Special Medical Fund

Our Medical Fund is always in need of your tax deductible donations. This topic remains one of the ongoing challenges of all Rescue groups, not only for normal expenses such as shelter adoption fees, vaccination costs, health screening tests, but especially when one of our dogs needs extra care for an existing health issue. Should you wish to contribute to this fund, you may send your donation to the address at the bottom of the page. Please specify “MedicalFund” to have your donation work directly for medical expenses. 100% of your Medical Fund donation will be used for our dogs’ medical treatment and related veterinary expenses such as medications. Please send medical fund donations to the address listed below.

COMPANION GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE PROGRAM
“SPECIAL MEDICAL FUND”
P.O. Box 1317
West Jordan, UT 84084

You can also make a donation using PayPal. Thank You.

 Dogs Currently in Need of Assistance:

SHILO

 It has been a bit of a stressful month at CGRR. our special needs boy Shiloh had a seizure last month and another seizure the first week of August. This seizure lasted just over three minutes and was quite violent. We took Shiloh to the ER and while the doctor was examining him, he had another seizure, so they kept him overnight. They started him on a pretty hefty dose of Keppra and phenobarbital.  After meeting with the neurologist, the next week, it was decided to do another MRI on to see if there were any significant changes in his brain. They also did a CSF tap.

The 2 MRI'S were almost exactly the same, so no further deterioration, or swelling or fluid on the brain. The CSF tap was normal as well.

We were told that his seizures could be caused by his condition, or they could be idiopathic.
This boy, for his issues, is a pretty tough pooch. He is doing well on the meds, and we hope he does not break through with any more seizures. We have cameras in his area, so we can monitor him. He is back to his happy self, and loves his woobies.

The cost for the ER visit, labs, chest x-rays, MRI, CSF tap and his care was around $4500. Huge thanks to the critical care staff at MedVet, as well as the neurologist for the care and compassion Shiloh received. If you can make a donation, to help with his medical expenses, we would be most grateful. As always, thanks for your support.

Blu

UPDATE: 6/6/24

As if Blu didn't have enough to deal with, we found out at her recheck in May, that Blu has a condition known as renal dysplasia.  This is when the kidneys do not form normally at birth. In Blu's case, she has one very small kidney, and one large one. The larger kidney has been trying to do the work for the other one, and at this point, Blu has late stage 3 out of 4 kidney disease. She is now on a kidney diet, to try to delay progression.

Blu turns 3 years old in June, and she is such a happy, sweet girl, who has been dealt a rotten hand.

Denise Partain stepped up last June, and took Blu in when her previous foster mom moved. Blu has thrived with Denise, and she also loves her non-golden pal, Lumen and the two are great friends!  This girl’s life will be shortened, and we cannot thank Denise enough for being willing to see things through. It does our hearts good to know that Blu is loved and well taken care of.

Her last medical bill was around $1800.If you can send a donation to help with the cost, it would be greatly appreciated.
As always, thanks for your support.

Update 6/24/23

We are excited that Blu has a new foster home! Long time friend and supporter of CGRR, Denise, has opened her home to Blu. Denise has also adopted from us, as well as fostered in the past. It has been a couple of weeks and Blu has settled in nicely. She has a very large play buddy, a Swiss mountain dog named Lumen, and the two have become good friends. Blu Is also working on convincing the cat that she is her friend also! Our sincere thanks to Denise for taking this sweet girl in!

Update 05/05/2023

We are in need of a new foster or permanent home for Blu. She has been with Kim and her family for about a year. Kim has taken a job out of state, and unfortunately there are no specialized vets to meet Blu's needs. Please email us at utgoldentails@cs.com if you can foster this girl.
 
“Blu is a happy dog that loves to snuggle and be at your side. She is almost 2 years old and has a serious congenital heart condition with severe aortic stenosis that will impact her life span (anticipated to live 3-5 yrs.), but she is relatively asymptomatic on her twice a day sotalol medication which she takes like a pro. She has lived with our family for the last year and is great with older kids (ages 9-14yrs), other dogs and even cats (as long as they don’t run away—she does like a game of chase if provoked). Her only fault is that she is just so excited to see you when you get home or first wake up in the morning that she likes to jump up and say hi, or gently grab your forearm/wrist with her mouth to bring you closer – we’ve found the trick is to have a box of toys nearby that we give to her first and then she will sit politely, yet excitedly to show off her new toy. She is super smart, treat motivated and picks up new tricks quickly. Since she is still young, she has a hard time resisting jumping through the fresh snow and bringing some inside through our doggie door, and potentially digging in a muddy puddle if available in the backyard (adorable pic attached). She otherwise hasn’t dug in our garden or chewed anything in the house and is fully potty trained; she will find a misplaced sock on occasion and show it off as her new toy. Her favorite thing in the world is to climb in bed and lie down next to you- gently touching you with her snout or paw and taking a nap. She has greatly enjoyed being social with our dogs and kids- so another home with another dog or people around a fair amount would make her very happy. She is crate trained and is quick to finish her food even with a puzzle feeder, but does not resource guard with our dogs (perhaps because she always finishes first) – yet she knows not to approach them until they finish their food.
In regards to her heart condition, she has passed out on a few occasions when she runs too much – so we keep her fenced in the backyard playing with our other dogs off leash, or on a leash for walks. When given the opportunity to run off leash, she can get a little too excited/run too long which is when she will get wobbly from not enough blood flow to her brain and then collapse on her side while she recovers/gets her heart rate slower to stand back up and be ready for more play/a walk on a leash. Sadly, the vet anticipates at some future date she will collapse and her heart will give out, or she will slowly develop heart failure if it struggles from her degree of obstruction. Please don’t be scared of her heart condition—she is not aware and acts like any other pup that just wants to please and have fun. With her medications onboard and a few restrictions from running wild, she will be just like any other family dog that just has a shorter lifespan than average.

Blu has stolen our hearts and we are so sad to move where there is no specialized vet to meet her medical needs.

UPDATE: 3/25/22

Blu has been in a foster home and is doing very well on her heart meds. She loves having some doggy playmates and even gets along with the cats. She has been a good girl and is quickly endearing herself to the family…

We have a very sweet 8-month-old golden girl named Blu, who unfortunately has a congenital heart defect called sub aortic stenosis. She was originally purchased to be trained as a therapy dog, but with her diagnosis this was not going to work for the owners. Blu also had a hooded vulva, and has already had a couple of nasty urinary tract infections. As Blu is still just a pup you cannot tell that there is anything wrong with her. She loves everyone, loves playing with other dogs...she is all puppy!

Subaortic stenosis is a narrowing of the muscle just below where the aorta leaves the left ventricle of the heart to send oxygenated blood to the whole body. This narrowing can force the heart to work harder than usual and put additional stress on the heart. Symptoms can include weakness, breathing difficulties, fainting, collapse. Unfortunately, dogs, even with severe stenosis, may look and act perfectly healthy, and we may not realize their hearts are compromised. There is no cure for this condition.
Blu has been diagnosed with moderate to severe subaortic stenosis. She was started on Sotalol, a beta-blocker medication which reduces the heart's work, helping to prevent it from beating too fast and lowering blood pressure. It can control abnormal heart rhythms that may occur. As she was started on the medication at a young age, we are hopeful this medication will prolong a functional, comfortable life. As with all heart issues, limiting activity will be needed. Her life expectancy may be shortened, however with good care and a loving home we are hopeful it will be longer rather than shorter.

We are hoping there is someone out there that can Foster this sweet girl. CGRR will pay for food, meds and any medical. We feel a quiet home would be better, and If in a home with another dog perhaps a mature dog to help teach Blu how to be calm.
Blu just had surgery to repair the hooded vulva and she was spayed at the same time. The cost for her medical expense is around $2500. Because of her condition, we had her surgery done at a specialty clinic, where she was monitored overnight and Blu came through it like a champ! Can you give this girl the home she deserves? If you are interested, please email us at utgoldentails@cs.com

Maggie

Update 5/13/2023: Miss Maggie has been part of our "pack" for a while now. We love this girl, and want to keep her as our permanent foster! She is doing well on medical management, and is a different dog than when she first came to us. Sincere thanks to those of you who have donated to help with some of her medical expenses.

Maggie is 4 years old and is one of the dogs that came from a breeder in Idaho. As if it was not bad enough, she was being bred every 6 months even though she has congenital liver issues. Maggie has a hepatic liver shunt, where a portion of her blood is not filtered through the liver, making her feel sick. There is a surgery, but it does not always work on older dogs, so we have chosen to do medical management. Maggie was not doing well when she first came, but since she has been on some meds, she is like a different dog! We are hoping to find a permanent foster home for her, locally. Maggie will not have a long life, and we don't want her to live her life here. She deserves to know what a real home is like. She is so sweet and kind. She loves all dogs, loves to play with toys, and really loves the snow! We feel a quiet home would be best for Maggie. She is a bit weak in her back end, so no long hikes for this girl. A casual neighborhood stroll is more her style.

We met with an internist, to discuss her medical management. Maggie is on 3 meds, and it is best for her to eat 3 smaller meals a day. She will need to have bloodwork done every 3-4 months, to keep an eye on her liver. CGRR will take care of food and all medical expenses. Can you make room in your heart/home for this girl?