Interview with Michaela J., the owner of Candy, a dog´s patient Cuddle.Me helped to finance expensive medical treatment, which unfortunately died recently.
1. How did you get your Candy?
I have bought it since as a puppy. Been lucky, that I was the first one who was interested, so I could choose from the whole bunch of them. My vote went to Candy, it was love at a first sight…
2. How was her dog´s puberty?
It was absolutely normal, within the average so to say, but sometimes Candy was a bit too much, but I am happy as well that she forgave me the times I did not have enough patience, and that it did not have an influence on our relationship.
3. Where have you been together?
Well at first I would say “everywhere”. Although our journeys were not of some significant distance or destination we have been still somewhere and discovered something. Except for the weekend trips, when we walked through some of the places across Southern Czechia, where we visited places of birth of my ancestors, while in between we visited a dog´s training and coursing, or just hanging out with other dogs and their owners, as well as we attended dog´s summer camp, and a couple of seminaries, unfortunately, the last one was approximately one month before we diagnosed acute leukaemia.
4. During the time you were together, you enjoyed lots of fun and situations, which one stuck in your memories most?
Perhaps the most common and ordinary thing, when I was really sad, sitting on my couch, Candy came to me with her “tail up”, and laid her head in my palms, while asking for a kiss on her nose. I remember her smell and the life in her. This memory is coming back to me quite often, making me miss the energy she was full of.
5. Do you prefer getting a dog in the shelter, or do you prefer rather the dog breeds with papers and all that stuff?
Candy was my first dog with papers ever, and to be honest I would not do otherwise. Even now, I got two females with papers.
6. The very sad news we got about Candy´s death came as surprise, can you describe her story, medical status, anamnesis, and the medical treatment to fight her leukaemia?
Candy was diagnosed with acute B-lymphoblastic leukaemia CD5+ at the end of March 2022. She went through all the tests, and within a short amount of time, we proceeded with chemotherapy. The good news was she was reacting positively to the treatment, however, her bone marrow was not working at all at the time, unable to create the blood cells needed so desperately to keep the organism working. That was the reason Candy had to undergo many transfusions. The very first donor was actually my second female dog (one of the two I have now). Despite the serious situation, I was making fun of both dogs, that even though they are not siblings, they are definitely blood-linked friends. The second time I found a donor through the “Red Paw” the charitable organization, and the third transfusion I found the donor directly. Candy underwent chemotherapy again, and everything seemed going well, but at the end of the week her medical condition started to deteriorate rapidly, so I took her to the veterinary, where she was stationed on the drips throughout the night. Saturday it got worse, she could not walk or eat in the evening. The blood tests revealed Candy did not have any white cells, while the sepsis started to overwhelm her organism. I did not want her to die during the night alone in unfamiliar surroundings, so after a discussion with the attending veterinarian, I made a decision to euthanise her. In the beginning when we have left the very first veterinarian I wanted to be ready for the possibility of Candy´s death because the odds that she will die within a week were high. Once the diagnosis was set precisely her life expectance went to a much better three months (50:50), started to believe in a miracle a bit, and it really happened. Instead of estimated weeks of life, then 3 months she lived through another 5 months, which have been beautiful and important months, in which we regularly visited chemotherapy sessions, sometimes just once, sometimes even three times a week. Candy was lucky since the treatment did not hit her hard, so we could spend time together on a short walk. During the last months, Candy had another task to fulfil, to educate a new puppy! She took it great, welcoming the new furry addition to the pack extraordinarily well, until the nearly last day, before she left us. I would like to tell everyone, that goes through similar situations, not to give up — in any circumstances. You never know how things will end up. In my case — most of the people around me tried to warn me or dissuade me from the treatment, telling me not to spend money on the lost fight. I do not regret a single penny. Every thousand crowns gave us some extra time together. My beloved Candy. My great friend.
7. Can you describe the treatment and what it meant for Candy?
It was chemotherapy in general and blood transfusion. Biopsies and other tests, as well as bone marrow sampling, was extra hard for her.
8. Do you have any experience with dog shelters in Czechia?
No, actually I don´t.
9. What does a friendship with a dog mean for you personally?
It means a lot to me, it is a friendship for life, without any pre-conditions.
10. Did you have any dog before Candy?
Yes, I did (golden cocker spaniel) — I got it for the school report at the end of the school year. I was ten years old, but we did not have this dog for long, unfortunately. Throughout the time we owned german shepherds and black labrador. These days I ride on the “white wave” (Candy was a white Swiss shepherd), and actually, I own two female dogs in white colourings.
11. Where and how did you find out about activities of Cuddle.Me?
I got the information from veterinarian MVDr. Škor, who took care of Candy, primarily from the point of precise diagnosis and determination of the medical procedures as well as pharmaceuticals for the treatment.
12. Your favourite dog breed?
White Swiss Shepherd
13. Do you like cats as well? How did Candy go with cats in general?
Yes, I do like and own. When the cats are not scared of the big dogs, they can live with us. That is the case with our tomcat. Candy loved him, but other cats were her enemy for life.
Cuddle.Me had sent financial support to participate in her Candy´s veterinary treatment of her cancer amount of 560 USD. For more information as well as the transactions, please visit www.cuddle.me, the data section provides fully transparent evidence available for public review.
