PENHOLD – True love knows no boundaries.
That includes the love we have for our four-legged family pets.
And for Penhold’s Tyler and Krista Hirsche it was the best gift they could have for Valentine’s Day. Their beloved Daisy was saved.
"She is a miracle dog,” said Krista.
The eight-year-old golden retriever underwent emergency life-saving surgery after she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on her spleen in late January.
The diagnosis is almost always fatal.
"We diagnose (tumours on the spleen) quite often, and they’re usually almost always fatal to the point where we see the animal, we rarely get a chance to do everything we can,” said Dr. Stacey Homer, of Poplar Grove Veterinary Services in Innisfail. "They often die very quickly.
"They brought her in, in the nick of time,” she added. "It’s not always that people have the option to go to surgery either because it is quite expensive.”
Tyler, Krista and their two children Trenton and Jocelyn have had Daisy since she was a three-month-old puppy.
Their love and bond for her runs deep.
One day, they noticed Daisy wasn’t being herself.
"Two weeks ago she fell over a couple of times at home,” said Tyler Hirsche. "She fell on her face, which is unusual for a dog. She wasn’t eating normally and didn’t have the same energy level.
"The next day we took her to the vet and that’s when they found the tumour on her spleen,” he added.
The sudden diagnosis required an immediate response and a tough decision.
"I called Tyler and told him we need to make this decision right now. We either say goodbye right now or they do the surgery right now,” explained Krista.
"As hard as that was, we just couldn’t let her go yet.”
Homer said the surgery was successful and Daisy recovered remarkably well.
"Daisy was a pretty amazing case. We had our fingers crossed, but we didn’t know how it was going to go,” said Homer. "When she recovered so well we all celebrated.”
The Hirsches said they were thankful for the quick diagnosis and timely action by Dr. Stacey and workers at Poplar Grove Veterinary Services.
"We are very thankful that we caught it in time,” said Krista. "She is back to her youthful self and just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s a time for love. It doesn’t need to be a person, you can show love to an animal or family pet,” she added.
"We love Daisy and she is very special in our lives.”
Krista Hirsche, Daisy's owner
"It's a time for love. It doesn't need to be a person, you can show love to an animal or family pet."
