Updates

We are busy busy bees right now, so here are some quick updates:

Sassy had her surgery to remove her spleen, which had a large tumor attached to it. The whole thing weighed almost 10 lbs! She is recovering nicely from the surgery now. The biopsy determined that the tumor wasn't quite cancer per se, but something called fibrohistiocytic nodules. The nodules range from benign (stage 1) to malignant (stage 2). Sassy has stage 2 and 3-5 chemotherapy sessions of doxorubicin intravenously administered are recommended to help minimize the risk that they become malignant in the future. Sassy's surgery cost over $2500 and the chemo will be extra. This is the main reason I am such a busy bee right now as I've taken on new work to help pay for this.

Pip survived getting snipped (ie. neutered) and has been adopted. He shares his new home with 2 boxers and a fellow 5lb chi.

Isis' brother, Otis is entered in the Bissell Pet Photo Contest. Every week, the 5 photos with the most votes advance to the finalist stage. After 13 weeks, a Bissell panel of judges will select the top winners among the finalists. Finalists and winners get a whole bunch of goodies, including spending money and Bissell products. The winning pet gets his/her photo on a Bissell package, and top winners get a grant to donate to their favorite charity.

Vote for Otis every day through Feb 1 at: http://bissell.promo.eprize.com/mvpcontest/gallery?id=38316

And maybe enter your own pet photo. Who wouldn't love to see their pet on the box of something?!

Sending Good Vibes to Sassy

Sassy is a senior dog who was surrendered to Lake County animal shelter last year. For 11 years, she lived with a family who fostered children on a regular basis. She slept with a cat every night. Then her human parents got a divorce, had to move, and decided they couldn't keep her anymore. Sassy was so sad at the shelter.

Then an awesome woman named Wendy offered to foster Sassy for our rescue, even knowing that there was a distinct possibility that Sassy wouldn't ever be adopted due to her age. We visited Sassy back in June and were thrilled to see her so happy and loved and still as sweet as ever.

This past Sunday Wendy told me that Sassy coughed up a tiny bit of blood and that her belly felt swollen. Worried about the possibility of bloat, a life-threatening emergency, it was decided that Sassy be taken to the vet immediately. Eventually an ultrasound was taken and it was discovered that Sassy had a massive tumor on her spleen, so enlarged that it was pressing up against her kidney and liver.

Tumors on the spleen can't really be accurately diagnosed as benign or malignant unless the entire spleen is removed and biopsied. Dogs don't really need their spleen so its removal doesn't really affect much. Unfortunately, the surgery is costly, around $2000-$3000. If the tumor is benign, the removal of the spleen solves the problem and the dog can resume her normal life. If the tumor is malignant (ie. hemangiosarcoma, one of the most aggressive types of cancer), the removal of the spleen buys the dog about 2-3 more months before the cancer attaches itself to another, more vital organ. Even with chemo, the prognosis is generally only about 6 additional months.

Samson, one of my 2 first dogs, a german shepherd, had hemangiosarcoma. His spleen was removed and brought him back to his normal self for 3 months. I will always cherish those extra 3 months that we were able to share with him.

After discussing it with 3 different vets, we decided to go ahead with the surgery for Sassy.

Not every vet is comfortable with performing a splenectomy, and Sassy's vet was one of them. Based on the recommendation of a trusted acquaintance and creator of DogAware.com (a site with tons of practical information on dog diet and health issues--we often refer new adopters to the site to assist them with selecting a good quality dog food), I called Oak Tree Vet in Danville. I was told that they could perform the surgery and to have Wendy bring Sassy in right away because of the risk of the tumor rupturing.

Tumors on spleens have generally come out 50/50 benign vs malignant. The doctor explained that the fact that Sassy's tumor has gotten so large (it must have been growing for a long time) without any other symptom of something being wrong (until very recently, there hasn't been any change in her personality) is actually a positive sign that it may be benign.

As I write this, Dr. Arnott and his staff are trying to clear his schedule for the rest of the day so that the surgery can be performed asap. I'm pleasantly surprised and very much gratified at the care everyone there has already shown to Sassy.

Sassy will have her surgery either this afternoon/evening or first thing tomorrow morning. We wish her & Wendy the best. Send them as many good vibes as you can.

Sassy

Sassy is a senior dog who was surrendered to Lake County animal shelter. For 11 years, she lived with a family who fostered children on a regular basis. She slept with a cat every night. Then her human parents got a divorce, had to move, and decided they couldn't keep Sassy anymore.

This poor girl was so sad at the shelter.



Luckily a foster home was found for her.



What Sassy needs now is a forever home.

Sassy is friendly to all people, dogs, and cats! She is housetrained and very well behaved. Due to her age, she does have some stiff joints in the rear and as you'd expect from a gal in her golden years, she doesn't move too quickly. But she enjoys sedate walks around the neighborhood, the occasional tossing of a toy in the air, and is always ready for a good petting.

If you're looking for a mellow and affectionate older dog, Sassy might just be the one for you. We recommend a home without slippery floors (or at least plenty of area rugs if you do have slippery floors). There is a $100 tax-deductible adoption fee. A homecheck will be required so that we can ensure that each pet goes to an environment suited for them. Sassy is being fostered in Castro Valley.

Sassy is not a demanding dog. Give her a little love and she will reflect it back tenfold.

A Full Day

We humans had a very full day yesterday. While on our way to visit my parents in Oakland, we made a couple of detours.

First, we dropped Buddy off with his new foster family. Thanks to Linda, Kevin, and Bo for welcoming him. We had such a great experience knowing him for a few days, we feel very lucky!



Then, we headed off to Castro Valley to visit Sassy. Remember Sassy? The 11-year old boxer/lab that was dumped at the ever-overcrowded Lake County shelter after a divorce? She had the saddest eyes ever.



Thankfully, a wonderful woman named Wendy took her in to foster, and Sassy is so much happier. Sassy is very much like Buddy. Super mellow, good with everybody including dogs and cats, well-behaved, housetrained, and really all she wants is to hang out with her human(s).



Side note: Doesn't Sassy's little foster sister, Lucy, look like a miniature of Buddy's foster brother, Bo?

Sassy, 11-Yr Old Lab Mix, Needs a Home

Every day I get emails from various shelters and rescues with lists of dogs that need to be saved. The numbers are endless. For every one you save, it seems like 10 more take their place.

Today I received an email from Lake County Shelter, a shelter that is always always overcrowded. They are far from any urban areas so relative to the number of animals they get, there are very few adopters. They always have wonderful dogs that have been overlooked. We have rescued a few from them in the past couple of years. Our only requirement has been that they not be aggressive towards people, dogs, and depending on the fosterer, cats. And every time the shelter has matched us with dogs that have been nothing short of wonderful.




Sassy is 11 years old, she was surrendered to the Lake County Shelter due to a divorce. She is good with other dogs, no reaction to cats and has low energy. She was tested for heartworm and sadly came up positive. We have had a few donations come in for her, and yesterday a wonderful woman called the vet and donated the majority and remaining money to treat her. She is going to the vet for her first injection today and again tomorrow. We are looking for a rescue so she can be fostered outside of the shelter. She sleeps on her bed all day, and has a depressed look on her face. It is so hard on these senior dogs to be turned into the shelter after a life with a family. She is a Lab mix and is spayed. Please let us know if you can help her.

Every dog's story is a sad one, else they wouldn't have ended up in a shelter. But there is an even deeper element of sorrow when the dog is an older one. Look at Sassy's eyes. She actually reminds me quite a bit of our dog, Boomer.

If anybody is interested in fostering or adopting Sassy, please email us at dogs (at) walkinthebark.org or contact Marnette at Lake County Shelter at TheMeaneys (at) comcast.net. Walkin' the Bark Rescue would be more than happy to sponsor Sassy (since she is heartworm positive, she cannot be adopted directly from the shelter--she would need a rescue to sponsor her), and we can work with you regarding transport, supplies, and anything else you may need.

BTW, heartworm is not transmitted directly from animal to animal. It is transmitted only by the bite of an infected mosquito, so there isn't any risk that Sassy's heartworm is contagious.