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!