Ellie:  Hold

Arrived at CTDR 11/04 - diagnosed with Advanced Lung Disease and Malignant Oral Melanoma.

Ellie is a beautiful 12 pound sweetie who had a rough life before she came to us. She has a tattoo in her ear with a huge notch, indicating that she came from a puppy mill. When they were done using her to pump out puppies, they discarded her, and she ended up at the pound. Despite all of this, she has such a winning personality with incredible charm. She would love to spend all of her time in your lap, looking up at you with those big brown eyes. She also loves to wag her tail. And wag and wag and wag her tail! When she first came into her foster home she picked up a stuffed toy and started to play. It was probably the first time she ever had a toy!

She had her vaccinations and was luckily heartworm negative. She needed major dental work, but bounced right back after that. Then she went on to be spayed and have mammary tumors removed, which is very common in dogs that have been used as breeders. After a rough couple of days she was back to her charming self, enjoying the sun, napping, and begging for attention. We thought the future was looking brighter for Ellie and that this Southern Belle might finally find her forever home. But soon after Ellie started coughing and we knew something was very wrong. Ellie's foster mom took her into the vet for x-rays, and our worst fears were confirmed. We have no idea what she was exposed to in her previous life, but her lungs are full of spots and has advanced respiratory disease. The decision was made to make her a Hospice Care dog.

In September of 2008 she had a growth removed from her left lip, and a biopsy came back with malignant oral melanoma, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. Luckily they got good margins and she is stage one. Her prognosis is about 15 months, but x-rays show some new spots in her lungs. We will continue to monitor the progress of her lungs. Because she is stage 1 cancer she will not benefit from the oral melanoma vaccine that is available, so she will not receive treatment.

Life before CTDR was not easy for Ellie. But since coming here she has been so happy, and her tail never stops wagging. She is such a doll - a real sweetheart. We will keep her comfortable for as long as possible, and be sure that her last days are happy.