Safe Haven of Iowa County

Nutmeg came to Safe Haven as a stray in March 2023. After never being reclaimed, she has been brought up-to-date on her vaccinations, examined by our Veterinarian, she tested negative for Heartworm, and has been started on monthly flea/tick & heartworm preventatives. Upon her arrival and once we were able to get to know her a little more,  it was appearant that she had a few medical concerns that needed further medical attention before being released for adoption to her new forever home. 

Nutmeg has occasional coughing or gag-like spells. Typically, these spells occur when she is pulling at the end of the leash while on her walks. They also have been known to occur when she gets excited about her surroundings - like other dogs nearby, walking past her kennel space, etc. Her initial veterinary exam was a visual exam. This visual exam did not reveal any causes for the coughing that was being occasionally noticed. Our veterinarian recommended further testing done by Frey Pet Hospital. At this appointment, Nutmeg had x-rays and imaging done. Nothing abnormal was seen through this imaging - so it was recommended to set up an appointment with Iowa State University for an upper and lower endoscopy and rhinescopy. These were done hoping to find answers or a cause for the coughing that Nutmeg experiences. These procedures at Iowa State University did not yield anything to be wrong anatomically. It was suggested that Nutmeg may be having some allergy-like effects to food and/or environmental allergies causing her coughing spells. She is currently receiving a special prescription diet food for her overall health.

Nutmeg currently receives a couple different medications to help channel her behaviors while under our care at the shelter. The shelter environment is a stressful environment for many dogs including, Nutmeg. Nutmeg has been known to exhibit poor behaviors such as jumping, nipping & biting, excessive barking, and other alike behaviors since being under our care at Safe Haven. She can be a very exciteable girl who doesn't always understand her limits nor understand how to calm herself down safely. A home that has experience with resource guarding and reactiveness would lead Nutmeg to be most successful in a home setting. After getting to know Nutmeg more, we do believe a home without children would be best as Nutmeg can be somewhat unpredictable with her actions and children may cause her to be on-edge more so.

If you feel you may be able to provide the home Nutmeg deserves, please complete an online adoption application as the first step of the meet & greet/adoption process. This online adoption application can be found on our website at www.wesavepets.com. Once the application has been submitted, a Safe Haven volunteer will be in contact to discuss the next steps.