NBR: WWYD - Dog edition

Kinipela7

My dog (Beagle) is 9 years old.  He has always been pretty healthy with minor issues coming up every now and again. Every time I take him to the vet, the vet is very through and always finds another issue to bring up each time.  Irregular heartbeats....lump on his knee, teeth cleaning - just stuff they want you to fix regardless if it's a problem or not.   I took him in yesterday to get some eye drops for his red eye and they found a small lump on the side of his neck.  You cannot see the lump from the outside and I'm not convinced I have felt the lump yet.  I keep trying to find it but I haven't been able to feel it.  The doc said that he could do a procedure where he could stick a needle into it and test it to see if its cancerous or not.  He said that because the location of it being on his neck, things could go wrong since it's close to lots of major things.  He also mentioned that it's possible that they can test it and not find out anything due to a bad sample (something with it being too bloody).  He told me he would research it and talk to the surgeon and would call me back.  He called back and said the surgeon suggest we remove it without doing the test.  The surgery is $3500.  I've been reading online that a lot of people went ahead with the surgery and their dogs never recovered (or even died a few months later) or their quality of life after surgery wasn't good.  Nothing seems to be bothering him at all and we just came in from a 3 mile walk.  He has no symptoms of cancer and his quality of life is excellent.  We exercise, he eats well, he sleeps well.  All I want for him is to live a good rest of his life and I'm not sure which way to go.  What would you do if you were me?

SA1112

My parents dog has a few fatty tumors that are completely benign. I would not do the surgery without first testing it to see what it is. If it is cancer you can decide from there. It might be nothing so I would opt to test it first.

tiffany&brian7

I had a similar issues with my english bulldog. He had a lump the size of a golf ball. Our vet did a sample and didn't think it was too serious and gave us some pills for a bacterial infection. He took them twice a day for 2 weeks and it cleared up.

MaidMarion25

I would go and get a second opinion from another vet, if they don't find anything it sounds like your vet just wants your money. If he is happy and has a good quality of life right now, I wouldn't worry too much about it

Kinipela7

tiffany&brian7 said:

I had a similar issues with my english bulldog. He had a lump the size of a golf ball. Our vet did a sample and didn't think it was too serious and gave us some pills for a bacterial infection. He took them twice a day for 2 weeks and it cleared up.

Was it the test where he stuck a needle into it?

nunzchucks

Agree with PPs. Our Boston had a lump that turned out to be an abscess. The vet aspirated it and sent the fluid for testing and it was fine. Test only cost $150. I'd test first.

tiffany&brian7

Ya they stuck a needle in it and put it on a slide and looked at it under a microscope.

Kinipela7

The doc seemed the think the test in itself was risky.  He really said on the phone "I don't think he would bleed to death but you don't know".  He also stated that he didn't really WANT to do the test and he would rather the surgeon do the test which is 400.  If the vet did it himself it would be 150.

dragonfly711

Irregular heartbeats....lump on his knee, teeth cleaning - just stuff they want you to fix regardless if it's a problem or not.   

Ok first these things can be a huge issue.  The lump on his knee could be many things from nothing to cancer.  Teeth cleaning is huge, dental disease is a major concern in dogs and cats and can lead to heart, kidney, and other issues.  Bacteria on the teeth can get into the blood stream.  I used to do dentals at the animal hospital I worked at and you would be amazed how bad dogs teeth can get and how much they can affect a dogs health.

Being proactive makes it better for the dog and less expensive later on for you as well.

Irregular heartbeats can be a concern especially if you want to do a dental on your dog before putting the dog under anesthesia you would want to make sure that those are not a concern.

Ok now for the lump on the neck.  Sometimes lumps that the Dr finds can be hard for you to notice, they have been doing this for a while so they are more apt to notice them. Since I know how tight $$$ can be instead of doing the surgery I would say tell him that you would be ok doing the needle aspirate.  That is taking a sample with a needle.  They can send this to the lab to see what it is.  Sometimes it is nothing but other times I have seen the smallest little lump could be a mass tumor or some other type of cancer.  The dog is fine, healthy otherwise but now this shows up.  

Finding out what it is early on can save in the future.  If it is cancer and you take it off now it will be a less involved surgery and will be less expensive.

If you dont want to do anything now you can always watch the area, try to see if you can find it, it can be tough.  When you do or have the vet shave the area for you so you can monitor and see if it grows.

I have a jack russell that is going to be 13 next month.  He has a grade 4 hear murmur, he goes to the cardiologist yearly to have it monitored.  He also needs a dental bad but I am not able to give him one until he is cleared by the cardiologist.  Right now he is going in on Monday for his annual exam and also blood work since he has lost 2.5 pounds.

I had a cat that would vomit once in awhile after eating, I figured he was just eating too quick.  After watching him for awhile I noticed he started not eating that much and lost a little weight.  Within 2 months, he went from perfectly healthy to having exploratory surgery, a feeding tube in, blood work was fine and at the end ended up having to put him to sleep.  

We did biopsies post putting him to sleep and found out that he had primary lung cancer ( not seen often usually cancer will spread to the lungs) Cancer can show up in so many strange ways.  

If you have any questions feel free to message me.  I know it can be a hard decision.

hollyfp

I would have the aspiration sample done to test it first.

My dog had 3 lumps and we went ahead and had them removed because 1) aspiration was inconclusive; 2) she's big and we didn't want to have to anesthetize her twice possibly (once for biopsy, once for possible surgery); and 3) the vet thought that due to the size and because they were hard, they were likely cancerous.

Her recovery was sooo rough.  She got a LOT of greys from it ... it was so stressful for her (and us!). I would not ever put her through something like that again unless I knew for sure it was necessary.

ETA- they ended up being benign.  I felt so guilty for putting her through that for nothing!!

Additionally, that cost sounds really high compared to what we paid to have 3 tumors removed, and we are in NJ high COL.

Kinipela7

dragonfly711 said:

Irregular heartbeats....lump on his knee, teeth cleaning - just stuff they want you to fix regardless if it's a problem or not.   

Ok first these things can be a huge issue.  The lump on his knee could be many things from nothing to cancer.  Teeth cleaning is huge, dental disease is a major concern in dogs and cats and can lead to heart, kidney, and other issues.  Bacteria on the teeth can get into the blood stream.  I used to do dentals at the animal hospital I worked at and you would be amazed how bad dogs teeth can get and how much they can affect a dogs health.

Being proactive makes it better for the dog and less expensive later on for you as well.

Irregular heartbeats can be a concern especially if you want to do a dental on your dog before putting the dog under anesthesia you would want to make sure that those are not a concern.

Ok now for the lump on the neck.  Sometimes lumps that the Dr finds can be hard for you to notice, they have been doing this for a while so they are more apt to notice them. Since I know how tight $$$ can be instead of doing the surgery I would say tell him that you would be ok doing the needle aspirate.  That is taking a sample with a needle.  They can send this to the lab to see what it is.  Sometimes it is nothing but other times I have seen the smallest little lump could be a mass tumor or some other type of cancer.  The dog is fine, healthy otherwise but now this shows up.  

Finding out what it is early on can save in the future.  If it is cancer and you take it off now it will be a less involved surgery and will be less expensive.

If you dont want to do anything now you can always watch the area, try to see if you can find it, it can be tough.  When you do or have the vet shave the area for you so you can monitor and see if it grows.

I have a jack russell that is going to be 13 next month.  He has a grade 4 hear murmur, he goes to the cardiologist yearly to have it monitored.  He also needs a dental bad but I am not able to give him one until he is cleared by the cardiologist.  Right now he is going in on Monday for his annual exam and also blood work since he has lost 2.5 pounds.

I had a cat that would vomit once in awhile after eating, I figured he was just eating too quick.  After watching him for awhile I noticed he started not eating that much and lost a little weight.  Within 2 months, he went from perfectly healthy to having exploratory surgery, a feeding tube in, blood work was fine and at the end ended up having to put him to sleep.  

We did biopsies post putting him to sleep and found out that he had primary lung cancer ( not seen often usually cancer will spread to the lungs) Cancer can show up in so many strange ways.  

If you have any questions feel free to message me.  I know it can be a hard decision.

I agree that the previously mentioned things could always lead to big things.  I've been following the vet's advice on these things and he says none of these things are needed now.  The lump on his knee has also disappeared.

I would be more inclined to do the needle testing thing if the vet himself said he wasn't so sure about it himself.

MrsCase1

I wouldn't do the surgery. My dog had breast cancer when she was only 5 (she is a tiny breed so her life expectancy is long, versus a larger breed.) Anyway, the surgery cost a small fortune. I said to my vet in advance that if she was just going to get more cancer or have a crappy quality of life, then I refuse to do the surgery. My vet totally agreed with me. I think as a vet, she doesn't like for animals to needlessly suffer. Do you love and trust this vet? I loved and trusted that vet. She had the surgery and was totally fine. She never found or recommended obscure things, which put me at ease. When we moved out of state and I wanted a second opinion, I totally called her on the phone and she gave me great medical advice. Maybe a second opinion would be better?

dragonfly711

Kinipela7 said:

dragonfly711 said:

Irregular heartbeats....lump on his knee, teeth cleaning - just stuff they want you to fix regardless if it's a problem or not.   

Ok first these things can be a huge issue.  The lump on his knee could be many things from nothing to cancer.  Teeth cleaning is huge, dental disease is a major concern in dogs and cats and can lead to heart, kidney, and other issues.  Bacteria on the teeth can get into the blood stream.  I used to do dentals at the animal hospital I worked at and you would be amazed how bad dogs teeth can get and how much they can affect a dogs health.

Being proactive makes it better for the dog and less expensive later on for you as well.

Irregular heartbeats can be a concern especially if you want to do a dental on your dog before putting the dog under anesthesia you would want to make sure that those are not a concern.

Ok now for the lump on the neck.  Sometimes lumps that the Dr finds can be hard for you to notice, they have been doing this for a while so they are more apt to notice them. Since I know how tight $$$ can be instead of doing the surgery I would say tell him that you would be ok doing the needle aspirate.  That is taking a sample with a needle.  They can send this to the lab to see what it is.  Sometimes it is nothing but other times I have seen the smallest little lump could be a mass tumor or some other type of cancer.  The dog is fine, healthy otherwise but now this shows up.  

Finding out what it is early on can save in the future.  If it is cancer and you take it off now it will be a less involved surgery and will be less expensive.

If you dont want to do anything now you can always watch the area, try to see if you can find it, it can be tough.  When you do or have the vet shave the area for you so you can monitor and see if it grows.

I have a jack russell that is going to be 13 next month.  He has a grade 4 hear murmur, he goes to the cardiologist yearly to have it monitored.  He also needs a dental bad but I am not able to give him one until he is cleared by the cardiologist.  Right now he is going in on Monday for his annual exam and also blood work since he has lost 2.5 pounds.

I had a cat that would vomit once in awhile after eating, I figured he was just eating too quick.  After watching him for awhile I noticed he started not eating that much and lost a little weight.  Within 2 months, he went from perfectly healthy to having exploratory surgery, a feeding tube in, blood work was fine and at the end ended up having to put him to sleep.  

We did biopsies post putting him to sleep and found out that he had primary lung cancer ( not seen often usually cancer will spread to the lungs) Cancer can show up in so many strange ways.  

If you have any questions feel free to message me.  I know it can be a hard decision.

I agree that the previously mentioned things could always lead to big things.  I've been following the vet's advice on these things and he says none of these things are needed now.  The lump on his knee has also disappeared.

I would be more inclined to do the needle testing thing if the vet himself said he wasn't so sure about it himself.

yeah I read that after I posted.  If he is concerned, that worries me that it is might not be something simple.  Did he have any idea of what it might be?  Why he is so concerned it will bleed?

Kinipela7

dragonfly711 said:

Kinipela7 said:

dragonfly711 said:

Irregular heartbeats....lump on his knee, teeth cleaning - just stuff they want you to fix regardless if it's a problem or not.   

Ok first these things can be a huge issue.  The lump on his knee could be many things from nothing to cancer.  Teeth cleaning is huge, dental disease is a major concern in dogs and cats and can lead to heart, kidney, and other issues.  Bacteria on the teeth can get into the blood stream.  I used to do dentals at the animal hospital I worked at and you would be amazed how bad dogs teeth can get and how much they can affect a dogs health.

Being proactive makes it better for the dog and less expensive later on for you as well.

Irregular heartbeats can be a concern especially if you want to do a dental on your dog before putting the dog under anesthesia you would want to make sure that those are not a concern.

Ok now for the lump on the neck.  Sometimes lumps that the Dr finds can be hard for you to notice, they have been doing this for a while so they are more apt to notice them. Since I know how tight $$$ can be instead of doing the surgery I would say tell him that you would be ok doing the needle aspirate.  That is taking a sample with a needle.  They can send this to the lab to see what it is.  Sometimes it is nothing but other times I have seen the smallest little lump could be a mass tumor or some other type of cancer.  The dog is fine, healthy otherwise but now this shows up.  

Finding out what it is early on can save in the future.  If it is cancer and you take it off now it will be a less involved surgery and will be less expensive.

If you dont want to do anything now you can always watch the area, try to see if you can find it, it can be tough.  When you do or have the vet shave the area for you so you can monitor and see if it grows.

I have a jack russell that is going to be 13 next month.  He has a grade 4 hear murmur, he goes to the cardiologist yearly to have it monitored.  He also needs a dental bad but I am not able to give him one until he is cleared by the cardiologist.  Right now he is going in on Monday for his annual exam and also blood work since he has lost 2.5 pounds.

I had a cat that would vomit once in awhile after eating, I figured he was just eating too quick.  After watching him for awhile I noticed he started not eating that much and lost a little weight.  Within 2 months, he went from perfectly healthy to having exploratory surgery, a feeding tube in, blood work was fine and at the end ended up having to put him to sleep.  

We did biopsies post putting him to sleep and found out that he had primary lung cancer ( not seen often usually cancer will spread to the lungs) Cancer can show up in so many strange ways.  

If you have any questions feel free to message me.  I know it can be a hard decision.

I agree that the previously mentioned things could always lead to big things.  I've been following the vet's advice on these things and he says none of these things are needed now.  The lump on his knee has also disappeared.

I would be more inclined to do the needle testing thing if the vet himself said he wasn't so sure about it himself.

yeah I read that after I posted.  If he is concerned, that worries me that it is might not be something simple.  Did he have any idea of what it might be?  Why he is so concerned it will bleed?

He said because it's the neck which is attached to a lot of veins/vessels and such.

Kinipela7

He didn't actually say what he thought it might be - he said he didn't know.  He said it could be something and it could be nothing.  Real helpful huh!?

AnnaKaie

My parent's dog has a lump on its side. My dad's brother is their vet and he said to just watch it for now.

Kinipela7

Thanks for the replies and experiences shared!  I'm going to watch it for now.  He is due for his shots next month so I will be taking him to a different vet (one that is highly rated in my area) and see if they mention it!  

dragonfly711

Kinipela7 said:

Thanks for the replies and experiences shared!  I'm going to watch it for now.  He is due for his shots next month so I will be taking him to a different vet (one that is highly rated in my area) and see if they mention it!  

good plan, just watch it.  Just know that if it is small the next vet might not pick it up.  I dont know how many times a client will tell us that they felt a lump and you go to check for it and the vet and the owner both cant find it.  

You might want to see if you can find it just feel around in that area and see if you do you might want to ask the next vet to look at it and see what they say.

My jack has a lump that is the size of a dime, some days I can feel it sometimes I can, so annoying!!! lolj

Let me know how it turns out next month!!

Kinipela7

If they don't find it themselves, I'm going to still bring it up and ask them to check around for it.  I'm interested to see if they even find it.  Either way, I'm excited to get into a better vet - I never really loved the place he is at now but it's convenient since it's right across the street!

dragonfly711

Kinipela7 said:

If they don't find it themselves, I'm going to still bring it up and ask them to check around for it.  I'm interested to see if they even find it.  Either way, I'm excited to get into a better vet - I never really loved the place he is at now but it's convenient since it's right across the street!

sound like a plan. Good idea.  Like you said even if they dont find it let them know about it and see what they say.  You dont have to say what your old vet said see what they say after you tell them about the lump and when they find it.  Good luck!!!  Yeah my vet is an hour away bringing my guys on MOnday since I have off.  I worked there for over 11 yrs so will not go anywhere else.

CrysW08

I would get a second opinion first. But, if even testing the lump is dangerous, I think I'd just wait & monitor it for growth.

lellymine

My parents have a beagle as well, he's 14 now. A few years ago the dr found a lump on his neck, tested it and found it wasn't cancer but because it was on his neck somehow it attached to the blood vessels (I think it was the vessels) and it grew so much! They ended up doing the surgery to remove the lump and it went well. His quality of life has totally improved because the lump was getting in the way of sleeping and putting strain on his front leg. The scar is pretty intense but he healed great and he's still doing great and the lump hasn't returned.

If the picture is enlarged you can see the incision right after his surgery.

dragonfly711

lellymine said:

My parents have a beagle as well, he's 14 now. A few years ago the dr found a lump on his neck, tested it and found it wasn't cancer but because it was on his neck somehow it attached to the blood vessels (I think it was the vessels) and it grew so much! They ended up doing the surgery to remove the lump and it went well. His quality of life has totally improved because the lump was getting in the way of sleeping and putting strain on his front leg. The scar is pretty intense but he healed great and he's still doing great and the lump hasn't returned. If the picture is enlarged you can see the incision right after his surgery.

most of the time they do really well having them taken off.  The smaller the mass the better.  Much easier surgery.  Looks good, glad he is doing well!!!!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

MrsRahl

danielle4348 said:

My golden had a large mass on his neck that evidently grew very very quickly (he was 11). We had taken him to the vet about 2 months prior for his yearly shots/exam and nothing was found. Fast forward the couple of months and we noticed he was not eating well and one morning coughed up some blood. He unfortuantely had to be put to sleep that day as the vet said the mass was now baseball sized. They did a biopsy and it was a fast spreading cancer and he was starting to suffer. I was so upset that we didn't know about it but our vet said, we would have had a hard time feeling the mass ourselves due to its position.

Sorry to share my sad story, just wanted to give a different perspective. If I was in your situation, I would be getting a second opinion and likely have the biopsy done but delay the surgery until you know what you are dealing with. As the vet said, it could likely be nothing. However because of what I experienced, I would  be checking for growth often.

I had a golden retriever who had all kind of benign tumors starting when he was about 6.  He had one the size of a grapefruit on his tail, but they poked it, and it was all clear fluid.  However, he did start to have trouble breathing when he was 12.  He would puke up all his food, and then just wouldn't eat canned dog food (which he LOVED so I knew there was a big problem) so I took him in for an xray, and he had a tumor near his lung.  The tumors inside burst just 2 weeks later and he bled internally. By the time I got him to the vet to put him down, he was almost gone on his own.  I was a WRECK!!! However, with him being 12, I couldn't justify spending thousands for surgery that may only prolong his life a year or so (this like I said was only 2 weeks prior).  OP Your dog being 9 is not that old, but I understand your pup is getting up there in the years. I think it's really just a personal decision, but for me, like I said those tumors started when Scooter was only 6 and lived to be 12.  He was running around active until a month before he died.  He declined very quickly.  You being his mamma will know him best. I'm sorry like PP said to give you this sad story, but maybe it can help you come to your own decision.

LKHoffa

I agree with the poster who asked how much you trust your vet. Our old vet was WONDERFUL, and I would definitely have followed any of her recommendations. The new vet we saw at the same office is...competent. If we had a real issue, I would do my own research (like you!) and get a second opinion.

dragonfly711

danielle4348 said:

My golden had a large mass on his neck that evidently grew very very quickly (he was 11). We had taken him to the vet about 2 months prior for his yearly shots/exam and nothing was found. Fast forward the couple of months and we noticed he was not eating well and one morning coughed up some blood. He unfortuantely had to be put to sleep that day as the vet said the mass was now baseball sized. They did a biopsy and it was a fast spreading cancer and he was starting to suffer. I was so upset that we didn't know about it but our vet said, we would have had a hard time feeling the mass ourselves due to its position.

Sorry to share my sad story, just wanted to give a different perspective. If I was in your situation, I would be getting a second opinion and likely have the biopsy done but delay the surgery until you know what you are dealing with. As the vet said, it could likely be nothing. However because of what I experienced, I would  be checking for growth often.

@danielle4348

so sorry about your golden.  Some tumors can grow very slowly and you dont know they are even there.  Others can grow like crazy.

My husband had 2 goldens a year a part in age siblings.  His dog Hobie for over a year we were dealing with lumps on him.  We had them checked and they were full of blood, tested it and found out it was Hemangiosarcoma^[1] is a rapidly growing, highly invasive variety of cancer, occurring almost exclusively in dogs and rarely in cats. It is a sarcoma arising from the lining of blood vessels; that is, blood-filled channels and spaces are commonly observed microscopically. A frequent cause of death is the rupturing of this tumor, causing the patient to rapidly bleed to death. ( wikipedia)

We kept and eye on him and took the tumors off.  Every 4-6 months we did xrays of his chest to see if it has spread.  

His other dog she was not right and had so many masses on her back to the point we could not remove them because they were too big, his mom waited too long to take them off.  She was not right one day and we brought her in.  Took an xray she was covered in cancer in her chest.  Ended up putting her to sleep that day.  That was in January  in March we had to put Hobie to sleep.  The November before I had to put my cat to sleep due to renal failure that she had for 6 yrs.

Goldens are prone to cancer, usually it is Hemangiosarcoma,  miserable cancer and comes on suddenly.   Since I worked at the animal hospital the dogs were always checked and any lumps were looked at.  We knew right away about Hobie figuring it was the Hemangio when we pulled all the blood out of the tumor.  Both dogs were 12, 13 but still you hate to see them go.

We now have another golden who is 3.  I do have pet insurance on him and will be checking him when he gets a little older for any lumps and bumps.

With working at the animal hospital for so many years.  I dont know how many goldens I have seen with this annoying caner.  Hate it big time!!!! Certain breeds are more prone to it and goldens and German Shepards are the ones you usually see with it.  

So sorry about your loss, I so feel for you and know what you went through.

dragonfly711

MrsRahl said:

danielle4348 said:

My golden had a large mass on his neck that evidently grew very very quickly (he was 11). We had taken him to the vet about 2 months prior for his yearly shots/exam and nothing was found. Fast forward the couple of months and we noticed he was not eating well and one morning coughed up some blood. He unfortuantely had to be put to sleep that day as the vet said the mass was now baseball sized. They did a biopsy and it was a fast spreading cancer and he was starting to suffer. I was so upset that we didn't know about it but our vet said, we would have had a hard time feeling the mass ourselves due to its position.

Sorry to share my sad story, just wanted to give a different perspective. If I was in your situation, I would be getting a second opinion and likely have the biopsy done but delay the surgery until you know what you are dealing with. As the vet said, it could likely be nothing. However because of what I experienced, I would  be checking for growth often.

I had a golden retriever who had all kind of benign tumors starting when he was about 6.  He had one the size of a grapefruit on his tail, but they poked it, and it was all clear fluid.  However, he did start to have trouble breathing when he was 12.  He would puke up all his food, and then just wouldn't eat canned dog food (which he LOVED so I knew there was a big problem) so I took him in for an xray, and he had a tumor near his lung.  The tumors inside burst just 2 weeks later and he bled internally. By the time I got him to the vet to put him down, he was almost gone on his own.  I was a WRECK!!! However, with him being 12, I couldn't justify spending thousands for surgery that may only prolong his life a year or so (this like I said was only 2 weeks prior).  OP Your dog being 9 is not that old, but I understand your pup is getting up there in the years. I think it's really just a personal decision, but for me, like I said those tumors started when Scooter was only 6 and lived to be 12.  He was running around active until a month before he died.  He declined very quickly.  You being his mamma will know him best. I'm sorry like PP said to give you this sad story, but maybe it can help you come to your own decision.

@MrsRahl

Oh man I am so sorry about your dog.  I know how horrible that must have been for you.  I just told the story of my two goldens above.  I can so relate.  so so sorry.

dragonfly711

danielle4348 said:

dragonfly711

thank you for sharing your experience, I am so sorry for your losses as well. I was actually not aware that goldens are prone to cancer :-( Cancer just plain sucks! I felt so bad that we didn't know, I guess I just figured there should be a sign before it got that far. I didn't even get to say goodbye since I was at work an hour and half away when my dad took him to the vet and that still kills me.

 I don't yet own another golden (currently have a Yorkie since I didn't have room for a bigger dog) but I can't wait to have another. They are such great family dogs.

@danielle4348  yeah but unfortunely that cancer comes up quick and sometimes you dont know until it is too late.  It stinks big time.  

I so understand you feeling bad not being there,  that had to be hard.

Aww yorkie,  cute, so different than a golden. lol  yes my golden is awesome, he lets the neighbors kids climb all over him, he is also a therapy dog and goes to the library to have kids read to him.  My jack russell is also a therapy dog!!!