Keegan

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Are you looking to adopt the nicest, gentlest, friendliest, young male dog in the world?  He's at my house and his name is Keegan.  Keegan had his first birthday a few days ago.   When we first heard about Keegan last fall, he was in a shelter in Missouri.  How he got there (surrendered or stray) or what his previous life was like, we have no idea.  He was subsequently adopted to a loving home where he lived with two other dogs and a family and he was very happy.  However, with the present economic downturn, the family needed to give Keegan to RAGOM due to financial reasons.  

Keegan is an adorable, petite, brown male with the softest fur.  We believe him to be Golden Retriever mixed with possibly spaniel, and maybe a few other things.  His mix makes him very unique and special.  He is totally housetrained, no accidents, likes his kennel, but doesn't need it as he is very well behaved with free roam.  He weighs about 40 pounds and is absolutely delightful.  I would trust this dog with children and your gentle child would have a very best friend.  My 4 year old granddaughter will be over this weekend and she's going to love having Keegan to play with, pet, and take for walks.  He enjoys people attention, but isn't pushy or needy.  He doesn't get up on furniture (I am tempted to bring him on the couch, but know that some adopters prefer dogs not on the couch, so haven't broken the good training that he's had, yet).  We have all fallen head over heels for this sweet boy.

There is however, some bad news too.  Keegan was born with poorly formed hips.  However, he doesn't appear in pain.  He runs and chases my Shiba Inu around the backyard.  He even jumps up and down on his back legs (which we are trying to discourage).  He goes up and down stairs with no problem.  He does take a little longer to get up off a non-carpeted floor than others, but it's not a problem for him.  He was seen earlier this week by an orthopedic surgeon.  Basically, he is luxated out of socket on both hips.  He is not a candidate for a total hip replacement and is not a candidate for TPO surgery.  Which leaves the option of FHO surgery.  However, what FHO surgery does is remove the femur head from the socket so that there is no bone on bone rubbing to cause pain or arthritis.  Keegan is basically already built this way, so according to the surgeon, there would be no real benefit to the FHO surgery.  Over the next few months, his joint capsule should thicken and he should be able to lead a perfectly normal life without surgical intervention.  If, when he gets older, he has pain, then a dennervation procedure may be an option for him, but he also may never have pain.  The treatment for his condition for life will be to keep his weight down (overweight is harder on the hips), daily mild to moderate exercise (to strengthen his leg muscles), and glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplements.   I own a Golden Retriever that was diagnosed at 10 months with severe hip dysplasia in both hips.  She also was not a candidate for the TPO procedure and we were told an FHO may be in her future.  She is now 9 years old and still no surgery needed.  We are doing sit/stand exercises with Keegan to help strengthen his back leg muscles. They are thinner than they should be and he will benefit from them strengthening.

Don't let his hips scare you away from adopting the best friend a person could possibly have.  Meet Keegan at the PetCo in West St. Paul on Saturday.