Cinnamon is thirteen years old - a Cocker Spaniel who was given up in January 2004 by her people because, as they said, “She was too much trouble to keep groomed.” Did they just realize this after 10 years? Cinna had a strange, mincing walk and we discovered that she had pebbles and dirt embedded in the hair in the pads of her feet, obviously for months maybe even years. Cinna had to be sedated so we could soak her feet while manually dislodging the concrete-like mats in her pads. It took forever and she could never have withstood it without sedation (as well as subsequent anti-inflammatories and antibiotics) since the interdigital skin was bloody and pus filled. Her ears were also a nightmare due to a foreign object which had perforated her ear canal and had required surgery as well as long term antibiotic treatment to combat systemic bacteria. Cinnamon’s eyes however, were filled with loyal gratitude and today we doubt she remembers the people who had neglected her to the point of abuse. Cinna and Eddie, are close companions, despite having never known one another before coming to live out their days at our sanctuary.
