On August 1st a young black Labrador was picked up by Animal Control in San Bernardino. He was taken to the shelter hoping his family would come and get him. Sadly they never came, but Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue did and we pulled him.
     I know this story sounds all too familiar, but for Royal it truly was life saving. You see Royal had been hit by a car. His rear legs were paralyzed, his left hip was dislocated, right hock was swollen; he was emaciated and had lacerations all over his body. Even with all of this he was happy to see both Enid and I; he gave us kisses the whole time.
     Royal was taken to the vet immediately, the initial assessment wasn’t good. Royal wasn’t moving his rear legs, he couldn’t stand and he didn’t have control of his bodily functions. X-rays didn’t show anything definitive and it was suggested he should be euthanized. That call was devastating and I just sat in my car and cried. Thankfully, for Royal, I wasn’t ready to give up; you see Royal could wag his tail; that was a sign!
     After extensive research, Royal was put on an aggressive steroid therapy. In just 2 days there was slight improvement; he was able to stand in his kennel. With this positive sign I picked Royal so he could be comfortable and hopefully continue to improve. By the 4th day Royal had regained bowel control and was slowly starting to get up and walk around.
     During this time trying to get Royal to eat was a big challenge. It seems Royal was deathly afraid of his food bowl. He would turn his head away and not eat. He was already down to 51 pounds (he should be about 70-75) and was skin and bones. I would sit and hand feed him out of the bowl telling him he was a good boy. Finally I gained his trust and he started to eat on his own.
     Over the next 10 days Royal continued to improve and thrive. His wounds healed, the swelling in his hock was gone and he was walking. The decision was made to move forward with the surgery needed to repair his hip, Dr. Dan Frankel, DVM, MS, did his surgery. Royal had a Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO); this is when the head of the femur bone is removed and in the healing process a fibrous scar tissue creates a false joint.
     Friday (two weeks after being in his foster home) Royal had his FHO surgery. For the first week he was on crate rest and then we slowly started walking him around a little. After 2 weeks his sutures were taken out and we increased the walks.
     At 3 weeks post op I contacted Trish of K9 Rehab and Royal and I started swim therapy. Royal is making slow but steady progress. After 5 half hour sessions we are seeing increased muscle mass and greater mobility in both his legs.
     Everyday Royal continues to thrive; his tail never stops wagging and his spirit is inspiring. I have been with him since the beginning of his journey with Labradors and Friends and I feel blessed that he came into my life.

 

Entry submitted November 7, 2009