Banjo seems to be having a bit of a bad luck streak but that sure doesn't slow him down. He still trots on a happy as can be. Last week Banjo had to have a small surgery to remove 2 pins that became loose and irritated in his leg from the initial surgery. While he was there we were given good news and bad news. The good news was that when they did his xrays it showed that Both of Banjos Legs healed great from the initial surgery, the bad news was that they discovered that Banjo is heartworm positive and needs to start treatment right away.

For this week and the following week Banjo is being placed on antibiotics to strengthen his system. The next week is when he will begin the actual heartworm treatment where he will have have several visits to the vet, initially for injections then followups. For the following 4-6 weeks Banjo will be very restricted and his physical activity has to be at an absolute minimum. There must be no running, jumping or playing and should be taken outside on a short lead at for bathroom breaks but no walks. The following weeks he will slowly be allowed to increase activity but the amount varies depending on his recovery. Banjo's heartworm is not advanced so this treatment should be very successful and bring him back to being the healthy and happy dog that he has always been.

Please read these articles for more information on the treatment and recovery  for the heartworm process. It will explain what heartworm is, what the treatment is, and why you have to keep them calm. http://heartwormtreatment-fordogs.com/heartworm-treatment-for-dogs/#more-48 and http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=610

Banjo is a beautiful brindle young dog. He has just recovered from surgery and is ready to adventure out to find his new home. He is full of energy and has an amazing personality that is hard to resist. Banjo is great with dogs, cats, kids, and just about everything except for squirrels. He does well with both small and large dogs but prefers only to have 1 or 2 of them around at a time because he likes to steal all of the attention. He has no problems with the cat either. Occasionally he will chase her around but only because my cat likes to play attack with him when she is feeling spunky.

Banjo is housebroken, comes when he is called, and knows his "sit" and "stay" commands.  He is also great in a car and does not require a leash when walking. Banjo is crate trained as well but hates going in there, if you mention the word cage he plops to the ground and tries to play dead. He has also learned how to fake sleep when he doesn't want to go in there. Lately he is being put in his crate at night but his favorite thing is to cuddle up with you in bed if you will let him. He also loves to sleep under the bed, which im not sure how a 55lb dog can get under there but he does it all the time. His #1 thing of course is toys, he is toy crazy and loves everything from ropes to balls and especially the most scrappy things he can have. He is obsessed with whats left of his pheasant stuffed animal and his absolute favorite is an old fuzzy slipper that he found under the bed( which i let him keep). Normally does not chew up things he that is not supposed to, however, he does like to take things places. He likes to take shoes and carry them around or move them to other places but he normally does not chew them unless you tell him it is ok. We use the command "not yours" to take care of this and he then knows to drop whatever he has.



**Banjo would do best in a home that has another dog to play with. He will also require a large yard and will need daily walks (not runs). It is also preferred that he go to a family that has children to play with him, help him burn off some of his energy and keep him happy.