Candy is a super sweetheart. She was picked up and her family could not reclaim her due to fines. This was the best thing to ever happen to Candy. She had been chained to the stairs of a trailer and lived in the dirt she dug out underneath. She had no veterianry care, no vaccines, and the flies had already begun to feast on her pretty little ears.

She arrived into rescue and was just a lover bug. Her pre-op exam before her scheduled spay was uneventful except that she is thin with fly bites. Even her bloodwork was clear. However, our little lap friend started to slow down and by the end of the week, she couldn't get up, eat, and had severe drainage.

Our vet was very concerned. Her bloodwork had gone rotten, her chest was full of fluid, and we worried about worse case scenarios (since she was unprotected without vaccines). She had many tests done and some sent out to the University. She had to be hospitalized for over 5 days with medications, observation, and IV fluids.

We left the vet that day with the grim thought she may not make it through the weekend. By the end of the weekend, however, she was up and nibbling food, and we all saw a glimmer of hope. Her pneumonia started to clear up and by Tuesday her titers came back and she is Blastomycosis positive. This is a bad and a good thing.

The good news is the pneumonia and the fact she was in rescue at the time saved her life. Due to the pneumonia, our veterinarian ran critical tests that caught this disease very early. She can be successfully treated. The other good news is that it is not a contagious disease, she can be around other animals without concern.

The bad news is that the Blastomycosis is a nasty little problem that has to be treated with antifungals for at least 6 months. She is also intact and cannot be spayed until her treatment is successful, which means rescue is where she has to stay for awhile.

Her hospital bill quickly charged up around $900 (with discounts), and her treatment is a little over $82 a month. Candy is a super special girl, full of love and cuddles. Without a complaint in the world and without a mean bone in her body, this little angel deserves the absolte best from a family willing to adopt and love her once her treatment is complete.

We would be happy to have potential adopters (serious inquiries only) meet her and fall in love, but she will have to remain under our veterinary care until she is healthy. She will be spayed before she goes into a new home. If you have the patience to endure a long distance relationship until she is well, please fill out an application for sweet, sweet Candy.

Update: August 2, 2007

Candy went to see Dr Mary on July 30th for her one month check up. Her bloodwork was within normal limits and her chest x-ray was much improved! She will complete her 3 months of medication, then have a blood test and chest x-ray recheck again and see where we are at at the end of 3 months. Candy has just started her 2nd bottle of medication! She now weighs 52.1 lbs. She is growing like a weed! We are thrilled with the progress (considering she was 42lbs on arrival and dropped to 38lbs when she was very sick). For a puppy we worried wouldn't make it through that bad weekend, we are very happy to see such improvement. Everyone cross your fingers (and paws) for a complete recovery! Thank you to everyone who has helped support Candy during her illness.

—Elizbeth Riddle
   President, CIGSDR