Penny is a lovely American Bull Terrier - Border Collie - LeMutte mix, born 5/28/21, who came to Forget Me Not Shelter when her owners could no longer care for her.

Soon after Penny was born, it became obvious she was not thriving like her siblings. She couldn’t keep her food down and didn't put on weight like the others. Vet assessments and tests showed that Penny has a persistent right aortic arch or “PRAA” (also known as a vascular ring anomaly), which is a cardiovascular disease that's the result of an abnormal re-routing of the blood vessel in the artery that arises directly from the heart, the aorta. The end result is a condition called megaesophagus, and consultation with a veterinary surgical specialist showed that Penny is not a candidate for surgical correction of the condition.

For Penny, this means she needs several small feedings during the day, fed in an upright position with her neck stretched upwards to ensure with each swallow her food passes safely by her anomaly.

Sounds odd but don’t worry, Penny will show you she’s a pro! She rapidly gained a whopping 25lbs in her time here at the shelter to reach a healthy current weight of 36 pounds (which should be pretty close to her final adult weight). She is showing us that nothing will stop her! We have ordered Penny a new adjustable Bailey chair made especially for dogs like her who need upright feeding. While we find it difficult to use in a shelter setting,this will be a great tool that goes with her to her new home! Her new person can work consistently with Penny and the Bailey chair, to teach her how to best use it as a feeding aid.

When handled she requires a harness rather than a collar as she cannot have pulling or pressure on her neck. She also must be watched carefully so she doesn't "hoover up" any food scraps in her environment; having not been able to eat properly for so long, she is very intent on finding any food she can, even though eating without the proper posture and food consistency is unsafe for her.

There is some great potential news for megaesophagus dogs like Penny - for the first time, there is evidence of a medicinal treatment for the condition!

https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/02/21/viagra-promising-as-treatment-for-dogs-with-often-fatal-eating-disorder/

While Penny certainly acts like a puppy, goofy and joyful, we encourage and remind everyone caring for Penny to not leave toys for her to potentially chew up and eat. Because a lot of her time with us has been learning and adjusting to feedings, she would benefit greatly to be in a home where she can truly feel like a puppy and not get into too much trouble. Think of her as your hairy toddler, a watchful eye is key! Penny has no idea she’s different, doesn’t every dog sit in a chair like a human to eat? She thinks so!

Penny is an affectionate little bundle with a vivacious personality. You know those looks dogs give you? The ones where you can feel them looking at you from the sides of their eyes just waiting for you to look so they can get the zoomies or give you a sloppy kiss? Penny invented it! She’s a silly girl who enjoys soaking up ear and belly rubs and snuggling up extra close.

Penny has a collection of “Penny safe toys” - you can find her keeping stock and piling them in the middle of her bed. While she hasn’t mastered bringing the ball back, she’s super excited to toss her prize in the air and show off for you!

Penny knows how to sit and comes to her name when called, she never soils her kennel, and she has great potential to learn more commands with training! While she gets along fine with other dogs and is playfully interested in cats, you may find it easiest to have Penny as an only pet, so you don't have to navigate multiple feeding regimens among the pets. She loves people of all ages.

Please do a little research into megaesophagus and Bailey chairs, and let us know if you have any questions! Penny promises the little bit of extra effort she requires will be more than paid for in a lifetime of love and devotion.

All pets arrive spayed/neutered, dewormed, microchipped and vaccinated. Adoption fee for Penny is a suggested minimum of $125 (more gratefully accepted). All pets are placed with a 30-day money-back trial period, to give pet and family enough time to discover any unknown allergies or other conflicts.

Can't come to Republic? Don't let that stop you! We have monthly transports to the Seattle area, delivering adopted pets to their new owners. If you can add a little to your donation to help us cover our volunteer driver's expenses, that would be great!