May 25, 2023:

Happy Spring! Miss Honey #2 is doing great. Her most recent urinalysis was negative for infection. It felt like a huge win.

She is so happy it is spring and she can take the long walks that she enjoys. Her best friend happens to be the rogue chicken that we have. We have a non-laying, single chicken, who refuses to stay in coop and likes to walk the neighborhood during the day. She is a sight and Honey’s absolute favorite friend. We are looking forward to the long weekend with lots of walks, time in the baby pool and lots of snuggles.

February 26, 2023:

Honey 2 is thankfully status quo for the last several months. She continues to have UTIs, but they are no worse than they were. She is now on an antibiotic for the first 10 days of every month as a preventative. She is able to go several hours per day without a diaper. That change is no doubt positive. She likes to bark at the UPS driver at the neighbor’s house, but never at our house. She is probably the world’s worst guard dog! She has a favorite bone that is only for her and is given to her when she hangs out in my husband’s office. She enjoys her daily walks and play with our other dogs.

September 9, 2022:

This week we received the wonderful news that Miss Honey is now a forever foster and she will be staying with us! The news couldn’t have come at a better time. It became clear to us over the last several months that with every passing day giving her up would be very hard, as she is now part of the family. I never would have imagined that diapers would be a daily part of our lives again, but here we are.

This week she will be starting Proin in an attempt to manage her incontinence. She has up days and down days with leakage. We have noticed that when she plays really hard with the other dogs, a soaked diaper is a guarantee. I know now that after hard play, she needs to be taken outside and then cleaned up with a dry diaper. We are very fortunate to have a sunroom off of our bedroom with a sliding door. She sleeps in the sunroom at night, diaper free. This gives her a good 8 hours of diaper free time every day and she is still with us in a sense because all that separates us is a screen. Of course as the weather gets colder, we will need to figure something else out. But for the time being, we are able to give her that vet-recommended diaper free time every day.

Honey’s 2nd birthday is quickly approaching. For now, it looks like her third year will not involve all the surgeries and vet appointments that she has dealt with, which is a relief for all of us. Taking her to the vet has become an issue, she resists going into the exam rooms now and boy is she strong. It takes treats, coaxing and a new door every time just to get her to move. I hope that someday the vet won’t be so stressful for her. She is very sweet at every visit despite her fear.

We continue to watch her like a hawk when in the kitchen, nothing is left on the counters. But she is tricky. This week she found a bowl of recently cooked kidney beans draining in the sink. Thankfully, one bite of beans and she was done. A quick google search told me that we had nothing to worry about this time and trip to the ER was not needed.

September 2, 2022:

Due to her ongoing medical challenges, Honey’s status was recently changed to Forever Foster. 

July 31, 2022:

Honey has had an eventful couple of weeks. Her most recent adventure was on a beautiful Friday night when we were making a wood fired pizza in our brand-new outdoor pizza oven. While preparing the meal, she quickly jumped on the counter and immediately inhaled a ball of uncooked pizza dough. Thankfully I knew that was not a good food choice on her part and threw her in the car, getting to WVRC in record time. She was whisked to the back of the hospital and vomiting was induced. She threw up the dough, still in a perfect ball in less than 30 minutes from the time it was swallowed. She also ate a ball of mozerella cheese and some jalepenos that we were unaware of. An x-ray showed that her stomach was just fine and we were able to bring her home to monitor her. She is without a doubt the stealthiest counter surfer I have ever encountered. Every single time I think we have her beat; she proves us wrong. She will be relegated to the sunroom during meal prep and kitchen cleaning from now on. NOTHING is safe.

She also had a bout of kennel cough that always sounds worse than it is. She is vaccinated, but I was told that the vaccine does not cover all the strains and it just makes it less miserable than it would be. We are assuming that she caught it at the vet because she doesn’t go places with other dogs, but we aren’t sure. Our other dogs had very mild coughing that only lasted a day. Her cough lasted a good 4 days. She did her lose her bark for a few days which was okay with us. She has a powerful bark. But, when it came back, we were very relieved to have our Honey back.

That being said, she is just the sweetest dog and had the staff at WVRC charmed. Of course, she was wearing her little honey bee diaper at the time which made her even cuter. The next step for her will be starting Proin for her incontinence. She recently had a urinalysis and blood pressure taken in preparation for that step. As of today, I have not heard back from UW Madison on when they plan to start that. I will be reaching out to her vet tomorrow for an update.

May 29, 2022:

Miss Honey 2 continues to do well in our home. She is clearly one of the pack and has a lot of fun playing with the resident dogs. She is more comfortable, as we have not had any incidents of her barking out while she is asleep if she is touched by one of our dogs. I am happy to report that I believe that she is truly at peace in our home. My husband is her “person”, which I know that those who have seen them together can confirm. She is fine with me, but he is the one she prefers 100% of the time. He isn’t afraid to say that he feels the same way about her. Thankfully he works from home, so he can give her all the love and attention she wants from him. Now, down to her medical issues. After several reschedules due to a family emergency and a wind storm, she will be returning to UW Madison on May 13 for a check-up. I am sad to say that her incontinence has not improved at all. Her diapers are always wet. We take her out several times a day and she always goes to the bathroom. She might be incontinent, but she is house trained. She will be going to our local vet in the next day for a urine culture to see if she has a UTI. I would guess she does, because she always does. However, she has not exhibited any of the tell tale signs I look for when she has a UTI, particularly her barking out when touched in her sleep. She has been nothing but playful, happy and active.

February 28, 2022:

Honey has been in our home for four months now. She has settled in nicely and now we even forget what it was like not having her here.

I wish I had an update that included the news that she is no longer incontinent and the UTIs have come to an end. Unfortunately, Honey still needs diapers and her UTIs continue to be her normal. At the time of this writing, she is not on an antibiotic and the last urinalysis did not show infection. However, she was still on an antibiotic from her last infection. So, we have another urinalysis scheduled for next week and a follow up appointment at UW Madison at the end of March. 

We are looking forward to better weather, so that we can resume our daily, long walks. Sunday, we had a break from the very cold, very slippery roads and spent the day outside. Today, is another story. The ice is keeping us inside. Thankfully, she likes to run up and down the stairs with the other dogs. Honey always finds a way to get in much needed exercise.

January 28, 2022:

Honey recuperated nicely from her surgery in December to address some of her many issues. She remains incontinent, which has been a disappointment. We remain hopeful that with time and continued healing, that will improve.

We can always tell when she another UTI. She gets very tired and a little grumpy. While she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, she will bark out to the resident dogs if they walk by her while resting. This is always our sign to call the vet. Sure enough, she has another UTI. Honey has taught us that while they may not be able to talk to us, dogs know how to communicate to us if we really listen.

She is on her meds and already showing signs that she feels better. I heard a fork fall to the floor and sure enough, she was looking for food on the counter. We keep those counters clear now, but she has figured out how to search in the sink now. She’s a smart one. I will give her credit for forcing me to keep my kitchen spotless.

The weather has been way too cold for her to spend much time in the snow. But the time she gets, she enjoys. It will be nice when the temperature goes up enough that she can play in the snow for a little while. She spends the majority of her day hanging out with my husband in his home office. He even pulled out an old office chair for her to sit in so she can sit at the desk with him. She prefers my husband to everybody else in the family, but has no problem with giving and accepting love and snuggles from all of us.

December 22, 2021:

Honey 2 had her surgery on December 9 at the UW vet hospital in Madison. The surgery was quite invasive and required an overnight hospital stay. Without getting into the details of her surgery, the hope is that her persistent incontinence will be remedied. As of today, she remains incontinent. But she needs time to heal before the results are known.

Honey has been an excellent patient at home. She hasn’t fought us regarding her cone. We are able to let her go without her cone when with her and we have never seen her try to lick her wound. She is eating like a champ and continues to drink normally. She plays and cuddles with the resident dogs. She is the first golden we have had who has tried, and failed, to put two tennis balls in her mouth at the same time. Next week, when her sutures are removed, she will be able to resume her daily walks.

She has settled in nicely with our family and has just become part of the pack.

November 16, 2021:

Honey is doing very well in her new foster home. She has settled in nicely and gets along with the resident dogs. She seems to have the most fun with our 9-year-old beagle though. Once Honey accepted that even though Mazy is short, she’s top dog, they became fast friends. She likes to play with our golden retrievers as well. She is such a cuddler and is the first to settle in for the night, usually on one of our laps to have her ears scratched. We have learned that she needs to sleep alone at night, as she does not like to be touched in her sleep and will bark out. She claims the same spot every night on the couch.

Honey is really good about her food and all the supplements we have to add to them. Every morning when I wake up, I find her sitting so nicely in the kitchen, waiting for her breakfast. She is on an antibiotic right now for another UTI. We found that she was eating around it, so I started to add that pill to a pill pocket to avoid fighting to get her to take it. While she is good about her food, she is better about her diaper and diaper changes. She stands so nicely for the many changes a day. I will be taking her to UW on Friday for some tests and an ultrasound. If all looks good and things go as planned, she will be getting another surgery on December 9th. It is our hope that our sweet girl’s incontinence will be taken care of and that they can remedy some of the other issues going on.

Our family really loves having Honey in our home. She is a very good girl.

September 18th, 2021:

Hey everyone, Honey (H2’s) foster mom popping in to give you an update on Miss Honey!

Guess whose birthday it is today?! You guessed it! Miss Honey (H2) turned a year old today! Please wish her a Happy Birthday! We will be celebrating with her today!

It has been a while since we have had an update on this pretty girl. We have had a lot going on with her! She was set to have her surgery on August 6th but she had both a UTI and went into heat just before the surgery date. We were able to treat the UTI and get a negative test back so she could have the surgery but with her being in heat we had to reschedule as it makes things hard to see in there when they are doing the laser surgery. We rescheduled it for September 7th in hopes she was negative on all her cultures and that she was done with her heat. She stopped showing signs she was in heat and I thought we were in the clear for her to be able to continue with her surgery as long as her culture came back negative. Well, this little stinker started showing signs again that she was still in heat just before her surgery date. We had her cultures done in hopes we could still keep the surgery date however her body had other plans. She has now has a new date surgery coming up in October for her surgery and we are hoping we can keep this one although I am a little sad about it as well. She has been with us for 3 almost 4 months now and I was looking forward to getting her through this surgery however it just so happens I leave to go out of town for 11 days and her surgery is set for during that time! Thankfully we have some awesome volunteer fosters within GRRoW that I know her temporary foster will take good care of her! The sooner she can have the surgery the better to help save the one kidney that’s still working good and hopefully keep both from getting any worse. The longer she goes without it the more damage is done to her kidneys. We will keep you all posted on her and hopefully, the next one will be that she is set to go for surgery and or that surgery went well!

With all of this with Honey (H2) comes expenses and this girl is not cheap. She has daily supplements that she takes two times a day to keep her as healthy as we possibly can along with every two weeks she goes in for a urinalysis and urine culture to make sure she is bacteria and infection-free. If she is not, then she has to go on an antibiotic. The last time I checked her vet costs are already over the $2000 mark, her supplements are roughly around $300 a month and her surgery is going to be anywhere from $2000 to $4000 as long as there are no complications. We have a wonderful family that volunteers with GRRoW that was able to bring in boxes of pads to be used for Honey (H1)’s that thankfully Honey (H2) is able to use as well. This reduces the cost on GRRoW since these girls go through quite a few on a daily, weekly & monthly basis!

As a volunteer for GRRoW and Honey (H2)’s current foster I am asking if you are able to donate to help offset some of Honey’s costs it will be greatly appreciated! We would not be able to help her and or other pups with needs if it wasn’t for all of our donors and volunteers!

https://grrow.org/checkout/donate…

Please keep Honey in your thoughts and hope that her scheduled surgery date is a go and that it is a success!

July 16, 2021:

Honey (H2) here again! I wanted to give everyone an update. I have been having lots of fun playing with my foster siblings and going camping with them and my foster family. I have been meeting new people of all ages, puppies, other dogs, and am doing well with them.

I had a vet appointment last Friday to have some tests run to make sure I am free of bacteria and or infections that will keep me from having surgery done. The tests showed some bacteria, and the results came in on Tuesday. There were two bacteria’s that showed up and one is more resistant to antibiotics, so we had to make sure we found out the type of bacteria so they could treat it properly. My foster mom is sad because she is doing everything she can to keep me as healthy as possible so that I am able to have my surgery. Of course, with all of this comes added costs for GRRoW and with my surgery coming up they sure could use some help with that. If you could share my post with people you know and / or donate, every little bit helps! My monthly costs right now are about $600 and my surgery is going to be a few thousand dollars if all goes well. She says I am absolutely worth it and will make some family very happy once I am past this surgery and healed up!

June 23, 2021:

Hello everyone Honey H2 here! Everyone keeps referring to me as Honey H2 because they say there are two Honey’s in GRRoW’s care! My foster mama says that Honey H1 has the some of the same medical issues as I do! The Dr’s and my foster parents say I have what is called bilateral intramural ectopic ureters with bilateral ureteral dilation (hydroureters) and mild renal pelvis dilation (pyelectasia) Right Renal Dysplasia – malformed small kidney and that I will need surgery to try to fix some of it. I have to wear diapers when I am inside, and they say I look super cute in them! I don’t understand any of it but I can tell the humans that have been in my life love me dearly because they are doing everything they can to help me! My foster mama tells me my previous family loved me so much they had to give me a chance by having GRRoW take over care of me because the costs of everything to keep me healthy and the surgery are a lot and they did not want to let me go but also wanted me to live a healthy life. GRRoW and all of the people that support the rescue are helping to give me that life and that chance and I could not be happier! So I just want to say to everyone that has come into my life so far and those that are still to come thank you for all that you do!

Ok so enough about the sappy stuff I want to tell you all that has happened since coming into GRRoW! I stayed with this wonderful couple and met their two goldens that are GRRoW alumni’s. I also met their horses and cats as well! I was told they were my temporary fosters until my other foster parents and siblings came home from vacation. I was having so much fun on the farm with them and am thankful they were there to love on me until my foster mom picked me up!

I was so excited when my foster mama came to pick me up I kept jumping on her. I calmed down a bit and played a bit with my temporary foster brother for a bit while my foster mama’s chatted about me and how cute I am! Finally it was time to go with my foster mama to my new foster home. I didn’t like riding in cars so she had to lift me in as I did not want to jump in on my own. Once I was in I was ok and settled in to lay down on the ride. Once we arrived at my new foster home I could smell my foster brothers and sisters. I was a little timid and excited to meet them. My foster brothers and sister were super excited to meet me and had to be told to calm down and be patient to play with me. My foster mama said we would have to get use to each other through a gate for a few days first to see how we all did with each other. While I waited to be able to play with my foster siblings my foster mama and human foster sister took me outside to play in the big fenced in yard! I have so much room to run out here it’s so cool! They also have chickens in a coop and I want to play with them but my foster mama says I can’t!

A few days went by and it was finally time to be introduced to my foster siblings without a gate. I first met my foster sister outside and we hit it off right away! We both wanted to play with each other so bad! My foster mama and dad let us off our leashes and we chased each other and pounced on each other for a long time. It was finally time to meet one of my other foster brothers. We really didn’t pay to much attention to each other. I was so excited to play with my foster sister that we sniffed then he went to go do his thing and I ran to play with my foster sister. In the meantime my other foster brother was brought out and I was told he was older and grumpy sometimes. I left him alone and played with my foster sister until we wore each other out and passed out!

The same day I came to their house my foster mama had to rush one of my foster brothers to the Emergency vet for eating something he shouldn’t have. He had to have emergency surgery and thankfully was able to come home the next day. I was a really good girl listening to my foster parents and leaving my foster brother be while he recovered.

My foster mama was told I didn’t like car rides very much so she is taking me everywhere with her when she can to show me that car rides are not so scary and it’s working! I now will jump right in the car when it’s time to go and everywhere we go I get treats and pets from my foster mama, the bank ladies or people I meet! It’s sooo fun I even get to go into some stores! She also took me over to meet her parents and their two small chihuahuas. They are tiny sassy little things! I did good with them barked at them a few times to try to show them I was the boss!

I have been told I am a big girl for my age and a good girl and that my foster family is happy with how well behaved I am. With being only 8 months old I listen pretty well and am a pretty calm puppy. I sleep through the night in the living room with my foster sister and one of my foster brothers or sometimes I will go into my human foster sister’s bedroom to sleep. My family did well teaching me things and I am thankful for that! I am a big cuddler and love cuddling with my foster siblings both dog and human along with my foster mama! I had to go to the vets office the other day to have my wellness check done and get to know my new vet until I am able to be adopted. They all loved me and said I was so soft, fluffy and cute! They checked me over and did a uranalysis and I ended up having a UTI so I have to take antibiotics to make it go away. My foster mama says that I can’t have any type of bacteria or infection and have to be as healthy as I can be so that I can have the surgery to hopefully fix some of my medical issues. She is working hard with GRRoW and the volunteers to get me on some supplements and stuff to help keep my bladder and kidneys as healthy as they can be! She says it is not cheap at all but that I am worth every penny! So much has happened since me moving into my new foster home!

I attended my first GRRoW fundraiser and everyone kept telling me how good I was doing and what a good girl I was! I even feel asleep under the table for a bit! Last week my foster mama took me over to meet Honey H1 and her foster parents and siblings! I had a playdate with them and they gave me some new diapers and they even bought me a new Honey Bee collar! Honey H1 and I now have matching collars and some matching diapers! We hit it off right away and played for a bit while out foster mamas chatted with each other. Then this past weekend I rode in an RV and was co-piloting with my foster dad! I went on my first camping trip with my foster family. We all hung out by the lake outside all day and you know what that meant? I didn’t have to wear any of my diapers until it was time to go to bed in the RV! Most of the time I slept by my human foster sister or on the floor by my foster siblings. I did well with their 2-year-old niece and met a bunch of their family members and friends and loved them all. My foster mama has this neat fence they take with them camping so all of us dogs don’t have to be on a leash all the time! I didn’t like it if the humans weren’t in there with us but after the first day did better. My foster mama stayed close or in the fence with us to play with us so that helped. All of us dogs really wanted to go swimming but with my surgery coming up and with my foster brother just having surgery we were told we could not this time. I am hoping I can in the future! Well, I need to go as my foster siblings are wanting me to go play with them! I will try to make sure not to wait so long for another update! Oh I almost forgot my surgery is scheduled for early August so let’s hope I can stay healthy and have the surgery! I am hoping it will fix it so I don’t have to wear these diapers and live life like a normal dog!

June 1, 2021: Honey spent the holiday weekend at a temporary foster home. She settled in right away & enjoyed meeting & playing with the resident dogs, especially the 5 yr Golden. She desperately wanted to play with the cats but they were not interested. She met horses, a skidsteer, a large riding lawnmower, & an RTV. She was very confident in everything she experienced. Her temporary fosters will miss her snuggles & sweet sassiness.

May 28, 2021: Honey is new in foster care. More information will follow.