Operation K9 Rescue Happy Tails - Success Stories

Chopper
Chopper’s story is one that touched so many people. This sweetheart of a dog came into rescue through no fault of his own. We were contacted about an emaciated American Bulldog that needed our help. The owner had him since he was a puppy. After 5 years, he was dumped on family members by the owner. Well, the family didn't want the dog. Poor Chopper was being starved to death (literally) because no one in the house wanted to care for him. This is a dog that weighed only 81 lbs when he should have been around 100 lbs!!! Just a bag of bones! You just wanted to cry when you’d look at him. He was infested with fleas, had fly bites all over his body, was bleeding from his rectum, had a mass on his testicle, had callouses all over his legs & we had to pull a number of ticks off of him too. This poor boy’s allergies were so severe and neglected that he had lost quite a bit of fur from his face and paws. The bleeding from what looked like his rectum actually turned out to be from his anal glands. Both anal glands had burst because his allergies went untreated for so long. The pain must have been excruciating. We got him the vet care he needed and he was a sweetheart through it all. Not even a wimper! He was just so grateful for someone to help him. Things did not look good for him though. Dr. Wu at Banfield Veterinary Hospital in Rancho Santa Margarita suspected cancer in his testicle. Unfortunately, he was in such poor health that his body could not undergo the anesthesia for a biopsy. We had to wait until he gained some weight to find out what was wrong with him. Several weeks later, our worst fears were confirmed. The mass on his testicle was cancer. He had surgery right away to remove the mass. Surgery was a success. It turned out to be skin cancer, most likely a result of him being left outside without protection from the sun. Dr. Wu was able to get all of it without any harm to Chopper. We were so grateful! There was just something special about this big goofball of a dog. He has such an amazing temperament and love for life, despite his horrible past. Never one to pass up attention. And when he looks at you, his eyes have so much expression. It’s as if he’s saying “thank you for rescuing me.” Chopper is now living in Las Vegas with a family that thinks the world of him. He’s living the life he deserves and should have always had. And he’s adjusted quite well to living like a king.

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