American Lurcher Rescue Project: Emergency Medical Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
On January 18, a complex surgery to repair multiple issues was performed by Dr. Dyce of the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical School. Dr. Dyce cut the tibia bone (in the lower leg) in two places. He realigned the angle at the top of the tibia by cutting a wedge out. This will help Wesley's knee function correctly. He also corrected the curvature and twist in the tibia by cutting at the middle of the tibia and inserting a bone graft. This will add to the functionality of the knee and help prevent future arthritis. All of this was initially held together by pins and an external fixator device.
We are now six weeks post-surgery, and just a few days ago Wesley had some of the pins removed, though others remain. He needs to return to OSU and see Dr. Dyce in three weeks. We are hopeful he will have the rest of the fixator removed at that point. The lower wedge osteotomy has signs of healing on both sides. The upper osteotomy is healed on one side and healing is progressing on the other side. The doctor was very, very happy with this. Also, it appears that the kneecap is tracking exactly how it is supposed to be in the knee joint. This grant meant we were able to get a very young and otherwise healthy dog the surgery he needed to have a good quality of life on four legs for the first time, and still be able to take more than 20 dogs in real need into our rescue in the months of December and January. This grant means Wesley will run AND we did not turn any others away while undertaking this significant surgery for him.
How many pets did this grant help?
Only one directly - Wesley.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Wesley, an American lurcher-type dog (a greyhound/coonhound mix), was bred for the sport of field trial racing, but apparently suffered an injury to the growth plate in his right tibia when he was a puppy. As he grew to adulthood, his tibia became very malformed. Once the field trial racing owner realized that Wesley was suffering from a significant skeletal defect, he contacted us and asked if we could find him a good home. We had consultations with a few vet clinics and opted to pursue TPLO orthopedic surgery with the Ohio State University to give Wesley the best chance of success. Thanks in great part to the generous support of a medical grant from the Petfinder Foundation, Wesley had his complex double-wedge osteotomy just about six weeks ago and and is recovering beautifully in a wonderful, supportive medical foster home. While he is still technically available for adoption at the moment, we have strong applications for a great home for him and feel he will be running on all fours for the first time in his life in his forever home soon. Meet Wesley: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/39885131
