Lucky 15

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Update 11/12/12:

Lucky’s post-surgery recovery has been excellent! Since he’s doing so well, he has been scheduled for a minor lump removal. His ears continue to give him some problems, so they will receive a deep flush while under anesthesia during his surgery.

This terrific guy continues to prove himself a very reliable house guest, so he no longer needs the crate. He just loves his dog bed and being near his family. Through all of his recovery, Lucky is still as sweet as they come with all people and dogs. 

Because Lucky is such an absolute love, his foster parents are going to miss him very much when he leaves their care. They will be so excited, however, to see this previously abandoned and under-appreciated dog find a very special home and family of his own.

Feeling lucky? Look no further than this sweet, sweet boy!

Update 10/09/12:

Surgery was performed recently on Lucky for neutering and to have a very large mass removed from his side. Some might think that this boy isn’t so lucky considering the condition in which he was found but, the truth is, Lucky was so very fortunate to end up in MAESSR’s care. 

While the mass on his side was aspirated and shown to be a fatty tumor, it just looked so big and was so firm that his doctor felt it was really important to remove it. The surgery took two full hours because, once inside, his doctor discovered that the mass was behind the body wall, which is the outer layer of muscle. In order to get to the tumor, it was necessary to go through the muscle. An even bigger surprise awaited as the tumor was discovered to be massive! About the size of a volley ball, it weighed well over three pounds and is officially the largest internal tumor the vet has ever removed from a patient! 

At 42 pounds the morning of surgery, Lucky lost about 10% of his body weight with this tumor removal! Amazingly, because the mass was behind the muscles that cover the side of the abdomen, it could only push out so far. The mass was growing inward, pushing around organs and closing in on Lucky’s spine. This poor boy must have been so uncomfortable, but never let on in any way. Before the tumor was removed, a second veterinarian was brought in for a consult because there was a good chance that the mass was connected to a major blood vessel. Obviously, this would have meant the end of the road for Lucky. Between the 2 vets, they removed the tumor and flushed the abdomen before beginning the work of stitching him back up. Good fortune continues to smile down on Lucky! There is some risk that some level of tumor could grow back in this same place. This is mainly due to its size and that it was falling apart as it was exposed. Fortunately this was a fatty tumor, not cancerous, and not a spreading type. 

Amazingly Lucky immediately woke up from anesthesia and was a raring to go. If it weren’t for the large incision with stitches and two drains, one would never know that this dog had such a big surgery just the day before. His foster parents are keeping Lucky on crate rest except for leashed walks to go out to potty. Lucky has let them know he is not pleased to be in his crate or wearing his cone. The cone, however, is for his own safety so he doesn’t rip out his drains or fuss with his stitches which he, as already demonstrated, is inclined to do! His foster mom appeased him some on his first night home by sitting at his crate door petting his chest. He was willing to sit still because he loves to get his daily chest scratches!

Lucky is on two different antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory, and pain medication although he acts like he doesn’t have even an ounce of pain! A post surgery appointment will assess when the drains and his stitches can be removed. He is the most amazing patient and does not even flinch when his foster mom massages the area to get the fluids out. Lucky is a dog with an amazing constitution!!! Once his recovery is complete, he will be scheduled for one more surgery to remove a spot under his arm that appears to be some residual tissue from a prior lump removal. 

Despite all he’s gone through, Lucky continues to be a sweet boy and an all-around great dog. He’s pleasant, submissive, loving, and affectionate. Stay tuned for more news on his progress!

Update 09/16/12:

At Lucky’s recheck, the vet confirmed that he is responding to the antibiotics for the infection and while it is still big, it is going down. Great news! However, he did develop a slight cough so another antibiotic was added to his regimen. After a couple of days on the additional med, his cough has gone away. Yeah! When his antibiotics are done, Lucky will have another recheck to see when he can have his surgery on the large remaining mass and to assess what caused the infection at his previous surgical site. 

The good news is that Lucky is as happy as he can be! He attended MAESSR’s Maryland Springerfest and was a great hit with all the dogs and people. He was very submissive with other dogs and was good for other volunteers who helped to watch him. That day he went down to the dog beach near the picnic but thought the other dogs and their people were nuts going in the water; Lucky preferred to sniff all the wonderful smells back on the beach. So, not a water dog; Lucky enjoys walks and sniffing out all the wonderful smells on dry land! 

Lucky is improving in the car. Though still crated for travels, he whines for about 5 minutes now and then settles down for the ride. He did great on the 2.5 hour trip to the Maryland and then on the way home. The picnic venture was an overnighter, so Lucky got a taste of hotel accommodations. He slept on a dog bed at the side of his foster mom’s hotel room bed and did not have any accidents or marking incidents anywhere in the hotel. Good boy! 

Lucky is very attentive to his foster mom and bonds quickly to his humans, so transitioning to an adopting family should be a breeze. Please keep watching for updates on this Lucky Duck as his foster family continues to get him healthy and ready for his new home!

Original:

Lucky was found as a stray in Pennsylvania and taken to a local vet who graciously and immediately started treating Lucky for severe neglect. Lucky was starved and mostly bald with a raging skin infection. He also had two large masses, one on his side and the other hanging down from his chest. 

The vet started him on antibiotics and began feeding him small meals to build up his strength while he ran some tests to check Lucky’s blood work. Fortunately, Lucky just had some mild issues with his blood work that improved as he was eating and drinking regularly. Next, the vet removed the worst of the two masses, the one located on his chest, as this one was hanging down and causing Lucky discomfort. It took several months for Lucky’s skin to improve; then, at this point, the vet felt Lucky was able to be released into MAESSR’s care. Everyone at the vet’s office just loved Lucky and said he is welcome back anytime, but they felt it was better for Lucky to be in a home environment. 

As soon as Lucky moved into his foster home, his foster parents concurred that he is just a total love! He is great with the resident dogs and is very submissive with them. He is good in his crate and, after just a few marking incidents, he has been trustworthy in the house without further incident. Lucky is crated when his foster parents leave the house so that the resident male dog doesn’t pick on him. 

Lucky’s foster parents took him to their vet and other than an ear infection that needed continued treatment, the vet felt Lucky was ready to have the other large mass removed and to be neutered. If there was enough time, he would also have his tail fixed. His tail had been docked so short that there was no bone or cartilage left to keep it out and up, like perfect Springer nub. After enduring years of bad skin infections, it had become inverted and is also prone to infection. 

Unfortunately, during the week between his check-up and scheduled surgery, a suture reaction from Lucky’s first surgery created a small lump that enlarged and became infected. At the same time, a new lump appeared on his left front leg. Instead of surgery, Lucky was started on new antibiotics and all of his lumps were aspirated and sent to the pathologist to review. The hope is that Lucky’s lumps are a combination of fatty tumors and infection that are coincidence rather than an aggressive cancer. His foster family is now playing the waiting game on those test results. 

While his foster family waits, Lucky is enjoying life in a home. He loves, loves, loves food of any kind! He unabashedly begs at the table by sitting and staring his people down. He gets so excited when he sees his food bowl being prepared that he sometimes forgets himself and put his paws on the counter. Lucky does know “sit” and “give paw” which he does before meals and treats; however, sometimes his excitement gets the best of him and he has to be reminded that he should “sit” to get his food. Lucky loves to go for walks and struts like a dog half his age with none of this sickness. He does not like to ride in the car, though, and gets stressed to the point that his foster parents crate him in the car for his and their safety. He likes to mosey around the yard and stays close to his foster mom or dad when they are out and about. When his foster family settles in to relax in the evening, Lucky can usually be found lying at his foster mom’s feet. Lucky is a sweet, sweet boy who clearly didn’t know such a good life existed. He’s living it up now, MAESSR style, as a pampered pup! 

Please check back for updates on sweet Lucky!