike, seem to love her too. She has been the best of friends to so many of our other foster dogs helping them recover from injuries, neglect, and bringing the sparkle back to their eyes as they adjust to new their lives, and watched them eventually move on to their forever homes.

Please, please help us by making a donation on her behalf, that will bring that same sparkle back to the eyes of the sweetest, most loving little boxer you'll ever meet, our lovely girl Eve.

Happy New Year to everyone from Eve. She has just had her 2nd birthday and her second anniversary here with AABR. I truly can't believe that she is still here. Yes, Evie has her issue, namely the megaesophagus, but she is the most wonderful girl, and you all are missing out on so much. Her mega-e is just not that big a deal! She has outgrown her special chair, and we didn't bother to build her a new one since she is doing just fine without it. Last July we started her on a medication that has helped her immensely. In fact she has gone from regurging 6 to 8 times a day to maybe once or twice a day max, though most days not at all. She has the routine down pat, and she'd be happy to teach it to you. She's as good as gold, gets along with dogs, cats, and kids of all ages. She has seen so many other members of her foster family move on to loving homes of their own that I can't help but wonder what she thinks of it all. Does she wonder "Why not me? Why doesn't anybody want me"? I cannot explain to you just what a fabulous little girl she is. She is beyond words. She goes week after week to adoption events, meets so many different people who say "Oh what a sweet dog, she's so adorable", they see how loving and funny she is, some even express an interest in adopting her. Then I have to tell them about her special needs, and suddenly the interest is gone. Nobody wants a dog with an issue, so back home we go, and hope that maybe next week someone will see beyond her mega-e to the huge heart full of love that she has to share. She's been waiting such a long time. Could that someone be you?

Eve just had her annual check up, and her veterinarian at the University of Pa was seriously impressed with how well she is doing especially in regard to her weight. She has been maintaining a pretty steady 42lbs, and that is phenomenal for a girl with mega-e.

She is about as active & happy as a boxer girl can be, and was quite the star when she made an appearance on a local Philly television program called The 10! Show. Everyone was CRAZY about her, and she flirted her little heart out with them all. I just can't understand why this little girl can not find someone out there willing to give her a home.

She is a beautiful, happy, bouncy, loving, snuggly, and most of all deserving boxer. Yes, she needs more care than an ordinary boxer, but who wants ordinary when you could have EVE?? It's not hard to prepare her food: soak it a few hours in the fridge, put in a blender or food processor, give it a good whirl, and your pretty much done. I make it in batches that last for a couple of days at a time, averaging 3 meals a day. I say get in your seat and she does. She knows the routine, and makes it easy, unless of course that cat comes by and distracts her. She and the cat have a "thing", and the cat just loves to push Eve's buttons. They really are quite good friends when it comes down to it.

The best home for Eve would be someone who works from home, or maybe a retired person who has some extra time each day to care for Eve, and has another dog (a boxer would be especially good) to be her playmate as she is very active. She has very good manners, is crate trained, house trained 99%, and walks well on a leash, but must wear a harness because of her condition. We use a specific brand that I have found works best for her. I will give it to the family that finds it in their heart to make a place in their home for Eve.

Please, please consider being Eve's forever family. She is so worth the extra effort, and you will be so glad you took a chance on her the first time you wake up in the morning to find her little head nestled on your shoulder.

Here we go again gang, another update for Eve. We've been doing this for over a year now, and Eve is more than ready to move into her forever home. I know that the extra care she requires may sound a bit daunting, but honestly it's not that bad. Once you get a little practice at preparing her food, and the actual feeding process itself, you'll see it's really no big deal.

We have learned a lot caring for Eve this past year, and I believe that some of her previous updates may have caused undue concern about what it takes to live with Eve. She has the routine down pat!! She gets into her chair on her own, and often knows on her own when to take a break & let her food begin to digest before continuing to eat. She is an AMAZING little girl, and I have grown ridiculously fond of her.

Thank you NBC's Tracy Davidson and AABR volunteer Linda Rosen for being there for Eve.

Here is the video that Tracy Davidson from NBC 10 news did to help us find a home for our little Eve, who really is not so little anymore! I think it was great that she took the time to do this for us !

Eve is doing so much better than we ever thought she would! Eve will be 1 year old at the end of November ,and she is as happy and healthy as she can possibly be. She has actually out grown JoJo the other foster dog in our home, with whom she has become the best of pals. They run and wrestle and carry on constantly. I just can't imagine where they get all of that energy. If I could bottle it we'd be millionaires.

We have her feedings down to twice a day, though ideally 3 times a day would be better. I balance her out by adding Boost or Ensure to her meals, and that makes up the difference in calories & protein of the missing meal. She also gets 2 kongs stuffed with peanut butter every day, one in the morning and one at bedtime. She is the sweetest, dearest little dog. I really can't say enough about how adorable she is! . She will bring love , joy, and laughter to your home. Please make room in your heart and home for Eve.

Eve is doing extremely well. We have gotten all of the results back from the vet and the news is very good. Eve passed all of the enzyme tests with flying colors, which means she has no additional deficiencies, and the mega esophagus is her only medical problem. The new "chair" has been very beneficial, and the Ensure we've started adding to her meals is helping her gain steady weight. She is a little more work than your average dog, but we are very comfortable saying that it is really time for Eve to find her own forever home. She would love a home with an active playmate, that will run and wrestle with her. Though she is smaller than some boxers, she can definitely hold her own with the "big boys". She loves everybody, is just a bundle of joy, and will absolutely bring sunshine into your life. Please consider bringing this little love bug into your home. She is soo sweet!!

Eve is doing FANTASTIC!!!! We finally got the special chair that one of our fine volunteers built for Eve. It is called a "Bailey's Chair", designed by someone who also has a mega esophagus dog. Though she's not too crazy about it yet, she is bearing with me about it. It is definitely making a big difference for her. We have been able to shave about 10 minutes off of the time it takes for her food to make it down to her belly, since the chair keeps her in a much better upright position. We have made an adjustment to her diet by adding some powdered Ensure to her meals, and the extra calories are doing their job, especially in combination with the new chair. She has gained 6 whole pounds this past month, and is now a whopping 36lbs. Everyone is commenting on how good she looks, and she is a nonstop bundle of! energy. Our new foster dog Pete has become her new best friend!

Little Miss Eve has rejoined our foster family. She has been doing pretty well and has grown a good bit (she's up to about 21lbs). We still have some concerns about her weight as she is still too thin. She is going back to the University of Pa Veterinary Hospital for some follow up care in the next couple of weeks (blood work, x-rays, and whatever else she needs). We are hoping to get a better handle on improving her diet so that she finally grows a little bit rounder. The mega esophagus will never let her be a normal sized boxer but we are quite enjoying her petite size. It makes her typical rambunctious boxer behavior easier to deal with though the senior members of our canine family may disagree. Eve is doing pretty well with her house training as well. When she does have an accident it is usually because we need to adjust the amount of water we add to her food.
Eve had her first big adventure out with her new pack last weekend. We all headed out to the state park for a nice long walk. It was a little tricky getting 3 boxers of different sizes, and 1 Chihuahua mix to walk in unison, but after a few stops & starts everyone seemed to figure it out. We met lots of new people, several kids of various ages, and new dogs, and enjoyed the outing immensely. We were all tuckered out when we finally got home but had so much fun it was well worth it. The nap at the end was pretty good too.

Eve will be at SPOTS on Montgomery Ave (info in the event section on home page) with her roommate Dutchess and pal Oscar this Saturday June 16th from 11am to 2pm. Please come out and meet us!

Once again Eve needs your help. We would really appreciate any financial assistance anyone can offer us to help cover Eve's upcoming vet visit. Blood work and x-rays are very expensive but this little girl is such a gem we need to do what we can for her while we search for her very special forever home. Thanks from all of us at AABR, for your generosity, and a big sloppy thank you kiss from Eve!!! We will have some new photos very soon! Hope to see you at SPOTS!!!!!!

After costly diagnostic testing we now know surgery can not help Eve. Eve was seen at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School by their specialists. We have learned that she will need special care for as long as she has. She needs to be feed at least 4 times a day (6 would be great till she gets a little bigger) and held with her front paws up for 10 - 15 minutes after each feeding. This helps prevent her from inhaling her food. Eve's esophagus is very large and does not have normal motility. We are looking for a home who wants to nurture this adorable, happy puppy. If you think you are that special home please email gkaram18@aol.com

Adopt A Boxer Rescue got the phone call on Christmas Eve that there was a puppy found as a stray and she was sick and in dire need of being rescued. She was in a high kill facility and they were full so her chances of survival were slim. An incredible volunteer dropped everything and went to rescue Eve!

The little Boxer puppy just barely weighs 2 pounds! She is emaciated and loaded with worms. Her first stop was to the emergency vet hospital where she was treated and given a complete physical. It was reported from the shelter that Eve would throw up her food each time so we had her X-rayed and Eve has a genetic defect called mega esophagus, that won't allow her to swallow properly. In order to save her she must eat tiny amounts of food every hour or so. In order for her to live we must perform a very risky and costly surgery.

I ask each and every person that reads this to PLEASE make a donation right now so that we can have the surgery done as soon as possible. We need your help to save Eve. She is a precious bundle of unconditional love and she deserves a chance to live.

We will keep you posted on how she is doing. We will do what we can to save her.