Angel 17-168

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Profile

Sweet Angel is 13 years old and came to RAGOM with serious ear infections. We were told that she had not been to a vet in 6 years. I discovered that she is deaf, and this is probably due to untreated chronic infections. We know little about her previous life, but she had lived with another dog. She was surrendered to a shelter due to a divorce. Very sweet, gets along fine with my dogs (once we understood that she is deaf). Very curious and loves walks. 

At a Glance #17-168

Golden Retriever Born: August 2004
Female 60 lbs

Status: Deceased

Angel's Well-wishers

Sharon and Milo 07-537
"Happy Holidays Angel!"
Lou A
"Truly an 'angel,' sweet and gentle."

Profile

Sweet Angel is 13 years old and came to RAGOM with serious ear infections. We were told that she had not been to a vet in 6 years. I discovered that she is deaf, and this is probably due to untreated chronic infections. We know little about her previous life, but she had lived with another dog. She was surrendered to a shelter due to a divorce. Very sweet, gets along fine with my dogs (once we understood that she is deaf). Very curious and loves walks. 

Updates

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

There is another furry Angel in dog heaven today. I am very sad to report that my sweet foster Angel has crossed the bridge. She was scheduled for some vet work on Tuesday and had blood work done in advance of that. The test results showed anemia and other factors had changed for the worse. Her appetite had dropped a bit over the last few days, but nothing dramatic. Abdominal x-rays showed a mass on her spleen and liver. I took her home last night and thought that she would be hungry as she had not eaten all day. She did not eat her food and was not interested in treats. I helped her up on my bed and she slept the night through.

This morning we started on a walk (something that Angel usually barks excitedly for). Angel was walking so slowly that we turned around after a short way. One of my resident dogs went back to her and sniffed her as if to say, "What's wrong, Angel?" When we got back to the yard she laid down and I had to lift her front legs to get her in the house. She laid in the same spot for about two hours. Her belly twitched as if she was having some spasms. When I got her leash to take her to the vet, she stood up and wagged her tail. 

The vet said that her heart was beating fast due to the anemia and her gums were very pale. She was a very sweet old lady and it was time to let her go. I told her that Angels should be in heaven and kissed her as she passed. I will miss her so much.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Angel continues to be a sweet, calm girl. I have attached two pictures of her. One shows her checking out an empty dog food bag. I am happy to say that her appetite is good. She is still a slow eater, but doesn't have to be coaxed to finish as I had to do when she first came to me. She loves her daily walk every morning and barks at me if I don't get my shoes on fast enough for her!

When I am not home, Angel likes to sleep on my pajamas. The second photo shows her snoozing on my "jammies". She does a very good job of warming them up for me on these chilly nights.

Angel has learned to love green beans from my two resident dogs. I use green beans as dog treats for my dogs. When she first came to me, Angel would spit them out. Proving that peer pressure works among dogs too, Angel now lines up and wants her beans just like the other dogs!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Apologies for not updating for so long. Angel is doing well. Her urinary tract infection is gone and her ears are still clear. She has lost more weight, so that could be a sign of a more serious problem. I am feeding her more and taking her back for another weight check in two weeks.

She has had occasional ear rubbing streaks where she rubs her right ear on the floor or carpet. There is no infection, so I am not sure what is causing it. Unfortunately, that is the same side as the growth on her head, so that often bleeds due to the ear rubbing. She may have some type of allergy and now that the frost has come perhaps it will be better. She also has a small growth on her rectum that causes her to scoot from time to time. It would require surgery to remove it and there are no plans for that as yet. 

She is enjoying her life here. I found out this week that she is an intrepid walker. The day when it was raining/snowing and so windy, she was determined to go for a walk even when one of my younger dogs stayed home. She likes the walks.

Nothing else to report for now, life in the senior lane is pretty slow.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Angel's checkup at the vet had good news and not great news. Her ear infections are gone and that is great. She is now on prednisone drops to keep the inflammation in her ears under control. Her not great news was that she still had a urinary tract infection. After a urine culture, we discovered that it is E Coli and it needs a different type of antibiotic than the one that she took initially. She has a few more days of the new pills left; a week after her pills are done, we will test her urine again.

She is eating better now. I have been mixing a small amount of wet dog food with water and pouring it over her dry food. She eats it all and does not even need my company to urge her on. She is still a slow eater, but gets it done. She is also now enthusiastic about green beans. She will eat little ones or big ones!

She still wants to be with me wherever I am. Weekends tire her out as I am walking all over the house cleaning and doing household things. I have attached a picture of her chilling on the couch after a long hard day.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Well, Angel had quite a time at Goldzilla. She got lots of loving attention from the Argosy University students. One of them showed her the ASL sign for "sit"! Angel was very interested in the dogs on the lure course. I think in her younger days, she must have liked to chase things. We did discover that Angel does not react well to strange dogs when she is on a leash. I know that she gets along well with my two resident dogs, so it is either the leash or the fact that she was overwhelmed with all of the strange dogs. She was just fine with all of the people.

She had a check in with the vet on Friday. Her ears are much better, and the prednisone pills have reduce the swelling. Due to the bumps in her ear canals, the vet said that she will be prone to ear infections. We are going to try prednisone drops for her ears. If that works it will be better than having her take the pills. There is some bacteria and protein in her urine, so we are having a culture done to identify the specific type of bacteria. She has lost two pounds since our last visit, which she did not need to lose.

Angel is funny about eating. I separate the dogs as they all eat at different speeds. I put Angel in the bathroom behind a baby gate. She takes a couple of bites and then won't eat any more until I come in and sit with her. Even then, she rarely empties her bowl. She will eat about half and then ignore it. I offer the rest to her later in the day and she usually eats it. Today she ate very little at our regular time. It always worries me when a dog is not interested in food. I am going to tempt her with a little soft food mixed in with the regular food tonight.

She continues to do well on our walks in the morning and her favorite spot is still on my bed where she can keep an eye on the road. She is a sweet lady. I hope that she eats well tonight and her test results help us to treat her.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Angel has been showing more of her personality as she settles in. She has a loud bark to let you know when she wants to come back inside. She just goes outside to "do what needs to be done" and then wants back in the house. She likes to stick close to me. 

She has learned to like green beans. At first she was NOT interested in them at all, but when she saw how much my dogs like green beans as treats, she gave it a try. Now she will walk away from regular dog food to get in on the green bean action. She will not eat really long green beans, but likes short ones. Go figure....
Her ears are improving with the ear medication (which she is not fond of). The swelling has also reduced. I tested her hearing yesterday and she did not respond to a loud whistle. I'm afraid that she may not get any hearing back.
She has been very good on my bed with no return of her early bad manners. When I return home I often see her and my boy Herky side by side on the bed looking out of the bedroom window. As you can tell from the photo, she also loves to be on the bed and rest her nose on the window sill. So cute.
Angel17168d1.jpg
The other photo reveals her hidden vice. She is a toe licker! If you need someone to wash your toes for you, Angel is a pro at this. She really applies herself to the work and loves it.
Angel17168d2.jpg
Please come and meet this sweet old girl at GOLDZILLA next week. (Maybe we should set up a toe licking booth......)

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