Because we are one of the few rescues in the Philadelphia area that regularly pull pit bulls and other square breed dogs of local shelters, we often get called with the plea to take just one more...
Oftentimes, we're full to the brim and just can't manage it, but every now and again, we can afford to make the room.
A few weeks ago, one of the veterinarians working at the shelter called us about Linus, a 10 month old American Bulldog who was limping pretty badly on his left hind leg. They were able to do the initial work up and found that Linus's hind leg didn't fit into his hip properly. Radiographs confirmed that this was a problem on both sides, but since the left was worse than the right, that was the one that he limped on. Although Linus was clearly in pain, he was sweet as pie and loved everyone that came up to talk to him.
It was decided that Linus needed surgery on both of his hips to help him move comfortably. They found a local veterinary clinic to partner with that was willing to do one of the surgeries at no cost. However, a shelter is not a great place to recover from surgery, so they were asking us if we would be willing to take Linus on. By putting him in a foster home, we would be able to decrease his risk of infection and help him do the rehab that he needed to help him learn to use his "new" joint.
We took him on, and for the past few weeks Linus has been recovering in one of our foster homes. The second surgery is usually done about 3-4 weeks after the first, so we started looking for veterinarians that would be willing to help us afford this. Another local veterinary clinic was able to cut us a rescue discount on the surgery. In addition, we applied for and received a grant from United Animal Nations, a nationwide organization that puts together small grants for veterinary care (amongst other things).
Linus has his second surgery this Thursday. In a few weeks, he'll be as good as new (or, in his case, better than he's ever been) and ready to look for a home. In the meantime, a local shelter, two veterinary clinics, a foster home, and a national organization have all worked together with us to save one more dog.
Some may say that all that effort just isn't worth it for one dog... but those people haven't met Linus!
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