Merry Christmas, Cassidy, from Maggie & Eddie :)

 You are a gorgeous girl! Love, Cassie, Remington & Dave

Please welcome Miss Cassidy to the RAGOM family. Cassidy is a ~12-year-old sweetheart who was found as a stray near Mason City, IA. She is up to date on her vaccinations, microchipped, heartworm negative, but most likely not spayed. At ~45 lbs, Cassidy is very underweight. She also has many lumps and bumps, most of which are benign and nothing to worry about. But we are concerned about a mass on her back and mammary tumors. The mass on her back is probably benign, but shortly after arriving at our home, it ruptured and became infected. Our vet decided that the mass should be removed, and Cassidy could be spayed at the same time. However, the day before surgery, Cassidy was lethargic, whining, and would not eat or drink. She was brought to the vet, and though X-rays did not reveal any internal masses, it was clear that Cassidy has a very bad back with extensive spondylosis. The vet said that Cassidy was probably in severe pain, which was most likely why she was not eating or drinking. Cassidy was clearly not a candidate for surgery, so the surgery was canceled. She was prescribed pain medications (vetprofen and tramadol) and lots of rest. I also started putting a heating pad on her back, and we bought her an orthopedic bed. It has been about a week since we started pain management, and Cassidy is doing much better. She is eating well and seems much more comfortable. Unfortunately, Cassidy is still not gaining weight, so we started adding puppy food to her meals. Once Cassidy gains a little weight and seems stronger, we will reconsider the mass removal/spay procedure.

Despite Cassidy's health problems, she is a love! Cassidy gets along great with the resident dogs and cats. And as far as we can tell, she likes everybody she meets! More than anything, Cassidy just wants to be with her people. She still stays very close to Foster Mom and howls if Foster Mom goes out (apparently, Foster Dad is not good enough). Cassidy does love to walk, but walks are very limited right now due to her back pain. Hopefully, she will be able to resume short walks in the near future. For now, Cassidy seems content to keep an eye on the critters in the backyard and supervise yard work (if only she could rake leaves!).