Glen Highland Farm
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HEALTH UPDATE

Glen Highland’s ROSSI is off to North Carolina State Vet Hospital for special diagnostics on 9/5/23.

Much to our surprise, this active 7 year old hit unexpected medical problems, a reminder of his early start in life…and why he became a GLEN HIGHLAND RESIDENT… so many of you know Rossi and dozens and dozens of you have supported his care!

So we share his journey... Months of current tests have led nowhere so now he faces more complex evaluations putting this brave fella back in a teaching hospital. His protein is dropping and his kidney values are rising due to intestinal issues and he is losing weight…all going in the wrong direction. Cornell worked miracles years ago and we just cross our fingers that NCSU will too!

Rossi came to Glen Highland as a 4 month old pup in 2016. He had the horrible swallowing disorder, Megaesophagus. He could only eat small size meatballs of food in any sitting and had to be upright for 20 - 30 minutes to swallow the food and keep it down. Regurgitating food leads to aspiration pneumonia in the lungs which Rossi experienced…

Every month of his first year he spent in the ICU near death, yet somehow surviving.

Little Rossi had lots of angels rooting for him and after his horrific first year of continual Cornell ICU visits, a new drug worked miracles… Sildenafil..known more widely as Viagra… unexpected results in a trial in Italy led to use in the U.S.

And, with that one drug, Rossi’s life changed 100%. Food stayed in his stomach. He could drink water like every dog without problems. He could eat a full meal without issue.

And, Rossi could finally be a real Border Collie at age 2…and that he did.

What a high energy crazy red head he became… just the coolest, happiest, well-fed guy in rescue. So every year since 2018 has been a life well lived.

But now in 2023, Rossi is hitting complications again. Perhaps the full year of antibiotics years ago caused this, hard to say but we hope for fast solutions.

Getting ready for his NCSU visit took two hours of organizing 7 years of vet work…testing, checking, problem solving, traveling to experts…you name it, it’s in his HUGE file.

SO FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ANGELS TO ROSSI OVER HIS LIFETIME
PLEASE KEEP THE GOODWILL COMING….
Our little fella deserves more time on earth.

ROSSI'S HISTORY

SANCTUARY RESIDENT ROSSI is not only a gorgeous guy, he is a very stable, good-natured Border Collie, normally easily adoptable. That wasn’t the case for him.

As a pup, his swallowing disorder, Megaesophagus, left him horribly undernourished since every meal meant regurgitation. Relinquished to us, we knew Rossi could live a very short life so sought out every medical option possible, but nothing worked well. The first year of his life, every month he landed at Cornell’s ICU with aspiration pneumonia, at risk of death. Hyper-vigilant oversight of every bite of food or slurp of water became everyday life at the Founder’s home. Days were filled with tears and worry.

Little did we know that time would unfold with a really good outcome. Now 7 yrs old, he is alive and well, running like the wind because one medication trial worked - Sildenafil - the canine version of viagra. The drug allows the esophageal ‘flap’ to lower over the stomach opening so food will not come out.

This miraculous find has given Rossi an active, truly full BC life. Watching this vibrant boy be allowed to join others in the pack to run and drink water as needed and eat without spoonfuls of small food, has been a joy. Rossi is truly one of the happiest rescues we have ever seen!

Health Challenges:
In 2023, Rossi was diagnosed with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) which means he must eat a prescription diet and receive B12 vitamin supplements. While his Megaesophagus is controlled, we now must also carefully monitor him for weight loss and more serious GI issues, as this can be a progressive problem.


Jay Monitz, In memory of Michelle

Hugs from Vicki Buono & GH alum Cookie

Brad Atkinson

Scottie Burkhalter, in memory of Russy & JayJay

ROSSI needs 1 more angel!