Sadly Teddy went to the Rainbow Bridge on 18 November 2012 (Aged 10 years)

TEDDY [Aged 9 years] Adopted by
Peter Watts
28 January 2012

Fostered by : Sheryl Costin & Bec Clements (Captains Flat)

His story:
Teddy (was named Tacio) is a 9 year old tri-colour boy who was rescued from Blacktown Pound where he had been surrendered by his owners as they were moving interstate. It always amazes me that people can do this to a pet that has been a member of their family for so long
L

Note from the Co-ordinator:

Words cannot express my gratitude to Peter for giving Teddy such a wonderful home & for sticking with him despite the ups & downs. Thank you so much!

23/2/12 Teddy was diagnosed with Cushings Disease soon after he was taken on trial by Pete. We are extremely grateful to him for deciding to go ahead with the tests & treatment needed even though quite costly - many may have returned Teddy when it was diagnosed. We know that Teddy has found a wonderful forever home!!

31/5/12 Further to being diagnosed with Cushings, Teddy was found to be diabetic & has to be treated with insulin injections twice a day.

4/6/12 Even more bad news for Teddy L, he was found to have a tumour on his liver plus some bruising on it too. The tumour & part of the liver were removed & Teddy so far has pulled through. What a trooper this boy is & what a wonderful loving family he has found.

Gwenda

** Click on any of the photos below to see a larger version **
 
Notes from Teddy's new family:


18 November 2012

 

RIP Teddy 25 May 2002 - 18 November 2012

It is with a broken heart and incredible sadness that I announce that Teddy passed away at 1.20pm Saturday 18 November 2012. Result returned that all his organ were effected by the return of a liver tumor taken out in June. Teddy quickly slipped away in my arms surrounded by love. We gave our best and Teddy responded the same. He wasn't with us for long but he crept into all our hearts. Rest in peace our old boy.


4 June 2012

Hi Gwenda,

Further news on Teddy. From last Wednesday our lives have been crazy. On top of Teddy being diagnosed with diabetes, he started going down hill very quickly. At first the vet thought he had pancreatitis and Thursday night Teddy was transferred to the emergency pet hospital for overnight observation as our vet didn't have this. He was in a very bad way, not walking and just laying. The vet said that he may not make it. Friday we picked Teddy up first thing in the morning and he went straight back to our vet. By lunch he wasn't picking up and further test result came back telling us that he didn't have pancreatitis. The vet asked us if he could go in and do exploratory surgery to see what was going on and ask if he found anything bad if we want to wake Teddy up. The answers were obvious. Yes do the surgery, no don't wake him if it was bad news. An hour into the operation and I got another call. Teddy had a tumour on his liver the size of a twenty cent piece that they removed and the other side of his liver was bruised and unhealthy looking. They removed a total of 30% of his liver and Friday night was going to be the most precarious time for him in cases of survival. We have a soldier on our hands..........Teddy pulled through and he looks so much better. He came home Sunday afternoon for the night and he is back at the vet today for more tests. He will come home again tonight and we plan on keeping him home if we can. We have given him every change and done all we can, now it is up to him. This afternoon I pick him up and also learn to inject him with his insulin. We don't know the full results of pathology but we have everything crossed and our little man is a true Aussie fighter.

I will keep you updated and please let his foster home that he stayed in that he is hopefully on his way now to a full recovery and his health will now be under control. Let's hope we have many more years with this little soldier.

Pete

 

31 May 2012

Hi Gwenda,

I thought I would give you a little update on Ted. Teddy has been taking his medication for Cushings for some time now and we are still working on the correct dosage with our vet. During this time, Teddy has been doing well and he generally has been feeling and looking much better. He and Ally, our first Beagle are the best of mates and Ted has all his favourite snoozing places around the house. He snores like a an old man but hey, he has just turned ten.

Last Sunday Teddy started to go off his meals and by Tuesday night I could only get him to eat by hand feeding and even then he went off the food after a short time. He was still drinking like a thirsty camel and I decided enough was enough. I made an appointment for first thing on Wednesday morning with our vet and it turns out Teddy has developed canine diabetes on top of his Cushings disease. He is being treated and is starting insulin injections twice a day. I went to see this morning on my way work. It was heartbreaking seeing him having a glucose test and his little tail tucked between his legs. He saw me and started to wag his tail, coming over to me for cuddles and want to come home with me. He will be in the vets for few more days and we will bring him home on Sunday afternoon after learning how to inject the insulin for him. With regulated food and insulin along with his Cushings tablet, Teddy will begin to become healthier and lead a great life.

Ted is so much a part of our family and his absence last night was very much noticed. Ally was beside herself looking for him and she sat in all his places waiting for him, my partner mentioned how strange it was with him not home. We love the old man so much, we are so glad we happened to see Teddy the day we did and that he came to be with us. Thank you to beagle rescue for bring him into our lives.

Pete

 

27 February 2012

Teddy started his tablets on Thursday 23rd February. The vet told us to watch for different things with him and so far he is doing great guns. He goes back after two weeks to check his levels but he his not having any issues so for. In fact, I think Teddy is becoming a little more relaxed and at home. We went to Sydney over night last Saturday and when we got home we got a resounding welcome from both Ally and Teddy. He was so glad to see us. A lot of people have said that not many people would fork out the cash to help a stray with vet bills. We don't even think like that. Teddy is part of our family. He has fitted in so well and he should be happy and comfortable for the rest of his life.

OK, thanks again and chat soon.

Pete

 

23 February 2012

....all in all, we love Teddy and we think he feels the same.

Hi Gwenda,

It has been almost one month since Teddy came to live with us. He is one amazing boy to have been through such a journey recently and still be smiling. I have looked at the Beagle Rescue NSW site and have seen that Teddy is listed as adopted. In our eye's, he has been part of our family since day one. I just wanted to know officially that he is now with us forever and if I need to do anything more. I signed some paperwork and handed over some cash when we got Teddy but I just need to know about changing the microchip etc.

Some further background on Teddy since he came to us. Oh, I would love to leave a "Happy Tails" on Teddy too and will look into that at home once I get a chance. Teddy came to us Saturday 29th January 2012. We were a little concerned at his condition so we took him into our vet the next Saturday for a check up. After a few days were Teddy had to stay the day at the vet and doing x-rays and blood tests, we have Teddy diagnosed with Cushings Disease. It can't be cured but we can control it and after a bit of a wait for his tablets, today he will start one tablet a day for the rest of his life to help with the disease. He will have more blood tests in 2 weeks to see if his dosage needs adjusting but overall Teddy will start to look and feel much better. The vet said that in three months Teddy will be a new dog. With the disease, Teddy has a swollen liver which has pushed his stomach under his ribs, his coat is dull, he drinks excessive amounts of water, has a ferocious appetite, slight incontinent and generally doesn't feel well. Now with the tablets, Teddy will have a reversal of these symptoms. We are so happy that we found this out about Teddy and he has a chance to get better.

How is he getting on with us and his new friend Ally McBeagle? We love Teddy. He is a little naughty with coming into the kitchen but we will get that under control and we realise he is food driven with Cushings. Generally he has a great personality. He sleeps on a couch or doggy bed in the bedroom and wakes to a wagging tale every morning. He is always smiling. He and Ally get a morning treat and yesterday Teddy was so eager he went to the laundry cupboard where the treats are kept and got the liver straps out and carried to me and dropped them at my feet. He is so good, he didn't even attempt to open the packet. Ally and him have had their scraps but that is sorting out who sits where in pegging order. I always catch them playing with each other and often see Teddy wondering around the garden taking an adventure. Teddy is great with visitors and is really happy to be inside or out. We keep the door open for the dogs and they also have a dog door in the laundry. Ted loves his bell scratch or chest rub and even just to cuddle up. We call our other beagle Ally McBeagle and have taken to calling Teddy, Teddy McBeagle. It suits them so much, lol.

All in all, we love Teddy and we think he feels the same. We would appreciate if you could let us know any final details in officially adopting our little man. Oh by the way, we have contacted Shirley a few times with updates on Teddy and she is wonderful. It is great to know there are people like her out there.

Regards,

Pete

 

7 February 2012

....so I guess we would like to adopt the old boy
 

        

Hi Sheryl,

Just thought I would send an update and some pics of Teddy lazing aroung the house and exploring the yard to see if plums taste great.

We took Teddy to the vet last Saturday. She was a little concerned that he didn't look well and about his large and tight belly. We made arrangements for Teddy to return to the vet yesterday and have some x-rays and blood tests. Bottom line is they think Teddy may have Cushings Disease. We won't find out for sure until the blood tests are back and they didn't want to do the blood test without our nod because they say they are expensive. I told them to do the test and lets find out if it is or not.

When reading about Cushings Disease, it all makes sense with Teddy. The most common symptoms include: • increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia) • increased/excessive urination (polyuria) • urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs • increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia) • appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc. • sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance • weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution • loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss • bony, skull-like appearance of head • exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness • new reluctance to jump on furniture or people • excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on • symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso • other coat changes like dullness, dryness • slow regrowth of hair after clipping • thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin • easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly • hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis) • susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary) • diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures

Although Teddy doesn't have all these symptoms, he certainly has a lot of them. They x-ray showed an enlarged liver which has pushed his stomach up under his ribcage. Cushings can't be cured but it can be managed and it is often mistaken in older dogs for old age. One to two tablets a day can help to reverse the signs of this condition and it will give Teddy a better quality of life. The vet said it may take three months to get his medication correct and he kept telling me it may cost around $1000 in the first year to get it right. Well, Teddy has become part of the family. He has his naughty moments but by the sound of it, it may stem from Cushing's Disease. We plan to take the action of getting him straight on the medication if it is Cushing's and trying to give him a better quality of life. I guess in making this commitment to him we have decided that this is the home for him and that he is one of the gang. Ally and he are hanging out together a lot more, I have caught them playing together and generally they know where each other stands. Teddy loves to go into the kitchen but a symptom of Cushing's is trash dumping. So I guess we would like to adopt the old boy and give him his forever home. If you can let me know where we go from here, that would be great.

Chat again

Pete

 

31 January 2012

....we feel Teddy will be right at home very soon because he is so relaxed already.

Hi Sheryl,

I just wanted to put you out of your curiosity and let you know how Teddy has been over the last few days.

He is settling in really well for an old boy who has been in such transition. As you know, he is with Ally, our other beagle. He and Ally are still sniffing the territory out and where each of them are placed here but that is coming along at the moment. I will say that they have had two scuffles. Both occasions were over food. We expected that really so it came as no surprise. Yes Teddy sure does have food issues and we are on our way and set to help him out of that or at least try to control the issue.

The first afternoon and evening he was fine. Teddy explored the backyard and had some treats, all while Ally watched and tried to ignore him. Dinner time was the first scuffle. Teddy thought Ally's bowl looked lovely after he finished his and went over to it. Ally didn't like that so it all broke out. One bounce of a ball and Ally was off chasing it and had forgotten about the food. Teddy relaxed the rest of the night going between inside and out. He is allowed inside all day just like Ally but he is yet to discover the comfort of the couch as Ally has along time ago.

On Sunday I made the mistake of giving them half a marrow bone each. Teddy was ripping his apart and Ally hadn't bothered to even get up to look at hers when Teddy decided to take Ally's bone too. Again, Ally wasn't impressed and they had a go at each other for around ten seconds. I couldn't do much without being knocked over or biten so I let them go. Soon it was over, Ally had her bone and Teddy had set the scene as the boss. From then on there has only been the odd snarl but no fights. Ally is acting a little different and I think Teddy put her in her place and is the boss. It won't hurt Ally and she is still getting lots of cuddles and pats just like Teddy. We have taken to feeding dinner in different locations for now. Ally eats in, Teddy eats out. They see each other through the glass door and Ally now knows that if she doesn't finish and walks away, the bowl is taken away and she misses out. It is working so far.

Teddy has had a couple of "Teddy moments". He has had a pee on the tiles inside twice but that hasn't happened for a little while now. I put it down to marking territory and/or anxiety. Oh, he also thought that Sunday morning was a fantastic time to get stuck into the barley sugar left out on the coffee table. He was also caught trying to gain entry to the garbage bin in the kitchen.

All in all so far he has been what we expected. He is loving his belly rubs and cuddles and is learning about the brush and not to go into the kitchen. We both feel that the food issue can be controled and we are patting him when he has treats or dinner so he knows we are not going to take it away. Maybe he never knew where the next meal was coming from. We are going to pop him into the vet for a check up soon and he and Ally are both going for a shower on the weekend. I am trying to introduce things slowly for him so he copes.

He isn't a bad boy at all. He and Ally are settling in together and snoozing not far from each other. We feel he will be right at home very soon because he is so relaxed already.

Well enough for now. I will update you again soon.

Chat soon,

Pete

 

28 January 2011

     

Here is the Tedster with his new sister, Ally and then driving off (they brought 2 cars so that Teddy wouldn't feel threatened). Gwenda, Ally is from Shirley Fraser in Armidale and she is beautiful.

Teddy must have liked them - he looked them straight in the eyes and said hello the moment he saw them.

Sheryl (Teddy's foster carer)

 



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