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Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary |
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A Sanctuary For Elderly & Special Needs Animals |
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Pilot |
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Sometimes, you have to stand-up for what you believe in. And sometimes, speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves can come at a price. That was the case for Pilot. A mild-mannered guy, Pilot found himself in an emergency room, then at a specialty hospital after being run over by his owner. This was the second time it had happened, and this was the time that essentially shattered his femur. His owners couldn't afford any of the surgical options that were offered, and made the decision to euthanize him. The office staff went to bat for him and almost lost their jobs in the process. It was against hospital policy to have an owner relinquish an animal, let alone fix him up and rehome him. We stepped in as a rescue group to find him an adoptive home and did.
Seems like a happy ending, right? Fix him up and find him a home. We only take animals in as we have space and can financially support them, and the most reasonable solution for Pilot was to amputate this horribly fractured leg and encourage some weight loss, then find him a home. About 5 days after his injury, he was anesthetized for pre-op x-rays and an amputation. The x-rays revealed a twist to this happy ending ~ he had severe hip dysplasia in not one, but both of his hips. He also had some arthritic changes, something that we would expect in an old dog, but he's only 5!! And the better of his hips turns out to be the fracture side.
We had to do some serious soul-searching. First the decision of whether to wake him up from anesthesia or euthanize him based on his x-rays ~ we woke him up. Then, the decision of whether to amputate his leg or fix the fracture. And, what about his weight?? Pilot weighed in at this point as a whopping 120lbs.! He would need serious diet and exercise to even stay mobile. This was not a decision entered into lightly, and unfortunately was not a situation his future adoptive home wanted to enter. We decided to consult with another surgeon, one who would be pretty blunt and straight-forward about whether this was a good idea or not. This tough situation was presented to Dr. Dennis Aron, Diplomate ACVS.
Dr. Aron was very honest about the surgery ~ from how he would fix it, to the long-term outcome. He graciously offered to perform the surgery for only the cost of the hardware needed - a plate and rod (plus many, many screws), and located a hospital, Acacia Animal Hospital in Escondido, who generously discounted the supplies, x-rays and hospitalization. The price tag, even discounted, was a whopping $2000-$3000 (it would have been easily 3 times that amount without their help). It's still a price tag that the sanctuary budget would not be able to afford. Steve and I decided, after much discussion, that we would pay for the surgery, but he would become a sanctuary dog. Pilot had already lost two homes, and we didn't feel it was fair to lose a third. Plus, we were concerned that his weight management and rehab program wouldn't be followed which was critical to all of this working.
Pilot’s looking great!! He's on thyroid supplementation, which has helped with weight loss, combined with diet and exercise. He now weighs 88lbs!! We're hoping for a final weight in the 78-80lb range to keep him light-weight and mobile. We hope that he will be an ambassador for the sanctuary once he's healed.
Many, many thanks to everyone who gave Pilot a chance at life!! |
