Wrigley is a very special boy with some special needs GRFR would like to let you know about.  Wrigley was attacked by a large dog
when he was very little.  He's healing up from that traumatic experience very nicely thanks to a wonderful vet in his home town however
he does need  some continuing physical therapy to help with the scar tissue and keep his muscles and shoulder moving smoothly.  
Wrigley is currently being  seen twice a week at CRCG in Broomfield.  They do have a location in Englewood and one in Loveland so 
his forever family can continue those treatments (10 total) at GRFR's expense.  Once these treatments are complete he'll need some 
continued range of motion exercises that his family can handle from home.  Wrigley also may have some hip dysplasia in one hip.  
This is unfortunately quite common in golden retrievers and can usually be treated non-surgically with glucosomine supplements for life
and keeping Wrigley on the skinny side.  Lastly Wrigley does have a minor heart murmur, this is nothing to worry about, it is something 
that needs to be brought to your vets attention prior to anesthesia for any future surgical procedures...otherwise Wrigley will lead a 
happy normal golden life.  

GRFR's total expenses for physical therapy and vet bills are approx $600.00

Snickers is a 1 1/2 year old golden mix and is oh so very handsome.  Snickers is a typical happy retriever boy 
who's still working on some of his basic manners; however, Snickers has some more pressing issues in the 
meantime.  Snickers was found as a stray and was limping badly on his right front leg.  After consulting
with our orthopedic specialist in Colorado, it was determined that Snickers has bilateral elbow dysplasia.  The
doctors will perform arthroscopic surgery on both elbows at the same time.  Recovery isn't quite as daunting 
as with many other orthopedic  procedures.  As if that was not enough, Snickers was also diagnosed with a 
medial luxating patella - basically his knee cap floats around so GRFR will be scheduling a 2nd surgical procedure  
once he's healed up from the first one.  He'll need to be kept slim and trim for the rest of his life to give his joints 
the best chance at being pain-free and he'll need glucosomine supplements forever.  In the meantime GRFR will 
be paying between $2600 and $3000 for his two procedures.  Please consider donating towards Snickers' surgery.  
He'll kiss you later I'm sure.


 

Meet Lucky, an 8 year-old, purebred Golden boy. Lucky was brought into rescue by GRFR after he 
was found as a stray in the midwest.  It was immediately determined that he was blind and in poor 
shape overall.  He was very thin due to a bad case of intestinal worms and his heartworm test turned 
out to be positive.  Luckily GRFR has successfully treated many heartworm positive dogs over the 
years so he was transported to Colorado.  Lucky spent a few weeks in foster care regaining his strength
and visiting the vet on a regular basis to determine the cause of some other medical issues that arose, 
most from his former life of neglect. Lucky also saw an eye specialist where is was determined that his 
eye issues were genetic and there is nothing medically GRFR can do for him there.  Lucky is currently 
on an inexpensive ace-inhibitor drug for his kidneys and doing great -so - now he can be treated for his 
heartworm.  Lucky's total bills will most likely be around $2000.00, a bit more than GRFR was 
expecting but once you meet Lucky you'll know why everyone is willing to go the extra mile for this 
boy....he's quite a charmer to say the least.
 
Heartworm is a curable and preventable disease.  Lucky is undergoing heartworm treatment currently 
and available for adoption.  He'll be on a no-activity schedule until the end of February at which time 
Lucky will be able to resume his regular walks.

Tucker is a 4 year-old purebred Golden boy that GRFR agreed to bring  into rescue and 
treat for heartworm.  In fact, once Tucker arrived he was also diagnosed with hip and 
elbow dysplasia.  Tucker just underwent an FHO surgery (femoral head ostectomy) on his 
right hip.  Now that this procedure is completed, he'll take a couple of weeks' rest and then have 
his heartworm  treatment.  Tucker's surgery and heartworm treatments will cost  approximately
 $2000.00 all together.  GRFR is happy that we could step up to help Tucker, but his 
orthopedic issues were unexpected.
 
If you would like to donate towards Tucker's FHO surgery and heartworm treatment, 
please click on the link below.  Tucker says, "Thank you!"

Meet Tanner, an adorable 3 year old golden mix. His fox-like face and his sweet personality 
will have you at hello.  Tanner was diagnosed with bi-lateral hip dysplasia shortly after arriving 
in foster care.   That means, to put it bluntly, he has bad hips.  GRFR will be paying for FHO 
(femoral head ostectomy) surgery - one hip at a time of course.  Recovery from FHO is fairly 
straight forward with at-home range of motion exercises and short walks as prescribed - however 
it is a costly procedure.  Tanner's total surgical bill will be a little over $2000.00  Please let us 
know if you are interested in helping out with sweet Tanner's surgery.  He certainly deserves a 
pain-free life and GRFR is glad to help him along that road.

Duke arrived in GRFR's care with a multitude of health issues.  He had bi-lateral ear infections 
(interior/exterior) - anemia - heartworm  positive - unneutered.  Duke was immediately put on
antibiotics and  steroids to get his ears to the point that they could even be properly  examined. 
In the meantime his anemia needed time to improve and he developed a bad case of an upper 
respiratory illness and pancreatitis.  It was touch and go for several days but thanks to GRFR's 
amazing  vets and several GRFR volunteers visiting him around the clock, Duke hung in there 
and is now healthy enough to undergo his neuter surgery and finally get his heartworm treated.
Thanks to the amazing  work from his foster family in administering his ear meds Duke will be 
able to avoid ear surgery.   Duke's total medical costs will probably  be between $3000 to $3500
when all is said and done.  GRFR would like  to thank Animal Health Care Specialists in Denver 
for all of their  help.  They all fell in love with him during his week long stay there, and a special
thanks to Duke's amazing foster family.

Porsche is a tiny (20lb or so) 2 yr old retriever mix and a special  needs girl. Porsche has been 
diagnosed with Diffuse Cerebellar  Dysfunction.  She basically has a brain deformity that makes
it  difficult for her to walk.  She's learning to walk with the help of a harness and doing quite well 
with that.  We are hoping her adaptive skills will improve over time but she'll never gain complete
control  of her limbs.  She is potty trained if you watch her cues.  Porsche is  currently being seen
by the neurologist at VRCC, whom GRFR has worked with in the past.  Porsche is looking for a 
very special home that  will cater to her special needs.  Her life expectancy is normal.  She may 
eventually do well with a cart of some kind that could be used for longer walks and GRFR will be 
looking into physical therapy options.
 
Porsche was brought to GRFR through the efforts of Wags and Menace  Make a Difference 
Foundation. (www.wagsandmenace.org)  Wags and Menace is sponsoring all of Porsche's 
medical and physical therapy expenses.  GRFR is proud to be working with Wags and Menace
to help Porsche live a long and happy life.  If you would like to donate to Wags and Menace to 
support Porsche's care please visit their website.