From Cordoba Perrera to France – The joyful galga Sahara

Today is a sad day for me

Farewell Sahara – RIP 7 2 2013

Today we said a final farewell to Sahara. Mercifully her health problem did not cause her suffering. Last week she wasn’t quite so keen on having breakfast and dinner and towards the end of the week she had diahorrea. Over the weekend her stomach swelled and so on Monday morning I took her to Dr Florence Poyot for examination and blood tests. On Monday afternoon she was admitted to Secondigny clinic for infusion, treatment for fever and observation. Her white blood cell reading showed a problem, the other analysis results were normal or near normal, certainly not indicating cause for major concern

On Tuesday afternoon I collected her and brought her home. On Wednesday lunchtime her breathing – which had been at the normal rate – increased dramatically to 40/minute and I rushed her back to the clinic where she had an x-ray. She had fluid in her stomach, and a shadow, possibly a tumour. She remained in the clinic overnight and this morning I agreed with Dr Poyot to open up the stomach and operate if possible.

Mid-morning Dr Poyot telephoned me with the bad news. Sahara had a tumour which had virtually destroyed her liver and invaded her spleen and pancreas. I made the decision for pts as Sahara could not have recovered from the damage done by the cancer.

We brought her home and she is now at rest in the garden with Karmel and little Sophie cat.

Sahara was an incredibly happy galgo! I first met her at the Perros del Norte refuge near Madrid, where I had gone with the team from L’Europe des Levriers to bring back a dozen or so rescued galgos and a couple of podencos. Cristina told me Sahara had been saved from being euthanaised in the Cordoba perrera – she was only 18 months old. She always had a smile on her face, her tail never stopped wagging (except when she slept), she loved everyone and believed they loved her! Unlike so many galgos, she had no trauma nor injury.

She will be sorely missed. Her nose was always the first to be pushed into my hand each morning when I entered the long barn to greet the dogs. Carmela found her a great comfort when she joined the household, carrying a lot of baggage from ill treatment; they regularly curled up together on the same bed. Bracken will miss her as his playmate – racing and playing tag in the courtyard.

It’s never easy losing a family pet but at least we take comfort in knowing that Sahara did not suffer. Even back in the clinic yesterday when her breathing rate was so high, she was greeting everyone with her smile and wagging tail. Apart from the swollen belly and fast respiration, she showed no signs of illness whatsoever – certainly no signs of the vile invasive murderer destroying her internal organs. Dr Poyot told me that as she was only 6 years old, the cancer would have grown rapidly –the younger the animal, the faster the killing cells multiply.

Each day I see photos of terrified traumatised skinny galgos in the perreras, I send silent thanks to Cristina and the team for saving Sahara and giving us 3 1/2 years of joy with her in our home.