Wag & Walk 4 Life

Want to try something new?  Then sign up for Greenies Wag & Walk 4 Life.  You can read more about it here, but it is a great way to commit to get out with your favorite pup (you can sign up multiple dogs) and earn fun badges!  Click here to like their Facebook page, and then click on the link on the left hand side to join in on the fun!

Bowl-A-Rama pups - Meet Simon!

Hi!  My name is Simon.  I’m one of this year’s AZGRC Bowl-A-Rama spokesdogs.  You might have read about me on their website:

Simon was lost and alone at the Westside shelter when he was rescued by AZGRC. He was a laidback, too laidback, 18 month old beautiful Golden boy. He wanted to play but seemed to tire out quickly. When Simon’s blood work came back, he was positive for Tick Fever (Ehrlichia), Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) and Heartworm.  All of these conditions are serious but treatable. Simon has started on medication for his tick fever and his valley fever. Once his blood titers (how the disease is measured) come down, Simon will be starting his treatment for his heartworm.

Heartworm treatment is expensive and requires complete kennel rest during and after the treatment. The drug that Simon will be treated with is called Immiticide. It’s an injectable, arsenic-based product. Simon will be given two or three injections that will kill the adult heartworms in the blood vessels of the heart. The safest way to treat heartworms includes an extensive pre-treatment workup, including X-rays, blood work, and all the tests needed to establish how serious the infection is. Simon has had the initial pre-treatment work-up but will require more tests closer to when he begins treatment. After treatment, the worms begin to die. And as they die, they break up into pieces, which can cause a blockage of the pulmonary vessels and cause death. That’s why Simon will have to be kept quiet during the treatment and then for several months afterward. Studies have shown that most of the dogs that die after heartworm treatment do so because the owners let them exercise. It’s not due to the drug itself.

As you can see, I’ve got some not-so-fun stuff to deal with right now.  That’s why AZGRC needs your help so they can help dogs like me get back to being the happy, healthy Golden loves that we are meant to be.

Before I have to be in ‘”lock down” for this heartworm stuff, I wanted to head to the beach for a little R & R.  Turns out there is a Surf Dog Competition over in San Diego so my foster/forever family and I decided to drive over and check it out.  I thought you might like to see a couple of pictures from our trip:

  

               There were A LOT of people & dogs there                       

These guys were really rippin’ the waves!

I was going to try my paws at the waves too, but mom made me where this dorky life jacket and stay on my leash since it was my very first time at a beach L  The life jacket was hand-me-down from my new sister, CJ - she’s the cute blonde on the left in this shot

Mom said that as soon as I get well, we’ll come back and then maybe I can go swimming on my own.  I can’t wait!

I’m not looking forward to this treatment that I have to go through, but I know I’m so lucky that the great folks at AZGRC are the ones that pulled me out of that shelter.  If it hadn’t been for them, who knows what would have happened to me. 

If you can, please help out by making a donation to AZGRC Bow-A-Rama team.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep fighting to get better because CJ and I really want to go back and hang out at the beach!

Bowl-A-Rama pups - Meet Homer!

Homer

Homer, 2 Years Old

Homer was found as a stray and turned into the Eastside shelter. His eyes were so filled with pus that he was unable to see.  The shelter is a noisy, frightening place to a dog that can see; imagine how scary it is to a dog that is blind. The first day that one of AZGRC’s dedicated shelter walkers saw Homer, he sat in one place in his kennel and did not respond. On the second day in the shelter, he still sat in one place but now he growled. He was scared, confused and did not know who to trust. On the third day, AZGRC Shelter Coordinator, Lisa, went to assess Homer.  When she saw how bad his eyes were she asked the shelter to allow us to take Homer out on a medical foster. (A medical foster is when a shelter dog is released prior to the mandated 72 hour hold period) The shelter refused as they felt his eye condition was not life threatening. Lisa did not take no for an answer and worked her way up the chain of command to get Homer released. What was supposed to be a 20 minute trip to the shelter turned into a 2 hour trip but Homer was getting out of there.  As Homer was being walked out, he ran into a tree trunk, he really could not see. Homer went directly to Desert Tails Animal Clinic where treatment was started immediately. The next day, he went to Eye Care for Animals to assess his vision and for a diagnosis of his condition. Homer had keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, a long fancy word for “dry eye” syndrome. The really simple explanation is Homer was not producing tears that are needed to protect the cornea. He was started on 4 different eye drops that needed to be given throughout the day. Two days after starting treatment, Homer was chasing a ball around the yard. He could see again.

Homer has now started producing some tears on his own. He has a long road ahead of him but for Homer, “the future is so bright he is going to need shades.”

Homer and AZGRC need your help so that Homer can continue his new beginning in life.

Bowl-A-Rama pups - Meet Authur!

Bowl-A-Rama is coming August 6th.  Have you met this years Bowl-A-Rama Golden's? 

Meet Authur!

Arthur wants you to hear his plea!

Arthur had spent his life (10 years) living in the house with his family until a new baby came along and the family moved. He was then relegated to the dark, dirty garage with only a cardboard box to sleep on. He suffered his whole life with chronic ear infections and hematomas of the ear flaps which now had caused him to lose his hearing. He was also coated with grease from living in the garage. First order of business was a bath to get all the dirt off of his fur. Then he saw a specialist that recommended both ear canals be removed so that Arthur would no longer suffer from ear infections. While all his ear treatment was going on, his foster Mom noted that Arthur was always scratching at himself. After food trials, adding supplements to his diet and special baths, Arthur still was scratching. His next round of specialists was the dermatologist. He recently had a series of skin scratch tests to determine what he is allergic to. Arthur has started on injections for his allergies which we hope will finally give him some relief.

Would you like to help AZGRC give Authur a new leash on life?  Click here to give this good boy a  fresh start and a life free of ear infections and scratching.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new blog of Arizona Golden Retriever Connection!  What will you find here?  Stories, news, pictures - it'll all be here.  We want to include articles about available Golden's, adoption stories, vacation pictures, recall information. The list goes on and on. This is your blog - send us anything you find interesting!  Our goal is to make this a place you will want to visit often! 

We're just settling in, so please don't mind the dust.

Monty (Marty) adopted April 2010