Steel's Total Hip Replacement
Donation protected
Backstory:
This is Steel. Even as a puppy he didn't have a stable environment, he was found on the side of the road when he was about 2 months old. The couple that found him took him in, and found a new family for him - hoping it would be his forever home. Sadly, it didn't work out with the family, so the process of rehoming Steel began once again.
Having a dog to call my own is what I've wanted since I was 12 years old. I begged and pleaded with my mom to let me have one, but I was never able to. There are thousands of dogs to adopt, but when I saw Steel's post, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I set up a time that my boyfriend and I could meet Steel so that we could make a decision. That night, Ben and I gained a new family member. There is something special about having your own dog - it's such an intimate and personal relationship, a sense of purpose in life, and responsibility as well. When we got Steel that night, he was about 8 months old. He hardly had any of the shots he was supposed to, including his rabies shot which is illegal to not have. So a few days later, I took him to the vet and he was caught up on his shots, and he also got fixed. Steel is the happiest pup and he never lets anything slow him down. He has been the center of attention for months now, and he has also been the cause of laughter as well; Steel has a lot of character - and at 11 months old and 80lbs, he has a lot of body to store that bubbly personality of his.
Now:
As of yesterday, Steel was the cause of tears. I had a bad feeling about his hips for few weeks, and had been observing him closely (even more than usual, he's like a child to me). I took him to the vet to get a physical exam, and they noticed a lot of popping in his knees and hips. The first thing I thought of is hip dysplasia, which my family black lab has - I've watched my mom and sister both struggle over the years, trying to make simple things like climbing up the back stairs or getting in the car easy for her. It's so hard to watch a part of the family walk with trouble, when it seems like months before that, she was running around the backyard and able to jump in the river near our house. with ease.
The veterinarian asked if she could do x-rays on Steel because she was worried, I told her I would feel much better if she did them, so to go ahead and take them. Yesterday, my fears were confirmed. Steel has severe hip dysplasia in both of his hips. In his x-rays, his hips are basically floating around, not even in the joint. Because he is not even a year old yet, he still has a puppy vibe to him...but even as young as he is, he hesitates to jump on the couch, bed, and in the car. He drags his back legs around sometimes when moving around our house because it hurts for him to get off of the floor, since he can hardly put any weight at all on them. He loves going to the dog park and exploring in the woods, but his hips have put a damper on things. HD is hereditary, but can be influenced by low quality food and improper care - since Steel is a mixed breed and has been from home to home, he never received the love and attention (both physically and medically) that he needed.
About 30% of dogs are diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and 25% of those diagnosed have severe HD. Usually you have three options, but because Steel's is so bad, he only has one option - a total hip replacement.
A total hip replacement is when a surgeon replaces the ball joint of the hip, and the socket, with prosthetics. The surgery is extremely effective and immediately after surgery, the dog is pain free. It takes about 2 months for a full recovery. Since Steel was born this way, he doesn't even know what it's like to use all of his legs when walking up the stairs, to jump on the couch with full force, to play with other dogs like he wants to so bad. This surgery is the only thing that will save him, this surgery is the only thing that will save my boyfriend and I because it breaks our hearts to see our pup in pain.
When the veterinarian told me he had this option, I was glad, but with surgery comes a cost, and a lot of it. Immediately I asked what I should do next and what she recommended. Total Hip Replacement is $2,500+ PER hip, and since Steel's are so bad, it would be about $5000 to replace both of his hips so that he can live out the rest of time as a puppy, and not be in pain when he is older. I never thought I would be able to care about an animal so much until I got Steel. He truly rescued me and now I want to rescue him...again. Even $5 will help towards getting him this much needed surgery, it's the only option he has. My boyfriend and I both would be overjoyed for kind comments, shares, likes, donations; anything to help Steel.
Additional photos of our handsome boy:
This is Steel. Even as a puppy he didn't have a stable environment, he was found on the side of the road when he was about 2 months old. The couple that found him took him in, and found a new family for him - hoping it would be his forever home. Sadly, it didn't work out with the family, so the process of rehoming Steel began once again. Having a dog to call my own is what I've wanted since I was 12 years old. I begged and pleaded with my mom to let me have one, but I was never able to. There are thousands of dogs to adopt, but when I saw Steel's post, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I set up a time that my boyfriend and I could meet Steel so that we could make a decision. That night, Ben and I gained a new family member. There is something special about having your own dog - it's such an intimate and personal relationship, a sense of purpose in life, and responsibility as well. When we got Steel that night, he was about 8 months old. He hardly had any of the shots he was supposed to, including his rabies shot which is illegal to not have. So a few days later, I took him to the vet and he was caught up on his shots, and he also got fixed. Steel is the happiest pup and he never lets anything slow him down. He has been the center of attention for months now, and he has also been the cause of laughter as well; Steel has a lot of character - and at 11 months old and 80lbs, he has a lot of body to store that bubbly personality of his.
Now:
As of yesterday, Steel was the cause of tears. I had a bad feeling about his hips for few weeks, and had been observing him closely (even more than usual, he's like a child to me). I took him to the vet to get a physical exam, and they noticed a lot of popping in his knees and hips. The first thing I thought of is hip dysplasia, which my family black lab has - I've watched my mom and sister both struggle over the years, trying to make simple things like climbing up the back stairs or getting in the car easy for her. It's so hard to watch a part of the family walk with trouble, when it seems like months before that, she was running around the backyard and able to jump in the river near our house. with ease.
The veterinarian asked if she could do x-rays on Steel because she was worried, I told her I would feel much better if she did them, so to go ahead and take them. Yesterday, my fears were confirmed. Steel has severe hip dysplasia in both of his hips. In his x-rays, his hips are basically floating around, not even in the joint. Because he is not even a year old yet, he still has a puppy vibe to him...but even as young as he is, he hesitates to jump on the couch, bed, and in the car. He drags his back legs around sometimes when moving around our house because it hurts for him to get off of the floor, since he can hardly put any weight at all on them. He loves going to the dog park and exploring in the woods, but his hips have put a damper on things. HD is hereditary, but can be influenced by low quality food and improper care - since Steel is a mixed breed and has been from home to home, he never received the love and attention (both physically and medically) that he needed.
About 30% of dogs are diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and 25% of those diagnosed have severe HD. Usually you have three options, but because Steel's is so bad, he only has one option - a total hip replacement.
A total hip replacement is when a surgeon replaces the ball joint of the hip, and the socket, with prosthetics. The surgery is extremely effective and immediately after surgery, the dog is pain free. It takes about 2 months for a full recovery. Since Steel was born this way, he doesn't even know what it's like to use all of his legs when walking up the stairs, to jump on the couch with full force, to play with other dogs like he wants to so bad. This surgery is the only thing that will save him, this surgery is the only thing that will save my boyfriend and I because it breaks our hearts to see our pup in pain.
When the veterinarian told me he had this option, I was glad, but with surgery comes a cost, and a lot of it. Immediately I asked what I should do next and what she recommended. Total Hip Replacement is $2,500+ PER hip, and since Steel's are so bad, it would be about $5000 to replace both of his hips so that he can live out the rest of time as a puppy, and not be in pain when he is older. I never thought I would be able to care about an animal so much until I got Steel. He truly rescued me and now I want to rescue him...again. Even $5 will help towards getting him this much needed surgery, it's the only option he has. My boyfriend and I both would be overjoyed for kind comments, shares, likes, donations; anything to help Steel.
Additional photos of our handsome boy:
Organizer
Melissa Cutler
Organizer
Wilmington, NC