• Happy Ending December 14, 2004!!

 

December 14, 2004:  HAPPY ENDING FOR SCOOBY

Update from Scooby's Foster Mom:  Wanted to let you know that Scooby has found a happy ending. Her previous owners called me out of the blue and they want to adopt her back now that their job situation has stabilized.

So it looks like she will be moving to Oregon in January. I will miss her,
but am happy to know that she'll be back with people she loves and people who are home during the day to give her lots more attention than I can. I really appreciate your support with her!!!! Please feel free to take her listing off the website. I'm sorry to see that Hogla is still missing.

Take care and Happy Holidays!   Heather Williams

****************************************************

September 5, 2004:  Here's a photo taken Saturday September 4th:

 

Hi again!  Scooby had a blast today swimming at Deep Creek.  She remains quite thin, but has all of her spunk.  And she hasn't missed a meal since the soccer ball came into her life :)  Hope you had a great holiday weekend!     Heather

August 27, 2004:  Here's a photo taken Saturday August 22nd of the toy that helped Scooby start eating again -

 

Here's more from Scooby's Foster Mom, Heather: Hi Susan!  It is easy to fall in love with Scooby :)  I don't honestly know how much longer she will last.  My boss lost a dog to bone cancer last year, and when I compare notes with him, it sounds like she may yo-yo for awhile.  Although with the diabetes on top of the cancer, it complicates things quite a bit.  She quit eating last week and was in such bad shape that I almost had her put down last weekend.  But I managed to get her to eat again, which meant that I could give her insulin again, and as of last night she was almost back to full speed.  

Scoo is down to 60 pounds from her stable healthy weight of 75 pounds.  So again, I think it is going to be a bit of a roller-coaster for awhile.  I have found significant blood in her stool several times this week, so that isn't a good sign either.  Her decline is hitting me pretty hard since she is such a doll.  I appreciate you asking about us, and thanks for all your web work :)  I'll send you the picture I took of her last weekend with her new squeaky toy (the toy actually inspired her to start eating again - go figure!).  Take care, Heather

August 25, 2004 email from Heather:  Scooby's cancer is finally catching up with her, and I don't think I will be placing her. The timing is unfortunate, because a family in North Pole recently saw your listing and probably would've adopted Scooby if her health had held out a bit longer. Anyway, thank you very much for listing her. Thanks! Heather

*********************************

June 18, 2004 Update:   I have had a couple inquiries on her, but no takers yet. She is doing so amazingly well that I took her swimming in Homer a couple weekends ago. She is faster than my other two dogs, even with all of her health problems! We took new Xrays just a few days ago, and there are no signs of cancer progression at all - it's really amazing since the only "treatment" we are doing is pain medication (feldene/piroxicam). In fact, the original lesion appears to be somewhat less swollen/irregular than it was 6 months ago! She is absolutely loving life! Hope all is well with the GRRF dogs :) Heather

April 29, 2004: Scooby is a very sweet seven year old spayed female Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  She had diabetes, an old knee injury, and a limp when CBRRRA brought her in five months ago (November 2003). A vet xrayed her and diagnosed bone cancer in the front leg. This is typically a very aggressive cancer, so we decided to put her on some very inexpensive pain medication ($9/month) and start her on a diet to help her enjoy a high quality of life for her remaining time.

Five months later, she has no limp and no visible symptoms of the cancer progressing! The vet is amazed at how well she is doing and thinks there is a chance that she is in remission. We will xray again in a few months if she still appears as healthy as she is today. Also, reducing her weight has significantly helped her diabetes and her weak knee. She now uses only about $15/month worth of insulin and it is very easy to administer. She has more spunk and energy than many three year old dogs. She is a total sweetheart, looking for someone to love on her fulltime for the rest of her life - how long that may be is anyone's guess at this point. Could you be the lucky one to share the rest of her life? 

If you are interested in fostering or adopting her, please contact Heather Ruggirello with Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue at (907)344-1579 or akchessies@yahoo.com.

---------------------------------------------------------------------