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Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary |
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A Sanctuary For Elderly & Special Needs Animals |
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Melody came from a shelter in Orange County. She’s been described best as looking like an opossum right now. She suffered from such a heavy flea load that her back, legs, belly and tail are hairless. She appears to have been a breeding animal, and as many over-bred dogs, has several mammary tumors. The worst part of the situation ~ the people who turned her into the shelter may have been her owners, as she was very, very upset when they left her behind. As a result, we’re trying to help her overcome her separation anxiety with us, as well as the aggressive behavior she exhibits toward the other dogs. We’re hoping that with time, love, and the assistance of flower essences, she’ll work through it. She’ll be receiving medicated baths every other day and antibiotics for her skin. She’s also severely underweight, at a whopping 43lbs, she should be around 55lbs; she now has great meals and plenty of treats in her future. She’ll be seeing our Internist to make sure that her mammary cancer hasn’t spread to any other organs, and confirm that she’s a good candidate for surgery to spay her and remove them. Update 8/19/05 ~ Melody had a great visit at our Internist today - her mammary cancer has not spread, so at this point, she has a good chance for quality retirement years once the tumors are removed. As soon as her skin has healed, we'll be scheduling her surgery ~ it shouldn't be too long, as she's looking much better now. The current recommendation is to spay her and remove all tumors on both sides of her mammary glands at the same time. In the meantime, she's decided the meals are pretty good here, and the other dogs make great wrestling partners! Update 9/2/05 ~ Sweet Melody, who has overcome starvation, is now growing hair, and has rediscovered how to play now has another obstacle to overcome. She has started having "petit mal" seizures. We'll be working with our veterinarians to find a good management strategy, as there are so many potential causes for epilepsy. Melody knows when she's about to have a seizure as she goes to the closest human for reassurance. When it's over, she goes back to playing like nothing ever happened! We will keep you updated as we know more about her condition. Update 9/9/05 ~ Melody had a very in-depth exam today, as well as bloodwork, and she was very brave! The most revealing part of her exam was in her eyes. Her pupils don't react equally ~ her left being slower to respond. And, when she finally sits still, you can feel a difference in the muscling above her eyes. The diagnosis ~ a severe blow to the head at some point in her life, which is more than likely the cause of her seizures. What a sad story this girl would have to tell, if she had time ~ she's too busy playing with squeaky toys now! Update 11/12/05 ~ Melody returned home this morning after an overnight stay following surgery at Veterinary Surgical Specialists in San Diego. Dr. Lenehan spayed her and removed all six of her mammary tumors, not quite a radical mastectomy on each side; four mammary glands which are tumor free remain. She recovered well, thankfully, with no seizures. She has two weeks of restricted activity to look forward to, hopefully she won’t even notice there are no wrestling matches if there are enough biscuits in her day! Update 12/29/05 ~ Melody’s tumors were adenocarcinomas, which have a low-grade malignancy and low chance for recurrence. She should be fine ~ all of the tumors were completely removed. The x-rays taken as she recovered from anesthesia showed not only arthritis in her spine, but in her hips as well. She also has hip dysplasia. It’s pretty amazing she can walk, let alone play and wrestle as much as she does. We’ll be sure to not only keep her on the thin side, but make sure she gets her glucosamine supplement too! Update 1/1/07 ~ Melody’s doing very well on Phenobarbitol. Her seizures are well under control. She gets along well with the other dogs, but often has to be reminded to slow down and not play so hard. She has a lump on her hip that may require surgery to remove; it’s not a tumor, but a sebaceous cyst. It’s cosmetically not beautiful to look at, but it’s not dangerous for it to sit. It will have to be removed if it continues to grow, so for now we watch it, as she continues to play ball, wrestle and dig for gophers in the backyard!
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Melody |
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Melody before... |
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Melody after 8 weeks at the sanctuary -pictured with Maverick, a “staff member”
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