Sunny's Rescue
Mr. Sunny Sunshine, a stray, was at the same shelter as Tinkerbell. They called me one day to come get a 'depressed' 15 year old schnauzer with a bad back leg.
When we got him home, I saw no sign of a depressed dog. Just the smile of a dog that looked like sunshine. So we named him Sunny Sunshine.
Sunny wasn't altered when we got him, he had a swollen scrotom which my vet hoped neutering would help. He also lost all his teeth during the dental due to
neglect of whoever had owned him. The bad back leg was a broken pelvis. My vet was amazed that Sunny could actually go to the bathroom. She also guessed
his age at closer to 10 than 15.
We got all the vet work done and the healing started, physical and mental. But the broken pelvis had already fused and healed, so there was no fixing it.
No one wanted to adopt a 10+ year old dog with a broken/deformed pelvis, so we had the pleasure of keeping Sunny for around a year. He was always 'standoffish' to us,
not afraid of us, but not used to being loved. One of the happiest days I had with him came the first time he wandered over and butted his head into my hand
to be petted!
The last two months of his life, we noticed his skin starting to turn black and hair loss. We hoped it was his thyroid and treated it as such.
He was still doing well, still happily trying to run around, and just a very good boy.
The last few days of his life, we noticed he was 'crying' when he went to potty. It was the most gut retching sound I had ever heard! I ran to look
thinking maybe his stool was too hard for him to pass, but it was ok.
We took him back to the vet and she checked him over, the swelling of his scrotom not only hadn't gone down, but had grown.
It turned out, our beloved Sunny had prostrate cancer and it was advanced to where it was pushing on his colon on one side and his broken pelvis pushing the
other side which caused him severe pain when he pooped. It was decision time. We decided to let him go on to where he would never hurt again and
where he would be whole and well.
Mr. Sunny Sunshine, thank you for bringing us joy for the past year, thank you for allowing us to know you and to love you.
Please Please neuter your dogs! Had Sunny been neutered at an earlier age, before the cancer had hit, he would still be here with us today.
Prostrate cancer is NOT a good way for a dog to die! He was the 2nd boy we lost to prostrate cancer. Had the owners cared enough to neuter them, both
would never had to deal with the pain of cancer and both would probably still be alive and well and happy today. The other boy was only 9 when we got him
from the same shelter as Sunny and Tinkerbell. My vet found the cancer when she went to neuter him and had to go inside for one testicle.
The cancer was spread to other organs in his body and it was obvious the dog had been in pain. Neutering at the correct age would have prevented all the pain
these two went through.
I'd like to thank his sponsors, they helped so much in more ways than one! They were here to listen when I needed a shoulder to cry on. We gratefully acknowledge the following contributors.
Thank you so much!
Beatriz Contreras sponsored Sunny!
Sophie and Lily of Medford, Ma sponsored Sunny!
Suzanne Ream Sponsored Sunny!
