Annie
Update 11/01/09:
It’s been a long, long time since we updated Miss Annie’s story! This senior sweetheart has continued to have her share of health challenges, but the vets may finally have determined a cause for her spells of intense tummy upset & nausea: pancreatitis. To help with this problem, Annie eats a special food (Purina EN Veterinary Diet) supplemented with plain boiled chicken and rice, and she’s taking pancreatic enzyme powder. We’re hoping this will solve the problem! Annie also has a high heart rate with some arrhythmia and enlargement—this might possibly be the result of her several surgeries for gastric torsion, though the vets aren’t really sure.
So… how is she doing?? Do her periodic health woes get her down? No! This girl is great! She goes everywhere with her foster mom and has a wonderful time. She adores her car rides and walks nicely on her leash, like the True Lady she is. She’s excellent at the groomer’s. And of course her indoor manners are peerless! No need to crate her, ever. She even knows how to ask for a treat, with a polite & quiet “woof.” She’s calm during storms and sleeps nicely all night long.
Sweet Annie needs a family willing to pay close attention to her health issues and to spend plenty of time with her – for all her age, she thrives on plenty of social activity. She’d be the perfect choice for a retired couple or person looking for the ideal loving doggie companion who’s well behaved enough to take anywhere and everywhere!
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Update 10/30:
Tranquil adj [<
L tranquillus] Free from agitation of mind or spirit; free from disturbance or
turmoil; syn calm, peaceful, serene, unruffled, Annie.
OK, you probably won't be able to use "Annie" as a synonym for "tranquil" in a
sentence, but she defines the word perfectly. Sure, she's a bit older than some
of our dogs (maybe 8 or 9), but many of us Golden lovers think that's just about
the best age! Annie's placid, steady nature is just what so many families are
looking for. I spent about two hours today with Annie and her foster Mom, and I
couldn't have asked for a better companion. Indeed, my four resident Goldens
could learn some tricks from Miss Annie. She knows SHAKE (both paws), STAY, SIT,
and DOWN, and will do a low woofy sound when you command her to SPEAK. It's an
absolute hoot to hear her speak on command.
She is good with cats (both outside and inside kitties), likes other dogs, and
likes adults. We don't have good data on her and small kids, but based on her
calm personality, she'd probably be just fine with them. She's not a retriever
and doesn't seem to know how to play with toys, but perhaps your family can
teach her that. Her ideal life would be with a family who loves to travel (read
RV here-she loves car-rides), has time to spend with her, and enjoys a frequent
cuddle-bug "fix." She's a dream on lead-doesn't pull at all.
Annie has had her medical ups and downs, but based on what I saw today, she's
past her troubles, though she will always need careful monitoring to ensure she
stays healthy. Annie is one special dog who deserves one special home. She's
ready for adoption now. If a gentle, calm, tranquil, unruffled dog is in your
family plans, the girl you want is Annie!
Update 9/5:
No new news on Annie… and that’s good news! Ever since her miraculous recovery from gastric torsion, she is so clearly enjoying life. With everyone’s love and help, she decided to persevere, recover from her surgery, and stick around, and she is so glad to be here. Watching Annie’s happiness in each new day can’t help but make you start counting your own blessings, too! One interesting thing… before her surgery, she’d have the occasional accident. Since then—not a single one. And that makes Annie just about ENTIRELY perfect. (: We know the right home is out there somewhere for this sweet girl. Please call soon!
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Update 07/19/08
with Great Doctors and a Lot of Love
Pretty Annie has been living happily in her foster home since early April, waiting for that perfect forever family to find her. The sedate 7-year-old spends a lot of time just relaxing in air-conditioned comfort, so nobody expected her to take terribly ill with no warning. Here’s how Annie—with the help of her devoted foster mom Lynette, her dedicated vets, and a whole cheering squad of friends—triumphed over bloat.
As Lynette tells it, Annie “started spitting up foamy white stuff the morning of July 4. No sign of pain, but she started getting lethargic and would not eat. She did take a little water which stayed down. I wondered if it might be bloat, but it looked like indigestion. When I returned from a July 4th party late that night, it was clear she was much worse—so lethargic and unresponsive I almost had to carry her to the car. Her heartbeat was weak and erratic. I took her straight to the ER, where they diagnosed gastric torsion.”
Otherwise known as “bloat,” gastric torsion is a life-threatening condition: the stomach fills with gas, flips over on itself, and keeps anything from moving in or out. It can tear large blood vessels when it flips, too.
Why does it happen? Nobody really knows. There are, of course, things all dog owners should do to help prevent torsion:
* Don't feed one large meal per day; instead, feed smaller amounts two or three times daily.
* Feed a good-quality food that your dog digests easily to avoid the creation of gas.
* Add water/broth to the kibble just before feeding (DO NOT allow the kibble to "swell up" before feeding).
* Don't allow the dog to drink large amounts of water before or after a meal.
* Don’t allow the dog to have vigorous exercise 2 hours before or after a meal.
But Lynette follows all those rules, and Annie still got torsion. It’s just one of those things that does happen—so be very alert to the warning signs whenever your Golden isn’t acting like herself. If she tries to vomit and can’t bring much up, and what she does bring up is foamy mucus (a hallmark symptom); if she tries to defecate and cannot; if her stomach looks swollen and isn’t making the normal gurgling sounds; if she asks to go out at unusual times for her and then can’t perform; if she is anxious, restless, and cannot get comfortable; if she becomes unresponsive—IT IS AN EMERGENCY. Get her to the vet NOW, no matter the hour of day or night.
Annie made it to the clinic in time. When the vets evaluated her, they discovered that the weak heartbeat was part of some serious cardiac complications. “Wildly erratic heart rate, like from 70 spiking up to 215. The atria and ventricles were out of sync with each other. They rushed her into surgery at around 2 AM on July 5th. They fixed her stomach and took out her spleen. It took a couple more days beyond that, but they got her heart evened out. That was great news to us. But still… Annie’s lethargic demeanor did not change. She was not happy to see me or anyone else and would not eat. She really did not want to stay here. So -- we went into a Love Mission. Lots of us sent her much love and energy. I held her and told her how much everyone loved her and that she was strong and healthy and could still have a great life. The change was dramatic! She ate a lot of the steak I brought to her and continued eating well after that.”
Today, 2 weeks after her crisis, Annie is back at home again and doing well. “She wags her tail and is brighter in spirit. She is actually happier and more enthusiastic about life than before!”
Annie is still looking for that forever home—and enjoying the attention of all the new friends she made at the clinic. She would love to hear from you, too!
P.S.: Annie’s surgery and post-op care already have topped $3,000. If you’re thinking of donating to GRR, please consider directing your contribution to our Extraordinary Golden Fund, so we’ll be able to cover the next Annie-type emergency. Thank you!
UPDATE 4/20
Annie, AKA Annie Belle, is here to love
life. What a darling girl she is.
She is sweet and playful, yet calm.
She fit in immediately with my other pets… one big boy Golden (GRR foster dog
Gabriel), two girl Goldens, and two huge Rag Doll cats.
She loves people, too, and is warm and friendly with everyone.
Annie loves her meals, car rides, and
play sessions with the other dogs… and the cats. She’s a smartie and learns
fast—she knows SIT and SPEAK in words and in sign language. She’s got
housebreaking down now, and she does fine loose in the house. She sleeps
peacefully all night and gets up when you do.
I noticed Annie panting a lot, and a trip to the vet revealed that she has a
condition called laryngeal paralysis – not that uncommon in older Goldens.
Normally, the laryngeal cartilages are pulled open during breathing; but in
laryngeal paralysis, they don’t open and close correctly, which can lead to some
breathing difficulty. There’s an operation for the condition, but the vet
doesn’t recommend it for Annie—“she’s in the very early stages,” he says. Main
thing is to keep her nice and cool, and don’t expect her to be a jogging
partner! But what could be nicer than having a sweet Golden waiting to greet you
at home when you return from your workout? She’d be happy to share a frosty bowl
of ice cream with you, too. (:
This is one sweet, sweet girl! Little Orphan ANNIE is a well-mannered redhead, probably about 7 years old. She was found running stray by a kind family who took her in and treated her heartworms, but could not keep her… the more so since she had an unfortunate habit of burrowing under the fence and going exploring! She is busy learning how to live indoors & is enjoying all the petting she can get. More updates coming soon.