Sprouts Journey

Meet Sprout!

A 12 week old Maltese Shih Tzu who is full of love, and cheeky puppy cheer.

Sprout came into care after she was found on gumtree by one of our volunteers. She was being sold for $100 and the ad said that she had possible elbow displacia and that she "limped". We did not want to see this girl end up in the wrong hands so our volunteer raced to get her before the person selling her gave her to someone else.

The rest of Sprouts litter had already been sold for over $1500. Unlike her siblings, Sprout hadn't been microchipped or vaccinated. She was covered in fleas and had a belly full of worms. We're lead to believe that the people who sold the puppies didn't think Sprout would make it and made very little effort towards her care.

We know any ethical breeder would have sought vet care and come to the bottom of what was truly going on with Sprout.

Upon collecting Sprout, we realised it was alot worse than what was explained in the ad.

We got her straight to one of our trusted vets, Bannockburn Veterinary Clinic, where she underwent X-rays.

Upon looking at these our vets realised that this was out of their scope for a small clinic and required specialist care.

Sprout has been diagnosed with a rare and painful condition known as congenital bilateral elbow luxation, meaning both of her front legs are dislocated at the elbows. She also has suspected hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain).

We've since been to see Geelong Animal Referral Services.

There she has recieced more x-rays (due to puppies growing so quickly!) and a CT scan.

The CT scan showed that she has even more things going on which include dislocated shoulders and problems with her hips.

Our team will be heading back to GARS to have a meeting with the specialist to determine what actions, if any, we can take to ensure that Sprout has a happy life, and a quality of life where she isn't in pain.

At the moment Sprouts outcome is really unclear for our team. But what we do know is that she is currently in a foster home where she is receiving all the love she deserves.

So far we've spent $2,800 just on imagining to understand what exactly is going on with Sprout.

We anticipate if she is a candidate for corrective surgery that we will be spending alot more.

We're reaching out to all our amazing followers for help. We need help to raise funds to go directly to Sprouts care so we can ensure she is given the best chance.

If you can contribute to help with her vet fees, it would meant the world to not only us, but to Sprout.

We at Waggin Tails know that ethical registered breeders have their place. But clear backyard breeding like this is what leads to dogs to end up being sold and passed off to unsuspecting owners.

Waggin Tails will be working with the local council from where the puppy was bought to try and help find the people who sold Sprout.

We thank everyone for their ongoing support with our rescue animals!

Waggin Tails Animal Rescue