Reggie

In this season of Thanksgiving, it only seems appropriate that I should announce that Reggie has found his forever family! Three weeks shy of his one year anniversary as a RAGOM boy, Reggie met an amazing young woman who was not scared off by his Cushings diagnosis or his propensity to eat whatever he could get his paws on. She knows the value of keeping him fit (for his health and boredom) and he will enjoy 3 walks a day plus time at the dog park. His new mom is a former professional dog walker! He will also continue to enjoy his favorite car rides and will be welcomed to sleep on a human bed if he so desires. He will be spoiled rotten with attention and love. He now has a four legged sister, Luna, an American eskimo, who will also keep him company along with his new mom's parents who will help care for and love on him. Basically, he will have the wonderful life he deserves and I could not be happier for him!I want to thank RAGOM for all they have done for this boy. He has been a spendy boy and RAGOM never once made us (or him) feel like he wasn't worth every penny spent. Also thank you to everyone who has supported and made donations to RAGOM in the past and a special thanks to those who have sponsored Reggie.  Without your help, we would not be able to give the specialized care that so many of our rescues require. You are awesome!Reggie was my fifth foster through RAGOM and I know there will never be another boy quite like him. We had our days of laughter and our days of frustration, but if this tells you anything, he is the one foster that I cried for when he drove away with his new family. I am SO incredibly happy for my big guy but will miss seeing his big goofy eyes every day and feeling his goldendoodle lean. Here's to a great life Sir Reginald! You truly hit the jackpot!

I went to my foster grandparents this weekend with FM while the boys stayed back and hunted deer. My FM forgot my gentle leader, can you believe it?!  So, I had to be walked on just a leash. I did pretty well! Although grandpa said he thought if I came back to visit we should bring a sled along for me to pull!

I overheard FM say that she posted a photo on her Facebook page of me being a Drama King. Look at the picture and see what you think. I no nothing of this nonsense she speaks!

We have known since day one that it will take a special person or family for Reggie. It's not the easiest trying to see past the big elephant in the room: Cushing's. But I know without a doubt that his people are out there and he will just need to wait a little longer. And that's okay with us.

He is so funny and lovable. He has really started to lean into me when he wants pets. He especially loves belly rubs and butt scratches. The polite part about Reggie is when you are ready to stop petting, he looks at you and basically says okay and saunters away, usually to the kitchen to check out the counters, just in case something may have changed since the last time he checked. When he gets excited, and let's be honest, it usually involves treats or walks, he will start bouncing his 93 pounds from foot to foot. Not many dogs are cuter than Sir Reginald at that point, let me tell you :)Reggie has found a lone apple tree we have on the edge of the property and has become adept at pulling apples from the low branches and jumping up against the trunk to shake apples from the higher branches.The other two dogs, of course, also think this is a pretty awesome and he has become quite the hero around here. These boys love their apples!If you would have asked me a few weeks ago, I would have told you that Reggie has never been on furniture and has no desire to be on furniture. But one Sunday when I was laying on the couch watching the Vikings lose, I glanced over and saw that Reggie had quietly crawled up on a different couch and was fully engaged in a "couch potato" stance. Silly boy! He has decided on his own since then that the floor is still the preferred medium for him.

Hi everyone!  This is Reggie. FM is taking way too long to write an update for me, so I snuck into her office while she was out this afternoon.  

First off, I saw some really neat pawprints on my wall and wanted to thank Ann Meyers and Beau 14-117's family for thinking of me! Also, it looks like I have an anonymous fan. Pretty darn cool if you ask me. Thank you so much! I know that I haven't been the cheapest RAGOM guy, and so I really do appreciate the support. RAGOM is awesome and helps so many dogs who otherwise might fall through the cracks thanks to fans like you. And they never even complained about my costly handwarmer  incidents, oops.My foster family is petsitting for their former foster boy Rufus (the Dufus as I like to call him) for a whole month. We get along fine. He's 2 and a little more hyper than me, but what do you do? FM bought me an elk antler at Goldzilla and I even share it with him. We take turns. I'm a nice guy if you ask me! One thing that I learned from him was that when  FM throws sticks into the water, it is fun to swim out to them and bring them back. They make a nice snack once my feet are back on shore. Mom throws 30; Rufus retrieves 27 and I get about 3. Too much work if you ask me to get more than that. I'm pretty mellow and like a slower pace of life.About a week ago my mom did the best thing! She made a beef roast and took it out of the oven and left it on the stove while she went to answer the phone. The nice guy I am decided I'd save her a step and just serve myself. Anything to make less work for mom.  I am a helper.  Mmmmmmm, it was so good!! Well, that's about all for now. I have been keeping my paws crossed lately because I heard some rumblings that I might have someone interested in meeting me! I'm pretty excited and am hoping I will have some news to share on my next update!

Our favorite doodle has been having a very good summer, but is looking forward to the cooler temperatures of Fall. It took him awhile, but now wading in the lake has become a favorite past time. We haven't seen him swim yet, but he does wade in happily up to his shoulders.  I think the combination of cool water on his belly, an unending supply of drinking water, and the possibility of finding a smelly fish make him a big fan of lake living.Reggie went in to have his STIM test in late August and I am happy to report that his numbers all fell in the normal range!! Yay, Reggie! So he will remain on the dosage of meds that he is on and shouldn't have to have a recheck for another year.After talking with my vet more about Reggie's desire to eat and eat, we are leaning towards that this has just become a habit with him. Before he was officially diagnosed, he likely was VERY hungry from the untreated Cushings disease. That is likely when he learned about the joys of eating books and toilet paper and photos and other things. We have been doing better with making sure these items are not within his reach, but sometimes things happen. Reggie's belly is now the proud owner of a 5x7" photograph of my son and his entire football team.  Reggie will be making his Goldzilla debut this Sunday! You can come meet this lovable goof in the showcase tent from 10:30-11:30. I know it would make his and my day to meet his fans and supporters, and fingers crossed, maybe even his new family?!

 

Summer has been flying by and our big, lovable Reggie Bear continues to do well. He spends most of his days sleeping on the cool tile floor of the kitchen, keeping watch over the refrigerator and anticipating when the next walk will be. This boy loves his walks!  He could be a spokesman for a Gentle Leader company. He just sees me get it out and he is next to me in seconds trying to put it on himself! 

He is such a sweet, sweet boy. It is hard to over emphasize this. I know much discussion about his eating habits has taken place in past posts. I want to reiterate that Reggie has never once shown any resource guarding with us and respects boundaries with our resident dog's eating area. He does watch and if Tito walks away and leaves some, all bets are off, but while Tito is eating Reggie lays down and watches from several feet away. Tito is 19 pounds and Reggie is 100 so it's a bit comical. When Reggie has taken something "prized" that he knows is probably a no-no - such as a mouthful of napkins- he takes it into his kennel, which is a dead giveaway! We have been cautious taking from him, but he has proven that he will give it to us reluctantly, of course, but with absolutely no growling or warning postures when we demand this of him. He will try to give you his begging eyes and might even throw in an unsolicited "Sit" and "Shake". Do not fall for this!

A few weeks ago we found out that Reggie is an excellent camper. We took him for a long weekend to Lake City where we camped in tents. We were a group of 14 people including kids from age 7 to adult. Reggie did so well with everyone. My 7 year old nephew, who adores dogs more than anyone I know, especially loved on him and Reggie endured his 1000 hugs with no reaction. He was a very polite recipient of attention. Reggie is not a "get overly excited" kind of guy. While the s'mores making and hot dog grilling definitely did get his attention, he lay between our camp chairs and just watched with the hope that someone would drop a marshmallow on the ground. He listened very well to us and I couldn't have been prouder of his behavior. He slept in a tent with us and never moved after the first minute in the tent. Just walked in the door, found his spot and plopped down for the night like he had done this a million times.
 

I feel sad for Reggie that he was handed this card of having Cushings. I know he doesn't know any different, but I am sad because without this label I know he would likely have been adopted already. I understand that it can be scary to think of adopting a dog with an ongoing disease such as this. But please consider this guy. He really is a great housemate and companion. His Cushings is easily controlled with one pill/twice a day. He gobbles it up with no issues. He will be going in to the vet in late August to check his cortisol levels and make sure he is on the correct dosage. This is routine and there is nothing to indicate that he is not. Remember, Reggie doesn't know he has a disease. He just knows that he is thirsty, kind of hungry and waiting for his forever family. This is why we do Rescue. We are giving these dogs a much needed second chance and we would love to show Reggie that Happily Ever After is possible! Please let your placement advisor know if you would like to meet him. He's a very special boy looking for his very own special family.

Kudos to Reggie's foster families and a huge thank you to those that have contributed to Reggie's care!  Reggie is staying with us while his current foster family is on vacation.  We know Reggie had a pretty rocky start when he joinedRAGOM.  Thanks to the love and care Reggie has received he is now a super easy house guest. It was a busy day in the neighborhood when Reggie arrived.  Reggie met many people, from infants up to the elderly, both male and female, in a calm and gentle manner.  Same goes for dogs, a sniff and a gentle tail wag is how he greeted his new canine friends.  Reggie loved spending time in the lake, and was a very calm passenger on a pontoon ride.  Reggie loves his walks so much he practically dives into the Gentle Leader when we get it out.  We've been taking Reggie on 2-3 walks per day for a total of 5-6 miles.  He absolutely loves his walks and would would be happy to walk even more.  In our opinion, now that Reggie's Cushings is under control with medication, caring for him is very easy.  We just toss his pill in with his food morning and evening.  His "space" needs to be kept free of anything he perceives to be edible.  In order to accomplish this we keep the bathroom and bedroom doors closed, and all paper items in the rest of the house are put out of reach.  Our resident dog, Josie, is a counter surfer so we learned long ago to keep food off the counters.  For his safety, and for our own peace of mind, we crate Reggie while we are at work and while we sleep. He happily goes into his crate for his favorite treat, baby carrots.  These were very simple accommodations to make for Reggie's stay with us.  If you would like to learn more about this gentle giant please contact your placement advisor.

Sorry about the length of time it has been since Reggie has been updated, but change has happened and he has been on the move. Three weeks ago an unfortunate accident occurred at Reggie's foster home with a resident dog suffering a spinal injury. Reggie, through absolutely no fault of his own, needed to be moved so that the resident could recover in as much peace as possible. His former foster family was terribly sad to see him go, but knew it was the best decision in a hard situation.He has made the transition very well. He is now living with just one other small terrier mix brother and they co-exist beautifully.First off, let me tell you this. Reggie really is a gentle giant. Emphasis on giant. I knew he was a big boy, but I still laughed when I put him the back seat of my car upon pick up. His head almost touched the ceiling! He is also the sweetest dog. I concur with former foster mom in saying I don't think there is a mean bone in this boys body.Reggie is a loving boy who enjoys getting his belly rubbed, but is just as happy laying by himself on the tile floor in the kitchen. He is not demanding of attention, but enjoys it when given. I work from home and he respects the baby gates we have placed to keep him contained while out of my sight. He sleeps in a kennel at night with no issues whatsoever. He goes on a tie out during the day for a few hours max and does well with it. He does like the reassurance of knowing where his people are and will position himself so he can see the doors to the house.Reggie weighs in at 100 pounds and while he doesn't look all that overweight, his weight does need to be watched as he has a ravenous appetite and will eat, eat, eat.  Reggie is a counter surfer and we are working on this, but you will need to keep your counters clear because while some of this might be bad habits, I think sometimes he really cannot help himself, possibly due to his Cushings. Unfortunately, it took several bananas with peels, and two loafs of bread before we realized how big his appetite really is. Reggie has been getting green beans with his kibble to help fill him up with fewer calories. We also give treats of carrots and apples. He LOVES his treats. We are all utterly amazed how the word "Gentle" works magic with him. If you forget to say it, watch those fingers. If you say it, he is so delicate. I think my favorite Reggie moments are when he is waiting for a treat. His eyes get sooooo big and he looks so goofy, it's hard to say no. The vet told me not to fall for it ;)Speaking of the vet, Reggie went in last week to have a few lumps and bumps looked at to make sure they were not his cancer coming back. They did biopsy them and found them to be harmless cyst type growths! Woohoo. Finally, good news for Reggie at the vet.  He will be going back in, in August to have his cortisol levels checked, just to make sure the meds are still doing their thing for his Cushings. This is just a standard recheck that he will need once or twice a year from now on.Reggie goes on 2-4 mile a day walks depending on the heat and walks so well on a gentle leader. He also has met other dogs on our walks with absolutely no reaction. Some have been yipping at him, some have been sniffing him, one large doodle even chased after us and he just kept walking along. I don't think he even looked at them. For this reason, I think Reggie could get along with any dog. Reggie will be at his first Meet & Greet in Shakopee on Saturday July 12. Please stop in and see for yourself what a sweetheart this guy is. Did I mention he's incredibly handsome as well??

 

Once again it's been way too long since I've sent in an update on Reggie, but if the truth be told there's not much new.

Reggie has changed so much since he first came to us...he initially ate anything & everything in sight. Now that his Cushings is under good control he has changed into such a nice house guest. We feed our cats on the counter since it seems to be the only place our 4 goldens don't go. When Reggie moved in he would have it gone in a nanosecond, & now it's safe through the day & night (well, at least 4 out of 5 times!). Don't get me wrong, Reggie still love loves loves to get into toilet paper & napkins but most everything else is safe.

We adopted a new kitten a couple weeks ago & Reggie is doing great with him. Reggie likes to follow him around & watch him, & has even tried to play with him but hasn't made any moves to eat him...that's what I call progress!!
Reggie loves to be by his people but also likes to hang outside & take a long nap on the porch, or better yet, under the porch. He listens so well & is always the first with his butt on the floor when we tell the dogs to sit for treats. He has learned to take treats so nicely & can be as gentle as they come if you just remind hi as you give him a treat. He also kennels so easily, just tell him to go to his box/ kennel & he runs right in. In fact, sometimes he likes to just hang out in his kennel for some quiet time.

Hopefully Reggie will be going in for some grooming in the next week or so. His fur on his tail is coming in so nicely but he still has a few patches on his back that are sparse. He needs to get evened out & he'll look so handsome.
Reggie did give me a little scare a couple weeks ago. He goes outside on a tie out & when he came back in I noticed a lump on his back paw. Of course I thought the worse but he proved me wrong...it was just a small infection from getting his leg tangled in the tie out. It cleared up quickly with a few doses of antibiotics, which of course Reggie takes like a champ. Reggie is also looking toward to me getting out the kiddie pool...not quite sure what he'll think of it but it will be fun to find out. Until next time...happy summer!!

Good news for Reggie....his tail is FINALLY healed!!  It has been a long road with this boy...dealing with his Cushings, the cancer & his tail but medically he is now stable & has gotten clearance from the vet so....Reggie is now available to start looking for his forever home!!

This afternoon 3 of my goldens & Reggie were out on our back porch trying to soak up the sun. I noticed that my dogs were facing the woods while Reggie was positioned the opposite way & was staring at me through the window. He has become quite the Velcro dog & just wants to be by us. He doesn't jump on the furniture, easily kennels up & has learned to take treats nicely. He also gets along with everybody, 2 legged & 4 legged. His only downfalls are that he will need to continue his medication & still counter surfs (although we are working on that, papers in general & toilet paper to be specific are his favorite).

I am so proud of this boy....I will be sad to see him go but I know finding his forever home is what's best for him. Contact your placement advisor if you are interested in this nice guy....he is very special & will need a family that is equally special....could that be you?

Yippie for Reggie...finally some good news for this boy, but where to start?

About 3 weeks ago Reggie went back to the vet to get his Cushings checked. They did a stim test & his cortisol levels came back within normal range. What that means for this sweet boy is that his Cushings is finally under control, his symptoms are significantly decreased, & his medicine does not need to be changed. He will need to continue on his meds twice daily, which we just throw in with his regular food & he never notices the difference. The meds run about $150 to $200.00 per month depending on where they are purchased & even less if purchased in larger quantities. He will also need to have his levels checked again in 6 months to make sure he is staying on track, or sooner if his symptoms come back.

When Reggie was at the vet for his testing they also checked him for any lumps or bumps that the hemangiosarcoma was back. The thought was that if it was going to return it would do so by now because of how aggressive it was...luckily for Reggie there was no evidence of it returning!!

Reggie's tail has been another ongoing saga though. At his checkup it was found to not be healing quite as well as we thought. The cartilage was extremely close to the tip & when he whacked his tail it would bleed. So back to surgery Reggie went. This time instead of taking more off the vet worked with what he had & essentially did some plastic surgery to add more tissue to the tip. On Friday we went back in to get the bandage changed & they applied a honey dressing (yup...it actually had honey on it & surprisingly Reggie left it alone for about 24 hours before eating it! On Saturday we went back again & after a good cleaning they found a nice scab forming & it is healing well....So off to Dairy Queen we went to celebrate. We will go back to the vet again tomorrow to get the dressing changed once again & hopefully this time it can stay off.

If things go well tomorrow I will change Reggies status to available. This boy has come a very long way since he first came to us, & while he is not perfect, what dog is? I really believe there is someone out there that will love him like we do & see that he is still very much a diamond in the rough. He is very smart, cute & lovable...a true gentle giant.

Wow, it's been too long since Reggie's last update & so much has been going on. Here is the condensed version....

First off, Reggie's tail is finally on the mend. After the first dressing came off it wasn't certain that his tail was healing. The vet decided to do twice weekly wet to dry dressing changes & after the 3rd follow up that seemed to do the trick....he still has a nice scab on the tip of it, but the underlying tissue is healing & the fur needs to grow back but considering where we started from we'll take it.

Reggie has been quite a handful for us. About 2 weeks ago he decided that he was bored, knocked down a baby gate, somehow managed to open a door & got into my daughters ski bag...& ate hand warmers again....5 of them this time!! So off to the emergency vet we went AGAIN! They immediately induced vomiting (to which the vet mentioned that she never saw something so gross come out of a dog!). His iron level should have been less than 100 & his was 434 so he was started on chelation therapy which would help the iron bind & then get excreted from his system. The good news was that while he was hospitalized he was able to see the specialist regarding his Cushings. When he was released 2 days later he came home with a weeks worth of meds to protect his stomach & was started on meds for the Cushings.

Reggie has now been on the meds for his Cushings & wow, what a change in this big boy. He has lost a bit of his pot belly appearance, his water consumption has decreased & his appetite has been more reasonable. He went in a couple days ago for an ACTH stim test to see if his levels were in the appropriate range & if his dosage needed to be changed. Luckily his cortisol levels were in the normal range & he will stay on the same dose. Because he reacted so quickly to the meds & his symptoms decreased so suddenly they want to repeat the test in another 3 weeks to make sure he doesn't get too suppressed. The medicine that he is on now will be something he will need to be on for the rest of his life, with monitoring 1-2 times annually. I am so happy for Reggie that he is finally feeling better!!

Another concern that the specialist brought up was the hemangiosarcoma that was removed from his side. With the type of cancer that it was there is a fairly high rate of return & spread, about 30 to 60%. The margins were good considering the location it was in (they would have gone into the chest wall to get any more) but we will have to watch Reggie very carefully over the next month. If it doesn't return in the next 2 months then the chances are slim that it ever will. We are keeping our paws crossed that there aren't any recurrences!

Reggie is such a sweet sweet boy. He has definitely been the most difficult dog that I have ever fostered, not because of his personality but because of all his issues. He came to us with gangrene on his tail & multiple medical issues. We have made way too many vet trips with him but to see how far he has come & how he is feeling now is been so rewarding. Through all of this he has remained such a sweetheart & has so many redeeming qualities. I am so thankful to RAGOM for giving this kind soul a chance at a normal life. Unfortunately though this has come with a large financial outlay. Please, if you can, consider making a donation to RAGOM, so they can continue helping dogs like Reggie. And thank you to those that already have!!!

Good news & bad news for Reggie...

Reggie had his ultrasound yesterday & thank goodness it came back with the good news. The spleen, liver & heart all looked normal so no signs of cancer!! Yeah for Reggie!! He is one of the lucky ones that won out over cancer. We're all doing a happy dance here!

Now for the bad news,  which is two fold.....the first being the ultrasound did show that his adrenal glands are enlarged which isn't unusual since we're suspecting that he has Cushings disease. It's the second one that really stinks...Reggie went in today to get his stitches in his tail removed. Unfortunately though he isn't healing quite as we hoped for. Once the bandage was removed on his tail you could see that on the top side it looked ok but the bottom aspect was pretty gross. Now we are soaking his tail twice daily in chlorohexidine (an anti microbial solution) & leaving it open to air & he is back in the dreaded cone. Reggie is set up to go back to the vet Friday morning & if it doesn't look better he will be under going another partial tail amputation.

Reggie has been through so much while he's been with us & he's still got a smile on his face. He just goes with the flow. What an easy going, mellow guy he is.

Reggie's vet bills are certainly adding up, especially if he has to have another surgery, not to mention the testing he still needs for the Cushings. Please consider making a donation to RAGOM to help defer some of cost so RAGOM can continue to do what they do best....help goldens & golden mixes in need!!

Our sweet big Reggie boy just can't seem to catch a break. Reggie is recovering nicely from his tail amputation but we received bad news from the vet. The lump that was removed that was considered suspicious turned out to be cancer....hemangiosarcoma to be specific. The vet said that there are 2 possibilities....the lump on the skin either be the primary or secondary source for the cancer. We are definitely praying that it is the primary...meaning it's the original location & thus because the vet took very wide margins when he took it off Reggie's potential outlook is better. If however it is secondary that would mean that the cancer has spread & is a very poor prognosis. Luckily Reggie will be seeing Dr Ralph tomorrow for an ultrasound to look at his spleen, liver & heart. Please keep Reggie in your thoughts & prayers right now. We are praying for the best for this sweet boy. I will update again after his ultrasound.

Reggie is sporting the dreaded cone of shame these days, much to his chagrin! He did great with his tail amputation on Friday & will go back to the vet again next week to get the stitches removed. Unfortunately they did need to remove about 4 inches of his tail and they also removed 2 lumps. There was a lump that was on his back that was found to be a sebaceous cyst, and a lump under his front leg by his arm pit area. Both were removed but the second one is "concerning". It was sent out to pathology & we are waiting for the results of that. Please keep Reggie in your thoughts & prayers. The last thing this big love bug needs is another health issue!!

I was dreading his surgery because with his penchant for eating anything & everything I wasn't sure how we were going to keep the dressing on it. To my amazement though he has been leaving it alone! I guess it must be feeling better finally.

When he is under constant & direct supervision he gets a break from the cone but otherwise I'm not taking any chances yet, at least until we know it is healing well & the stitches are out. The good thing about the cone is it also limits his ability to get into other non food items (magazines & books seem to be his favorite!). At night & when we are home he has been getting free roam on the main level of our house (all paper items removed or out of reach) & when we leave during the day he snoozes in his kennel (thanks to fellow RAGOM volunteer Deb H for borrowing us the extra large crate!). It seems to working well, although this morning I woke up to the remnants of a refrigerator magnet...go figure!

Once we are sure he is healing well from his tail issues I will schedule him for his testing for the Cushings disease. Reggie has also recovered nicely from his hand warmer mishap too & is finally off all meds except for 1 yet...thank goodness!

Reggie is such a sweetie....he really does try hard & you can tell he just wants to be loved. He loves to snuggle but is not a Velcro dog. He has managed to lose a couple pounds but is still a big boy so when he lays on the floor he kinda just sprawls out & is easy to trip over....I'm thinking that too will get better once the cone comes off for good.

Reggie & I want to thank Billie R. for sponsoring him & also Kathy & Jeff M for their financial donation to Reggie's medical care. We couldn't do it without your support!!