4 'free' dogs
4 broken legs
$9000 later...
Our goals is to top up our vetting fund after spending nearly $10,000 on 4 dogs (3 of which were puppies.) Without these surgeries, none of these dogs would have been able to walk properly again, or ever for one. We are only able to take on these higher needs dogs when we have the extra funds to do so. In many cases there are no rescues stepping up for dogs that come with higher costs, please donate so that we can say YES to the next broken baby that lands at our doorstep.
Our Fix'er Uppers
----- Mia's Story ------
Mia was seized by the police from an abusive home. She had been hit extremely hard with something, shattering her hip joint. It was agreed by the shelter & VIDRS that rather than recovering from a major surgery in the shelter without 24 hour supervision, she would be better off to have her surgery done while in foster care. Mia was put on pain medication and sent to us at VIDRS. Mia's x-rays showed that her femoral head (hip joint) had been shattered and the only hope of her keeping her leg was to remove the femoral head. After meticulous supervision, regular pain meds, being carried out to pee and confined to a crate with a cone for several weeks, Mia was on the road to recovery. Once she regained mobility of her leg she began therapy to gain strength and dexterity and was ready for adoption by a wonderful family.
MIA UPDATE: Mia has made a full recovery and now can be seen running
the trails and sitting happily in the boat while her parents fish.
------ Clover's Story ------
From a small community up North, her original savior had this to say:
"I was done work but a week before I was to leave I saw a starving, ribby dog hanging around a house - the owner already left the community. It wasn't his dog, she was just looking for a safe place and his house had an empty space under the steps. When I first saw her she had the distant look of a dying dog, she had given up and was waiting to die. She was so jumpy and mistrustful, she hadn't been well treated so I just left kibble where she could see it and stepped away to let her eat in peace. She knew what kibble was at least and she settled in under the steps and stayed there, only seeming to venture out when I came out of my house next door to give her food. I would give a small bowlful morning, noon and night and at snack time. What I inferred from her behaviour was that for a while when she was a cute little puppy she had a home but she was about 5-8 months old and not as cute anymore, so they'd given her the boot."
This kind lady helped get Clover to the Prince Albert SPCA who soon
sent her our way. It was known that Clover had a limp but it was
unclear what the cause was. Before the kind lady dropped her off she
said "While I was waiting with her I told Clover that she was
going to have a wonderful life with someone who could see how
beautiful she was and would love her forever and I believe that. It
felt so great to know that I helped to save her life, to know that
this beautiful little dog now had the chance to grow and live her dog
life and I'm so glad she's doing well."
Once Clover arrived in our care she was vetted for her leg as
her limp was noticeably sore after regular puppy play. She had the
same break as Mia but it had healed incorrectly and was causing her
great pain that she was tolerating. She underwent the same femoral
head surgery as Mia and after her month of rehab is now living pain
free with her forever family in the life that she only dreamed of from
under the porch until one kind lady took her in to start her journey.
CLOVER UPDATE: "We love having Clover. She is very special and has an amazingly kind spirit. She is great with the kids and we have all been so happy to get to know her. She is already part of our family."
Clover's Post Op X-ray
----- Patch's Story ------
Patch was seen in an album called "Dispersal of Livestock.' Her owner had recently died & to make matters worse, shortly afterwards she was hit by a car (see her shattered hip in the x-ray below.) If nobody stepped up for this girl her future was very uncertain so VIDRS offered to help. Like Mia & Clover, 5 month old Patch had her femoral head removed to allow her to keep her leg & live the life she deserves- that of a happy pain-free puppy. Patch is still recovering from her surgery but is doing well. She is having a hard time containing her rambunctious puppy energy as she has to take it easy and be crated in order for her leg to heal properly.
PATCH UPDATE: She recently had her stitches removed and has graduated to not having to wear the cone of shame! Patch will be ready for adoption when the vet give her the go-ahead. These dogs are adopted for the same fee as are other dogs and we absorb all of the expensive surgery fees.
------ Bella's Story -------
Bella is a beautiful girl that was surrendered to us due to her owners health issues- not because of Bella's injury. Bella had previously had her back ligament repaired at quite the cost but shortly before she came into our care her other ligament tore completely. Because she has already had one side repaired, the vets stated that doing the same surgery on the other side would result in another tear as it would not be strong enough for her to have 2 legs repaired that way. The procedure, called a TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy), involved repairing her cranial cruciate ligament, repairing her meniscus and realigning her knee.VIDRS & Chase River Vet had a specialist brought in from Vancouver to perform Bella's surgery to ensure that her 2nd torn ligament would be repaired stronger than the standard ligament surgery. Although an extra cost, this ensures that Bella, at only 4 years old, will continue to be able to walk and enjoy a gentle pain free life with much less risk of re-injuring her ligaments. Although she will most likely develop arthritis, this smart & sassy girl has many great years ahead of her. Bella has been a stellar patient and is doing so well she is ready to start living life again as a normal healthy dog.
BELLA UPDATE: After posting Bella on Facebook her story was shared over 100 times and within 45 minutes she was seen by a lady who felt an immediate connection with her. As Bella finally has the opportunity to be her mobile and pain-free self and show us who she really is she is in foster-to-adopt that has high potential to be her forever home. "The girls slept like angels last night in my room, and came up together to give me big smooches good morning. It was soooo great! "
Conclusion:
We hope to be able to share more stories like this with the happy endings that these dogs have enjoyed. Help us make a difference as we cannot do what we do without your support! Please consider donating to our now depleted surgery fund, we will continue to say yes to the dogs that nobody wants if we can afford it!
A shout out to Chase River Veterinary Hospital in Nanaimo for performing all the surgeries, check ups and overall amazing care to these puppers. You have an amazing team & we thank you for always being there for the dogs.
