Gretchen is now a beautiful 2 year old deaf female who has had a very hard and trying life. LBR was first contacted back in June of 2009 by a good Samaritan who had found Gretchen thru a conversation on an on-line Boxer chat room. The man who owned Gretchen at the time was complaining about "blood coming out of her butt" and he didn't know what to do and could not afford veterinary care. The good Samaritan convinced the man to give her the dog and she then contacted LBR. Unfortunately, our foster homes were full and we were unable to accept her into our rescue initially. Due to the fact that she had a medical condition, we did not feel it was appropriate to board her; knowing that stress can add to medical problems. The good Sam agreed to keep Gretchen and LBR kept in close contact with her. Finally, in December of 2009 a foster home opened up! We immediately pulled Gretchen in and medical treatment commenced. She was diagnosed with *Histiocytic Ulcerative Colitis and started on several medications. She has had multiple veterinary visits and changes to her diet to try to defeat her illness. She has come a long way and is improving.

In addition to her illness, which may be a lifelong battle, Gretchen has some other issues that her foster home is working with her on. Since she had been suffering from colitis for as far back as LBR can trace, she has not been well socialized by previous owners. She is very anxious in public and is hesitant to meet new people. Her canine communication skills are lacking as well but her 3 Boxer foster siblings are helping her develop these! She resource guards toys and food primarily but will sometimes guard other items as well. Gretchen has learned many obedience cues thru hand signals and is very easy to train and willing to learn. Gretchen has a high prey drive - she will chase any small animal that catches her eye or nose! Since Gretchen is deaf, a fence will be required.

* Histiocytic Ulcerative Colitis (HUC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that is found almost exclusively in boxers It is also known as granulomatous colitis or boxer colitis. HUC causes inflammation and sores (ulcers) to grow in the lining of the large intestine. It is most common in young dogs under the age of 2. The cause of HUC is unknown but genetics are suspected. Affected dogs usually present with signs of frequent, bloody mucoid stools, weight loss, anemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Stress can exacerbate this disease so dogs with HUC should be in as stress free environment as possible. Diet is extremely important and needs to be a low fat, gastrointestinal formula.