Dog is Put on Hospice But, Months Later, is Still Living Life to the Fullest

Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/rescue-story-boss/

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I am a volunteer at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee, Florida. I work in the medical building, and one day out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the tiniest chihuahua I had ever seen.

boss2 - Dog is Put on Hospice But, Months Later, is Still Living Life to the Fullest — PHOTO: PEGGY RYDBERG

Boss weighed in at a whopping four pounds and was so cute. I inquired as to why he was in medical. Boss was picked up as a stray and had a life-threatening case of heart worms.

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The treatment could kill him, but not trying would surely end in death. He pulled through the first injection, and I asked if I could take him home with me. They were thrilled, as the heart worms did permanent damage to his heart and Boss was considered hospice.

boss1 - Dog is Put on Hospice But, Months Later, is Still Living Life to the Fullest — PHOTO: PEGGY RYDBERG

Weeks passed by, and then it was time for his second and third heart worm injections. After a few weeks, Boss starting coughing and gasping for air. I rushed him to the clinic where he was placed in the oxygen chamber for a few days.

They told me I could bring him home, as he would most likely not make it through the night. I barely slept that night, constantly checking to see if Boss was still breathing. The next morning, I picked him up and was showered with kisses. Boss made it through the night.

boss4 - Dog is Put on Hospice But, Months Later, is Still Living Life to the Fullest — PHOTO: PEGGY RYDBERG

I brought him in that morning to the ranch for more oxygen, and then took him back home with me late that afternoon. Each day, he began to get stronger and stronger and there was hope that he might actually make it. We started a bucket list and tried to make every day count.

Boss gets a pup cup every week from Starbucks, loves the beach and car rides, has been in a parade, has attended a formal gala, has visited several nursing homes and even had his own Christmas stocking with his name on it. Boss and I are going on our ninth month together. I don’t know how much time he has left, but I can tell you that he is the happiest boy around and is loving life!