No Bones About It
Carbon, Krypton, and Cobalt are three of the sweetest pups you’ll ever meet, but they need your help.
These puppies were rescued in Georgia by Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue when they were just a few weeks old. It was immediately apparent to Margie (an amazing woman who has devoted her life to rescuing homeless dogs) that all three of these puppies had the strangest thing going on with their front legs. They couldn't stand up straight; instead they walked around on their elbows.
Old Fella hoped they would somehow outgrow this problem, but at 7 weeks of age Old Fella Rescue knew it was time for a visit to the vet and possibly time to make one of the most difficult decisions any rescuer has to make.
So many “normal” dogs never get the chance to find homes in Burke County Georgia. How were they going to find homes for puppies like these?
X-rays immediately revealed what was wrong – they were born without carpal bones. The carpal bones comprise the upper part of the foot in dogs and are comparable to the wrist in people. As you can probably guess, without these bones, their front legs could not hold them up.
Margie despaired what their outcome would be. She shared her story with Jane at Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS), a no-kill shelter in Salem, Massachusetts. Jane is the pet intake coordinator for NEAS, and Jane talks with Margie almost every day. That's because the pets Margie rescues are sent north to NEAS on a regular basis.
But, "no bones about it," these puppies were at risk of never getting the chance at a normal life with a loving family. When Margie mentioned the tough decision she was going to have to make about Carbon, Krypton, and Cobalt, Jane asked her to wait. She knew NEAS would want to consider all possibilities before running out of choices.
Jane got a veterinarian specialist involved, but the vet wanted to examine the puppies before giving false hope. So Jane asked Margie to send the "Bones Bunch" to NEAS on the next trip. They have now arrived, and the vet says surgery will likely help.
The surgery is called pancarpal arthrodesis, a surgery to fuse the joint. During the operation, the cartilage surrounding the carpal/metacarpal bones will be stripped. Then bone foam and grafts are applied to help the body fill in more bone tissue to seal the joint. A metal plate and screws are attached to the other bones, and these must be placed in a specific manner to make sure that the bones are held rigidly in place as they heal. Any movement during the recovery process could cause bony calluses or delay healing.
Each puppy will require two operations. One leg will be allowed to heal before operating on the other leg. These pups have a long journey ahead of them, but the vet is optimistic that when everything is healed, they will be able to walk. Their front legs will likely by a bit shorter than normal, and their ankles won't flex so they will have a peculiar gait, but these happy puppies love life so much that we expect they won't let frozen ankles get in their way. It certainly beats walking on elbows!
As you might expect, 6 surgeries (2 for each puppy) is going to be expensive. The surgeries will be done at a specialized veterinary hospital, and will cost $20,000.
Will you help Carbon, Krypton, and Cobalt stand tall?
NEAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered as a certified charity with GoFundMe. All donations are processed by FirstGiving, so you can be sure your donation ends up helping these puppies. If NEAS reaches its fund-raising goal, additional funds will go to NEAS' Emergency Medical Fund.
On behalf of Carbon, Krypton, and Cobalt, thanks for helping!
Update 5/26/2016 10:30 am
Carbon and Cobalt are having their first surgeries. Everyone at the animal hospital fell in love with them immediately and promised to take the best care of them. Krypton will be going to the vet next week for a follow up x-ray to determine the best time for his first surgery.
