BEAUFORT, SC........NORMAN is a very special 7 year old Rottweiler that was abandoned on the side of the road in Beaufort, SC. He was seen dragging a massive Tumor that we eventually found out weighted 12 pounds once it was removed. You can see from the picture above the raw red area where the tumor had to be dragged because of it’s massive size. Norman is also emaciated so dragging around something that takes up 25% of your entire body weight is very difficult. We were contacted by Animal Control a week ago to see if we would take Norman into our Medical Program. If we said no, they were going to immediately put him down because he was in such horrible shape. How anyone could have abandoned an animal as sweet as Norman is mind-boggling. Our dear boy was in terrible pain and appeared to have been this way for a very long time. He was so emaciated that he could no longer stand up straight with the weight on the tumor pulling him down. Norman was immediately taken to the Emergency Care Facility in Charleston, SC where he was given an extensive work-up. There were so many things wrong with Norman that it required a Team of Surgeons, Oncologist, and ER Physicians to determine the best course of action to save him. The first thing we had to do was give him a transfusion to stabilize him. He was terribly anemic from lack of food, parasites and a growth that was literally taking all his nourishment to survive and boy was it surviving. As you can see from the scan above, the tumor is a bone tumor that came from the leg bone and grew out from there. For Norman to live, the entire leg had to be removed since the tumor had become a major part of the leg. Before we could do surgery, we had to figure out how we could even sedate him since he was high heartworm positive. The chances of him coming out of surgery were not good. According to the doctors over his case, his chances were terrible. After four days, everyone got together and came up with a plan. It was risky, but it was the best chance he had. Norman received several transfusions before his procedure because we knew he would have massive bleeding from removing the leg. He was given special meds to give him the best possible chance of surviving the die off of heartworms while under anesthesia. All the stars were aligned and our wonderful boy survived his procedure. We were all on pins and needles for the next 4 days to make sure the heartworms did not cause him to go into respiratory distress or throw a clot. I am happy to say, Norman survived it all with flying colors. As a matter of fact, he got up several hours after surgery and was walking around as a tripod without any problems. We LOVE this wonderful boy. He is a wonderful reminder of why we all love animals and their unconditional love. He is the kind of dog you just want to curl up and spoon with all day long. Norman will soon leave the hospital to go into a foster home where he will be on a strict regime to get him over his heartworms and to keep him comfortable. We are still waiting for the final biopsy to come back. At that time, we will determine if chemo will be required. We did a scan of his entire body and did not find any new masses that we were concerned with. The outcome for Norman is wonderful. Once he has completed the next two months of treatments, he can then be adopted. Norman will fit into any home and loves everyone. If you are interested in our dear boy, please, fill out our Adoption Application below.
Sweet Norman is doing wonderful. It is amazing how relieved he is to not have to carry around a 12 pound tumor any longer. His biopsy came back and the cancer was confined to the mass and bone in his leg only. Our boy does not have to have any chemo or radiation. As you can see from the picture above he has been moved to our training facility where he will be evaluated before he is placed in a wonderful home. We got hundreds of e-mails saying he was a pure breed Rottie. We listed him as a Shepherd Mix when we first got him because he looked like one. As he is gaining weight, he is looking more like a Rottie every day. Norman is still very skinny and has already gained over 5 pounds. We took into consideration the 14 pounds he lost by removing his leg and the tumor. When he fills out he may very well be a Rottie. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, he is the sweetest boy and loves everyone. He is still getting used to not having the tumor and leg but has adapted far better than we expected. If you want a loyal companion to love you forever, dear Norman is it. He is an incredibly sweet boy.
Our sweet boy Norman is doing incredible since we removed the huge tumor and his rear leg. He is such a wonderful dog that loves everyone and will make a wonderful addition to any Family.
Norman finally got his staples out and has finally gotten a much needed bath. He is a happy boy that has adapted so well as a tripod. Not having to carry around a 12 pound tumor has put a smile on his face. We love this dear boy and want him to have the best Family that will love and adore him like we do.
