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Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary |
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A Sanctuary For Elderly & Special Needs Animals |
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Beautiful “Momma” Sedona arrived here in very poor condition. She was very emaciated, with her ribs and spine showing very easily. She was very quiet & reserved, and didn’t understand what “play” was. As she came from a local shelter, our best guess is that she was a discarded breeder, as she was found as a stray. She had to gain some weight for it to even be safe for her to be spayed - she weighed in at almost 50 pounds! It wasn’t only her body that suffered, her spirit did as well. We worked daily to encourage her to eat. We developed a “Hug Program” in which every time she went outside or came inside, one of us would hug her and tell her she was loved and deserved it. It worked! She regained her body weight (she’s now 72 pounds). She had a successful spay surgery in which the veterinarian found tumors on one ovary, a cyst on the other, and a growth on her spleen too, so her spleen was removed. She also had 2 mammary tumors removed, which were considered cancerous, but with a low chance to return. Today, she only suffers from the usual diseases of old age—arthritis in her shoulder, hips and back, spondylosis in her spine, and blindness due to cataracts. We have learned that this girl loves tennis balls (as you can see above!) Our best age estimate for her now is 17 years old!
Update 1/17/05- Sedona has a mass growing in her mouth, probably a melanoma, (skin cancer). We feel surgery isn’t an option for her, so we are treating her homeopathically.
Update 4/19/05- Sedona had a chest x-ray today, to make sure her heart is okay, since she does some coughing occasionally. Unfortunately, she has lung cancer in her right lung lobe. Again, surgery is not an option for her, so we’re relying on homeopathy to help slow its progression as well as that of the oral tumor, which is slowly continuing to grow. We make each day as comfortable as we can for her, and continue the “Hug Program” so she doesn’t forget how much she’s loved!
Update 6/7/05- Sedona crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. We will miss “Mama Sedona” and her gentle nature. She taught us wonderful lessons of courage and strength of spirit. It is truly a blessing to have known and loved this angel
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Sedona |
