Shadow

Little Shadow the shih tzu came to us at age 13, after spending many years living mostly in the back yard. Though inside sometimes, he was left outside whenever his person was at work. He suffered from allergies as is common with his breed, he’d never been neutered, he had serious eye issues also common to his breed, and his owner realized that she could not get him the care he needed. We discovered that he was essentially blind from long untreated “dry eye”, he had a big heart murmur, needed a dental, and had a tumor under his jaw. And of course he is “just built wrong” with crooked front legs, also common to the breed! Shadow has been remarkably adaptable and has kept his good nature through a cardiology consultation/echocardiogram, a neuter with dental work and removal of the tumor, an opthalmology exam, and treatment for his ear infections. He’s enjoying his Final Refuge home, frequent visits to the extended family, and walks with his new dog buddy as well as being an indoor dog at last. We hope he will stay healthy and comfortable for some time to come – such a nice little guy.

From his ODH mom: Shadow was a sweet old dog. He had a sweet gentle soul that attracted people to him. When he came to us a year and a half ago we learned to care for his bad skin, eyes and ears. He made great progress until he developed lung and heart problems (along with tumors on his liver and spleen) and the medication stopped helping. Pulmonary hypertension is what led to his passing. We knew his history and birthday and he would have turned 15 in another month. The memories of Shadow are wonderful and continue to make me smile. He loved going in the car, whether it was to visit friends or family, or to go for walks. Shadow loved to harvest and eat tomatoes off the vine. When he ran, his ears flapped up and down and gave me a chuckle every time. Of course he is still in my heart as well, and always will be. My emotional gains are many and I thank you Shadow.