Asher

Max is a 3 year old sable and white, smooth collie male. He is neutered, up to date on shots and current on a heartworm preventative. Max is very sweet, very well socialized and just plain wonderful. He is housebroken and crate trained, as well as knowing several obedience commands.

Max was an only dog in his previous family, however, he has fit in well with our two collies. Max is ok with our kitties - he has a curious nature upon approaching them, wanting one to hold still to see 'what' they are (the cats aren't fond of Max, they are a little bent out of shape that he has come to live with them <wink>). At this time, Max is still undergoing his evaluation, we will update what 'type' of home he will require at a later date.

Max will be considered a special needs dog, as he has allergies that cause him to scratch his underside/groin/belly area and feet. Max is truly a wonderful collie, who was loved very much by his previous owners. Max was surrendered by his family because of financial reasons, they also had hopes that by changing his environment it would help his allergies. 2 yrs ago, Max was found to react with Cottonwood tree pollen and a few types of grass, diagnosed by the University of MN.

He began immunotherapy (allergy shots) a few years ago. The family that would adopt Max, must help him to control his scratching by bathing him frequently (grooming with a special shampoo), watching for 'hot spots' (if found, treating with a topical ointment). Also, at the present time - he is to continue with his allergy shots, with hopes to make a difference in how he reacts to the environment. We plan on having an updated allergy panel performed, to give us an idea of 'what' Max will need in the future. Check back for updates :)

Hello, thought I would update on Max's condition. So far he is doing well with his allergy 'problems'. When he arrived here, I noticed a little bit of staph around his belly/nipple area -well, sure enough, this must have been staph that wasn't caught previous with antibiotics.He is on Cephalexin for the staph infection (which is a common secondary infection to an allergic reaction that becomesinfected). I also have a topical steroid spray (which doesn't enter the blood stream, so it isn't hard on their systems like an oral steroid) called Genesis to apply. The Genesis is something else - as this stuff is awesome at treating these 'spots' (hot spots look out !). I haven't quite figured out what Max might react to - at the farm there is tons of ragweed (I had a reaction, he didn't ?) - here there is grass/tree pollens - I am keeping notes if I see any reactions, as this could help in the long run. I would suggest the same for his new family, that they need to keep on top that Max 'could' have a reaction - they need to head this off and keep a journal. I am having the allergy test taken next week (Tuesday now) so I can compare this to his last test (2.5 yrs ago).

Update 10/20/03

You wouldn't know he ever had a allergies, there is no signs of them anymore. He doesn't itch and in fact I have never seen him itch. I haven't had him on any special food for at least 3 weeks know and he's doing wonderfully!

Max is very vocal about his needs. We let him sleep in bed with the other 3, and he loves it, I have given him a couple of baths with no problems other then getting in and out, since is to big for me to lift.

I wish I could keep him. But 4 Collies are too many..

Won't you consider this sweet boy?

Max - Adopted 10/03