Entered: 12/02/2013
Status: Rainbow Bridge
Age: 12
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight: 30 lbs.
Gender: Intact Female
Location: Locust Grove, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, itchy skin, arthritis and labored breathing being successfully managed; treatments for a UTI, anemia, skin mites and an ear infection complete
Temperament: Good with adults, good with children as young as 3, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Update 07/05/2014: “Her family bid a fond farewell to a feisty and lovely senior Springer lady.”
Cassie’s foster family reports with great sadness that sweet Cassie went to the Rainbow Bridge.
Cassie’s appetite had diminished and her breathing problems returned. Eventually her labored breathing became almost non-stop………clearly she was having great difficulty getting enough oxygen. She was starting to refuse her food.
A trip to MAESSR’s trusted vet resulted in the advice that it was time to let Cassie cross over the Bridge. Her family bid a fond farewell to a feisty and lovely senior Springer lady. She will be missed.
Update 06/30/2014: “Our senior girl is still happy, alert and engaged.”
Miss Cassie sends her compliments to the MAESSR community and reports that she is content and receives the best of care. Her health over the past month has been a mixed bag. The labored breathing that had practically disappeared has returned intermittently; the hot and humid Virginia Piedmont summer weather could be getting to her. She much prefers to stay in the cool house rather than be outside. That said, she still gets excited when the leash comes out for the short walks she enjoys. Although her mobility is not quite as steady as it used to be, she has no trouble getting around. On the positive side, her ear infection has cleared up, and her itchy skin is well under control.
The campaign to put some weight on Cassie has not yet resulted in the desired effect….this little girl seems to think that 30 pounds is the perfect weight for her, no matter what!
Cassie’s social life was fairly quiet this past month. She took no trips, but did host a few gatherings of her foster mom’s family at home. She likes being in the middle of things as long as she can retreat to the quiet of her bed when she wants to! Cassie will be spending a week with another foster family while her mom goes on a short vacation.
Our senior girl is still happy, alert and engaged. She likes being close to her foster mom and the resident Springer. A look at her original write-up will confirm that she’s come a long way since becoming a MAESSR girl!
Update 05/22/2014: “Cassie has a sweet and loving disposition that shines in her face. She’s a gentle and happy girl who likes to be close to her people.”
Cassie’s steady march toward stable health continues. She gets around real well for an old girl with arthritis…her joint and mild pain meds keep her comfortable and mobile. The itchy skin she had earlier is much improved after treatment and some changes to her diet including a daily dose of fish oil. She rarely has episodes of labored breathing any more. Still intact, she needs to become strong enough to withstand the sedation required by the spaying procedure.
MAESSR’s sweet senior has a great appetite and never misses a meal or a treat! However, her weight has held steady at around 30 pounds since she arrived in foster care. Efforts are now turning toward putting some pounds on Cassie as she is still too skinny and tired of people calling her “bony butt”…….the nerve of those folks!!
Thanks to MAESSR’s new policy of including a grooming in foster care, Cassie had a visit to the groomers recently. She had a nice bath and a good haircut. The “grand dame” got a great report, as she had no problems being handled or having her nails clipped. Cassie looks like a queen now!
Ever the social butterfly, she recently spent the weekend at the home of another foster mom and got along fine with the other Springers in the house. She quickly claimed her resting spot on the sofa and her sleeping spot on the bed. Age does have its privileges!
Cassie has a sweet and loving disposition that shines in her face. She’s a gentle and happy girl who likes to be close to her people. She is truly enjoying her golden years, cheering those around her and those who are lucky enough to meet her.
Update 04/20/2014: “She’s becoming quite successful at getting her way, using her nose to push a hand to her head and that famous Springer paw to encourage more petting.“
Like all of us, sweet senior Cassie is very happy to see the warmer weather arrive, although she does miss the almost-daily ration of snow she was eating during the winter! One’s bones just feel better when they can soak up the warmth of the sun, don’t they?
Cassie’s treatment for itchy skin is nearly complete. She has shown much improvement and continues to feel better as she is weaned off the medicine. A side effect of the med has been some minor incontinence which is expected to go away once the medicine is complete. In the meantime, Cassie is also trying out a new food and she has started on a regimen of a fish oil supplement as well. Although Cassie still goes through some periodic bouts of itching, they’re not nearly as frequent as before treatment.
Another of this little girl’s health issues….the labored breathing….is much improved. It still surfaces from time to time, and seems to be connected primarily with times when Cassie is either anxious or excited. For example………when her foster mom returns to the house after being away for a while, or when it’s close to mealtime and dinner isn’t appearing fast enough to suit her! All in all, there’s been a big positive change from when Cassie first came into foster care. What great news!!
Cassie has turned into a real love bug, seeking out attention and hugs whenever her foster family is around. She happily competes with the resident Springer for who gets to sit next to mom. She’s becoming quite successful at getting her way, using her nose to push a hand to her head and that famous Springer paw to encourage more petting. Cassie seems quite happy with the routine of her life…..eating good meals, taking short walks up and down the street, napping in the sun, and cuddling on the couch. Because Cassie came to MAESSR as a stray, nothing is known about her previous life, but what is known is that she is now enjoying some well-deserved care and safe-keeping in her golden years. Life is good for Cassie these days…….as it should be!!
Update 03/18/2014: “She had a ball, staying in the middle of the festivities and trying to sneak a taste of the corned beef……..not for you little girl!”
During her time in her foster home, Cassie has gone from a shy and timid ‘fraidy-cat to a bossy old lady, and her health is holding steady! Her treatment for skin mites has been completed; however, no discernible improvement was seen in the itching that led to the belief that the problem was mites in the first place. Cassie has been placed on a new treatment to relieve her itchy skin while next steps are considered. Her thyroid has been checked and found to be normal.
Cassie’s in-house accidents stopped when her UTI cleared up. Now with her current skin treatment, her foster mom needs to be vigilant to her signals once again, but that should improve once she no longer needs the medication.
Her appetite is very good although she doesn’t gain weight, staying right around 30 pounds. She’s almost comical the way she races to her bowl for dinner, and she’s right there when it’s time for greenies and rawhides.
This love bug recently participated in a rousing St. Patrick’s Day celebration at her foster home that included 4 kids, ages 3 through 8. She had a ball, staying in the middle of the festivities and trying to sneak a taste of the corned beef……….not for you little girl!
This sweet senior’s spirit shines through at every moment. She reveled in the season’s snowfalls and loves her cuddle time on the couch. She reminds her foster family so much of an indomitable old lady that they’ve taken to calling her “granny.” This little lady who wandered into a Good Samaritan’s yard as a scared and thin stray is thriving now! As soon as her itching is under control, she’ll be ready for her furever home. Will your home be ready for MAESSR’s very own granny?
Update 02/14/2014: “This sweet senior, with her little wizened face, just makes your heart melt!”
Sweet senior Cassie is fighting the good fight with her health issues. After a second round of treatment for her urinary tract infection, it appears to be banished this time. Cassie’s mobility is much improved with the medicines she receives for her arthritis, and she is even enjoying short walks outside now. Cassie suffered a set-back recently when she was diagnosed with a very itchy skin infection that is now being treated. Additionally, a recent trip to the vet revealed a heart arrhythmia that is being monitored. On the plus side, her labored breathing has improved remarkably…the frequency of her breathing episodes is much diminished!
Cassie did very well on a recent trip to visit family members including a pair of 8 year-old twin boys. She more than held her own in this rambunctious household that also includes a 1-year old Lab and a senior Lab, mixing it up with all of them when it was time to play. It was on this trip that Cassie showed her love of eating snow, standing out in the yard grazing on the snow to her heart’s content!
It took her a while, but Cassie has finally started to show that cuddly spirit Springers are so well-loved for. She now loves to sit on the couch cuddled up close to her foster mom, purring with contentment at all the petting she gets. What a sweetie! She gets along great with the resident Springer and has become a treasured member of her foster family. This sweet senior, with her little wizened face, just makes your heart melt!
Update 01/07/2014: “For all of her health challenges, Cassie is a dear girl. She has that typical sweet Springer temperament, and seeks out attention and hugs.”
In her first month in foster care Cassie has made good progress in overcoming the health problems she came into MAESSR with as a stray. With a nutritious diet and regular meals, her weight is gradually improving. Her anemia and the UTI she developed have been treated successfully. Visits to the vet resulted in a big adjustment in her estimated age…this little girl likely is 11 or 12 years old. Her difficulties in standing and walking continued to be a challenge and, at the end of December, Cassie’s foster family requested that she be moved to a new foster family with members who were home during the day. This was hard for them to do because she is such a sweet girl, but the move would provide Cassie with the more constant attention she needs right now.
Cassie has been diagnosed with arthritis in multiple joints and has been put on an anti-inflammatory and a joint compound, as well as a mild pain medicine. In the few days she has been on this regimen her mobility has already improved; she stands and walks much better.
Cassie also came to MAESSR with periodic labored breathing that comes on a couple of times a day and lasts for several minutes. It could be tied to stress or anxiety. Thankfully an x-ray and a probe of her airways have revealed no major problems, but her airway is inflamed throughout. The anti-inflammatory may help this, as well, and it is hoped that this problem will resolve itself.
For all of her health challenges, Cassie is a dear girl. She has that typical sweet Springer temperament, and seeks out attention and hugs. She loves to hang out on her bed by the woodstove soaking up the warmth of the fire into her thin frame. She sleeps in her crate at night and sometimes will retreat there during the day for some quiet time and to settle down from a breathing episode.
What Cassie needs now is time…time to get healthy and time to feel safe after who knows what kind of life she was living when she fell into MAESSR’s care. Keep this sweet girl in your thoughts as she continues to recover.
Original: “When she joined her foster family, Cassie was skin and bones and could barely walk.”
Dirty, matted, and severely underweight, Cassie wandered into the backyard of a Pennsylvania woman. The Good Samaritan took her to the local shelter as this poor girl clearly needed help and had been living on her own for quite some time. Poor Cassie could barely walk because her nails were extremely long; three of them were so long that they had curled under and grown into the pads of her feet. Fortunately for her, a MAESSR foster family arrived at the shelter to put her on the road to recovery.
When she joined her foster family, Cassie was skin and bones and could barely walk. In one week’s time, she has come a long way in gaining strength. She spends most of the day sleeping, but has been getting up (usually with assistance) more and more to walk around the house. A visit to the vet brought her up to date on her vaccinations and blood work showed no chronic problems, although it was determined that she is deaf. And, along with being extremely underweight, Cassie is severely anemic. A special diet has been prescribed for her while she puts on some needed pounds. Because her foster parents have noticed that Cassie begins to breathe loudly and wheeze when active, she will receive a chest x-ray soon to investigate the cause.
Despite her health problems, Cassie is an extremely sweet and lovable girl. She is, at this point, very low-energy but also is affectionate and loves attention. She has been living with two teenagers in her foster home and has done very well with everyone she’s met. While she has not been around small children, her foster mom can’t foresee any problems because Cassie has never shown the slightest sign of aggression. She is fine with the resident terrier, tending to ignore him despite his attempts to play. So far, Cassie has not been introduced to cats.
Cassie is not housetrained but, given her weakened condition, accidents have been few because her foster family takes her outside right after helping her up. She is fine in a crate, and voluntarily sleeps in the crate at night with the door open. When her family is out of the house, she is kept in the kitchen; they come home around lunchtime to give her the opportunity to go out.
Cassie eats her meals in the kitchen. She has never counter-surfed, rummaged in the trash, or gotten up on furniture — she doesn’t currently have the strength to do so. She has not chewed anything inappropriate, but she does love to chew on rawhide sticks. As far as other dog toys, Cassie has shown no interest in them.
It doesn’t appear that Cassie has had previous experience walking on leash, but she has done well taking walks with her foster family. In the car, she is very quiet and just sleeps. At the vet, she was very nervous and agitated, restless and breathing very heavily. Because of this, her parents suspected a visit to the groomer might upset her. So, a home spa treatment occurred and Cassie had no problems being bathed by her foster family. She was very calm getting her nails clipped and ears cleaned, too. It must feel so good to have someone provide those basic necessities!
With time and special care Cassie will regain her strength, as her worst days are behind her. She will need a forever home with people who will shower her with love. Consider bringing this sweet, deserving girl into your life as she learns the joys of living inside a home and being embraced as part of a family.