* After being in our care for eight months, Bear lost her battle with cancer. Our hearts go out to Bear’s foster mom and to everyone who met and fell in love with her. *

Bear came into Hamilton Animal Services after a house fire. Thankfully she was not injured. After many attempts to contact Bear’s owners after the allotted hold period at the shelter, Bear’s owners did not respond, nor did anyone come forward to claim her. We were thrilled to get Bear out of the shelter when a foster home opened up.

When she arrived at HAS, Bear was urinating blood. Shelter staff did blood and urine testing and started her on special food. By the time she came into our care, she wasn’t urinating as much blood, thankfully. At her initial vet visit after her rescue, another test showed that she still had blood in her urine, but we don’t know for sure what is causing it. Bear had xrays done while she was at the shelter, but they didn’t show anything out of the ordinary.

Bear’s body is riddled with arthritis. It’s severe in her back legs. Possibly from cruciate injuries in her past. She is also suffering from arthritis in her elbows and spine. Though she does enjoy walks, they can be a bit tough on her because of the arthritis and the excess weight she’s carrying. Our vet suggested physio and swim therapy, which we are currently looking into. For now, she’s been started on pain medication to help her be more comfortable.
Bear also needs a dental surgery for some broken and rotten teeth, but we need to sort out the urine issue before tackling that. Either way, she’ll need to lose at least twenty pounds before she can undergo any type of surgery. Her foster mom is ready for the challenge and has started Bear on her weight loss journey.

Our ultimate goal is finding Bear a forever home when she’s ready. We don’t know when that will be, but we’ll be with her every step of the way for however long it takes.

We got you, Bear!
❤️

UPDATE: March 11th, 2021

The good news: Bear has been doing very well with her weight loss journey. She’s up for longer walks now and she seems to be more comfortable. She’s a sweet and silly girl, and she loves her human foster mom and dog foster sister.
The bad news: Bear may have cancer. We’re still waiting for more tests to come back, but all other tests, xrays and an ultrasound are pointing towards a cancer diagnosis. Likely bladder cancer, but we don’t know yet for sure. She recently developed an issue with her eyes which is a condition that usually goes hand in hand with dogs who have cancer, so we are preparing ourselves for the possibility.
Once we have a solid answer, we’ll be able to make a treatment plan for Bear. She’s truly a gem, and we will help her through this whatever the outcome.

UPDATE: April 5th, 2021

Our vets are sure Bear has cancer, but the last round of tests showed that the cancer is not in Bear’s bladder, as was first thought. So, we’re now waiting to get an appointment at OVC so we can know for sure what type of cancer we’re dealing with, and so we can lay out a treatment plan for our sweet rottie girl. It’s tough not knowing exactly what we’re up against, but we’re doing out best to be patient. Fingers are crossed we’ll hear back from OVC soon so we can schedule an appointment. In the mean time, Bear is doing well! She’s having a bit of trouble with her mobility, but her foster mom has made some adjustments to her home to accommodate Bear’s needs. We’re so thankful Bear has such an amazing foster mom to take care of her.

UPDATE: April 26th, 2021

UPDATE: August 17th, 2021