24-005 Miranda, a spayed Golden mix, was estimated to be 1-1⁄2 years old in January 2024. She came to AGR from a Rescue in Guadalajara, Mexico; she had been found as a stray. She was described as very sweet, friendly, and got along with dogs of all sizes. Miranda was vetted in Mexico, and then received the standard vaccines and tests for valley fever and heartworm from AGR. After less than a week, a home was found for Miranda in Scottsdale, which seemed to be a lovely placement. After settling in for a little over a month, Miranda started to have seizures and had to be taken to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Once placed on seizure medication at Blue Pearl, Miranda was then taken to AMSC where they have in-house neurologists. They kept her there for 24-hour observation and bloodwork. Lab tests showed no anomalies. A follow-up appointment with a neurologist was recommended. The first night back home, the owner described her as “beyond agitated with an array of odd sporadic behaviors.” Miranda would not calm down unless the owner had her hand on her. She also became incontinent and had diarrhea, which we later discovered may have been caused by Giardia. Her new owner found the seizures very difficult to deal with and made the painful decision to return Miranda to AGR. 

Miranda was then fostered by a member couple who had experience with seizures. Miranda did much better after a vet appointment where she was given medication and special dog food for the diarrhea. The vet also diagnosed her with Giardia and gave her medication to treat that parasite. The next day Miranda had a follow-up appointment with a neurologist at AMSC, where she was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. Medication for her seizures was changed, with another follow-up visit scheduled in 6 months to review her progress . Miranda soon found her forever home with an adoptive couple and new buddy, Chester, in Scottsdale. After transport to her new home, Miranda and Chester had great fun running and playing outside. While Connie, AGR’s transporter, went over information with her new family, Miranda and her new friend Chester came inside and start to run around the dining room table again and again! They were having so much fun! The adopters describe life with Miranda as follows: 

Miranda is doing great with our family! Our dog Chester just loves her! They play for a good portion of the day, then sit on their bed or favorite chair for a nap. She's very smart, chill, and wants to please. Loves food and can hear amazingly well. Miranda is still learning, and Chester loves showing her how to play "good dog", both on walks and at home. She is uncertain of the purpose of a hike, and certainly didn't think her princess paws should touch the river when we went out for a picnic. Perhaps she will grow to love the outdoors with our family. Or perhaps she will prefer to stay on the couch with Grandpa when we go play in the outdoors. Either way . . . . we just love her, and she seems very happy! 

Although Miranda has had no seizures up to now, we issued an addendum for meds and a follow-up neuro appointment.