After their 15-year-old Chihuahua-mix, Rocky, died on May 17, Mary and Joseph P. of Brooklyn didn’t wait long to adopt a new dog.

“Dogs give me a reason to get up in the morning, to go outside and leave the house,” says Mary. “They give me as much as I give them.”

Mary began her search online over Memorial Day weekend, coming across the profile of Warthog, a 10-year-old small mixed breed available at the ASPCA. She applied to adopt him.

The same day, Mary got a call from Stephanie Illescas, Admissions and Placement Specialist Lead at the ASPCA Adoption Center, who talked her through Warthog’s profile, which included multiple chronic medical conditions and anxiety.

“Warthog had trouble relaxing in our shelter and as a result, did not show his best self in person,” says Stephanie. “His medical needs were too much financially for many would-be adopters. But Mary had so much experience; Rocky had been diabetic with an esophageal condition requiring him to be fed in an upright position. I knew from the lengths she went to care for Rocky that Mary was more than capable of taking on Warthog's needs and giving him the life he deserved.

Warthog with Mary on his adoption day and afterward.

“There wasn't anything I could say about Warthog's personality or medical conditions that could have made her change her mind,” Stephanie adds. “She knew he was the one for her; it was a feeling of destiny.”

A Multitude of Medical Issues

Warthog, named for a lower tooth that stuck out like a tiny tusk, arrived at the ASPCA after being relinquished to Animal Care Centers of NYC’s Brooklyn location. Because he was severely matted and had multiple medical issues, he was transported to the ASPCA.

“The matting had caused a severe strangulating wound to his right front limb, as well as generalized skin disease throughout his body,” says Dr. Aubrey Crowley, Medical Supervisor of the ASPCA Animal Recover Center (ARC), which provides shelter and care for animal victims of cruelty and neglect. Warthog’s case is being investigated by the NYPD and remains open.

Warthog’s overgrown mats weighed nearly 11 ounces. He also suffered from skin disease and a strangulating wound to his right limb.

“Warthog had a heart murmur and severe dental disease,” Dr. Crowley continues. “His bloodwork showed several abnormalities, including elevated liver enzymes and low thyroid hormone. He also had tracheal collapse, a common condition in older small breed dogs where the main airway loses its rigidity and results in coughing when excited, stressed, pulling on a leash or other stimulating situations. His blood pressure was persistently high, so we diagnosed him with hypertension.”

Warthog began medications to address his liver enzymes, thyroid and hypertension. The ARC team also consulted with Dr. Sylvia Lesnikowski, Director of Internal Medicine and Clinical Research, to help rule in or out any other potential diagnoses.

Handling Hypertension

The most challenging issue facing Warthog was addressing his high blood pressure.

“Warthog was a nervous dog, and measuring blood pressure in an animal can be stressful,” Dr. Crowley says. “If you think of what it entails for humans, you can imagine how wrapping a blood pressure cuff, squeezing it tightly, and then using a Doppler crystal and ultrasound gel to read their blood pressure could make an animal very nervous. Stress and anxiety can falsely elevate blood pressure temporarily, so it was hard to determine if Warthog's medication was working. Whenever he was brought to the exam room, we got high readings.”

Warthog with Jada Ebanks, Patient Liaison on the ASPCA’s Community Medicine team.

Dr. Crowley employed a Cardell^® veterinary blood pressure monitor on Warthog while he was in his kennel. She sat with him and discovered it worked well.

“With the monitor, our licensed veterinary technicians were able to get consistent readings and make sure his hypertension was well controlled,” she says.

After two months of recovery, Warthog was healthy enough to be neutered and undergo dental surgery, during which 17 teeth — including his signature snaggletooth — were removed.

Remedies for Anxiety

Alexa Guidotti, Behavior Specialist and Warthog’s caseworker, remembers how Warthog was fearful and shut down when he first arrived.

“He trembled during his intake exam but leaned into petting,” she says. “During walks, he would lie down next to us and want to be petted.”

To help alleviate his stress, Warthog spent time in the office of Erica Barbot, Director of the ARC, for several weeks.

“He was a great office mate,” says Erica. “He was sweet, quiet and enjoyed sharing the space. But he did better when he had company. If left alone he became stressed, but he had a goofy side; I’d sometimes find him up on my desk excitedly waiting for me to return to the office.”

Warthog then spent over six months in a foster home, where he blossomed. 

“Warthog's time with his dedicated foster was instrumental in providing our Admissions and Placement team a full picture of who he is and prepared him well for adoption,” says Chloe Sternlicht, senior manager of Foster Care and Placement. “Foster caregivers give pups like Warthog — who may have to spend more time in our shelter due to their medical status — an invaluable opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home environment. On occasions when Warthog returned for medical rechecks, he recognized his foster caregiver with happy tail wags when she came to pick him up. It made our hearts full and our smiles wide.”

“As Good as It Gets”

After meeting Warthog, Mary and Joseph fell in love instantly and adopted him the same day. 

“He’s my little sidekick,” says Mary. “He follows me everywhere I go. He’ll open one eye just to make sure I’m sitting next to him.

“I don’t move to make sure I don’t disturb him; he’s the kind of boyfriend I’m glad I never had,” she jokes.

Warthog adjusted quickly to his new home. Shortly afterward, Joseph adopted a six-year-old Yorkie mix named Luigi from Sean Casey Animal Rescue, and he and Mary renamed Warthog Mario.

Mario and Luigi, left, and right, with Ziggy, at back, on his adoption day.

Two weeks after Luigi’s adoption, Stephanie notified Mary about a 10-year-old Mario lookalike at the ASPCA named Ziggy. Mary and Joseph added him to their family in late June.

Mario takes his thyroid and blood pressure medication easily with turkey and gets a monthly shot for arthritis, but she was able to stop his anxiety medication.

“They’re all angels,” says Mary, who is happy to have a routine again. “They love it here, and they love each other. They’ve all adjusted well.

“We’re glad to have these wonderful little old men in our lives,” she adds. “This is as good as it gets.”