Claire

Age
6

State
MN

A little about me...
Claire arrived as a 2 year old foster dog in 2019, through local rescue. She arrived a month late because the shelter said she had just weaned pups, was very underweight, and tested positive for Ehrlichia. I adopted her a few weeks after arrival. When she arrived, it was clear that the shelter had not mentioned she had a severely dislocated hip, and could not walk on it. The rescue arranged an FHO surgery (Femoral Head Osteotomy) with a veterinary orthopedist. I paid for her physical therapy. After another month, it was clear that something was still wrong. New x-rays showed that she needed more of the femoral head removed. A different orthopedist did the second FHO. This time it worked. While she healed much better, she never liked physical therapy, and refused to do her exercises there or at home. Eventually, she walked pretty well, although she continued to hop if she walked too far. Acupuncture, laser, and chiropractic treatments helped her quite a bit. In July of 2023, her appetite waned, and I took her to the vet. That morning she had not eaten at all. After a long day of testing and imaging, we learned that she was full of cancer and hemorrhaging into her belly. That afternoon, I said goodbye to this darling little lady. She was only 6 years old. Nurse Iris (Border Collie - see Iris' bio) came to Claire's appointments with her that last day, and was with us when Claire passed.