I was over at Widget's House this afternoon with Cindy when I took these photos of Travis. As I showed Cindy the images on the camera's playback screen, she laughed and said, "You know, he really looks like a cartoon character!"
Indeed he does. The pinned-back ears somehow only accentuate his pointy-headedness, which is caused by the disease (masticatory myositis) that afflicted his jaw muscles and fused his mouth shut. But along with the pure white hair and the big black nose ... and then those stunning bright blue eyes ... well, the whole package says "Disney" all over it.
We had some folks ask questions about Travis in their comments on the 'Early Morning Sun' blog post, so here goes:
-- He hasn't gained any significant weight. I think it was partly how the sun was hitting him in that photo, along with the fact that his collar was riding high up on his neck at that moment.
-- He can't pant, and since he doesn't realize he needs to pant to regulate his body temperature, we have to bring him indoors on hot summer days to make sure he doesn't overheat. He's very energetic and athletic and will keep zooming around the dog yard on blistering days, which is why he needs his cool-down periods.
-- Travis pulled out his stomach tube quite a while ago, and since we hadn't used it in years -- we learned he can slurp a liquid diet by sticking his tongue out of the left side of his mouth -- our vets didn't put it back in. Without the stomach tube to hide from prying lips, we didn't need to keep clothing on him.
We realized that having a fused jaw may turn out to be, as odd as it sounds, nature's way of protecting Travis from himself. He's very much an alpha personality. In his own mind he's a massive, 120-lb Mastiff-sized dog ... not the slender, fine-boned, 50-lb little guy he really is. So not having a mouth to work with puts a limit on his ability to act out his dominance "issues," if you know what I mean!
So rather than be the neighborhood bully, he's become the class clown, the ever-lovable goofball who keeps us all laughing. Even with a little more distance in the photo, it doesn't do much to alter the cartoon-like appearance:
I had a dog with MMM (masticatory muscle myositis). Fortunately, I noticed early that her head was developing what appeared to be dents above her eyes. The first vet I saw told me not to worry--that the disease would go away on its own. Not comfortable with that, I looked up articles on her symptoms. Once I found descriptions of MMM, I went to another vet. That vet agreed and a muscle biopsy confirmed it. I researched all the available therapies, but only a year long course of high dose steroids had any good evidence. So we did that. I gave her sAME (s-adenosylmethionine) to protect her liver. She did develop copraphagia (feces eating) during that year, but that resolved once we were able to discontinue the steroids. She lived another 14 years to age 16. However, I also made her diet gluten-free after that. she had developed 2 auto-immune diseases, (Hashimoto's and the MMM) and gluten ingestion leads to the development of almost any autoimmune disorder in susceptible individuals. Neither she nor her sister (who had had 3 auto-immune disease at that point) developed any more auto-immune disorders after they started eating a gluten free diet.
Posted by: Sarah | December 16, 2010 at 02:55 PM
I heart Travis. :o)
Posted by: Linda | November 05, 2008 at 10:53 PM
What a handsome boy!!! Enjoyed reading about one of my furry favourites. Thanks for the update!
Posted by: Nina | November 05, 2008 at 07:57 PM
He has the most beautiful eyes that boy :O)
What a lovely character. Wish I could hug him!
Posted by: sarah nz | November 05, 2008 at 03:02 PM
Wow, Travis' eyes are captivating. His looks certainly fit the personality you described. I bet he is a hoot! And, to think a Disney character living at the Happiest Place on Earth for so many lucky animals!
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | November 05, 2008 at 02:46 PM
Rolling Dog Ranch back at number one!!! VOTE EVERYDAY!!
This helps save animals like Travis!
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Posted by: Shirley * James * Portland, OR | November 05, 2008 at 01:17 PM
I absolutley adore Travis. He looks SOOoooooo innocent, :), huggable and makes me grin every time I see him. Glad he's in you great care.
Posted by: Margaret | November 05, 2008 at 11:32 AM
I love how he looks. Just sheer orneriness seems to sparkle in those eyes. What a great dog.
Posted by: jennie.wiseman | November 05, 2008 at 09:30 AM
What a great day....being greeted by Travis!!
He is certainly a popular boy; just like Disney, he's a favorite to see.
I'm glad he's able to enjoy complete freedom without his feeding tube.
Thanks for more detail on him, Steve. I'll be looking at his sweet face several times today.
Sending kisses to Travis....here they come! xxxxx
Posted by: boundforglory | November 05, 2008 at 09:27 AM
Those eyes are amazing; his coloring is stunning. Slurp, slurp.
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | November 05, 2008 at 08:40 AM
I've been in love with Travis since I first read about him. I am thrilled he is doing so well with all of the love and attention you all give!!
Posted by: Debbie | November 05, 2008 at 07:40 AM
Travis, you beauty!!
Sounds like he's having the time of his life.
Thank you for taking care of him. I sometimes forget about all the extra things (besides food and medicine) you have to do for some animals in your care, like checking Travis' heat levels!
With one pet it's a small routine, but with 80 it must fill a big part of your day.
Posted by: bregda | November 05, 2008 at 04:50 AM
I just love Travis and he is the class clown! I can't wait to see him when we volunteer next summer!!
Posted by: Shirley * James * Portland, OR | November 05, 2008 at 01:17 AM
Okay, you KNOW I couldn't let this go without saying a great big Thank You, for the Fab pics of Travis! He captivates me as much with his rascally spirit as he does with those sky blue crystal eyes! We have a "class-clown" dog here in the house named Bijou, she keeps us in stitches. She lost her 2 top canine teeth a couple of yrs ago and makes some pretty funny faces sometimes. Shes also got the same mischevious spirit that Travis has. I think they may have sprung from the same "rascal" gene. Anyhow, thanks again for these pics. It was like getting an early Xmas present to see the Happy Boy! PS- Since hes white, is it hard to spot him (and Blanca) in the snow? ha-ha Just kidding.
Posted by: Barbara Arenal | November 05, 2008 at 12:00 AM
He's beautiful! I am so glad he has such a good life with you. Not many would have the ability (or patience) to manage his medical needs.
Posted by: Vickie | November 04, 2008 at 10:23 PM
oh how I love this sweet boy! Thanks for the update.
Posted by: chris from toronto | November 04, 2008 at 09:04 PM
Thanks for the update on Travis! Good to know he is doing ok. I love his eyes, gotta love a blue eyed boy :) He looks like he is just full of mischief.
I think it would be fun if you did an update on all the oldies that have been there for a while.
Posted by: Kathy | November 04, 2008 at 07:00 PM
It looks like he is just bursting to "tell" on one of the others who have been up to something.
Posted by: Bob | November 04, 2008 at 06:35 PM