ROADY (Lab)
RANDOLPH COUNTY, NC...Our sweet Roady is a beautiful 14-year-old Lab that was surrendered to the shelter because the Owners no longer wanted him. He was covered with fleas, lesions on his back, emaciated, and could barely walk. Sweet Roady was so defeated he could barely hold his head up. There was no way I could not help this beautiful Old Soul.
I had Roady transferred to NAR and brought to CVRC in Charleston, SC. It has been almost three months since I rescued Roady, and he has been in and out of the hospital the entire time. When he arrived, we thought his condition was needing some much-needed TLC and nourishment. Everyone at the hospital fell in love with Roady. We did every test imaginable to see precisely what was wrong with this sweet boy.
After several days, it was determined Roady had pneumonia and anemia that we thought was from parasite overload. Unfortunately, x-rays showed there was more going on. Small lesions on multiple bone sites were found that required bone biopsies to determine the cause. Our favorite Oncologist, Dr. Kerry Rissetto, was called in to consult on Roady. Once he was over his pneumonia, he was transferred to her care.
Dr. Rissetto was not happy with Roady's results but was hopeful because our sweet boy was thriving with all the care he received. His anemia had reached a level where he needed a transfusion to get over the hump, as we say. Roady's bone biopsy showed he had multiple myelomas throughout his body. Multiple myeloma is rare in both humans and dogs. It is a rare, malignant plasma cell cancer affecting the bone marrow and other blood-producing organs.
Dr. Rissetto and I spoke in great detail about what should happen next, and I decided to go forward with Chemotherapy for Roady. I would continue the Chemotherapy if he responded positively. Roady had been in the hospital for weeks by this time and was finally able to come to us at the Rehab Facility.
For two weeks, this sweet pup improved beyond anything they had imagined. The Zoledronate was filling in the holes in his bones, and he felt like a new dog. He was gaining weight, felt terrific, and was able to go on long walks. The bills kept coming in for our special boy, and he kept improving. I decided that as long as Roady's Quality of Life was improving, I would keep going.
We are now on the third round of Chemotherapy, and Roady is doing fantastic. During this time, we discovered a place on his hip that we thought was a large lipoma. A biopsy showed it was a sarcoma and had to be removed to give him the best prognosis. Dr. Rissetto and Dr. Seibert went into great detail about what could happen if I left the growth. We spoke about all that our sweet boy had endured and decided the mass had to be removed to prevent cancer from spreading to other areas.
During all this, Roady is looking at me with those beautiful amber eyes as if to say, "We have to keep going. I am doing my part, so you need to do yours." Roady was right on all accounts. Off we went to the hospital for his surgery. Dr. Rachel Seibert was going to be the surgeon on call and was prepared to do an extra flap over the hip if there was not enough skin to close. The surgery went perfectly. No extra flap needed, but a drain had to be placed under the incision.
Roady has to stay in the hospital until the drain is removed. So far, the news is good that he will bounce back like he has done so many times before. Roady's bills over the last couple of months keep coming in. I now have no choice but to reach out for help to pay his bills and make sure he gets all of his Chemotherapy and necessary medical care.
One Man's Trash is another Man's Treasure. We treasure this beautiful Old Soul and are committed to giving him the Life he deserves. Roady has come so far in such a short period. He lights up the faces of everyone he meets. To us, he is the Sun, Moon and Stars wrapped up in fur. Please, DONATE toward this beautiful Lab so we can give him several more years to be loved and adored.
