Based on examination of Ginger's vet records, her birthdate is 04/15/2005, so she is 10 years and 1 month old at this time. When Ginger was about 5 years old, the surrendering owner brought her to the vet with vomiting and obstruction (two pairs of underwear) and a gastrointestinal infection, and admitted that they had not been redirecting Ginger's energy from eating objects because they were too busy. Ginger reportedly had mild seizure activity every 3 months and had showed aggression to one female dog in the past. During the next 5 years, Ginger received no care from this vet and was then surrendered to a local shelter in January 2015.

At the time of surrender, Ginger had balding areas on her abdomen and hind legs, skin lesions on her jowls, paw pads and elbows, a protruding abdomen, and an old ACL injury to her left hind limb and possible injury to her right hind limb. Her teeth, eyes and ears were normal for her age. She was given a dewormer, tested negative for heartworm, and received all required vaccination updates. She was friendly, accepted all touch, had no interest in toys, pulled on the leash, resource-guarded her food and would eat poop.

Under RAGOM's care, Ginger was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and started on thyroid medication which she will need to take the rest of her life. Other tests were suggestive of Cushing's Disease; however, given Ginger's age and the nature of the medication being hard on the body, RAGOM chose not to pursue further tests and potential treatment. During foster care, Ginger dislocated a toe and fractured a second toe in her right rear leg. Surgical repair was not possible and the toes are now healed. The vet determined that Ginger's injured rear leg bones had thickened over time, allowing her to walk and climb stairs without apparent pain; therefore, she will not undergo surgery.

If you are still reading this, you likely are someone who cares about senior Golden Retrievers with medical issues. Ginger's condition sounds bad, but actually, she gets around fine, and is an energetic, super sweet and loving dog who takes an inexpensive thyroid medicine. We have an appointment at the Doggie Parlour to give her a bath, get her fur coat evened out, and nails trimmed. All of her lesions are healed now, except one. When given an adequate amount of exercise, training, love and attention and a regular feeding schedule, the prior problems of eating socks and poop and resource-guarding food will likely disappear. She has not had a seizure since she was surrendered four months ago; these mild seizures may have been caused by her prior living environment, although we can't say that they won't happen again. Under our care, Ginger has gotten along with all types of dogs, cats, kids and humans. She loves to be pampered and has a piece of my heart. Let your Placement Advisor know if you'd like to talk with us about Miss Ginger.

Ginger appears to be responding to the thyroid medication she takes twice a day with her meals. Fur is beginning to grow in areas of her coat that were thin or balding before. Her energy has been super -- a curious dog ready for anything, whether that be brushed or going for a walk. She is even beginning to play with the ball.

She's continued to lose weight, down to 57 pounds now. We've been supplementing her diet with cooked string beans, to help her feel full during the day and continue to lose weight, although she's pretty close to an ideal weight now.

She has a thyroid check in a couple of weeks. If all goes well, she will be scheduled for surgery to repair the ACL in her left rear leg. Then, she'll be ready to find her Forever Family!