Vegas was a very good boy at his vet check up. He has infections in both ears, but otherwise is in good shape. He gets drops in the ears twice a day and an antibiotic pill once a day. He LOVES to have his ears rubbed and will sometimes moan loudly and happily. He came to work with me one day and was very popular. One look at his sweet white face and the universal response was “awwwww…..”. He loved the attention and treats that he got. I discovered that day that Vegas is a bit of a designer. I have a big dog pillow under my desk. When he saw it he had to pull it out, twist it around, poke it with his nose and wrestle with it until it was just right. I guess a mature gentleman such as Vegas knows how he likes his pillows!

He has free roam at my house when I am gone and he has been a great house guest. I have forgotten to mention that Mr Vegas weighs 90 pounds. He is a big boy, but not fat. He needs to lose a few pounds, just to keep him healthy. This guy is looking for love. He is sweet, calm, and no problem with other dogs. He does have a frisky side and likes to play. He walks very nicely on his leash. What’s not to love? He will be a wonderful addition to the right home.

Vegas will be at the New Brighton, MN 11/21 PetSmart event!

Vegas had a good time at the Petsmart event on Saturday. He got lots of attention and some high quality petting. He took the excitement of the day in typical Vegas fashion. Whenever he need to, he laid down and took it easy. He has established some favorite sleeping spots at my house. He likes my bed, the couch and a rather small (for him) rocking chair. He LOVES going ANYPLACE with me in the car. One day he pulled his leash down from the hook and brought it over to me as a hint…..

He is getting used to eating Senior food, and likes to have my company while he eats. It’s nice having a sensible senior in the house. When my other dogs go barking to the kitchen because there was a doorbell sound on the TV, Vegas just lifts his head and says “Really????” and then goes back to sleep. He sure is a sweet fellow.

Vegas is going to have another check with the vet today. He is going to have a couple of tests as we found a lump in his belly. Until we know what is going on with that he will not be available for adoption or appear at any adoption events. As soon as we know I will send an update to this page. He is acting just fine and totally happy.

Merry Christmas to the Golden seniors             In memory of Loki

   Carol & Zoe in Barney's memory                 Lori, Kerry, and the Mutts

 Shayna M.                Andy 07-406

Last night Vegas went to a RAGOM presentation to the pre-vet club at the U of MN. As you can see from the pictures, he and Murphy were not very interested in the lecture, but when it got to the “Hands on” part of the program, Vegas was very happy. He got lots of petting and felt it was worth waiting through the talking part.

We hope to know more about his medical situation soon.

What a boring lecture.

Now this is more like it. What every Golden wants, lots of pets.

Vegas wants me to thank everybody who has sent those sweet Holiday decorations to his page. It is so nice to be remembered at this time of year, especially when you are an older gent. He posed for this picture to let you know that he is comfy and well cared for. He made two trips to St Therese Care Center with me this weekend. On Sunday I got up from the couch to get some ice cream, and when I returned he was sitting right where I had been. He expected me to give one bowl to him and one bowl to my Mom. He said that he had warmed up a spot on the floor for me. I wish I had a picture of that one! He got lots of smiles and laughter from the other folks there.
 

---

 

Vegas will be having surgery on Monday 12/14. There is a mass in his spleen which could be one of three things. If it is a blood clot or a slow growing tumor, removing his spleen should fix the problem. If the mass is an aggressive cancer, removing his spleen will not cure him. Once the operation is done and the tissue identified, we will get his prognosis. The surgery will be complex as there are a lot of blood vessels connected to the spleen. The recovery should not be too bad (similar to the recovery for a spay operation). Vegas will spend Monday night at the vet and probably come home on Tuesday. He will need to stay quiet while he is healing. Happily, Vegas is quite good at staying quiet. Please send your good wishes his way on Monday. We have our paws crossed for a happy outcome!

Vegas had two good things happen today. His blood tests came back with normal results. There are no red flags to stop him from having surgery. The second good thing is he got a sponsor! Thank you very much, Beryl. I am sure that your support will make a difference for him. This weekend I am going to take him to St Therese Care Center again. He just loves going places and he makes many good friends while he is there.

In preparation for his surgery I got a No Bite collar for him. It is a stiff collar that does the same thing as the “cone of shame” to keep him from licking the incision. I think it is a much less scary thing for the dog. RAGOM has some that we can borrow for foster dogs, so that makes it a good choice.

Keep sending good thoughts to Mr Vegas and thanks for your caring.

When Vegas saw Santa yesterday he realized he was too big to fit on his lap, so he just whispered his wishes in Santa's ear. He asked for lots of petting, a good outcome from his surgery tomorrow, and most importantly to find a forever family when he is recovered!

Vegas made it through his surgery just fine!

The mass on his spleen was about the size of a grapefruit, so he got a bit of a tummy tuck! He spent the night at the vet and should be coming home today. By the end of the week we should hear back on the tissue sample to know what his prognosis will be. No matter what, I think he will be happy to have that big lump gone.

I want to thank the staff of VCA in Golden Valley for taking such good care of Mr Vegas. They really care about him and have helped so much.

Vegas is home and recovering nicely. As you can see in the picture, he is wearing a stiff collar to keep him from licking his incision. He is not happy about the collar, but I explained to him that it is MUCH better than the cone of shame.

He has been lying on his belly since he got home. Before the operation he only laid on his side. Now that the big belly bump is gone, it is more comfortable to lay on his belly again. I wonder how long it has been since he could do that?

He REALLY wanted to go to work with me today, but he needs to stay quiet. I am sure that he is napping on the sofa right now.  He goes back in 10-14 days to get the staples out. His test results should be back later this week.

Paws crossed!

I have sad news. The test results show that Vegas has an aggressive form of cancer. The expectation is that he may live 6 months to a year, but it is hard to tell. Even though the tumor was removed along with his spleen, the assumption is that it has already spread to another location and is growing there. I can tell that he feels much better since the surgery, so that is a blessing.

Vegas will stay with me unless we can find another foster who can spend more time with him. I have three resident dogs in addition to Vegas. If another foster can give him more one on one attention, he will go there. We want Mr Vegas to get the most loving and petting possible! Vegas is such a sweet old guy he deserves nothing but the best. Happily, he is not worried at all. The beauty of being a dog is that “long term” concerns only extend about two minutes in the future. He has lots of two minute spans left.

Vegas is happy to report that he has not been wearing the stiff collar anymore. He has been very good about leaving his incision alone and will get the stitches & staples out on Tuesday. He has been licking his front leg where the IV was inserted. I put some Bitter Apple on it and he just licked right through it. When I see him licking and tell him to knock it off, he does switch to another spot.

I am very impressed by this guy’s intelligence. When I visit my mom I usually take my knitting with me. Vegas has noticed this and knows when the bag comes out he is going to go for a visit. He gets very happy and rushes to his leash. Amazing how quickly he has figured this out. He has enjoyed the snow and likes to stick his face down in it. He likes to eat snow!

Vegas got his stitches and staples out last night. His incision healed perfectly. He is such a mellow guy that the tech came out to the waiting room to do the procedure. Vegas just rolled over and was totally calm during the whole thing. He had three people touching him at once, so he was HAPPY! When he got home he celebrated by having a little pillow party on my bed. He loves wrestling with this long pillow you can see in the photo.

When he and I visited my Mom on Sunday he was so funny. My Mom was in bed and it was lowered close to the floor. Vegas laid down, put his head under the bed and then stuck his paw straight up in the air. He was clearly saying “There is a dog here who NEEDS to have his foot held!!” I wish I had gotten a picture of that. He is such a character.

Vegas and I were visiting my mom. I am attaching a picture that shows him resting his head on my mom’s feet while I am holding his paw. You can tell that he is really content. He is not eating very much food even though I have been adding all sorts of tasty things to it. His appetite for treats has not diminished and his behavior is unchanged. Mr Vegas has never been much of a calorie burner as he knows how to take it easy. He still loves to eat fluffy snow, so is hoping for some to be freshly delivered this week end.