Ryder

Updated 2/22/11

First, Ryder and GRR would like to thank all of the many, many generous donors who contributed funds for his operation. Thanks to you, we raised enough  to cover the cost of his back surgery—and some extra, too. Every penny  donated goes to our  Extraordinary Golden Fund and will be used to help other GRR Goldens  with medical challenges. Thank you!

Ryder’s operation was performed on February 8, 2011, and it went as smoothly as we could have hoped.  Mom Gail reports:

“I dropped Ryder  at Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital in the morning, and in the afternoon Dr. Steve Kerpsack operated on him. Before  surgery, he commented that Ryder had a mild pain response when his hips (on both sides) were extended; he also showed pain when his lower back was extended and even when the base of his tail was lifted. And due to the pinching of the nerves over such a long time, there was also ‘mild rear limb paresis’ – that is, mild paralysis. Once the surgery was underway, Steve could see there really was a lot of damage: ‘severe protrusion of disc material into the spinal canal at L(umbar)7 to S(acral)1 with almost complete obliteration.  Nerve roots were displaced to the left and the right.’ Thus Ryder was apparently in a lot of pain but, as dogs do, just coped with it and did the best he could in getting around.  It was when he tried to jump up on anything that the weakness showed.

“Steve is such a kind person and took the time to fully explain  the process.”
 
Update, nearly two weeks post-op:
“Ryder has been resting a lot and seems to be healing well.  A large area on his lower back was shaved and the incision is a straight line about 6 inches long.  It is a very neat scar and is healing well with no inflammation. He is still walking a little delicately and his gait seems to have changed a bit, but Dr. Steve says the surgery went very well and the prognosis is good, a 90% chance of recovery. Next week Ryder goes back to have his stitches removed and after that he will start getting back in shape and rebuilding his stamina. Many thanks to Gold Ribbon Rescue & its wonderful supporters for making this surgery possible and to Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital for the wonderful work they do! Ryder now has the chance for a pain-free, fully active life. I will keep you posted about how he does.”

Updated 12/3/10

He’s been tossed from a moving car, he’s been threatened with shooting, he’s bounced from one home to a second one to a third one and finally to a shelter, he’s cleared heartworm treatment & survived flesh-eating bacteria … what a dog! Now he faces yet one more hurdle: spinal surgery to relieve the back pain he’s living with every day. Can you help this true survivor meet his latest challenge?

Ryder’s story…

In the middle of May, way out in the middle of nowhere, a lone red dog wandered onto a country property. “He must have been dumped,” said the lady who contacted us. “It’s a miracle he found his way to anyone… there is NOTHING out there.” Two toes on one front paw are scarred over and fused together—an injury that our vets speculate resulted from him being pushed out of a moving vehicle and landing with his full weight on just one foot. The finders kept the friendly fellow in their garage for just a few days, then bounced him to relatives on the neighboring acreage. But those folks had tiny dogs, didn’t want a big Golden who kept trying to come inside—and a few months later it was, “He’s got to go or we’re gonna take him out and shoot him.” It was time to get Ryder out of there—and fast! The original finders took him back. This time, they shuttled him off to a stay with friends.

Was he home at last? It looked like it, and the family loved him. “He is so friendly. He jumped right into our car and settled down. In our house, he scrambled onto the bed and curled up and looked so happy. He has been a house dog, I just know it. He knows commands, too.”

… but a vet visit revealed heartworms, and with finances an issue, that family placed him with a couple who’d seen the handsome red fellow at the clinic. But a few days later – “We don’t want to deal with the heartworm treatment. Please take him back.” Now what? Feeling painted into a corner, the family picked Ryder up, dropped him off at the shelter, and called GRR with his story – “please help!”

And at long last, on August 14, the roving dog found open arms and an open door into the safe and loving home he so deserved. Heartworms, hookworms, anemia, skin problems… we had our work cut out. But who wouldn’t  want to help such a great guy? “He is sweet and friendly, always ready to go for walk or ride but mostly a calm, patient companion wanting to be wherever his people are. He’s beautiful and has such soulful eyes and that classic, noble bearing …looks like he should be lying in front of the fire in the library of an old country home. His goal in life is just to be close to you. He can even talk! If  you don’t pet him enough, he lets you know, not by barking but by a series of growls and guttural sounds with variations in tone and tempo.”

By mid-November,  heartworm treatment was over … but something else was bothering wonderful Ryder. He was slow to get up, slow to jump into the car, and clearly painful when he tried to sit down. He even began to stumble a bit. It was back to the vet for X-rays and a closer look at his back and hips.

“Bridging spondylosis at the lumbosacral junction,” said the vet’s report. In plain English, the area between two of the vertebrae in Ryder’s lower back is unstable, and in response to that, the bones have thickened and the area around his spine has become inflamed, narrowing the spinal canal and putting pressure on the nerve roots. He has pinched nerves in his spine, and that produces pain comparable to sciatica in humans – ouch! He tries to avoid positions and movements that hurt, but the only real way to alleviate his pain is to perform a surgical decompression of the nerve roots by going in and relieving the pressure. Once that’s done, there’s a 90 percent chance he’ll be pain free.

The operation won’t be inexpensive: even after our discount, the cost is about $2,200. But if anyone deserves that happy, pain-free life, it’s Ryder. “I can’t think of any extraordinary mannerisms to use in his story,” says his foster mom (soon to be his forever mom) apologetically. “He has no tricks or special talents, just a big heart that has survived a lot. He’s what people mean when they talk about Man’s Best Friend. He is just a classic, loving, handsome gentleman and his presence is so comforting.”For all he’s been through, we think that’s extraordinary enough!

Can you help Ryder? The smallest donation will make a big difference to a wonderful dog. Thank you so much for your kindness.

Sincerely,

The GRR Board of Directors

Updated 10/3/10

Now that his coat is growing out, Ryder is turning into a very handsome fellow, a classic deep red Golden with a lovely slender face.  He sure likes being a housedog!  He pops outdoors to take care of business, but then wants to go right back inside. He was pretty active when he first arrived in my home, but as he’s settled in, he’s settled down. He’s not a playful dog but a calm and sweet companion, a very affectionate Golden who will put his nose in your hands to let you know when it’s time for a petting. When he naps, he always chooses a spot right next to his people. 

Ryder loves the car and says he can’t wait for his heartworm treatment to be done so that he can go for rides to interesting places and take some new strolls! He’s a little rocky in his back end and needs a boost to get into the car. He’s leash trained & doesn’t tug.  He knows  SIT, STAY, and DOWN. He is trustworthy at home alone (no crate needed); he just snoozes on his bed and is quite content. (He’s not a furniture dog!)

Ryder was a bit jealous when his foster roommate, Barkley, first arrived, but has since  accepted him.

I think Ryder would be good with a moderately active family, going on walks and outings, playing in the yard with kids.  Don’t think he’d be suited as a running companion or for taking long hikes.

Ryder’s heartworm treatment will be completed around mid-November and we’re all looking forward to that! It will be interesting to see if he turns into a higher-energy guy once the HW are all gone and the weather turns chilly. Just the other day he & Barkley actually started to mix it up in a vigorous play session! So stay tuned…

Updated 9/6/10

Past history: Unknown.

That’s usually all we can say for certain about shelter strays: for us, their stories begin the day we meet them in their pens at the pound. But in Ryder’s case, we got lucky & found out a little more—because the family who’d brought him to the shelter contacted us to make sure he was OK.  And so we learned that Ryder had been found wandering in mid-May, way out in the middle of nowhere: “It’s a miracle he found his way to anyone, as there is NOTHING out there. He must have been dumped.”  (He has a malformed toe on one paw, and the vet who subsequently examined him commented that the injury was consistent with trauma of being pushed out of a moving vehicle and landing with his full weight on just one foot.) The finders kept him for a while, looking for an owner who never showed—which they just couldn’t believe!  “He is a great dog. You can tell has lived in a house before. He follows you all around and knows some commands. He rides great in the car, too.” Since they weren’t in  position to keep their foundling  permanently, they set about finding him a new home, and got one all lined up—but when the new family learned that Ryder was mildly anemic and heartworm positive, they abruptly backed out. With schedules about to get very tight and an out-of-town trip coming up, the finders brought Ryder to the shelter… and made sure GRR knew the handsome fellow was there.

Ryder’s foster mom says:

It's been just over 2 weeks since I started taking care of Ryder. He’s a sweet dog and very affectionate!  I think he would be wonderful with kids who would play with him a lot.  He’s pretty high energy and pulls on the leash.  He doesn’t seem bothered by thunder. He likes to keep me in his line of sight when I’m at home, even when we go out in the backyard. But overall he’s settled down and got used to his new surroundings.  He even takes toys out of the toy box and prances around with them!
 
I've left him loose in the house a few times instead of keeping him crated, and he does fine.  He likes climbing up on the guest bed for a nap.   He loves it when we go near the car because he thinks we are going for a ride and he loves that.
 
He had a cough when he came in and that’s all gone, so now there’s just the heartworm treatment to get through! He’s going for his first injection on September 7th and I’ll let everyone know how he’s doing.

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