We have had beautiful Josey for almost nine years. We rescued her from a terrible situation where she was tied to a tree with a chain embedded into her neck. We were unsure if we could save her, but we were willing to do anything to save her Life. That was nine years ago and almost a Lifetime of Love and Support for this traumatized pup.
Josey was four when we rescued her with a strong prey drive. Life on a chain with no hope of being fed will do that to a dog. Josey's prey drive and her anxiousness around food have remained. We always hoped the right Family would come along, but that has yet to happen.
We have been Josey's Family since the day we rescued her. We taught her to trust and respect her boundaries around food and new people. During this time, Josey thrived. She got to run and play to her heart's content and became quite good at catching balls. You can see pictures of her flying through the air and catching a ball. Her athletic feats were spell-binding to watch.
Josey gets her physical and bloodwork done every year. She has been healthy as an Ox until last Friday. Early in the morning, when she was taken outside, she collapsed. Her gums were pale, and she was immediately taken to the Vet. Dr. Marikay Campbell and her colleague at Port Royal Vet Hospital did x-rays and bloodwork. Bloodwork showed she was anemic and bordering on needing a blood transfusion. Her X-rays showed an enlarged liver and spleen, a small mass, and several large lymph nodes.
Poor Josey was in terrible shape and had to be rushed to CVRC, where she has remained since Friday. Every Specialist in the Hospital took scans, ultrasounds, and aspirates. Her PCV values were barely above the value for needing a blood transfusion with its risks. Every Vet came by with the same diagnosis that needed to be confirmed. Josey appears to have Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. We will know for sure when her aspirate results come back.
I LOVE CVRC because of the love and care they give each of our animals. I was kept up to date on her progress throughout the night and day. They knew what to do if they did not reach me, but they left texts, so I always knew what they were doing. The hardest part for a dog Parent is taking a sick pup to the ER and having to wait long hours not knowing if they are alive or dead. CVRC and its Specialists are the best at keeping Owners informed.
The biopsy results have not come back, but Dr. Tynan and Oncology decided it was best to move forward with starting steroids and a round of L-Asparaginase, a chemotherapy drug for dogs with Lymphoma. Josey has perked up a little but is still not normal. We have to wait for the entire panel to come back and then make a decision.
With chemotherapy, Lymphoma can often be put into remission and give the dogs several great years. She will only have about 4- 6 weeks if we do nothing. Since Josey was in fantastic shape before this diagnosis, I have chosen to move forward aggressively with chemotherapy once her aspirate results are back.
We have not raised funds for Josey since the day we rescued her nine years ago. We now need everyone to donate to this amazing dog so she can live several more wonderful years being the Josey we each know and love. Please, DONATE whatever you can.
