Lovey (Hospice)

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Senior - Female
On Hold

Lovey is of unknown age but definitely a senior.  We have no back story on her except that she needed a lot of medical care. She may have been a  mill momma because she is unspayed and has mammary tumors up and down both mammary chains.  We just do not know.  Her tumors are not really operable because they are so big.  She also had huge (clementine size) lymph nodes all under her neck— all due to systemic dental disease.  She barely has any teeth left but they are very infected. 

In rescue we are often faced with difficult decisions. The dogs gumption is the ultimate deciding factor.  

Within 4 doses of antibiotics Lovely’s lymphnodes were 100% smaller and that has continued. Not gone but improving. We are two weeks in to her recovery.  She has been on antibiotics, probiotics, pain medication, antihistamines (the lymphnodes itch) and very high protein diets to help with her anemia.  All throughout she never missed a meal, barks at her bedding while she makes it just right, rolls in the snow like it’s the greatest thing she has ever come across and adores her foster mom and furry siblings.  She NEVER complains about anything (except the blow dryer is very scary and so are the clippers… nothing towels and scissors don’t fix. )

Lovey also has a very complicated heart. It’s huge in many ways! Physically and emotionally ♥️.  She has a grade 6 out of 6 murmur with a thrill (that means you can feel her murmur with your hand thru her body wall 😳) and her murmur sounds like nothing that our veterinary and cardio teams have heard before. It literally sounds like a barking dog! 

She has started Vetmedin and seems to be adapting seemlessly to it.  She is fiesty and very athletic. As experienced rescuers we always read medical records and look at pictures and videos before taking on each dog. Sometimes we weight the stress of travel versus treatment. Sometimes we have a long discussion regarding intervention versus hospice. 

Obviously Lovey has a lot going on and just the diagnostics to assess her needs are expensive but this lovely little lovebug deserves a chance. In fact, she demands one. She is so vibrant and sassy there is nothing telling us that she feels the probable breast cancer or the secondary potential lymphoma. She deserves some floofy dog beds. She deserves doggy Disneyland for the rest of her days.  

As she improves we will see how much more we make her endure. She may have to stay on antibiotics for the rest of her life because of her mouth and then secondarily how her mouth effects her heart we can’t risk that runaway train getting ahead of us again. We will see if an echocardiogram reveals her heart is strong enough for anesthesia. If so we may attempt the dental knowing all the risks. That would be the chief medical issue that bothers her the most (even though she has never missed a meal.) It’s very very hard to just give up on such a full of life, glass half full (really all full), pedal to the metal personality. She follows her foster mom’s every move. She never misses a petting opportunity even if she starts out shy. She is athletic even. 

Looking at life through Lovey’s eyes is uplifting and aspiring. She is game for anything and throws caution to the wind. We as humans have suffered a lot in the last 14 months. Everything is new and changing. Everything is a little scary. Little Lovey takes every challenge and faces it head on with conviction. May we all find her zest for life and her confidence to just keep going!  We will continue to update you on her progress.  Send Lovey lots of Love!