Beautiful Golden Retriever Bonnie is looking forward to celebrating her 15th birthday at the end of the summer. She came into the care of the Oldies Club because her owner was moving into sheltered accommodation where dogs weren’t allowed and there was no one else in the family who was able to look after Bonnie.
When Bonnie arrived in her foster home it quickly became clear that she was a very unwell dog. She found it very difficult to walk, she had a urine problem and she panted constantly, revealing a tongue which was a deep shade of brownish/purple. To add to that, the poor old girl was stone deaf and had poor eyesight.
Within hours of arriving in her foster home, Bonnie was in the vet’s consulting room. Over the next week or so, Bonnie had various tests, scans and xrays which showed that she had liver failure, severe arthritis, ankylosing spondylosis and a malignant tumour near the entrance to her bladder. In the light of this, it was decided that Bonnie would become a Sponsor Dog and the Oldies Club would cover all her vet’s bills for the rest of her life, however long or short that might be. Everyone was determined that this poor old dog would be given every possible chance of a few extra weeks or maybe months of quality life. Her arthritis medication was changed to something more appropriate and she started having treatment to alleviate the symptoms of the liver failure.
The change was remarkable. Within the week Bonnie became a different dog. Gone was the poor old dog, slowly wobbling around like a zombie, constantly panting – now Bonnie was a fully functioning golden retriever. She shares her foster home with two other elderly golden retrievers, Oldies Club sponsor dog Suki and Irish Retriever Rescue forever foster dog Holly and gradually, Bonnie began to react to their presence and to follow them round the garden. She got excited at walk and food times and she showed that she had a love of tennis balls.
Waiting for the ball to be thrown again
Once it was obvious that she was no longer in pain, Bonnie went with her foster sisters to be bathed and groomed. She came back looking like a huge golden puffball. You can see from her face that she loved this new feeling and was very proud of her glamorous new image.
Aren’t I beautiful?
Given all her medical conditions, most of which are life threatening, Bonnie may not be around for long but her fosterers are determined that she will enjoy every minute of this bonus time. When she is ready to go, she will do so with dignity and surrounded by love.
Bonnie (left), Suki (centre) and Holly
If you would like to help us care for beautiful Bonnie, please consider taking part in our sponsor scheme.