Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner

Introducing Cindy

7K views 61 replies 26 participants last post by  LynnC 
#1 ·
My family has grown to 3 dogs! A month ago, 10 year old Cindy joined me, Helo and Marilyn. She is a chocolate lab and such a sweetheart. My friend could no longer keep her and was looking for a new home for her. I didn't have to think very long to offer to take her. Cindy is as close to perfect as they come. She is great with kids, all people, cats, and other dogs. She is not destructive, is calm and gentle. She loves to carry shoes around the house and is so proud to show you her new shoe. If she can't find a shoe, a sock or ball will do. I can't have stuffed animals out because Helo destroys them or I'm sure she would carry them around. The first week I had her she was a bit nervous about the whole situation but she has settled right in with our routine. I take all 3 dogs on a 2 to 3 mile walk almost every day. Marilyn and Cindy can be off leash and they absolutely love it. (Helo does not have good recall so he is on a leash).
So now I have 3 seniors and I'm loving it. Cindy has more fatty lumps on her that the other two and is a bit stiff in the rear end but is in great shape for 10. Marilyn is 8 and Helo is anywhere from 8 to 10. I am in love with the seniors and I think that will be my calling when I retire. Giving senior dogs a great home in their old age. :)
I'm posting some pictures of her. I don't think she looks very happy but she is. She always has those sad eyes!
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#5 ·
What a great post! I'm so glad Cindy has a wonderful new home with you and that she's settling in. She sounds like a terrific dog.

Bless you and your three sweet seniors! :)
 
#11 ·
I wanted to post some pictures of our walk today. I am so lucky to have a big wilderness area 5 minutes from my house. There are a lot of trails and roads to walk on so we go somewhere different every day. I think everyone but Marilyn was tired today as they weren't as perky as usual. :)
 

Attachments

#20 ·
Bless you for taking in the seniors..they deserve the best, which sounds like you give to them! They all look happy!
 
#24 ·
I took Cindy to a cabin in the mountains last weekend. She had a ball. I didn't know if she would do a water retrieve but it ended up that was her favorite thing to do. She couldn't wait to go to the pond every day. What a happy girl. :)
 

Attachments

#30 ·
Last week I noticed a new lump on Cindy. A BIG one on her front leg. It had appeared out of nowhere and quickly. I also felt a lump under her chin near her lip that didn't used to be there. Cindy has a lot of fatty tumors but these were different. They were hard and fast growing. I had my friend from work come to the house and draw her blood (I work in a hospital lab). We ran some basic tests on her. Her chemistries were good. Good kidneys and liver, no diabetes. Electrolytes were fine. Her CBC was a little different. Her white blood cell count was normal and her hematocrit was normal (meaning she wasn't anemic and losing blood) but her white blood cell differential was not normal. She has 93% lymphocytes and hardly any neutrophils. Her lymphs should be down in the 20% range, give or take, not 93%. I immediately thought lymphoma. I took her to the vet yesterday and he agrees. No way to know for sure without a biopsy of one of the tumors which involves surgery. Cindy is nearly 13 years old and I don't want to put her through surgery just for a diagnosis, not a cure. So he put her on prednisone and I have some pain pills for her if she needs them.

She is not in pain or even acting sick right now. She's her normal happy self and eating as much as I'll give her. She hasn't lost any weight since her last check up in May. I'm just going to keep her comfortable and enjoy every minute she has left. I'm not sure how long she has. The vet said it was only 3 months for his golden retriever and they treated her with chemo, but maybe it will be longer for Cindy since she isn't showing any symptoms of sickness yet. I'm just afraid of those tumors getting really big and the one on her jaw might go up into her mouth. I'm really hoping that doesn't happen.

Think good, positive thoughts for us. I'm adding some new pictures of Cindy. You can see how happy she looks. One is a picture of the lump on her leg.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top