**INTERESTED FOSTER THROUGH RESCUE**
Sheldon, a senior male dog, was found as a stray on 1/22/25 by a volunteer after being seen wandering along a busy street. Despite being shy, he was cooperative when approached with a slip lead and walked easily to the car. During transport, Sheldon vomited but otherwise remained calm and quiet, seeming relieved to rest in a warm space. The finder noted that Sheldon appeared older, emaciated, and had a significant healed injury across his back, possibly burns. At intake, Sheldon was a gentleman, allowing staff to leash and handle him easily, and he appeared cooperative during his veterinary assessment.
Behaviorally, Sheldon has shown himself to be sweet, affectionate, and tolerant of handling. In the evaluation room, he leaned into handlers for pets, wagged his tail softly, and displayed no sensitivities during interactions. Though he is very food motivated, he tends to snatch treats quickly, so tossing them is recommended. He has shown minimal interest in toys or play but has been calm and gentle overall. In the kennel, Sheldon barked when approached but quickly settled when leashed, walking calmly and demonstrating good leash skills. He also appears to be housebroken.
Medically, Sheldon shows signs of aging and chronic health concerns. He is underweight (body condition score of 3/9) with noticeable muscle wasting in his hindlimbs and stiffness likely due to bilateral hip osteoarthritis. He is currently on a medical feeding plan and is receiving treatment for his skin, ears, and pain management. Due to his medical complexity and age, Sheldon has been made rescue-only to ensure he receives the care and support he needs in a quieter environment better suited to his recovery.
Sheldon is a 7-year-old male that came in as a stray on 1/22. The finder noted that he is “old & emaciated with previous scars/burns. He is friendly & shy. He walked on leash for a very short distance but he was fine.”
Videos:
Sheldon and Jelly Bean: https://youtube.com/shorts/oGazfL_X5rY?si=VXEMVraL4u-3Z-by
Sheldon catches treats: https://youtube.com/shorts/SV8SIG4kNlg?feature=share
Sheldon and Jelly Bean meet https://youtube.com/shorts/iv4GUioFm0g?feature=shared
Sheldon and Jelly Bean meet 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/URbK8K-BIqI?feature=shared
Behavioral notes:
01/24/25 volunteer notes: I had the absolute pleasure of taking Sheldon out for a walk and a dog meet today.
He was relaxed in his kennel, easy to leash, and we almost made it out the door before he relieved himself. I think he’s pretty well house trained, and we just didn’t make it to the door fast enough bc I was dilly dallying.
Once outside Sheldon sniffed around and relived himself a few more times before we did a meet with Jelly Bean. Both dogs were neutral and relaxed throughout the interaction.
We walked for a bit longer after the meet and he allowed pets and enjoyed comforting affirmations. He’s a total gentleman - throughout our interaction, Sheldon’s tail didn’t stop wagging.
Per volunteer (and finder) 1/23/25: After a long day at work, I hopped off the trolley to see this guy strolling down a busy street. Luckily, my car key was in my pocket so I was able to get my slip lead to from the trunk. I walked behind some bushes parallel to the road where he was walking to get ahead of him. I used some baby talk to encourage him to approach but he wasn’t interested in treats. He got close enough that I was able to lasso him with the slip lead and secure him easily. Sheldon did not put up any fight on our walk back to the car and let me lift him in to go to the shelter.
Besides a vomiting incident, Sheldon was quiet and sweet in the car. I think he was grateful to be in the warmth and laid down for a nap.
Once I arrived at ACCT, I saw someone had posted online about him wandering the neighborhood, many hours earlier and, quite a few blocks away. They said he was shy, skittish and wouldn’t take treats. They said they tracked him for over 30 minutes. Poor guy had put some miles on those little pads.
It’s seems like Sheldon is on the older side. His face is peppered with white hairs. It seems he’s emaciated and seems to have a healed significant injury (maybe chemical burns) all over his back.
Sheldon was a gentleman getting out of the car and into intake. We were able to very easily swap leashes and walk him back to get assessed by the vet.
I wasn’t able to stay for the whole vet assessment but I did peek in. He seemed very cooperative, seeking and accepting pets from acct staff. It seems like he’s either a little aloof or is somewhat hard of hearing. He does seem to know how to sit but it takes him a second to get there. He’s definitely got an upset tummy but accepted some cheese slices happily.
The shelter is no place for an old man who’s been through it. I’m hoping we can help Sheldon to swiftly exit the shelter towards his journey of healing.
Per staff on 1/23: “I got to interact with Sheldon a bit after his exam and he seems like a sweet boy! He was sniffing around, and when I held my hand out, he walked up, sniffed it, and let me give him head pets!”
01/23/25 staff notes
KENNEL PRESENTATION:
Sheldon was alert barking with wide eyes when the handler approached. When the handler opened to leash him he stopped barking and remained at the front, allowing for easy leashing and exited easily.
LEASH SKILLS:
Pulls minimally
Housebroken
HANDLING :
Once in the room Sheldon was wiggly towards us and had soft eyes, mid level wags and was very affectionate. He would seek out attention often, leaning against us or sitting calmly. He did not have any sensitivities to handling and was very gentle when interacting with him! He is very food motivated, but is VERY snatchy so tossing them is best.
PLAY:
No interest
TOYS
Interest but no possession, snatches them and them loses interest quickly.
Medical notes:
Per exam on 1/23:
“Patient was evaluated for a senior evaluation following intake 1/22/25. Patient was found as a stray and vomiting on the car ride over to ACCT: AXR performed at that time revealed a large amount of ingesta within the stomach. Patient was given LRS 400 ml SQ, Cerenia SQ, Ondansetron PO, and Drontal PO: patient was also NPO'd for approximately 18 hours prior to this examination.
Objective
BAR, normal mentation. Increased lenticular opacity OU, no ocular discharge. Moderate accumulation of ceruminal debris AU L>R. No cough elicited on tracheal palpation. No nasal discharge. Mild to moderate accumulation of calculus primarily of the maxillary premolars and molars. No peripheral lymphadenopathy. Soft fluctuant subcutaneous mass overlying the ventral aspect of the thorax. No M/A ausculted, femoral pulses S/S, normal BV sounds bilaterally across chest. Abdomen palpates softly and without pain, no organomegaly appreciated. Stiff gait in both hindlimbs with pain on hip extension bilaterally. Mild muscle wasting in hindlimbs. BCS 3/9. Testicles descended and symmetrical bilaterally. Multifocal alopecia most prominently of the craniodorsal thorax where there is a large area of crusting and lichenification.
AXR: Majority of ingesta within the stomach from 1/22 has moved into the intestinal tract. There is air throughout the intestinal tract without a double population of bowel. There is a decrease in serosal detail. The liver extends a small amount beyond the costochondral junction.
Cursory AUS: No free fluid is detected. The liver is hyperechoic compared to the spleen, and has a mild amount of mottling changes. The spleen is diffusely cystic with mottling changes, but no discrete mass is discerned.
CBC: 5.6 (L), Hct 36.6 (L), Hg 12.9 (L)
Chem 10 (lytes unavailable): BUN 36 (H), creatinine 1.2 (WNL), all other values WNL
T4: 1.2
Urine dipstick: (-) for leu, nit, pro, blood, ket, bili, and glu, USG 1.010
Urine cytology: There is a "picket fence" form of a calcium monohydrate crystal seen
Assessment
1. Food bloat - resolving
2. Anemia r/o anemia of chronic inflammatory disease
3. Splenic changes r/o splenic hematoma vs. nodular hyperplasia vs. infiltrative neoplasia (hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, etc.)
4. Liver changes r/o vacuolar hepatophathy vs. infiltrative neoplasia (lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, etc.)
5. Elevated BUN w/ hyposthenuria and an observed "picket fence" calcium monohydrate crystal r/o hypercalciuria vs. GI bleed vs. protein catabolism
6. Multifocal alopecia r/o atopy vs. ectoparasites vs. hormonal imbalance
7. Otitis externa AU
8. Suspected bilateral hip OA
Further investigation of hyposthenuria and picket fence crystal is recommended for potential causes of hypercalciuria.
Given age and observed splenic and hepatic changes, splenectomy with biopsies could be pursued.
Skin disease is significant and does not have a clear etiology at the current time. Assessment and subsequent management of this disease is considered important to patient's well-being.”
Per exam on 1/22:
“ - cloudy eyes
- dirty slightly yellowing in ear
-tartar build up slight yellowing on inner lip and gums
- limp on chest poss. fatty limo hair loss on back poss. burn dehydrated
- intact male
- q.a.r (quiet, alert, responsive), friendly
Overall Assessment: senior check”
ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week. Please visit www.acctphilly.org/adopt for details.
If you are a rescue interested in pulling this animal, please email our lifesaving team, or visit here if you are not currently a rescue partner: https://acctphilly.org/acct-philly-love-local-partnership-program/
Confirmed placement is considered a confirmation of an actual rescue pull. Possible placement, interested parties, and other "TBD" statuses are not considered confirmed and do not indicate an animal is no longer urgent.
All animals at ACCT Philly are from Philadelphia, as the only open-intake animal shelter in Philadelphia, we are not able to accept animals from outside of Philadelphia. ACCT Philly’s Pennsylvania kennel license number is 08313
