HOPE takes in quite a number of owner surrender cases and in most, we are relieved that they chose that option, rather than just abandoning them on the streets, or like in Butter’s case, anyhow rehome. However, with Casey, we feel really sad for her.
Her papa loved her a lot but he was very sick. His daughter, Ms S, wrote in to ask if we could take in their dog. Her dad was unwell and after chemo, he was often too lethargic to walk or even care for her. With their medical costs, they also could not afford to take her to the vet. So, because they love her so much, they made the difficult decision to give her up for her wellbeing.
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| Scared & confused at the vet |
Casey is an 11-year old, female maltese terrier. She has a bad dental condition and a huge growth in her left ear which is blocking her entire ear canal. The family tells us it has been there for 6 months.
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| Huge ear mass blocking her entire ear canal |
We agreed to take Casey into our care.
As is our standard procedure, she was taken straight to the vet for a full medical checkup as many rescues have had their health neglected.
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| Bad teeth |
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| Receding gums |
Casey's blood results are good which makes her a suitable candidate for a dental and an ear mass removal. Her right ear has a mild yeast infection, for which ear meds were dispensed to treat. The vet suggested two options for the mass in her left ear. We could do a fine needle aspirate (FNA), where a needle is inserted into the mass to extract some cells to be sent for further testing to determine if the mass is cancerous. The second option is to do an excisional biopsy, where we remove the entire growth and send it to the lab for biopsy.
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| Poor Casey, we hope she feels better soon |
Like all our rescues, Casey is really sweet, but she is a little fearful around other dogs, having been an only dog all her life. We have decided with the second option to remove the mass in her ear entirely so we will book that surgery for her, and dental as well. We will check with the vet if the 2 procedures can be done at the same time. Casey is also not sterilized and that may need to be done at a later date.
She is also on wait list for a bi-cavity scan to ensure she is healthy before she undergoes the surgical procedure.
Casey is presently with a fosterer and is settling down well. After her procedures, she will be ready to find her new forever home.
Her initial vet bill was $613. If you would like to help Casey, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.
