The Six Million Dollar Dog

by PhilG
(Bolton, Ontario)

Our dog Spankee

Have you ever heard of a six million dollar dog? Well, maybe not 'million' but that's the nickname for our dog Spankee. She is a cross between a standard poodle, very smart, and a Cocker Spaniel, floppy ears. She has had so many medical problems that our family has spent thousands and thousands of dollars treating her.

Here is just the tip of the iceberg. First, she has epilepsy. She is on medicine morning and night for that but will still have a seizure about every three months or so. Next, her ears, those floppy ones. They often get ear infections so she routinely gets antibiotics and we have to keep her ears dry and keep her well groomed. Then there was the polyp in her right ear. It had to be removed, so now she only has one ear... two flaps though. Still looks cute.

On to the mast cell tumors. These can be fatal for dogs. The first one appeared on her tummy and she needed surgery to remove it. Were we out of the woods? No. The next showed up on her paw, and her two middle toes had to be removed to get at it. Then, just this summer, after a welcome period of good health, she developed a small one, again on her tummy... another surgery.

There is no medical insurance for pets that are already sick... remember the epilepsy... so that's where the 'six million dollar dog' comes from. We often forget that our health care doesn't cost our families money. We take it for granted, and we treat it casually, but pet care costs us dearly and our pets deserve it.

At ten years of age, she has lots of spunk left in her, and as a member of our family, she will always be well taken care of.