|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Bodie
|
Age: |
One year old
|
| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Golden Retriever |
| Home: |
Sacramento, California, USA |
Meet
Bodie, our rescue Golden Retriever. We have had Goldens for many
years. In June 2010 we lost the oldest of our three. We had mom, dad and
their daughter and it was dad we lost. Even though we still had two
Goldens it just wasn't the same.
A couple weeks later I contacted Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue in
Elverta, California. They have the most incredible rescue operation and are known
internationally. We looked at a few adult dogs but none of them were the
right match for us and our two remaining Goldens (as recommended we took
them along to meet potential buddies). I was very discouraged so I asked
the rescue worker how often they have puppies available and was told they
were expecting a litter in just a few days! They were in the process of
transporting a breeding pair from Southern California and the female was
almost full term. I thought the waiting list for a puppy would be as long
as my arm, but nope - we were third on the list. We brought Bodie home in
early September 2010 at nine weeks of age.
Bodie has been a typical puppy. He loves to play, chew everything and just
get into mischief. But unlike any other dog we've owned, Bodie eats
everything. Whether it's edible or not. When he was eleven months old he
suddenly stopped eating. We figured he had a little stomach bug or
something. On the third day of refusing to eat we took him to the vet.
X-rays showed he had eaten something not digestible and it had formed a
blockage in his intestine. An ultrasound and major surgery immediately
followed. He had several pieces of "foreign matter" in his stomach,
intestine and colon. The surgeon had to open up all three organs to get
all the pieces. Unfortunately she also had to remove 12" of Bodie's
intestine - it had begun to die - and reconnect it. One of the items
removed was the thick rubber grommet from the top of a car shock, still
intact. The other pieces were unidentifiable pieces of rubber and plastic.
All three dogs used to hang out in the shop with my husband. Not any
longer. Two days in the hospital and $5,300 later we were ecstatic to have
him back home alive. We put up a wrought iron fence between the backyard
and the shop to prevent having to go through it all again.
Fast-forward two weeks and Bodie again refused to eat. This time we didn't
wait. Back to the vet we went. Skipped the x-rays this time and went right
to the ultrasound. Yep, another blockage. We had no idea what he could
have eaten since we had walked every inch of our yard (our lot is a full
acre) before he came home from the previous surgery. We were certain there
was nothing in the yard that would hurt him. Back into surgery he went and
this time the surgeon removed a clump of grass bigger than I would ever
believe a dog could eat. The vet thinks he had a tummy ache so ate some
grass. Since his intestine was not yet fully healed he couldn't digest the
grass normally. It apparently didn't relieve his tummy ache so he ate more
grass. And more and more and more. Another two-day hospital stay. Another
$4,500. So all three dogs have a brand new 10' x 40' kennel complete with
dog igloo and kiddie swimming pool. And we have an $11,000 dog! The dogs
are in the house most of the day and have run of the yard whenever we're
out there to supervise but have to be kenneled when we go anywhere. It's
been a very expensive year so far but if you know Goldens you know they're
worth every penny.
See more images of Bodie!
|
|
|
|
|
