Safe Haven of Iowa County

Rascal is about as special as they come - he even has his very own fan club, because he has such a special story that so many have followed on social media over the past few months!

Rascal came to Safe Haven back in November as a stray through the Iowa County Pound.  He had been spotted running around the towns of Ladora and Victor in rural Iowa County for several weeks. Many people tried catching him, but he was very sneaky and continued to elude capture - hence his name! 

Finally Rascal's little body gave up and someone was able to catch him, which absolutely saved his life! You see once Rascal was finally caught and at Safe Haven, it was obvious he was quite sick.  Rascal was quickly diagnosed with advanced Heartworm disease, and also a very rare and fatal condition called Caval Syndrome.  This meant Rascal had 24 hours to live as he was already in respiratory distress as his heart was collapsing due to the presence of adult heartworms which could be seen on his ultrasound exam.  Rascal needed emergency heart surgery that day to remove some of the adult heartworms!  Dogs that have Caval Syndrome have a 40% survival rate if they make it to that first surgery, but Rascal continued his fight to survive and the surgery was a success!  

So Rascal had a rough first few weeks at Safe Haven, but his story was just beginning as he still had months of the normal heartworm treatment ahead.  This included months of specialized care while he received several different medications to help kill any remaining heartworms and protect his heart from any further damage.  We are happy to report that we finally received the good news we have been waiting for - on his most recent blood test in early April we learned he is now HEARTWORM FREE!  Rascal was then cleared for his neuter surgery and now adoption!  

As a form of celebration, a volunteer at Safe Haven donated a DNA test to see what a fun mix of different breeds Rascal is.  We were all suprised to learn that his test came back that he is 100% Mountain Cur! This special pup just keeps surprising us at every turn! 

So now that we begin to look for Rascal's forever home, there are a few things that we feel he needs.  It is very important that Rascal's adoptive home has a secure physical fenced in yard, because he lives true to his name and can be quite the little "rascal" about wanting to escape  or slipping out of a collar, and trying to run away and follow his nose!  Therefore we feel Rascal needs a fenced in yard to play in safely, and should not be trusted on a tie-out or off leash outside.  It does seem like Rascal has never met a stranger, so he would enjoy any type of loving family, but someone that is up or lots of walks and adventures would make him very happy!  :)  We think he may get along with most friendly, laid back dogs, but a meet and greet with any potential canine siblings would be a must.  A home with a  small/medium laid back dog, may hopefully be just fine.

As for his health and future medical needs, Rascal will need a family that can provide year round monthly Heartwom preventative, as well as maintaining a close relationship with their vet and Rascal.  While he is currently Heartworm negative, he has endured quite a bit of trauma to his heart and at times his current vet has detected a heart murmur - nothing serious at this point, but Rascal's adoptive family needs to work closely with their vet to monitor his health throughout his lifespan. 


Interested in adopting this Rascal? Please click the adoption info link for more information. And then click on the "Online Application" link at the bottom of that page. 

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