Sally Ann 20-141
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Thursday, April 29, 2021
Well, Sally Ann is long overdue for an update. This sassy little thing is doing great! Her cancer doesn't seem to have metastasized yet, although that will be checked in June. She's had some issues with her kidneys, likely as a result of the Lyme disease, but she is on meds and a special diet and she seems to be doing well.
Her crabby hips act up sometimes, and the stairs can sometimes be a workout for her, but overall, this sweet girl is doing good.
Big thanks to the anonymous sponsor who supported her recently! It certainly helps with her expenses. She would like to thank you with a spirited wiggle of her tail and back half—and a big smile on that sweet face of hers!
When Sally Ann came here about six months ago, we had no idea she'd be here so long. Even when she got her cancer diagnosis, we didn't think she'd still be hanging in here. But she is the sweetest addition to the household. She's such a happy girl!
She looks so much better than when she first came into RAGOM: her coat is much shinier and softer, her tail is wagging regularly, and she's just a little ray of sunshine. And she's stubborn and bossy and will work at getting what she wants! She does great with the resident dogs, she charms everyone who comes to visit, and you would never guess that she's a hospice dog.
Big thanks to those who have supported this sweet girl, making this last chapter of her life one of her best!
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Well, it’s been about six weeks since Sally Ann had her growth removed and it was found to be cancerous. Her treatment options were limited, so we opted to keep an eye on it and see what happens.
She went in for her three month check up and a chest X-ray to see if there had been any metastasis. Happy to say that she got a good report! No signs of anything spreading yet.
The bad news is that she’s gained five lbs with her lap of luxury lifestyle, so now it’s time for her to go on the green bean diet and regain her svelte figure! She continues to be the happiest, sweetest, bossiest little gal. Everyone at the clinic adores her! She really is a gem!
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Update on Sally Ann: Sally Ann had the baseball-sized mass removed from her belly a few weeks ago. She bounced back from the surgery amazingly well—she was up and wrestling with Dodger the next day! The mass was sent out for a biopsy and, unfortunately, the news was not good.
The sweet girl has an aggressive cancer; mammary adenocarcinoma. The options were limited for her. Another aggressive surgery to get better margins plus perhaps chemotherapy, or just keeping an eye on things and seeing if and where it metastasized.
The vet was not much in favor of option one, as our girl is 10 years old and we have no idea how long she had had the mass. So, we’ve opted to just keep an eye on her and see how things go.
But, given that the cancer will likely reappear, and that she may have six months, nine months, or a year and a half, she won’t be available for adoption. No one has told Sally Ann yet that she has cancer, so she remains as happy and as delightful and spunky as always.
Last night we had a visitor who sat on the couch, unaware that he was sitting on HER end of the couch. Sally Ann sat politely in front of him, getting as many pets as possible. Soon, she lifted her paws to his knees and was standing on her hind legs, sniffing his face.
Eventually, she started working her way onto the couch, between the visitor and the arm of the couch. He moved a bit to give her some room, and she continued to push him out of the way—out of HER spot—until she had enough room on the couch! It was hysterical to see her working to get what she wanted!
Sally Ann continues to have a great time with her foster brothers. She LOVES her daily walks and her squirrel patrol, and all of the visitors. We’re aiming at keeping her as happy and as comfortable as we can for as long as we can. She’s such a sweetheart!
Saturday, October 17, 2020
While Sally Ann recovered so well from her surgery, the biopsy of the mass she had removed came with some sad news: it was cancerous. We’ll see the vet this week to see what the options are for this intrepid, spunky gal. Update to follow.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Sally Ann came through her surgery with flying colors and she's doing great! It must feel so good to have that baseball-sized mass removed! She was also scheduled for a spay and a dental, but it turns out she's already spayed.
The vet said that her teeth were so worn down that doing a full dental just didn't make sense. They did pull one small tooth that needed to come out. She was groggy for a day or so, then was right back at it, wrestling with the residents and back to her old self in no time.
She gets the sutures removed next week, and then she's ready to look for her furever home--although she could sooooo easily just stay right here!
Sally Ann is a mighty squirrel hunter. She does well on walks but when she sees a squirrel, she wants it. Even out in the yard, she has her eyes peeled for one of those things.
She's also revealed her Mighty Bark. She has a big, deep bark that we didn't even hear for the first few days she was here, but now, she's announcing to anyone who walks past that she is ON PATROL!
She very much likes her resident boys. She and Dodger have regular wrestling matches, which she often instigates. Ozzie sometimes tries to join in but then it becomes two on one, so we try to keep it to a two-way wrestling match. But she is just as happy as can be, and she's become a real mama's girl!
Although foster mom is recovering from hip surgery, Sally Ann has gotten out on regular walks and does really well. I'm not sure she knew what a leash was when she first got here, but she's learned and LOVES her walks.
At first, we kept them kind of short because she's a senior gal with some stiff hips, but she has DEMANDED longer walks. She's very funny in her bossiness and her stubbornness; she's very clear when she wants something!
Sally Ann does love the company of the other dogs but could also do okay as an only dog. She's not interested in the cat here at all, so that that's not an issue. A fence is probably a good thing, since she has a history of wandering, but it is not an absolute must.
While she has not been tested with kids, I am guessing she would do just fine--with her sweet temperament, she loves everybody! She's a fairly low-activity gal--she likes her walks, she likes to hang out in the yard, but she also likes snoozing next to you.
She has developed the perhaps bad habit of loving the furniture! Snoozing on the couch is her fave! If you're interested to meet this sweet girl, send a message to RAGOM!
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Miss Sally Ann continues to be a delight!
Foster mom had hip surgery, so now the three Goldens have had to reassemble as the rehab squad! Sally Ann has started to initiate play and wrestle with Dodger, in particular; sometimes Ozzie wants to jump in as well, but then it becomes 2-on-1 and she’s not so fond of that.
Sally Ann loves a little walk, but a stroll around the block seems to be enough for her and then she gets a little tired. She went back to the vet last week and her bloodwork looked good. They did a chest X-ray to make sure her lungs were clear, so she’s slated for surgery to remove her tumor next Friday!
Sally Ann will soon be looking for her furever home. As a 10 year old, she likes to take it easy—until she sees a squirrel; then you’d think she’s 2 or 3! She LOVES to hang out with her people. She does well with other dogs and has apparently lived with them for the past several years. She does fine with the cat.
Sally Ann is housebroken, and has only had two accidents since she’s been here. A fence would be good because she has a history as a wanderer. She has discovered the delights of sleeping in the bed and on the couch, although neither of those habits are too deeply ingrained.
Mostly Sally Ann just wants to be loved, get pets and adore her people. She’s such a sweet tempered girl that she would be a delight to add to any household!
Friday, September 11, 2020
Well, after several weeks here, Sally Ann finally discovered a squeaky toy. Here's a video to show her response.
The sweet gal is about halfway through her round of antibiotics, and hopefully when we bring her in at the end of September, her Lyme and anaplasmosis will have been chased away! At that point, she'll have some bloodwork done to see if she'll be able to withstand surgery, and hopefully, she'll get that baseball-sized tumor removed from her belly!
She's looking so much better than she was a few weeks ago. Her coat is better and a lot of the scars and cuts have healed up. She's still a little itchy, but getting better. Her senior girl hips are a little stiff but she can still chase a squirrel if the occasion comes up.
She's made herself quite at home here. First, she discovered the couch, which she loves. Then, last week, she put her front paws up on the bed. She couldn't quite get up there on her own, but with some assistance, she made it up. She was thrilled and spent a good part of the night up there.
Two nights ago, when the temps dropped, she again put her front paws up there and landed herself right next to me. She didn't move for the rest of the night! She did the same last night, so I think she's found her night-time spot.
Sally Ann is such a sweet, happy dog. She has done just fine with all the other animals in the house. She loves meeting people, and she loves riding in the car. She's a dainty eater (her teeth are not in great shape so that may account for some of that daintiness) and does like treats.
Here's hoping she continues to improve and that she can have the tumor removed and be up for adoption soon. She's a lovely companion!
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Sally Ann wants to thank her sponsors and those who have contributed to her care!
The sweet gal is coming along! The antibiotics are perking her up a bit, the daily brushings are sprucing her up, and she’s totally settled in with her fur brothers, alerting the troops when anyone passes the house and demanding her share of pets when anyone enters.
She’s looking better and seems to be feeling better, and in a few weeks, hopefully her tumor will get taken care of. She is just the sweetest-tempered gal ever! And she’s had no accidents in the house since her first day here.
She does great with the boy dogs (and cat) here, loves people and is just so darn cute. Great to see her doing so well! And, she discovered the couch…
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Sally Ann is a Golden mix, about 10 years old, that came to RAGOM via Red Lake Rosie's Rescue (RLRR). What we know of her story is that about 4 years ago, she wandered into the yard of a family, who discovered that she had recently had a litter of pups in the woods.
She ended up staying with this family and three other dogs, largely as an outside dog, until a tumor that is hanging from her belly got to the point that it needed to be treated. The family couldn't afford the medical care that she needed, so they surrendered her to RLRR, who then contacted RAGOM.
When Sally Ann went to the vet her assessment was, "She's got a lot going on, but we're going to take it one step at a time." The tumor was the most obvious thing, but being a senior dog looking at potential surgery, she needed to get her bloodwork done.
The blood tests showed that she was anemic; an exam showed that she had some slightly enlarged lymph nodes, so the immediate fear was lymphoma, which thankfully was ruled out by further testing. Additional tests, however, also showed that she has two tick-borne diseases, Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, which can cause anemia.
She's on a round of antibiotics for the next four weeks, and then will have additional bloodwork to determine how to deal with the tumor. Her hips are also a bit creaky, which may be age or may be joint pain from Lyme disease. Bit by bit, we're taking care of this sweet old girl's aches and pains.
When Sally Ann arrived, she was just a mess! As an outside dog, she was, of course, just filthy. She had several scars on her muzzle, a cut on her mid back, a number of abrasions, and layers of dirt. A couple of baths later, she's several shades lighter.
She loves being brushed, and we removed all of the many mats and tangles that she had accumulated, and her wounds are healing. Underneath all of that is one of the sweetest, most adorable dogs ever! She is so happy and so good natured, and just a lovely dog.
Sally Ann does well with the resident dogs and cat here, LOVES people and anyone who will pet her. She's just a really happy girl, and her wagging tail attests to that! It thumps on the floor at night when she knows you're looking at her, it thumps when she thinks she's going to go outside, it thumps when it's dinner time.
She loves riding in the car, she's charmed everyone at the vet clinic, and she's such an easy dog to have around. She sleeps a lot (again, probably due to her anemia and the other stuff that's going on) but she also gets frisky and happy and rolls on her back with all four legs in the air.
Sally Ann is currently unavailable for adoption. But once we get her medical stuff taken care of, she's going to make someone a lovely and happy companion!
Hospice: Sally Ann will live out her remaining days in her foster home.