Healthy Puppy Fund

(This video will make more sense once you've read the story, but please notice the state of the little guy's foot.  This is how he holds it all the time, when he isn't trying to walk on it or hand it to me.)

The Story

This morning, as my husband's parents drove away after a weeklong visit, my mother-in-law called my phone to tell me that two little golden puppies were hobbling down our street, the bigger one helping the little one (who looked injured) along.  My husband, Adam, and I jumped in the car to see if we could find them, and a few houses up, there they were in a ditch by the side of the road. 

At first they didn't want to approach me, but the condition of the smaller puppy's foot (and the primary reason for this fund, as you'll read) didn't allow him to run so he just stayed put while I approached him, slowly and with some treats.  He decided he trusted me well enough and began to wag his tail, causing the larger one to approach with caution. Within two minutes, they were rolling around at my feet and licking my hands like normal, happy (though still timid) puppies.  They are definitely young, maybe only a few months old.


They allowed us to lift them (they are far too young to be agressive), so Adam and I each scooped up a puppy and put them on some blankets in the trunk of his SUV.  We put them in our outdoor run (it's a beautiful sunny day), fed them, gave them lots of water and affection, and took them to our vet the moment they opened. 


As I worried, the vet agreed that they were probably dumped, as our area is notorious for this, and all signs pointed to neglect.  We checked them for microchips (neither chips nor tags). The collars were dirty, too tight and had clearly been on for a long time (dangerous on a fast-growing puppy); they were very nervous when approached, though warmed up quickly (probably had human contact at some point); they completely attacked the food and water we gave them, eating two cups in literally 10 seconds; and they huddle together like they have only each other.   The large one is very protective of the small one, but allows us to do as we will with zero aggression.


That was all within the last three hours.  Now, we're waiting to hear the results of their workups at the vet, where the boys are being de-wormed, de-flead, vaccinated, and given antibiotics. 

Reason for the Fund

The smaller one (which I've begun calling Nugget) is in worse shape than his brother.  He is skinnier, bloated with worms, has a scratch on his eye (possibly from a cat or some other small animal they've encountered) and his foot has been broken for a long time, such that he is actually walking on the joint instead of the paw:


Because of this, the fur and skin have worn away entirely, leaving an infected wound that has probably been open since it started.  The vet says that he will need to get x-rays and an evaluation by a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, and surgery (though we don't yet know exactly which surgery) will definitely be needed.  If he is to keep the paw, he will need to have the break re-broken, reset, pinned and placed in a cast, which will certainly get into the thousands of dollars.

If there is anyone who would like to help us get these pups taken care of, please know that we greatly appreciate it.  Between the x-rays, surgery, checkups, vaccinations, deworming, grooming, and everything else we will need to get them started, our bill will easily get into the several thousand range.  If we end up with more than we need for the vet bills, it will go toward food, toys and shelter expenses, if necessary.  I will post the receipts so you can see just how what you did helped.

Updates will come as the brothers progress, and conclude with what I hope to be a happy and joyful ending to what started as a very sad story that is far too common.



Thank you for reading, and for your consideration. Nugget and his brother (we think) thank you, and so do we!