Sponsored by: Friends of Sweetspot Communications
I found Rocky at the animal shelter here in Vermillion. He appears to be a purebred yellow Labrador Retriever and he is ~ 1-2 years old. The animal control officer believes he is a hunting dog that was injured in the field and then abandoned. Rocky holds up his left front paw and rarely puts any weight on it. X-rays of the paw revealed that it has been severely crushed...possibly run over by a car. One toe is normal, but three are so badly damaged that the veterinarian had difficulty recognizing some of the bones. The accident happened several weeks ago because the joints are already showing secondary changes such as arthritis. Also, the pad of one toe is ulcerated and bleeding. Now the good news...Dr. M., who is an excellent surgeon, said that amputation of the distal parts of the damaged toes should eliminate Rocky's pain and give him use of that paw again. The surgery is scheduled for January 3 and the recovery period will be ~ 2-3 weeks. And sometimes when it rains it pours...blood tests showed that Rocky has heartworm. However, it was a very, very faint positive, so the infection is most likely at an early stage and treatment should be successful.
We've only had Rocky for two days and we've already fallen in love with him. He thumps up to us on his three good legs and leans in for pets. Rocky gets along great with the rest of the pack, though I think the cats are still under his radar. He's a big, lovable lug of a dog and I can't wait for the day when he's got four on the floor!!
| Mixed Breed | Born: December 2006 |
| Male | Weight not specified |
Status: Adopted
Sponsored by: Friends of Sweetspot Communications
I found Rocky at the animal shelter here in Vermillion. He appears to be a purebred yellow Labrador Retriever and he is ~ 1-2 years old. The animal control officer believes he is a hunting dog that was injured in the field and then abandoned. Rocky holds up his left front paw and rarely puts any weight on it. X-rays of the paw revealed that it has been severely crushed...possibly run over by a car. One toe is normal, but three are so badly damaged that the veterinarian had difficulty recognizing some of the bones. The accident happened several weeks ago because the joints are already showing secondary changes such as arthritis. Also, the pad of one toe is ulcerated and bleeding. Now the good news...Dr. M., who is an excellent surgeon, said that amputation of the distal parts of the damaged toes should eliminate Rocky's pain and give him use of that paw again. The surgery is scheduled for January 3 and the recovery period will be ~ 2-3 weeks. And sometimes when it rains it pours...blood tests showed that Rocky has heartworm. However, it was a very, very faint positive, so the infection is most likely at an early stage and treatment should be successful.
We've only had Rocky for two days and we've already fallen in love with him. He thumps up to us on his three good legs and leans in for pets. Rocky gets along great with the rest of the pack, though I think the cats are still under his radar. He's a big, lovable lug of a dog and I can't wait for the day when he's got four on the floor!!
Rocky had his second and last paw surgery on 3/4/08. The procedure went very well and he is now using that paw again. The sutures will be removed on 3/18/08 and then we will start walking together again. Now that all of the injured toes have been repaired, the paw is very stable and should not cause any more problems in the future. As for adoption, I hope that Rocky will be ready to go to his forever home in late March or early April.
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I am so happy to report that Rocky has got four on the floor! He no longer needs a bandage and is clearly very pleased to get reacquainted with his paw. And Rocky doesn't just walk now...he gallops...he jumps...he plays with the other dogs!! The transformation is just amazing. It seems that with each passing day, he becomes a little more animated. Today, when I was outside with him, he gently took my mitten in his mouth and gave a little tug as if to say "Come on Mom...let's play!". So I started throwing toys for him and, for the first time ever, he chased them! I should note that his paw isn't quite done healing yet. It's still very tender. Dr. M. likened it to a child going barefoot for the first time in the spring. But the more he uses it, the more quickly it will toughen up. Rocky will see Dr. M. one more time next week and then he should be ready for his forever home. I don't know who is more thrilled...me or Rocky!!
Rocky's recovery is still going very well. We now walk every day and he has learned to walk quite nicely on a lead. He still limps a bit, but that may be partly due to the bulky bandage. He continues to get along great with the rest of the pack. In the photos, nurse Pepper the cattle dog is making sure that the patient's ears are nice and clean! I'm slowly introducing him to the cats; right now he seems curious but not all that interested in chasing them. And for such a large dog (~75-80 lbs), Rocky is incredibly gentle with our daughter, who is about to turn five. He has never even bumped into her. The only time she gets annoyed at him is when that giant lab tail goes "wump, wump, wump" and knocks all of her artwork off of the refrigerator. And I can't even remember the last time he had an accident, so I think it's safe to say the he is housetrained. Rocky's next appointment with Dr. M. is February 4 when he will have his paw checked and maybe even lose the bandage. He will also receive his last treatment for heartworm. After this visit, I hope to have a better idea of when Rocky will be ready for his forever home.
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Dr. M. checked Rocky's paw yesterday and it is healing nicely! He removed the sutures and then soaked the paw in a warm, cleansing bath. It must have felt good because Rocky heaved a huge sigh and then relaxed completely. Dr. M. then put on a fresh bandage which will stay on for two weeks. He said that it is now okay for Rocky to start walking with me, so we put on his scarf and off we went! He now uses that paw quite a bit and every so often I get a glimpse of a normal gait. Rocky is now sound asleep at my feet...and as they say, a tired dog is a happy dog!
Rocky and I would like to thank Friends of Sweetspot Communications for their generous support. With their help, Rocky will soon be pain free and ready to run with the pack.
Rocky had his paw surgery and is doing very well. He is already starting to put some weight on his operated paw, which is remarkable given that it's only been four days since the surgery. We are going back to the vet in two days so Dr. M. can check the paw and change the bandage. And if all goes as planned, the sutures will be removed in another week or so. Rocky was also neutered during the procedure. The day after the surgery, Rocky began his treatment for heartworm and tolerated the medication well. Dr. M. is confident that Rocky will go through the remainder of the heartworm treatment without any problems. Rocky is true to his name...a real fighter!
