Big Bear

Profile

Sponsored by:

Dennis and Joanne
"Hang in there, Big Bear, while RAGOM envelopes you with love and needed care to help you regain the good health you so deserve."

 Merry Christmas to the Golden Seniors! From Anonymous

 In memory of Daphne Landree. She was a Golden so sweet like Big Bear,
and her legacy lives on in helping Big Bear and his brother live the Golden life like she did.

Rylee 11-141 and her Aunt Gayle wish you well

June 15, 2012

Hello everyone, I'd like to introduce you to one of the two sweetest, most adorable Golden's in the RAGOM world. Big Bear is a 10 year old pure bred Golden Retriever. Big Bear and his brother Clover have a sad but hopeful story to tell. These two sweet, lovable boys were found wandering around alone, dumped in the woods in Indiana. No one knows how long they had been on their own but thankfully for these great dogs, a wonderful vet tech from Indiana saw them and spent an hour or so chasing them through the woods before she was able to catch them and get them to safety. Both boys were very skinny and covered in fleas. Their flea infestations are so bad that they are missing much of their hair and have secondary skin infections and allergies. They also had eye and ear infections. Big Bear is also heart worm positive. Lucky for these sweet guys they were taken in by a small rescue group who took them to a vet for care and posted them on Petfinders as urgent dogs needing rescue. Even luckier for Big Bear and Clover, one of our wonderful volunteers happened to see these boys and alerted our team to their urgent need of rescue. We immediately made contact with their rescuer and offered our help. Just a short time later transport was arranged and Big Bear and Clover made the long trip to Minnesota so they could start their new lives as RAGOM dogs.

Arriving late in the evening, Big Bear and Clover spent the night with one of our super volunteers who gave them a warm, clean place to sleep and catered to their needs, giving them a ride to one of our vet offices in the morning so they could get started with their much needed medical care. Once at the vet we updated them on their vaccines and gave them a complete physical. Big Bear has an ear infection, not a big surprise. He is also has advanced heart worm disease and his x-rays show some thickening of the tissue between his heart and lungs. Big Bear is scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow so we can determine the extent of his heart worm and what else is going on with his lungs. He does have a cough and seems very tired but is in good spirits. Big Bear is in pretty rough shape, weighed in at 59 pounds, underweight by 10 - 15 pounds. His coat is in very rough shape with almost zero hair on his tail, rear legs, back half of his body and hair loss on the underside of his front legs. He has many healing sores and scabs on his legs and back. He is still itchy but is not contagious. Through all of this, Big Bear is a very happy but tired boy. His tail wags whenever you talk to him and he is never more than a few inches away from his brother Clover. They are very bonded and give each other kisses and drink from the same bowl at the same time. Big Bear was so happy when I gave him a nice soft fleece blanket that he immediately laid down on it, let out a big sigh and quickly fell asleep. In fact he hardly woke up when the vet checked him over. Big Bear and Clover are spending a few days at the vet office so they can receive the medical care they need. Big Bear will receive several medicated baths, will start on medication to treat his ears and will have an ultrasound so we can determine what stage his heart worm disease is at and what other issues he is facing. He and Clover are comfortably sharing a kennel run so they are not apart. Big Bear and Clover will go to their foster home, again staying together in foster care, in a few days, once we are sure all medical issues have been addressed.

Big Bear is a very sweet, adorable boy who loves people and attention. He is a beautiful boy even with his hair loss. He is very tired from his ordeal but I know he is so happy and relieved to be a RAGOM dog. His medical care will be extensive and expensive. He will need to be neutered once he is well enough to undergo surgery so for now he is not available for adoption but would love to have a sponsor or supporters. If you have considered donating to RAGOM, please consider this beautiful boy. His page would look great decorated with some icons or with the name of some sponsors. Big Bear and Clover's photos and story are heart wrenching but this is what rescue is all about. We could not help dogs like Big Bear and Clover if not for your help. Please consider helping us so we can continue to help needy dogs like Big Bear and Clover. If you are unable to help financially, please keep these two special boys in your thoughts and prayers. They have been through a lot and still have a lot to overcome before they can truly live the Golden life.