Ava 11-088

Profile

Sponsored by:

Dennis and Joanne

March 30, 2011

What a sweet dog. And what a hard-luck story.

Ava was dumped at the Humane Society in Joplin, MO along with seven puppies. Ava is a Golden Retriever mix and the puppies are mixes, too. They had too many animals and were going to have to euthanize the whole brood but contacted RAGOM just in case there was a chance that they could help. And they did help.

When Ava was picked up she wasn't using her left-front leg, she was hopping around on three. She allowed the leg and foot to be touched without showing signs of pain but she wouldn't put that foot on the ground. The seven puppies were chubby and active, seemingly healthy. All were brought up to Minnesota without incident.

When Ava got in to see her veterinarian is when the bad news started. After X-rays of the leg it was obvious that she had been shot, the elbow joint and leg bone had been shattered and blown out of place and it had healed poorly. It is unlikely that she will ever use that leg again.

It was also found that Ava has stage three heartworm infestation.

The heartworm reduces blood flow and weakens Ava making it a bad idea to perform surgery on the leg. A case of lead poisoning would keep Ava from getting heartworm treatment. Quite a few conferences, phone calls and hand wringing ensued. Blood tests finally came back and showed that Ava's blood lead levels were not elevated so heartworm treatment can begin. Due to having a level three infestation the treatment will be done in three phases over a two-month period. After that the surgeon can determine the fate of her leg.

Ava has to be the sweetest dog we've ever met -- she is not a complete "velcro" dog but does want human attention. The puppies are just like their mom in that respect, too. Thanks to RAGOM, their many volunteers and donors, Ava and her puppies are going to make wonderful companions for some lucky people. But this amount of treatment won't come cheap. Donations make the difference. Would you like to become a donor? If you can help defray the costs of her care, please consider a donation to RAGOM in Ava's name http://ragom.org/shop/donat/donate.html.

At a Glance #11-088

Mixed Breed	Born: June 2006
Female	Weight not specified

Status: Deceased

Profile

Sponsored by:

Dennis and Joanne

March 30, 2011

What a sweet dog. And what a hard-luck story.

Ava was dumped at the Humane Society in Joplin, MO along with seven puppies. Ava is a Golden Retriever mix and the puppies are mixes, too. They had too many animals and were going to have to euthanize the whole brood but contacted RAGOM just in case there was a chance that they could help. And they did help.

When Ava was picked up she wasn't using her left-front leg, she was hopping around on three. She allowed the leg and foot to be touched without showing signs of pain but she wouldn't put that foot on the ground. The seven puppies were chubby and active, seemingly healthy. All were brought up to Minnesota without incident.

When Ava got in to see her veterinarian is when the bad news started. After X-rays of the leg it was obvious that she had been shot, the elbow joint and leg bone had been shattered and blown out of place and it had healed poorly. It is unlikely that she will ever use that leg again.

It was also found that Ava has stage three heartworm infestation.

The heartworm reduces blood flow and weakens Ava making it a bad idea to perform surgery on the leg. A case of lead poisoning would keep Ava from getting heartworm treatment. Quite a few conferences, phone calls and hand wringing ensued. Blood tests finally came back and showed that Ava's blood lead levels were not elevated so heartworm treatment can begin. Due to having a level three infestation the treatment will be done in three phases over a two-month period. After that the surgeon can determine the fate of her leg.

Ava has to be the sweetest dog we've ever met -- she is not a complete "velcro" dog but does want human attention. The puppies are just like their mom in that respect, too. Thanks to RAGOM, their many volunteers and donors, Ava and her puppies are going to make wonderful companions for some lucky people. But this amount of treatment won't come cheap. Donations make the difference. Would you like to become a donor? If you can help defray the costs of her care, please consider a donation to RAGOM in Ava's name http://ragom.org/shop/donat/donate.html.

Updates

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hi RAGOM friends,

Thought I'd send an update on our sweet Ava, 11-088. I've corresponded a few times with her foster parents but was inspired to share with more of you there who work so hard to care for these dogs. I just read through the "Happy Endings" pages and found some of Ava's puppies and pictures of them, which I hadn't seen before. We're so grateful for all the care and heart you all put into all of these sweet dogs, especially our sweetheart Ava and her puppies who needed so much special medical care, extra expenses and love.

September 2011

Ava is wonderful. We just adore her! We had her at home for a week, then went into the Quetico wilderness area in Canada for a canoe trip with her. What an adventure she had! First she learned how to get in the canoe with some help, then she jumped out, then got back in the canoe and we quickly shoved off shore and headed out. She was a champ and sat under my legs the entire trip, mostly laying on her bed, sometimes resting her chin on my lap. We found a beautiful campsite and Ava found one perfect spot under some balsam trees where she would bed down and cool off during the heat of the day, we could barely see her in there, but she stayed just fine. After the first day, mom decided it was OK for her to explore off of her leash and boy oh boy, was that a great time watching for squirrels!! She'd chase one up a tree and sit there for an hour, waiting for it to come back down.

She wasn't very interested in the lake, so I carried some treats out on a hot afternoon and she followed me and even swam with all four legs! She is a great swimmer, but doesn't seem interested enough to swim without the treat motivator! We were totally amazed by her running and navigating the rocks, chasing squirrels and leaping through the air. She is really incredible. At the beach, she likes to dig herself a bed in the sand under some tree branch cover and bed down in the cool, wet sand.

She loves her doggy bed upstairs in our bedroom. She comes up with us every night and just flops down as though to say, "Oh, I don't know about you guys, but I've had quite a day!" Once in a while, she heads up the steps and flops down on her bed before we go up!

She has funny little quirks too...she refuses to poop and usually won't pee in our yard. We bring her on 2-3 walks every day and pass a schoolyard, where she patiently waits until we get there to do her business. Just like you told us, she holds her pee soooo long! Even when I get home and run around outside with her, she prefers to wait until her walk.

October 2011

About 5 weeks ago, she wasn't feeling well...she vomited a couple times and was really lethargic. We brought her in and she tested positive for erlichiosis. The vet thought she likely picked it up from a tick in Missouri, but of course, wasn't certain. So, we recently finished her month-long antibiotics and will head in Nov. 2 to meet with our vet to talk about her leg.

November 2011

We had our big appointment with Ava and our vet last week, where we were able to see the x-rays of her leg and the lead bullet scraps for the first time. He believes she's not in pain and doesn't see a big enough argument at this point to remove her leg, but would like to keep watching it. We took a couple videos of her walking and running so he could see her in action with her leg. He thinks she does use the leg a bit for balance, but that it doesn't seem to be hindering her at this point.

Also in the x-ray, he believes Ava has hip dysplasia, so she's on a good vet-quality glucos./chondroitin supplement, probably forever.

We will also need to pull several of her teeth to prevent infection sometime soon. She continues to test heartworm neg and hasn't shown any more signs of erlichiosis (hurray!)

After 4 months here...I finally coaxed Ava onto the bed! She is quite a snuggler now, just took her a bit of time to trust us humans, I think. She has decided there's really no reason to lie anyplace else now....why go back to the floor??

She continues to love to make a "bed" outside. When she gets done with her daily zoomies around the yard after we're home from work, she'll run to a corner of the yard, dig around the grass and dirt, fluff things up a bit and make a definite PLOP on the spot. We call her our "nest-building" golden. Of course she must have done this with her precious puppies before she was rescued in Missouri.

We love her dearly. She has become just one of us and really fits into our lives. We're so grateful for the amazing care she and her puppies received from you.

Love
Joy, Chris and Ava

ps. here's a current photo of Ava in her woods. Her coat has grown in so thick and beautiful!

Monday, July 25, 2011

We took a long weekend off and needed a RAGOM-approved dog sitter for Ava. Sheila was nice enough to volunteer to look after her for a few days. We thought that being with someone other than us who would also give Ava the "golden life" would be a good thing. Good for Ava and good for anyone interested in adopting Ava. We were the first ones to give Ava a taste of the "golden life" and we wanted her to know that others, many others, would do the same. She needed to know that we weren't Superior People.

The dog sitting experience went extremely well for both the sitter (Sheila) and the sitted ... sat ... sittee (Ava).

After we settled down from vacation we got interest to adopt Ava from what turned out to be the perfect couple. They came, they saw and they fell in love. Ava is now in her forever home and, from early reports, she loves it. You can see in the picture they sent that Ava says, "Thank you, lord, for letting me be rescued by RAGOM and for the wonderful forever family that I now have!"

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ava is finally healthy. She is at a great weight, she's taking two walks a day without a problem and she has energy. She walks well on a leash. She has an established routine. She requests attention when she needs it and will back off when told to do so.

The only remaining issue is the leg problem. The veterinarian wants to wait at least two more months before doing anything further.

That means that Ava is available for adoption. If you want the absolute sweetest dog in the whole world and aren't afraid of her having only three good legs, hurry and make your application.

What does Ava need in an adoptive home? Lots of love and attention.

Ava believes that all people love her. When on our walks it's hard to keep her away from doing "meet and greet" on everyone that she sees.

She's been exposed to cats and has ignored them. She will chase a chipmunk or a chicken, however.

We also found a way to get more pictures of camera-shy Ava; wait until her attention is on the neighborhood chipmunk or until she joins the resident dog for a little nap in the sunbeam.

Interested in adopting Ava? Meet her at this weekend's Parktacular in St. Louis Park. She'll be walking in the parade and then doing "meet and greet" at the RAGOM booth.

Friday, May 13, 2011

It is obvious that Ava is feeling better. She has begun to be more lively and has been caught actually playing with the resident dog upon occasion. It's heartwarming to see. She also has begun to bark. Not unnecessary barking, just barking when someone comes to the door or when the resident Terrier finds something to be barked at. Ava hasn't barked since we brought her home. She has more energy, too. One reason is that we found evidence of tapeworms (that had been missed in her original diagnosis of too many other things) so she's being treated for this, too.

But now that she's got more energy today is the day that she gets her second phase of heartworm treatments. One shot today and a second tomorrow and then the final shot for heartworms in a month. We're told that this will likely make her listless and short of breath for a few days. But she's healthier and hopefully able to more quickly recover than she was with the first treatment. And then after some recovery time we can address the leg problem. It could be our wishful thinking but we think that she's using the left front leg more than she has in the past. Perhaps removal or the leg is not the only solution. But first things first; get rid of the heartworms.

It's been quite the effort so far and Ava would like to give a big Thank You to RAGOM and all those concerned dog lovers that have lent their support. She will be forever grateful. And, of course, don't stop now -- keep Ava in your thoughts as she progresses into a Golden Life.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Ava has begun her heartworm treatments. The first day or two were the worst. She didn't move very much and had a few episodes of panting. We had been told to expect that. After that she has perked right back up to her normal self. She still tires after a block-long walk but she always wants to go when we walk the resident dog. Being left behind is worse than getting a little winded.

The one thing that she's not excited about doing is riding in the car. Her first ride was fine -- that was from Missouri to Minnesota. But since then her only rides have been to the vet. And worse yet one trip to the vet we actually left her there. She did not like that one bit. Once we get her heartworm under control we'll have to do some pleasant rides in the car so she can see that it isn't all about the vet and that sometimes a car trip can be a good thing.

Now that a few weeks have passed where Ava has gotten regular feedings and tender care she has filled out nicely. No longer can you see her ribs and her coat has gotten much silkier and softer. She is adjusting to the schedule of our home nicely and anticipates our twice-daily walks. She tolerates being left home alone and there is no sign of separation anxiety but she surely is happy to see us come home. And while she was a terrific mom she shows absolutely no sign that she misses her puppies. She raised them and cared for them but she was weaning them and now that they're off to other foster homes (and adoption) she's fine with that, too.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Ava is such a good mom. Now that her pups are healthy and active she's (again) decided that she's done nursing and has pushed them off. But that doesn't mean that she won't spend time with them. She and Anzac were playing before he went off to his new foster home. When they got tired it was nap time and she put a protective paw across him as they slept. How sweet.

Ava wants to thank Dennis and Joanne for their sponsorship. She has many medical procedures yet ahead of her (she starts her heartworm treatment on Wednesday) and the contribution is much appreciated. She is also grateful for the Easter treats given by concerned dog lovers. It all will make things just that much easier for her.