The email read: A-DORABLE little chi girl… broken leg needs surgery… ANYONE????
A rescue group took the challenge and rescued the little dog from a municipal shelter. It was simply amazing that she had not yet been euthanized several days after her arrival with a fractured leg. Someone must have thought she was pretty special. How was that tiny front paw broken, everyone asks? We all wish Chicha could tell her own story.
The rescuers immediately took her to a veterinary clinic where she was x-rayed and a new splint applied. The radiographs indicated a radius/ulna fracture in her left forelimb. This type of break on such a small animal requires an orthopedic surgeon. This is delicate surgery for an animal so tiny. She weighs only 3.6lbs at two years of age!
The cost of this specialized veterinary care is estimated at $2,300. This volunteer rescue group doesn’t have that kind of money. If Chicha does not receive this special care, she runs the risk of her leg never healing properly, breaking it again, developing an infection, or worse, an amputation of that limb. Her aftercare, which will include splint/bandage changes every 14 days and recheck x-rays, will be an added expense.
The report from the foster home is that Chicha is slowly acclimating to her new environment. She is very social and wants to be with people, whenever possible. She enjoys the company of other dogs, but cannot, of course, share in any sort of playtime. Chicha is kept crated, except for piddle breaks, 24 hours a day. She cannot place any weight on her leg until she has this surgery.
With her gentle and wonderful personality, what other choice is there but to give her a second chance at a quality life? We are pressed for time, so please make the largest contribution you can here, as soon as possible, and we will make that appointment with the surgeon immediately.
Update on Chicha – Nov. 9, 2010
Chicha had her surgery, thanks to our generous donors. Her fracture was reduced and stabilized with six screws and a plate. A bone graft was packed around the fracture site to increase and strengthen the healing. She came out of the operating suite with a beautiful bright pink splint.
She was given an anti-inflammatory for a few days. Her pain was manageable compared to the days spent at animal control with a broken leg. She bounced back so quickly, that her recovery had to be watched with great diligence. Chicha wanted to play, run and have fun with her new found friends. Her movements had to be curtailed and she was confined to in airline carrier when not resting on her foster mom’s lap.
So, the good word is that Chicha is recovering very well from her surgery, but the best news is that she has already been adopted to a wonderful couple. While at the specialist’s office, Austin was highly interested in giving Chicha a home. Two weeks later, a home visit was done and it was a match made in heaven. From the moment Chicha was carried into the house, she was comfortable with her new parents and sisters. This lovely couple had readied their home to welcome this new member of their family.
Chicha’s leg is just about totally healed. The updates from her family are all positive and upbeat. Coco, her new name, is definitely a little sister to Sable and Rocksie. This couple “did not realize their lives were not complete until they adopted Coco”. It doesn’t get better than this!