Benny 13-254

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Sponsored by Sara Dobyns

 

09/05/2013:

Introducing Benny! He is a neutered male PB Golden Retriever, approximately 10-12 years old weighing 59 pounds. He was sadly found as a stray and his brief stay at Animal Control had come to an end. Enter RAGOM to the rescue!

Benny is the most gentle creature and just plain EASY to have around! With us now for a week, Benny is changing before our eyes. Coming to us as a dirty, very stinky fellow, we have spent hours combing out the matted fur he carried around as he puts up with all the pulling on his fur. He must feel 3 pounds lighter and a lot cooler. How awful it must have been for him to be roaming around outside in the summer heat with his winter coat on!

He must have been very loved at some point in his life as he loves people & dogs and comes up for attention laying his sweet head in your lap while wagging his tail. He takes treats so gently and doesn't have an aggressive bone in him. He has a very laid-back kind of personality. He'll teach you what 'taking it easy' is all about!

We went to see the veterinarian yesterday to get him microchipped and caught up on all his vaccinations. We also learned so much more about him. Some of it was truly heartbreaking! He will need some kind-hearted sponsors to carry him through what needs to be done for him in the next days and weeks ahead.

The positive news is that he is heartworm negative and his blood work is all fine except that he tested positive for Lyme exposure, not Lyme disease though. He has good heart and lung sounds plus liver and kidney functioning is good.

We knew that he was very hard of hearing or possibly deaf but we didn't know if he had ear canal blockage or ear infections. Both ear canals were clean. So he is indeed DEAF! We're learning to work with hand signals at home already. He sleeps soundly through any noise - thunderstorms, pot banging, TV. He apparently hears some frequencies but definitely must rely on his sight for clues, smelling everything and feeling the vibrations from trucks, etc. Benny doesn't know his name. FD called him Chewy for awhile for his resemblance to Chewbacca. But you can call him what you want as he won't answer to anything anyway.

The other thing that we knew was an issue - his teeth. Even the vet was taken aback by the overwhelming smell which about knocked her over. His breath is atrocious but the condition of his teeth is beyond belief! All the canines are chipped off, many teeth missing, pulp and roots exposed and he must be in a terrible amount of pain. It's no wonder he gagged on his dog food and only ate part of it or rather dry swallowed it until we learned to add some water and soak it first. He will very shortly be getting an extensive and expensive dental cleaning and extractions. The poor dental health of the past, probable chewing on a wire fence led to this mouth of oral pain and infection. It's time to get him some relief!!!

His eyes aren't quite so bad but he does have some black benign growths on the eyelids and probably allergies causing his eyes to water. He has no cataracts but nuclear sclerosis which comes with age. Maybe he needs glasses. He walks into the screen door quite frequently.

Benny is being treated for hookworms which will be history in a short time.

Benny has normal range of motion in his legs but he has quite the difficulty getting up after sleeping especially with his back legs and traversing more than 3 steps. He won't go up or down the stairs in our home. So he has to sleep away from us at night on the main floor. He also has trouble getting in and out of the car though he enjoys car rides. It is suspected that he has arthritis. He is now on Rimadyl, an anti-inflammatory drug to help with the pain. We are also giving him fish oil and Glucosamine supplements.

The shocking news was the presence of 2 growths - one small one on his left front elbow and a huge mass about the size of a grapefruit which is hard and anchored on his shoulder. The preliminary tests showed the small one to be a cyst but the larger one is unknown at this time. Further testing and diagnosing will need to be done. We're hoping and praying that the large one is benign and not cancerous.

Only Benny can tell us what his life has been so far and he's not talking. We can only speculate about that. We suspect that maybe he was kenneled on a concrete floor much of his life as his paws are calloused and claws are ragged and worn down to the root.

This poor gentle Benny wants nothing better than to feel well again. In spite of his difficulties he continues to wag his tail and huff with excitement when dinner is being prepared and come up to you for a little loving! He'd love to come to Goldzilla but FM thinks he may need a hearing aide, glasses, false teeth and a pedicure first. FD says No way! With help from his friends he will make it there.

Benny DOES ...

  • Love people & dogs (cats untested)
  • enjoy napping
  • hang out in the kitchen at mealtime
  • walk fine on a flat collar
  • enjoy car rides
  • free roam in the house
  • stay close to his people while outdoors
  • go outdoors only for his business

Benny DOESN'T ...

  • counter surf
  • eat inappropriate items
  • have food aggression issues
  • get up on furniture
  • jump up on people
  • bark hardly at all
  • have storm anxiety or separation anxiety
  • go up or down stairs in the house though he will use the 3 steps off the deck outside.

Benny is so fortunate to be a part of the RAGOM family now. He will get the help, love and comforts that he deserves. Let's give him the Golden life in his Golden years! If you wish you could help out, you can! RAGOM and Benny would absolutely love a few Sponsors to help with his medical expenses. Be a Benny Benefactor by sponsoring him!! If you want to meet this Gentle Benny, please contact your placement advisor.

 

At a Glance #13-254

Golden Retriever Born: August 2002
Male 60 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Sponsored by Sara Dobyns

 

09/05/2013:

Introducing Benny! He is a neutered male PB Golden Retriever, approximately 10-12 years old weighing 59 pounds. He was sadly found as a stray and his brief stay at Animal Control had come to an end. Enter RAGOM to the rescue!

Benny is the most gentle creature and just plain EASY to have around! With us now for a week, Benny is changing before our eyes. Coming to us as a dirty, very stinky fellow, we have spent hours combing out the matted fur he carried around as he puts up with all the pulling on his fur. He must feel 3 pounds lighter and a lot cooler. How awful it must have been for him to be roaming around outside in the summer heat with his winter coat on!

He must have been very loved at some point in his life as he loves people & dogs and comes up for attention laying his sweet head in your lap while wagging his tail. He takes treats so gently and doesn't have an aggressive bone in him. He has a very laid-back kind of personality. He'll teach you what 'taking it easy' is all about!

We went to see the veterinarian yesterday to get him microchipped and caught up on all his vaccinations. We also learned so much more about him. Some of it was truly heartbreaking! He will need some kind-hearted sponsors to carry him through what needs to be done for him in the next days and weeks ahead.

The positive news is that he is heartworm negative and his blood work is all fine except that he tested positive for Lyme exposure, not Lyme disease though. He has good heart and lung sounds plus liver and kidney functioning is good.

We knew that he was very hard of hearing or possibly deaf but we didn't know if he had ear canal blockage or ear infections. Both ear canals were clean. So he is indeed DEAF! We're learning to work with hand signals at home already. He sleeps soundly through any noise - thunderstorms, pot banging, TV. He apparently hears some frequencies but definitely must rely on his sight for clues, smelling everything and feeling the vibrations from trucks, etc. Benny doesn't know his name. FD called him Chewy for awhile for his resemblance to Chewbacca. But you can call him what you want as he won't answer to anything anyway.

The other thing that we knew was an issue - his teeth. Even the vet was taken aback by the overwhelming smell which about knocked her over. His breath is atrocious but the condition of his teeth is beyond belief! All the canines are chipped off, many teeth missing, pulp and roots exposed and he must be in a terrible amount of pain. It's no wonder he gagged on his dog food and only ate part of it or rather dry swallowed it until we learned to add some water and soak it first. He will very shortly be getting an extensive and expensive dental cleaning and extractions. The poor dental health of the past, probable chewing on a wire fence led to this mouth of oral pain and infection. It's time to get him some relief!!!

His eyes aren't quite so bad but he does have some black benign growths on the eyelids and probably allergies causing his eyes to water. He has no cataracts but nuclear sclerosis which comes with age. Maybe he needs glasses. He walks into the screen door quite frequently.

Benny is being treated for hookworms which will be history in a short time.

Benny has normal range of motion in his legs but he has quite the difficulty getting up after sleeping especially with his back legs and traversing more than 3 steps. He won't go up or down the stairs in our home. So he has to sleep away from us at night on the main floor. He also has trouble getting in and out of the car though he enjoys car rides. It is suspected that he has arthritis. He is now on Rimadyl, an anti-inflammatory drug to help with the pain. We are also giving him fish oil and Glucosamine supplements.

The shocking news was the presence of 2 growths - one small one on his left front elbow and a huge mass about the size of a grapefruit which is hard and anchored on his shoulder. The preliminary tests showed the small one to be a cyst but the larger one is unknown at this time. Further testing and diagnosing will need to be done. We're hoping and praying that the large one is benign and not cancerous.

Only Benny can tell us what his life has been so far and he's not talking. We can only speculate about that. We suspect that maybe he was kenneled on a concrete floor much of his life as his paws are calloused and claws are ragged and worn down to the root.

This poor gentle Benny wants nothing better than to feel well again. In spite of his difficulties he continues to wag his tail and huff with excitement when dinner is being prepared and come up to you for a little loving! He'd love to come to Goldzilla but FM thinks he may need a hearing aide, glasses, false teeth and a pedicure first. FD says No way! With help from his friends he will make it there.

Benny DOES ...

  • Love people & dogs (cats untested)
  • enjoy napping
  • hang out in the kitchen at mealtime
  • walk fine on a flat collar
  • enjoy car rides
  • free roam in the house
  • stay close to his people while outdoors
  • go outdoors only for his business

Benny DOESN'T ...

  • counter surf
  • eat inappropriate items
  • have food aggression issues
  • get up on furniture
  • jump up on people
  • bark hardly at all
  • have storm anxiety or separation anxiety
  • go up or down stairs in the house though he will use the 3 steps off the deck outside.

Benny is so fortunate to be a part of the RAGOM family now. He will get the help, love and comforts that he deserves. Let's give him the Golden life in his Golden years! If you wish you could help out, you can! RAGOM and Benny would absolutely love a few Sponsors to help with his medical expenses. Be a Benny Benefactor by sponsoring him!! If you want to meet this Gentle Benny, please contact your placement advisor.

 

Updates

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

 

It is with great sadness that we helped Benny to cross over the Rainbow Bridge today. He is no longer in pain. Though he attended Goldzilla on pain meds, his physical condition quickly deteriorated thereafter. He wasn't responding to the treatment for Lyme Disease. He had a possibly cancerous tumor and his decaying teeth probably contributed to his decline as well.

We would like to thank everyone at RAGOM, Dr. Kathie and Dr. Jean for their wonderful care, help and good wishes throughout this period.

In less than three weeks, we certainly fell in love with Sweet Benny. So gentle, so loving and always there beside you. We will miss you, Gentle Benny. You left paw prints on our hearts forever!

 

Friday, September 13, 2013

Benny absolutely LOVES swimming! He could be in the water forever it seems. It must feel so good on his legs! He also enjoys taking walks using the long rope. He goes on ahead but checks back frequently to see that you're coming along too! He roams all over the grassy areas surrounding our country home sniffing and marking his spots of course. He can trot along briefly but he does occasionally stumble when his back legs aren't feeling so strong. He doesn't pick up those back legs so well. Short but frequent walks are good.

OK - the health issues! There are so many and some are getting resolved. He does have active Lyme Disease we learned after further testing. So he is on a 4-week regimen of Doxycycline which will help the 'war' inside of him, his leg muscles and the infection in his mouth. He just started on this. So we are waiting to see some rapid improvement. He also has an appointment for dental cleaning and extractions in a week. The issue of the large tumor is yet undetermined as further tests came back inconclusive. The tumor was measured and will be remeasured at the time of the dental work to see if it is growing.

Benny has good parts of the day and bad. He wakes up slowly in the morning and often can't get up easily. After food and pain pills and a little more nap time, his day picks up and he acts pretty chipper in the middle of the day. Before the second pill set of the day in the evening, he's pretty tired and has trouble finding a comfortable place to lay. We bought a brand new comfy dog bed (in photo above) but he has only lain in this a time or two. It is probably not something that he is accustomed to using and not easy for him to get in and out of with all the muscle difficulties.

In his forever home Benny will need no or very few steps at this point and someone at home to give him several short walks daily. No fence is necessary. He would like free roam in his home. When he starts to feel better, he will need to do some leg exercises to strengthen those muscles.

Benny is a real trouper and wants his people nearby. He comes up for pets all the time and gives little hand licks and a little waggy tail to show his love to you. He's a Beautiful Benny!