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Wayde's Story Although all the dogs are loved who come into our rescue, Wayde is special in all that he has endured in the time he has been with us. Wayde needs a buddy and after reading this story, perhaps you will want it to be you. Months ago, GSRNE was called about a dog being held at a vet's office. This boy had been there for some time, and he had no chance of being adopted out from there as they are a holding facility and not a shelter. The white Shepherd, who was known as Stray 06-22 had been there for weeks and was not doing well mentally or physically. They called us for help, and we sent out evaluators to check him out. |
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We found him to be a really nice boy, so brought him into GSRNE and boarded him while looking for a foster home. Though we usually put our dogs directly into foster homes, in Wayde's case, he needed to get out of the shelter sooner rather than later. When we rename our foster dogs that we get from shelters, we try to use the next letter of the alphabet, and we were up to the letter W., so he became Wayde.
Wayde was extremely emaciated, had a very dry coat. Though he was a white male GSD, he was yellow in appearance. Wayde had an odor to him that almost knocked you out. He was very thin and continued to have diarrhea and loose weight at the boarding facility. We worked with the kennel owner (herself a rescuer who loves GSDs) and found that he has EPI, which is an all too common problem with GSDs’ digestion. They can't digest the food correctly, hence the starvation and soft poops. This disorder is for life and he must have special food and enzymes to be able to help him gain weight. He also had a bacterial infection, which is common with EPI dogs.
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Poor
Wayde continued to lose weight though, even with the enzymes he was being
given and the excellent care he was receiving from the owner of Sage Dawg
Kennels. He was sad at the kennel and
he has separation anxiety, so it was really tough for him. We tried
for many months to find someone to foster him, but were unable to find the
right fit. Wayde continued to loose weight, and was down to 54 lbs!
Not only did he put on weight but his coat became a beautiful white and the black spots on his elbows slowly disappeared. He became very handsome. There was hope for this dog and he showed us that he wanted to get better.
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Snoozing in his
new beds in his foster home
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Wayde's life has changed drastically from the
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Wayde soon settled into his new life. He currently resides with a white female GSD, and they have learned how to get along together. They go for long walks and hikes together, lay side-by-side sleeping or enjoying a rubber bone. They have become fast friends. Wayde is such a nice dog: he has a lovable, huggable, sweet temperament. He loves his foster home very much and has undergone a huge change in his health and emotions in the time he has been with them. Wayde is a Velcro dog who loves to be with his people. He especially loves having his foster dad toss the ball for him. It’s the number one thing he likes to do, though he thought hiking in the nearby mountains was pretty cool, too! |
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Wayde doesn’t like to be away from his people for long and howls when they leave. He also needs to be fed throughout the day due to his EPI. Since Wayde’s foster mom and dad work all day, we decided to enroll Wayde in the same daycare his foster sister goes to and he currently attends 5 days a week. The people who work there have fallen in love with this gentle soul. He loves going to daycare and playing with the other dogs, especially the females. The staff has dubbed him Casanova, since he woos all the female dogs.
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Wayde is fighting EPI, Lyme & Lymphosarcoma cancer, yet still loves life (and his toys and balls).
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Shortly after going to foster care, Wayde was diagnosed with Lyme disease. This is very common in New England, and can cause loss of appetite, fever and lethargy, so this confused health matters. A few weeks later, Wayde’s foster mom noticed he had hard lumps on his armpits and clavicle, back legs and throat. During his time with his wonderful foster family, he was still gaining energy, putting on weight and looking better all the time, but these lumps were a concern so we had a needle biopsy done. They were unable to determine the stage because there were so many broken cells in the tissue, which didn’t bode well for Wayde so we did a more conclusive type of biopsy. The results showed “highly metastatic” Lymphosarcoma. In this type of cancer, after being diagnosed, dogs usually only live for about 2 months. Even with aggressive treatment, the life span is very short. Treatment is not available for Wayde since his diagnosis shows he is in late stage cancer. He will slowly deteriorate, become weaker and will eventually go off his food. |
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Even with this heartbreaking diagnosis, Wayde’s foster parents tell us, “He's got plenty of energy for chasing balls, playing at day care, and going for walks. His weight is stable or slowly gaining, poop is looking better (important in EPI dogs!). His appetite is voracious and ears are staying fairly clean. Elbows are growing new fur. Coat is a bit dry but thick and full. He's friendly with strange people and dogs. Everyone at day care loves him. He'll wait quietly in the car. He's getting better about settling quietly in the crate. He's doing well in obedience class. He can hold a sit-stay with a full food bowl on the ground in front of him! He's a love sponge.” Once again Wayde proved to us that he may be sick and doesn’t have long to live but he is still doing everything he enjoys. |
Wayde charms his foster grandma
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Wayde’s story is one of heartbreak for all this dog has had to endure in his short 5 years of life. His past hardships were finally coming to an end and now he is not going to be able to live that wonderful life that he loves so much. For all his health issues Wayde continually surprises us with his will to live life to the fullest. Wayde still attends daycare, because he loves it, and we want to continue to make him happy for whatever time he has left with his foster family, who love him and want to do what is right by him. But he’s been in daycare for 2 months already and it’s time to renew for the 3rd. Each month costs us $300, which is adding up. We’d really like him to continue going instead of having him upset because of his separation anxiety (which we would be working on if he were healthy).
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GSRNE is looking for those special people who want to become Wayde’s buddy for the time he has left with us. He still needs to attend daycare which is expensive. He needs special enzymes to help digest his food, which are also costly and his vet bills will continue. If you can find it in your heart to help this wonderful dog who has shown us the capacity for appreciation, warmth and enjoyment, please let us know. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. |
Even though he's sick himself, Wayde takes
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Wayde is slowly filling out! |
We’ll continue to update you on how Wayde is doing. If we’re lucky, he’ll have a few more good months with us. His story is not what we thought it would be when we first took him in. It’s been a roller coaster ride of joy and sorrow, and more is sure to come.
Nov. 14 -- 54.3
lbs Feb. 3 - 67.1 lbs
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If you'd like to help Wayde, we accept all financial
donations. GSRNE is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit group. All donations are tax deductible! Please make out checks
to GSRNE, Inc. and send donations to:
or use this button to pay through Paypal by credit card.
Thanks to the following people who have donated to Wayde's
care, |
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Pam & Peter Burghardt |
Paula, Gardiner & Jager Conley Gail Vanhoesen David & Amy Dumais Sharon Wilson Cathy & Neil Herrick Mary, Ed & Cowboy Martin Sonja Raslavicus Suzy Starr Linda Oberkotter Barbara Flannery JoAnn and Jasper Piscitelli Dolly Demarest & Holling Holdner Sarah Jansen Sarah Foshay Amy Galford Kristen Utt Elaine Garron Briganti Family in Memory of Toby Nico Hofmeester Lisa Thurlow Susan Lelansky Lorraine Whitaker Eleanor Menz Allison Wong |
The Magic Mirror Hair Salon Betsy Potvin Judy Davis Penny K Glass Cathy A Mosher Tim & Tara Boucher Kristen Sullivan Rocky and Dublin Paula Scanlon Sage Dawg Boarding Services Dog Star Canine Nora H Candelario Liz Arnold Robert & Pamela Tewes Traci Santossio Sue & Doug Cudmore Lore Lutz, Rescue Me, Inc. Sarah Gwozdz and BruNO Jeannie McMahon Kathleen Baker Laurence Dickinson Gina Bliss Kathy & Deno Rubera |
Gail Nickerson Terri & James Parker James & Kelley Spears Sarah White Doug Koser Alana and Fiona Cullen Daniell Hepting Joan & Paul Doucette Sara Frederick Nadine Dubreuil Wendy Williams Erika Himmelberger Brian Mc Cullough Laura Edgerton Michael Flynn Mary Foley Diane Port Gail Broadwell |
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Thanks to everyone who's read Wayde's story, and to those who
have helped. He's still got energy, but the lymph node tumors are slowly growing. The ones on his back legs are almost walnut-sized, and the two in his chest are even larger. Several small growths form a lumpy mass under his chin and he's got small lumps in his armpits. He doesn't appear to be in any pain, but some positions are obviously not comfortable. When the discomfort starts to overshadow the good times we'll know it's time to release him from this body. We've cut his walks short on the coldest days. Even with the weight gain he's still got almost no visible body fat for insulation. Judging from the size of his front paws he should be an 80+ pound dog. He did enjoy the warm weather this weekend and had a fine time romping in the new snow. What makes this especially sad for me is that Wayde has the personality to be a great therapy dog. As a volunteer EMT I'd love to have a dog I could bring into the hospital. He's wagged at everyone he's met since we've had him, and delights in washing the face of the vet's 3-year-old daughter when we go in to use the scale. But I'm afraid we're going to run out of time... He's been a gift. Every day he finds a way to make us smile despite the tears. Thank you all for helping us give him a good life for the time he has left. Wayde's foster Mom and Dad |
Wayde finished his
obedience class |
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A warm house, soft rug and a new chew bone! Life is good... |
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Feb. 25, 2007 update: We've had a few signs that we
may be reaching a turning point with Wayde. A couple of nights this week it
seemed he couldn't get comfortable, and kept getting up and changing beds.
At daycare, he still enjoys playing but he's choosing to rest more. And
we've seen a slight weight loss with no change in diet in the last two
weeks. Feb. 17 66.9 lbs. Feb 24 66.5 lbs. On the plus side, he's still a ball-chasing, bone-chewing fool! We went for an hour hike today and after a slow start he bounced down the last hill with his tail flying. It might have just been because we were heading home for lunch, as he does love his food, but it was nice to see. |
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Did I hear you say we're going for a hike?
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Come on, you guys keep up! It's a gorgeous day, almost feels like Spring.
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Okay...I need a rest. Get out the camera
for a few good shots,
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Boy, you sure are a good cook! That is smelling pretty good.
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Is lunch ready yet? My tummy's rumbling.
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Finally a full belly! Boy, did that hike tire me out. Wake me up for dinner...
March 4, 2007. Wayde had a few bad nights but then bounced back, and even put on weight. We are all very happy!
March 12, 2007 Wayde relaxes on his bed by his foster
sister, Tess
March 18, 2007 Wayde
gained .4 - so he's 68.8 pounds. Total weight gain is 14.5 pounds!
I can't believe there's snow out there again!
Snow's not so bad with my handsome new bandana...
Ready...set....jump!! You can't get it by me...I'm King of the tennis balls
One's getting away! Don't worry, I'll get it.
March 20, 2007 We have some sad news to share
with you all. After a fun filled weekend of hiking and ball playing, we
heard from Wayde's foster mom and dad on Monday that he had some unusual
swelling starting. We hoped it was just something temporary, as Wayde had
dealt with occasional set backs before. He had a restless night, and
Tuesday morning his body began to shut down and the fluid began to build up
in his body. After they talked with their vet, and with us, we knew it was
time. :'( ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Wayde is now a poster boy for EPI. Please print out a brochure for educational purposes. |
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