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Charcoal, Our $5,000 Dog
by: Sandy, Michigan
If someone would have told us that this beautiful three-and-a-half-year old tuxedo (black with a white chest) greyhound came with $5,000 price tag, we would have said, “That’s a nice dog, we are sure he will find a great loving home, but it ain’t ours.” But instead, we happily paid the $200 fee to the greyhound adoption agency, which didn’t even cover his neutering bill.
Charcoal came to us with a sad story: coming off the racetrack and into a home that eventually returned him because they took a liking to Bichon Frise puppies and, due to space issues, he moved through several foster homes within a short time period. He was diagnosed with a “generic food allergy” that caused both ears to blister on the insides, causing such sensitivity that he did not pull his ears up, a standard greyhound trait.
As we practiced the elimination diet to determine what exactly Charcoal was allergic to, we returned to vet for cleaning fluids, antibiotics, steroids and the like, at an average bill of $202, every month, for nearly two years. In that time, we did discover that Charcoal was allergic to dairy, which is a typical treat for his breed, and poultry, which is a staple in just about all readily available dog food. We cut out the cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese, we bought holistic dry and canned dog food and Charcoal was really starting to thrive. His energy level was higher, considering he was still a greyhound that only means he had 8 naps a day instead of 12, his ears stood straight up when there was something worth listening to, and the insides of his ears were healing with pink, healthy skin replacing the dark, dingy blistered skin he had before. All was going well, or so we thought.
We had our bags packed and were literally minutes from heading away for a long weekend, when we received a dreadful call from the doggie sitter, informing us that Charcoal was vomiting blood, and a lot of it. We rushed off to meet her and Charcoal at our vet, where he continued to expel puddles of the bright red fluid. The situation was beyond our vet and they referred us to a veterinary hospital in a neighboring county. In a daze, we wrote a $400 check for their services and rushed to the hospital. We were told there that Charcoal’s condition was serious, possibly a tumor or cancer or a bleeding ulcer. He would have to stay through the weekend and would be subject to several blood transfusions and plasma before determining his chances for survival. He was less than five years old, and was supposed to live 12-14 years, how could this happen? They also told us that they required ½ of the estimate upfront, which was $800. We took out a credit card and went home in tears. We returned every day for nearly a week watching him get stronger. It was a bleeding ulcer which healed without surgery and we were finally able to take him home, after paying another $1000.
We are happy to report that Charcoal continued to get stronger and put back on the weight he lost. Now, after over five more years after the incident, he is healthy and happy. We do often call him the “Best Dog We Ever Had”, and occasionally we refer to him as the “Five Thousand Dollar Dog.”
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