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UPDATE 8/5/09
Reva has had some medical issues since she came to us. She ended up poking her eye and it didn't heal properly. The only way to get it to heal was to do surgery. We were suggested to bring her to an eye specialist who checked her out and said yes, only surgery would be able to help her eye to heal, and also there was a little bump under her eyelid that should be removed since it was probably irritating the eye and not helping the healing process. We asked if there was anyway to do it without having to put her totally under. She said she preferred to do it under full anesthesia but would try with just a local. This little girl was SO good she had no problems at all! Surgery went well and they sent the tiny bump off to see what it was. The eye healed up nicely but, then we got the bad news...the tiny bump was cancerous and a very aggressive type of cancer at that.
It was decided that a second opinion was needed as this type of cancer can sometimes look like a lesser aggressive type of cancer. So we wait. And when news comes back, it says the same thing as the first time...very bad cancer. So, options are weighed and it was decided that they will remove the entire upper eyelid and the eye...yes, just after we got her all fixed up! BUT, with catching the cancer so early, along with this aggressive surgery the specialist believes we have a very good chance that we would get it all and hopefully it will not come back.
So, they took out the whole upper left eyelid and enucleated (removed) her left eyeball. The surgery and anesthesia went very well and the eyelid will be submitted for biopsy. Dr. Warren said she didn't see any new growth that she could tell which is great but, they will know more when the biopsy comes back. In her words, she feels we have a good chance that this surgery could be curative for her.
Yes, this type of cancer usually comes back but, it doesn't always. We will keep Reva on the raw diet we put her on when we found out she had cancer in the first place, with no carbs or sugars (which cancer cells are supposed to feed off) for the rest of her life now, whether she remains with us or not. If she goes to a forever home we will stipulate that they continue this feeding so we can make sure to give her the best chance of not having a reoccurance of this cancer.
She was a pretty girl before her surgery, and even with only one eye she is just as beautiful. Once her fur grows back and and she adjusts to her new vision I don't think most people will notice she only has one eye unless they look really close.
This little girl is a trooper! She has such a warm and loving personality and she's had SUCH a rough time, she deserves to be happy and loved for the rest of her life. And hopefully with the surgery and her new diet it will be a nice long life that she has ahead of her.
Reva will never be a frogmom again. Along with her fellow retirees, Cambridge and April, she journeyed to sunny Florida in search of a new life. Their migration was headed up by a very special FBRN volunteer who went above and beyond to get the girls to their destination. When they were surrendered, she changed her vacation plans without batting an eye and loaded the three frogs, her own service dog, and another companion dog into a small sedan. Departing from Colorado, the entourage was hosted along the way by other volunteer families.
At five years old, Reva is not ready for the mahjong and shuffleboard set quite yet. But, she is definitely due for well-deserved rest and healing. Her body bears the scars from c-section deliveries, and just a little exertion makes her wheeze. Moreover, her hips look off, and on top of that, her teeth may need work. She will see a vet very soon, but for now she is just settling in. Her crate and x-pen are safe havens from which she is observing all the changes. Reva is a very shy and frightened little Frenchie who has won the loving heart of her foster mom.
Your 401k may not be as healthy as it once was, but Reva doesn’t have any nest egg at all. Can you help her out? Please click on her picture to the right and tell us it is for “Reva’s Retirement Fund.” |
