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Available for adoption through Northeastern Boxer Rescue |
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fostered in MA |
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Available for adoption through Northeastern Boxer Rescue |
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fostered in MA |
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OLIVER is a Name A Boxer dog Thank you Michelle Valandro for naming Oliver “I was watching a dog show the other day and one of the dog's names was Oliver and I fell in love with this name. I kept thinking of a way to use this name and what is more perfect than this!”
6/5/08 - New pictures! 6/2/08 -
FIRST SURGERY IS
COMPLETED
Oliver was brought to TUFTS for his first
major surgery. The surgical correction for Oliver’s knee involved
creating a controlled fracture on the top part of his tibia and rotating
the fracture into a new position. The fracture was then repaired with
small pins. The following is the surgical report:
"A lateral approach to the left stifle was
made. A medial and lateral arthrotomy was made. The cruciate ligaments
were intact. A pseudo trochlcar groove present on the lateral aspect of
the femoral condyle where the patella was sitting. The actual trochlea
groove was virtually non-existent with minimal ridges. A tibial
tuberosity transposition was performed. The ostcotomy was made with a
sagittal saw. A hole just distal to the ostcotomy was made with a 5/64
pin and a piece of 20 gauge wire passed through the hole. The tuberosity
was transposed approximately 5 mm medially and secured with two wires.
The tension band was made by passing the cerclage wire around the
K-wires and tightened. The K-wires were bent over the tibial tuberosity
and cut short. The joint was lavaged with sterile saline. The medial
joint capsule was closed using 2-0 PDS in a simple continuous pattern.
Simple interrupted sutures were place in the lateral fascia, taking care
to not close the joint capsule. The patella could not be luxated
medially or laterally. The surgical site was lavaged with sterile
saline. Subcutaneous tissue was closed with 2-0 PDS in a subcuticular
pattern. Skin was closed with staples. A soft padded bandage was place
post-operatively."
It is critical that Oliver has complete
exercise restriction for the next 8 weeks. According to his post-op
instructions he is not allowed to run, jump, climb stairs or have any
unsupervised activity. An additional 8 weeks of moderate exercise
restriction (short walks on hand held lead only) is then indicated.
Twelve weeks after surgery, Oliver should be able to return to normal
activity.
The surgeon expects Oliver to have some
weight bearing on his leg within 10-14 days. According to the doctor's
remarks, most animals bear weight about 50% of the time by four weeks
and then continue to improve slowly up to six months. The staples in
his leg need to be removed between 10-14 days. The bandage, which is
covering his leg, will remain on for one week. Oliver was released with
the following medication: Tramadol (analgesic-for addition pain relief)
and Carprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory also used for pain).
Radiographs are scheduled at TUFTS in
approximately eight weeks to assess healing. Once his leg has healed
Oliver will need to repeat this procedure on his other leg. Oliver is
recovering in his foster home and is as comfortable as can be expected.
His foster mom will be giving us a progress report within the next few
days.
We want to thank the people who have donated
to help with Oliver’s medical expenses but we are FAR short of recouping
the outlay of money for this surgery. Our medical expenses have already
surpassed last year’s totals. To allow NBR to keep reaching out to the
most helpless dogs we need your financial assistance now more than
ever.
5/16/08 -
SURGERY IS SCHEDULED
Oliver had his appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon at TUFTS. More
x-rays were taken and he was given a thorough exam. Dr. McCarthy
confirmed that Oliver would need multiple surgeries, but his approach
was different than the initial surgical assessment given by the other
doctor who examined him.
Dr. McCarthy said that in his experience, drastic surgeries for this
type of condition (Genu Valgum) do not give much improvement. He also
worries that multiple painful surgeries often compromise a dog’s
disposition.
Dr. McCarthy felt the biggest concern was Oliver’s knee joints which he
said were as bad as they get. He has bi-lateral, grade four (most
severe) lateral luxating patellas. X-rays showed that his kneecaps are
on the side of his legs instead of the front where they belong.
The doctor said that although Gulliver has ten other angular changes in
his hind joints that could be corrected, he felt that treating him
conservatively would be the best. He felt that if they address the
kneecaps surgically, there would be a 90% chance that it would help with
Oliver’s other angular deformities.
Each hind leg will need to be operated on separately, 8 to 12 weeks
apart. If Oliver does not start using his leg immediately after surgery
he will need post-op physical therapy (PT) and, if he does use it, PT
would not be needed until 6 weeks after the second surgery.
Oliver’s first surgery is scheduled this week. The operation will
require Dr. McCarthy to break the bone below the knee to allow him to
reposition the kneecap which will then be secured with pins and wires.
These surgical procedures are extremely costly. We are currently facing
Gulliver’s
huge medical expenses and with Oliver’s upcoming surgeries NBR will be
in a desperate situation.
We cannot help the dogs that need us the most, without your help. If
you are reGulliver’sading
this story, please consider donating whatever you can to help these
needy dogs. Even small donations are helpful. Oliver has over 1,000
hits on his page but we have received only one donation for him to
date. If all 1,000+ people who read his story would have given at least
$1 it would have helped contribute towards his medical bills.
THESE DOGS NEED YOU!
5/8/08 -
A LIMITED PAST…AN UNLIMITED FUTURE
Multiple Surgeries Required
OLIVER
We received the following email regarding a young male
boxer who was born with a congenital deformity which affected both
hind legs. He was brought to an animal hospital to be killed by a pet
store owner when he could not sell him.
“I know you must get a lot of
emails like this one, but I am sending it to you anyway with the hope
that this story touches you like it touched me. Is this a puppy that
you can help (please, see attachment). This sweet puppy is at the
animal hospital where I take my pets.
I found your email address on the
internet. I understand that you have many animals and may not be able
to help him, but I thought I would send it to you just in case you may
be able to help him.”
NBR responded immediately and offered our help.
We learned that Oliver has basically been caged his whole life.
He was born in a cage at a puppy mill, shipped to a cage in a pet
store, and survived in a cage in a vet hospital where he had been
brought in to be killed by the owner of a pet store. Oliver never had
an
opportunity to walk on grass or feel earth underneath
his deformed legs. Luckily the animal hospital staff decided to seek
help for Oliver instead of letting him die.
Our first task, was to collect information regarding
his condition. We discovered that the animal hospital staff took
Oliver to a local orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed him with Genu
Valgum, which is a congenital/heritable deformity affecting large
breed dogs. This condition results in “knock knees“, lateral patella
lunation, external rotation of the paws and severe muscle atrophy.
This condition affects the hip, dysplastic, stifle and tarsal joints.
Left untreated, degenerative joint disease and arthritis will
progress.
The surgeon’s report stated that the correction of
Oliver’s deformity would require femoral osteotomy to align the
bone-quadriceps muscle axis, release and tightening of lateral and
medial para patellar ligaments, tibial tuberosity translocation to a
medial position, patellar ligament lengthen and femoral trochleaplasty.
Surgeries would need to be six to eight weeks apart. Ultimate
function would also necessitate daily physical therapy for optimal
results.
Oliver is now with his foster family and doing well.
We have scheduled the first available appointment at TUFTS small
Animal Hospital for a consult with orthopedic surgeon, Dr. McCarthy
(see
Gulliver’s
story). We trust Dr. McCarthy’s opinion, and his excellent surgical
skills, so we know Oliver will get the best treatment.
Oliver's foster mom's report:
“Imagine spending the first 9 months of your life
indoors, and not even in a home. Oliver has had a rough start, but is
adjusting to "house life" like a true champ!
Everything is new to him; from the grass outside, to
the stairs or cars passing by the house. Oliver seems to be
forgetting that his past was so limited. He has recently realized
that stairs are how you get to the people. He has figured out that
the grass outdoors is for running on and playing around with your
foster brother.
We are patiently awaiting Oliver’s evaluation with Dr.
McCarthy at TUFTS, so we can get his surgery underway. His condition,
known as "Genu Valgum", will need to be corrected so he can live a
pain free life as he continues to grow. This condition is a
congenital and heritable deformity that almost ended his life in the
first place; when the pet store owner wanted to kill him.
At the moment, Oliver looks like a puppy with
disproportioned legs. The simple things in life, such as running and
playing, will sometimes make his legs go out from underneath him.
Luckily, there are caring people out in the world that
are willing to give him a chance at life.”
Once again, our organization will incur very large veterinary bills
for Oliver’s surgery and care. We are still in need of your financial
support. Please help us save more dogs who need special care by
sending a donation. We are very grateful for whatever help you can
provide.
If you can help with the medical care for Oliver
You
can send a check directly to: Northeastern Boxer Rescue makes it easy and secure to
send payments online via credit card.
If you are interested in adopting this dog, please fill out an online application first. Then e-mail the contact below. Be sure to include your full name, city, state, and area code in the subject line of your message.
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(click pictures to enlarge)
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Ollie
has met many of the children in the
neighborhood, he is adored by all and is
exceptionally sweet with everyone. He
has started really coming out of his
shell, a good sign of comfort and
settling in, and is exhibiting typical
puppy rascally behavior and trying to
chew and nip at everything. We're
working on that and he has been very
responsive so far. We have been doing
his physical therapy daily, but he is a
little wiggle worm and thinks that we
are trying to play with him so it is an
endeavor. But he uses his leg most of
the time, seems to be gaining strength
and has definitely put on some weight so
we are thrilled with the progress. I am
sending along some pics and hope you'll
enjoy them! "
