Meet Sara, a senior aged shepherd. Sara came into SCARS on June 21st with a large mammary mass. Any mass is cause for concern and, with the mass being so large, we were worried! Our first concern was whether it is cancer and has it spread. After X-rays & blood work, everything checked out normal for Sara and the mass is scheduled to be removed on June 23rd.
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Update: Sara is feeling a little lighter, thanks to the wonderful Lloydminster Vet Office who completed a surgery to remove a large mammary tumor. She is doing and feeling much better. The staff say she is a very sweet girl. She needs time to recover but will be available for adoption soon.
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August 11th… Sara here. Over a month ago I arrived at SCARS with a giant mammary tumor. I underwent surgery to have this external tumor removed. The surgery was quite long so out of consideration for my health, the veterinary team decided not to even consider spaying me at the same time. After a bit of recovery I went on a long car trip and got to meet my foster mom.
About a week after I arrived I started to show some unusual behaviour.
I stopped eating, started digging a big hole in the yard and acted restless and uncomfortable. My foster Mom took me to the vet for a quick check. The initial concern was a potential life threatening pyometra uterus infection. My previous medical history was unknown, so they decided to do an ultrasound to check… and guess what! Not a nasty infection but a great big surprise… puppies! All of a sudden all my new behaviours made sense. I was in labour and Foster Mom was going to experience a big event very soon! I had hidden my secret very well. I am older. I didn’t look pregnant, andI didn’t show any signs of having milk, so it was easy to miss the pregnancy.
Things happened fairly quickly. The first puppy pointed out her nose but unfortunately, labor stalled out and she seemed to be stuck. The vet was called and, out of an abundance of caution, we headed towards the clinic for help. We didn’t get far when my foster family heard a squeal coming from the backseat. Honda was born. With this successful arrival and the coaching from the on-call vet, we went home and Tippy was born an hour later. I settled down with my two babies, but really I wasn’t through with surprises. Turtle arrived overnight and then… the next day came Echo. Four puppies! They were all nursing like champs, and I was being such a good mama, cleaning them and letting them nurse all the time. Under the careful eye of my foster home they realized the family needed a bit extra so the pups got supplemental bottles to help them thrive.
Now they are just a bit over four weeks old and started eating puppy soup made with puppy milk (thank you for all the donations!!!) and canned puppy food. They are eating and gaining really well! They’re starting to play and doing all the fun things puppies do. They really are a special surprise. Now that the puppies are older, I’m enjoying spending more time out for walks, and even playing fetch! I’m so grateful to have a second chance at life. ** We are not yet available for adoption at this time! Please do not apply! **
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