- Spirit at the shelter
Spirit was rescued from the Associated Humane Societies in Newark, NJ. This is the same shelter where ‘Patrick’ was brought when he was found close to death. Sadly, this is another heart-wrenching story to come out of Newark.
Spirit was an owner surrender to the shelter. Her owner brought Spirit to the shelter after she was injured. The shelter told her owner that Spirit had a broken leg and needed to see a vet to have it repaired. Her owner could not afford to have her taken care of by a vet and waited an entire week before surrendering her to the shelter. Thankfully, once she was surrendered, she was placed on pain medication and antibiotics.
After seeing a plea from the Humane Society about this precious girl, Happy Paws Rescue Inc. decided to step up and rescue her to provide the care she so desperately needs. Even after everything that she has been through in her short eight weeks of life, Spirit is a sweet and happy puppy. She is constantly wagging her tail and is fully of puppy kisses. Even with a broken leg, she has tried to play with the other two dogs in the foster home through her crate. Because of her personality and her determination to continue with her injury as a sweet and playful puppy, we have christened her Spirit.
Spirit’s injuries will require surgery to fix. Not only does she have a broken leg, but she has a hernia as well. Our vet will see her and will determine if the break in her leg requires special surgical care.
Spirit at the Vet (6/13)
PUP-DATE FROM VET VISIT ON 6/13: Spirit was a wonderful patient today during her visit at Garden State Veterinary Specialists. An orthopedist was able to look at her leg. We received some news regarding her broken leg that we were not expecting.
They sedated Spirit so they could take some additional x-rays as well as manipulate her broken leg. After the x-rays and exam, the specialist determined that the break in her leg took place about three weeks ago. He explained that there was no way to fix the break at this point in time. The bone had already done significant healing and there was no movement at the site of the break.
It is heartbreaking to know that Spirit has had this injury since she was about six weeks old!
The good news is that the vet said that Spirit does not need any special care at this time. She is off her pain medication and her antibiotic and was allowed to play with the other foster puppy and dog in her foster home. She really adores playing with the other 5 month old foster puppy, Hazel, and has been able to hold her own! Her name suits her very well!
The disappointing news is that Spirit will still need to have surgery. As she continues to grow, the way the leg has healed will cause her hip bones to rub up against each other and to become painful. The vet said when she gets older, she will need Femoral Head and Neck Excision surgery. They will need to remove the ball of the hip out of the socket and remove some of the bone. Once the surgery is completed, as the hip heals additional tissue will surround the site ‘padding’ it to help prevent the rubbing. This will help Spirit have much less discomfort when she walks.
Our vet visit today was $425. We are expecting to get a rough estimate of the surgery. Once we receive that information, we will update the Chip In with the surgery total. This estimate is expected to be quite costly and will most likely be several thousand dollars.
PUP-DATE (6/17): We are aiming to raise $2,500 for the surgery. The Chip In below has been updated to reflect that goal. We’re more than half way there. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Spirit with her the boxer in her foster home
PUP-DATE (6/24): Spirit has been doing wonderful in her foster home. Her foster mom spoils her, (maybe a bit too much), and she is enjoying every minute of it. She loves playing with the other two dogs in the home. She chases them in the back yard and hides under the chairs while playing with them. Her leg doesn’t seem to bother her at all right now. She has a funny little run hop that she does around the yard.
Spirit has learned to climb up the one set of five hardwood stairs. This can be a little bit of a challenge for even a puppy with four good legs. She is a very determined puppy and wants to do what the other dogs in the house do. She also figured out she can hide under the bed and play/tease the other dogs from under there. She pulls toys under the bed with her so that the dogs can’t take them from her!
Spirit also had vet visit today. The vet examined her leg and her hernia. She will be spayed and her hernia will be fixed next Wednesday. Because her incision will be slightly larger to fix the hernia, she will be on strict crate rest after the surgery. I can assure you she will not like this and I can tell there will be lots of crying and whining from the crate! It will be for her own good so that she can heal without any complications.
PUP-DATE (6/28): Our little Spirit had her spay and hernia surgery today. She did well with the surgery and is resting comfortably at the vet overnight. She will be coming home tomorrow and will have to be on strict crate rest.
Her hernia was actually healed, and, although they removed a bit of fat, she will always have a little bulge in her belly. Thank you again for your support of Spirit. When she comes home from the vet, I will continue to post on her status.
Spirit and Happy Paws Rescue would appreciate any donation possible. No donation is too small! Every dollar makes a difference! Please continue to follow this Chip In for updates on Spirit as well our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/happypawsrescueinc
Spirit and Happy Paws Rescue Inc. <3
About the Author
One Response to Please Help Us Help Spirit
Blog Categories
[…] adoptions are cause for a little extra celebration. That was the case when Spirit, our pittie puppy with the broken leg, went home last week. The adopter saw Spirit’s picture online when we first rescued her, and […]