Ricky was found roaming the streets near Chicago Illinois last summer.  He was sent to the local shelter but his family never came back for him.  While at the shelter, the staff fell in love with him. They noticed that one of his eyes was very painful.  The vet diagnosed Glaucoma, a painful and progressive disease that was robbing Ricky of his sight.  The shelter did their best to keep him comfortable but they couldn’t give Ricky the care that he needed.  He had been at the shelter for 4 months and they were getting desperate.  They contacted everyone they could, trying to find a rescue that could care for him. Enter Big Dog Rescue. A series of volunteer drivers brought Ricky all the way to Tallahassee in November but it too late to save Ricky’s eye.  Once the eye was removed he was finally free of pain.  Ricky will need special eye drops to delay the progress of glaucoma in his remaining eye.  In the meantime his vision is good and he is feeling spunky!

Unfortunately Ricky is now facing another challenge.  During a recent checkup to monitor the Glaucoma, the vet found a small lump on Ricky’s chest.  They diagnosed a mast cell tumor.  Ricky needs surgery to remove the tumor.