Sampson

 This dog has made a complete 180 degree change from when we first met.  As a medical surrender to us in May of 2023, he was 2.5 years old, weighing 110ish pounds, skin lesions on his hind end, elbows, stomach, neck line, jowls and paw pads, multiple bacterial infections, cloven paw pads on all 4 feet, and 1 un-edible item left in his stomach for a long enough period of time that its edges had rounded from the acid in his stomach.

 From an early age he was constantly visiting his vet and hitting issue after issue, bad thing after bad thing.  Sometimes owners cannot handle the situation that can come with a dog, and unfortunately for Sampson he fell into that category.  As a medical surrender, he has undergone the following - his neutering surgery, and a first attempt at fixing his eye site surgery done by the original owners. With us we have had a second very successful eye surgery for double entropion of the eyes and third eye gland issues and a fourth surgery to biopsy his feet.

 He has undergone a myriad of blood cultures, ear swabs, tear duct tests, eye goop removal, foot bandages, and rounds of antibiotics to fight the insane number of bacterial infections he obtained during his ill health. He sticks to a specific diet that helps his underlying allergies and inflammation issues that come with his backyard breeding genetics. Sampson was bred for his coloring, he is a lavender or some call them lilac harlequin Great Dane - this type of breeding leads to underlying health issues that are lifelong challenges.  He takes regular allergy medication at 200mg doses just to live a life close to normal during the spring, summer and fall. In the winter time his allergies are not as intense so he does not need as high of a dose of allergy medication to get by.  

 Even through all these challenges he never showed us an ounce of wanting to give up. He has shown his excitement  for living in so many ways since becoming a healthy version of himself. He loves car rides more than the average dog, really enjoys walks, going to daycare, or really anywhere makes him thrilled as a kid at a candy store. We have realized through all this medical care that he had bonded with the animals within the founders home, with the cost, both routine and random maintenance that occurs with his feet and ears, that his care is best left with us. So Sampson has found his forever home and will work towards being able to be an ambassador for the rescue at events and other opportunities to help showcase how much the need exists for the work that we do at NCGDRNE.