goldens in need

Unfortunately most pets, including Golden Retrievers, are often abandoned due to health concerns.  Almost every Golden we rescue needs medical attention of some kind - whether it's vaccinations, a spay or neuter, tick or valley fever medicine, cancer removal, or more. Your charitable donations go directly to ensuring the health and well being of every Golden we rescue.

Page Last Updated 
 Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Here are some examples of how your donations help.  

 Update on Helen

A3066240 was a stray dog at the Maricopa County Westside Shelter. Lying in her kennel with her eyes heavily covered with thick green discharge, an open tumor on her right thigh, missing her upper and lower front teeth, skin black, hair extremely thin with most of it missing on her legs and belly, wagging her tail is how AZGRC found her.

Looking past all of those maladies you knew, in her day, she was a grand lady so she needed a grand name.  She was named Helen.

Helen had obviously been used as a breeder dog and now in her “Golden” years she was discarded. Helen had limited vision, was constantly scratching and was hungry all the time. She was taken to one of AZGRC’s special medical “miracle” fosters.  She breezed into the pack like she knew she was home.

Now would start Helen’s journey back to health. Dr. Val at Four Legged Friends Animal Hospital would be the first part of the journey. Dr. Barrett at Eye Care for Animals would be the second part of the journey. And eventually Dr. Hershey at Integrative Veterinary Oncology would be the third part of Helen’s journey.  But the biggest and most important part of Helen’s journey would be Polly, Bette, Cody, Luke, Arthur and her foster Mom, Christine.

The first surgery was Helen’s spay, removal of mammary tumors and other tumors on her body. She came home looking like a patchwork quilt but all 15 tumors were benign. What a glorious day for Helen.

Foster Mom, Christine protected Helen from the “harsh” Arizona winter *smile* with a sweater.

The second surgery was eye surgery as Helen had developed ulcers on her corneas from her turned in eyelashes.

Here is Helen looking like a blossoming flower after the eye surgery.

Now, Sweet Helen has hit one more bump in her journey. Another tumor developed and this one is cancerous. Helen has started on chemotherapy.

Helen continues to love her pack and plays, plays, plays with Polly and Bette. Helen always has a smile on her face and a wag in her tail. She acts like the puppy she never had the chance to be. Life is Good.

To Date (January 17,2012) Sweet Helen’s medical expenses are $5100.16. Helen will require ongoing chemotherapy, eye drops and treatment for her Valley Fever.

A donation to AZGRC’s Goldens in Need will help us give other dogs, like Helen, a second chance.

January 29, 2012 Update

Sweet Helen is working on being AZGRC’s luckiest Golden girl.  When Helen went for her re-check with Dr. Barrett, the eye surgeon he was so pleased with her post surgery progress.  Helen patiently let him remove the stitches from her eye lids without fuss. When he looked into her eyes I felt she was thanking him by happily wagging her tail for the gift of sight he restored for Helen.

Helen was now cleared to start chemo on January 13^th.  Although it was Friday the 13^th, Sweet Helen proved again she is a lucky girl and doing very well.

After her first two weeks of chemo she enjoyed opening the raffle basket full of toys she won in the “The Lucky Dog“ raffle.

Sweet Helen is enjoying a happy life and each day she gets to play with her furry sisters.  She doesn’t play as much or as hard as she used to, but she is still playing.  Actually I remind myself many times during the course of a day, how lucky are we getting to know how wonderful this sweet little Golden angel really is.

Sweet Helen is an example of courage and grace that comes to us as a Golden Retriever.