This is how we were introduced to Jenny. She was found by the animal shelter with a pretty gnarly wound in her arm. I was told they needed a foster until the vet figured out if the leg needed to be amputated or not, but it was fairly certain she would be losing the leg. Marshall and I were sure that, with some TLC and a lot of special care from the vets/medical techs at APA, we’d be able to save it but we weren’t aware how much we’d come to love her in the process.
What you can’t see in this picture is that the hole extends another 1.5″ or so around to her chest, making the wound not only gnarly, but huge and impossible to wrap with gauze. And if you think this looks bad, you should’ve seen it before the techs cleaned her up. They all told me they came close to puking when they saw what they were dealing with. (And this was the same day that a terrier suspected to be the victim of animal cruelty came in, along with a little beagle/doxie puppy that had tire treads on his back and a big hole in his face. I can’t even imagine what they all went through that day.)
After a week or so of trying everything we could to soak that part of her arm in epsom salts (that pitcher didn’t work, and neither did the bathtub, a bucket, or a kitty litter container), they decided to try closing up the hole. I was a nervous wreck the whole day she was in surgery, but Dr. Matt Hamby did an incredible job with what he was given. He had to make some splices in her skin to allow it to stretch far enough to close the gap, and, judging by the scarring, there was some creative piecing together of skin, but he did it and he did it well enough to keep the hole closed.
We had to take her to the clinic every other day to have them change her bandage, check the drain helping to clear out the wound, and keep an eye on the stitches. She absolutely loved the attention and still gets SUPER excited whenever we walk into that building.
After just a few weeks, they took out her stitches. Can you even believe how different this looks?! Doctor’s orders were that she had to wear a shirt with sleeves to keep her from scratching at it, and I totally jumped on the chance to dress her up. She also had to wear a donut around her head, and was more than obliging. In fact, she loved it because it was a permanent pillow, making every spot the perfect nap spot.
Look at it now! She met Abby this week and the two were instant best friends, completely inseparable. We’d been flirting with the idea of keeping her ourselves, but were hesitant because of The Abby Situation, but after seeing them together these past few days, I can’t imagine the two of them apart. So we’re adopting Jenny next week!
Welcome to the family, little dog!
I love this story!! I can’t imagine Jenny being in a better home!!!
That’s wonderful, Alicia! Man, I could see how much both of you love Jenny when we were down there. I couldn’t imagine you guys letting go of her after she healed. She couldn’t ask for a more loving home.:)
words can not describe how proud i am of jenny for getting through that (what a sweet girl, my word!). and what you did for her… there’s nothing i can write that adequately expresses my feelings about this. belated welcome, jenny! you’re safe now, sweetpea.
Dog sweaters are illegal in Texas.
Other than that, well done.
Dog sweaters are allowed when the wearer gets cold in temps below 60.
Beautiful story!
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Holy cow. I just clicked on your blog after you commented on mine — since we’re dog rescuing in the same town, I couldn’t resist. Jenny’s background is remarkable. How is she doing now? Is she still with you? Will they be able to keep her leg?
I’d love to know.
She’s curled up into the tiniest 45 lb ball on my lap right now, keeping me warm in my drafty house haha. Her leg is still there, but we’re still at risk. I posted about it here, but to summarize, we’ve been doing acupuncture and physical therapy but she has an orthopedic surgeon ready to fix it when we can afford it. APA is helping us as much as they can, though!