Huey's Foster Buddies:

• Sarah Bell and Pug Oliver

We are so happy that Huey has joined our little family - his forever home.

He is adjusting really well, and getting to know his two new girl pug friends. I know that this adjustment has been so much easier on him because of the wonderful love, respect, faith and commitment that his Pugalug foster family gave to him for many months.

This little guy has so much love to give and does so without fail. And he definitely gets the lovin' back. He so enjoys cuddling up with us (whether it is on the couch or the big bed), he's so excited about going for walks in his new neighbourhood (although this stretch of rain has been less than ideal for all of us!), and he certainly has no objection to the baskets of stuffy toys that we have accumulated over the years - his current favourites are a stuffed flea that says "bite me", and a little potato-guy toy. Little by little, he's playing with his new pug friends - my younger girl is his age and they chase each other around - although she does set boundaries if he gets a little too "frisky". My older girl gently approaches him nose-to-nose and they wag tails.

We are so thrilled to be able to move forward with Huey - we of course have all sorts of fun names for him already - the one I like best is not original - Oooey Gooey Huey!

We love this little pup! He?s such a good boy!!!!

Huey is now available to adopt, however he still has some crystals - very few but some. Since coming into rescue last July we have experienced numerous ups and downs with Huey and crystals. While not the outcome we hoped for it seems Huey is a rare breed - a sterile producers of crystals. This means his body creates them without the presence of an infection. It does not seem to affect his overall health. He is happy, content and playful. His forever family needs to keep this in mind and be watchful of his urine becoming either too concentrated or him developing a low flow. Its not hard nor have we treated him with anything other than food trials, water and cranberry extract. Pre-made raw is readily available and less expensive than the grain-free canned foods that we found. He needs people who will continue to feed him either raw or canned food. We have found this has really helped to reduce his crystals over the long haul.

Huey was house trained during foster care. He needs reinforcement after adoption. Because he is still prone to crystals he does have occasional accidents. The adopters need to have patience and be watchful of Huey's toileting habits.

Huey is a huge cuddler, needy of reassurance and a calm home. He likes kids but they overwhelm him and he tends to get a bit stressed. He has never slept anywhere except in the big bed with his people and I will be looking for this to continue in a forever home.

Huey can become a bit nervous and needs lots of love, cuddles and security. He forms strong bonds with one person. Huey is a boisterous and sometimes noisy little boy. When really excited or bored he spins in circles - yipping loudly, sometimes chasing that curly tail. Apartments would not be ideal for Huey. Huey often makes little noises even when sleeping and cuddling. He loves to play fetch and tag with fluffy toys. He is very excited to see you when you get home, his tails swings wildly as he barks excitedly.

Huey has so much love to offer a special person or family. He will provide wonderful companionship for the right people. I love this little boy so much, he has really become a part of the family.

Huey continues to be a great boy. He is such a loving little guy and is really gaining confidence. We switched Huey to canned after his last C & S & urinalysis when his crystals spiked up again and have since moved to pre-made raw. Its hoped that the higher moisture content will improve his odds of being free of the crystals one day soon.

He is a bit of an odd case in that he has always been high end of normal in terms of pH and drinks well. We are still adding cranberry extract every other day. My husband says he develops the crystals because he wants to stay put....

In general he gets along well with both resident pugs. Huey likes to play fetch, hates to be picked up around his middle - prefering to be better supported with a hand under his belly.

Huey is so very easy to fall in love with.

Just before Christmas we got the news that Huey's crystals had returned. They were right up to his previous levels in spite of lots of water at every meal. It seemed like only the cranberry had an impact. He is now back on cranberry and we have switched him to canned food. Currently Huey is eating some of the fish based canned foods - EVO, Natural Balance....

The cranberry extract works but the protocol is for 3 weeks on twice a day, then a gradual reduction so the pH of his urine does not get too acidic. There has never been any underlying infection, no blood in the urine that would indicate a problem and the culture and sensitivity tests all are clear.

I may switch him to raw if I can find a good source locally. It was quite disheartening to get these results, Huey had been doing so well. Unlike when he came into rescue he had no trouble adapting to the change to canned food - to which I still add a splash of water and he is also started again on the cranberry extract regime.

Otherwise Huey is a lovely fellow, very attached to everyone and is doing very well overall. He is in terrific shape excluding the crystals and he enjoyed Christmas and all the new toys and treats. Huey is especially fond of Himalayan Yak Milk treats.

Huey continues to do very well. He fits in great with the resident pugs and is not aggressive with them. He occassionally plays with Sophie but never with Bugzy. Huey sometimes needs to be reminded of his manners when taking a treat but will sit for it readily and will take it easy when told to.

Huey is such a loving cuddly boy, he hates to be to far away from his people. Huey expects to be cuddled at every opportunity and will simply push his way on to my lap no matter what I am doing. At night he snuggles in close and never moves all night. This is a pug completely used to sleeping in the big bed and who would be very unhappy at being reduced to sleeping elsewhere. While generally a pretty easy going little fellow he can get a bit excited and overwhelmed at times. He does settle with some gentle pats and soft words.

He will still need to have one clear urine test - no crystals - before being placed in the ready for adoption section. Huey is getting so much better at not "going" in the house. It can take some time when they have grown used to doing so with crystals irritating his bladder but it rarely happens now. He is at a really good weight - about 20 lbs - he is not a tiny pug but rather a good sturdy fellow, who now has less "fluff".

Huey is a joy to have around, a lover not a fighter who needs people around to provide him with feelings of security. After all he thinks as many pugs do - why sleep on a floor or mere dog bed when a human should be willing - and required - to provide a comfortable place for sleeping - on them.

Huey went to the vet recently and had his blood work done, heartworm test and another urine analysis done. The blood work and heartworm were all great, he is a happy, healthy puglet. The best news for Huey is that crystals are almost totally gone and his urine is much more dilute than when he first came into rescue, according to the vet - very few remain. He is also down to 20 lbs and looks fabulous! The hard part of all this is knowing my time with Huey is coming to an end likely sooner rather than later.

I just love this little boy... he can be a bit nervous at times and does not deal with extreme stress well - like having blood drawn and nails clipped - but he is after all a pug and lets say he reacts as many do. Let him calm himself and he is good to go again. Huey can be a bit noisy at times, he spins about yipping ( loudly) when he is happy and excited. He is a great dog. His peeing in the house is only occassionally now - like when it rains.... again he is a pug and being made of sugar may melt.. He looks so sad when I force him to go out in the rain.... its just heartbreaking the look he gives me.

Huey is a real cuddler and needs people around him or at least another dog for company. He likes kids most of the time but they can overwhelm him a bit. Huey is happiest sleeping in your arms and wants up everytime you sit down. He has always slept with his people, including here so for this snuggle monkey I think that will be a important for his potential admirers to keep in mind.

Huey eats Acana Pacifica - 1/4 c twice a day, with enough water added to float the kibble. Twice a week I add cranberry extract to his food. His was a very fussy eater coming into rescue and it took nearly 5 days to convince him to eat on a schedule and what I wanted him to eat going forward - grain-free. Now its like he always ate it, he is terrific on this food plan and looks wonderful. When I first added the cranberry extract to his food it was twice a day for 3 weeks. At the end of that we cut him back to 2x a week total.

Huey is doing well, he has very occasional accidents in the house but can also go several days without any trouble so it's coming along. He is still a very cuddly little man who greets you when you come home with wild abandon - running in circles and yipping. He's nuts lol.....

We are continuing the cranberry extract in his food - now just a couple times per week now. I will be making an appointment for him in the next few weeks to get him rechecked for crystals but it takes time so we have not wanted to rush into testing again. He eats his food readily now, even with the cranberry ( as long as I ensure its well mixed into the water...). Huey is still a slower eater than my two starving pugs but much faster than he was. He has lost much of the pudginess he came in with and his coat is glossy.

He has become quite attached to us all and is a very easy boy to fall in love with. He is just so sweet and goofy.

Huey continues to do very well. He is a snuggler who always is looking for lap time and does not like to take no for an answer. Not aggressive - just persistent. He simply pushes his way on to your lap with his head, ignoring any rebuff on your part. A stubborn, stubborn little man. He loves to be picked up and is my constant companion rarely leaving my side, he settles readily on a kitchen dog bed when i am in there rather than hanging out at my feet like the two resident pugs do and is a really nice fellow. He gets very excited after playing a bit and spins in circles chasing his tail and yelping loudly - he would not be be suited anywhere that noise will be an issue such as an apartment. Huey likes kids generally but gets very excited when he sees babies, his back end waggles crazily at the sight of an infant car seat. Huey enjoys sleeping in the big bed and has all his life is my understanding. He settles in tight against you and rarely moves. He LOVES to sleep in, a real lazy bones.

Huey still had crystals at the same levels after the second test and there was still no active infection on the culture and sensitivity plates. We have started to add a cranberry extract to his meals in an effort to acidify his urine a bit but Mr. Fussy Pants requires a very small amount of jarred chicken baby food to cover the taste of the cranberry. He is a real character. On a better note he lost almost 2 lbs in 3 weeks with his new regime of 2 meals a day and no free feeding. He now has a waist! You have to look for it but he does have one. Huey still gets treats but we use the Natural balance LID treats for small dogs and then break them in half as we do for our own two and sometimes some fruits or veggies as well. He is pretty tall and sturdy in build.

Huey and Sophie will tear around the basement when I am on the computer especially in the evening. Just a pair of nuts.... one or the other gets down into a play stance and "calls the other out" by woowooing, front end down and tail wagging, until the chase is on. Just fools the pair of them. Sophie has not really enjoyed a foster as much as she has Huey in a long time and the two play often. Huey is a bit more stand-offish with Bugzy. It looks like he would be happiest with a female rather than a male dog companion when he is ready for adoption.

Huey is no longer wearing a belly band - has not in several weeks actually. He has only a rare few accidents in the house at this point.

Overall Huey is doing very well, he is loving and gentle and very nice to live with.

Huey continues to be a loving little guy, generally good-natured and a bit of a character. He is a fussy fellow when it comes to food and it took several days to get him to eat when he came in. This has been resolved and he now eats readily at meal time.

He went to the vet on the 6th to investigate potential causes for his marking and whether it could be the result of an infection, struvite crystals or calcium oxalate stones. The results came in on Wednesday and he has significant levels of struvite crystals but no underlying infection at the present time. The crystals need to be dissolved before the situation worsens and stones forms. Due to his recent refusal to eat I am hesitant to introduce yet another new food - and especially one he has tried before and refused to eat the prescription S/D food- I am going to continue with the grain-free food I regularly use with lots of water to flush and dissolve the crystals.

He will be rechecked in 3 weeks to see if we are making any headway.

Huey (formerly Harley) is an owner surrender. He is a very loving and affectionate fellow who has obviously been loved. He greets everyone with a wiggle, a wagging tail and a kiss.

Huey loves to get into your arms and snuggle in tight. He is one of the few fosters I have had who truly seems to love to be cuddled. He slept well on his first night.

He is drinking water but is a bit off his food - pretty common in the first day or two, once he gets hungry enough he will eat normally. Huey needs to lose weight, how much I will know better after he sees the vet next week but he is a chunky monkey. He is also a heavy breather, likely due at least in part to the excess weight, so we will take care in this upcoming heat wave that he does not get over heated, spending our outdoor time in the shade. He is reported to have some housebreaking problems but so far I have not found it to be excessive or unusual. We spent a lot of time yesterday going in and out so he would get to know where to go and giving lots of praise when he went outside.

Overall, Huey is a very, very sweet boy and a joy to have around.