The USA Gymnastics Team's Therapy Dog, Beacon, Has Major Health Scare
The gorgeous golden retriever named Beacon was a beacon of light for gymnasts who competed in the Olympic trials the week of June 30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ESPN reported that the 4-year-old certified therapy dog, who is known as USA Gymnastics' "Goodest Boy,” did his very best to calm some stressed-out athletes during the trials to see if they would compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Unfortunately, the very good boy has not been in the best health as of late.
Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash
His handler and owner, Tracey Callahan Molnar, let fans know that her furry friend had to seek out medical attention in a September 4 Instagram upload.
In the post caption, she stated that “beacon was admitted yesterday to an emergency pet hospital after some symptoms he was having (stiffness, moving into labored breathing, and then fever).”
“x-rays yesterday showed fluid in his chest cavity which was at least in part the reason for the labored breathing. the high fever was of great concern to his veterinarian. the recommendation was to transport him to an emergency hospital with specialists who could diagnose and begin to treat him,” shared Molnar.
She also requested that fans of the 4-year-old Golden Retriever “send beacon good wishes, in whatever form that comes; positive thoughts, prayer, virtual hugs, whatever speaks to you.”
On September 6, Molnar shared an update about Beacon, who has been at a pet hospital, with fans. She said that she did not yet have “definitive answers” regarding her furry friend’s health.
“He has needed to have fluid removed from his chest cavity multiple times and during a procedure yesterday to take tissue samples from some concerning lung tissue (that showed on the CT scan he had), they placed two ports which will in part, make the drainage of that fluid easier. it’s something they will teach me to do so that he might be able to come home sooner. ♥️ the biopsy of the lung tissue will take 5-7 days,” wrote the former gymnast in the Instagram post’s caption.
If you would like to help Molnar pay for her dog’s treatment, head over to his GoFundMe page!
We’re thinking of you Beacon! We hope for a speedy recovery!