GREENVILLE, SC....For everyone that fell in love with Minnie, our Mini-Aussie, we have another adorable pup that could be her sister. Greenville County Animal Care Services reached out for help with a scared stray pup hit by a car they called Ferry. At first, I thought it was a picture of Minnie. I soon realized it was a different dog in need.
We agreed to take her and had her transported to CVRC in Charleston, SC. GCACS was calling her Ferry, but we changed her name to Gracie. Our sweet pup had a broken pelvis, dislocated hip, and fractured metatarsal bones in her foot. The bone in her foot was sticking out, so she had to be rescued ASAP or put to sleep.
Gracie is a beautiful four-year-old Mini-Aussie. She had a microchip that led nowhere, and no one was looking for her. The poor pup was in pain and scared to death when she arrived at CVRC. The ER Team took Gracie back immediately to get her comfortable. Once x-rays were done, the Surgical Team called to review options for putting this sweet pup back together.
The radiographic findings revealed dorsal cranial luxation of the left coxofemoral joint. There are also displaced fractures involving the left ischial table and pubic bone. There is also evidence of displaced transverse fractures involving the distal body of the left pelvic limb's second through fourth metatarsal bones. Gracie's foot is swollen due to trauma from an open fracture in her foot.
Dr. Garnett was her surgeon for the day. After a lengthy discussion, it was determined Gracie would need an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy), and her metatarsals would need to be plated. Gracie would require two separate surgeries since she had a nasty infection in her foot. That infection would have to be cleared before surgery could be performed on her injured foot.
Gracie's FHO surgery went smoothly, and she did well under anesthesia and recovered quickly. Gracie's infection took almost a week to get to a point where she could have surgery to repair the broken bones. Dr. Garnett did her second surgery, which required two plates and screws to stabilize metatarsals 2-5. To get proper alignment, x-rays revealed the plates had to be repositioned, which Dr. Garnett did without complications.
Gracie was put in a bandage/splint, which she would have to stay in for eight weeks. She would have to have bandage changes several times a week to ensure she was not developing any further complications and to check for swelling. Now the Journey of healing for this precious pup can begin.
We finally got Gracie out of the hospital and to our Rehab Facility. The first thing we noticed was that Gracie was petrified. Even holding her scared her to death. All she wanted was to run and hide under anything she could find. We decided the best thing for Gracie was to give her enough space and quiet so she could relax, and eventually, she would come around.
To say that Gracie is terrified is an understatement. God knows what someone had done to her to be this way. Every movement and noise has her shaking. She also has no desire to be around any dogs. She isn't aggressive but scared, which breaks our hearts. No dog ever deserves to feel this way. Each day shows promise. Time, patience, and unconditional Love are what she needs now to heal her broken heart.
We thought the hard part was fixing her broken bones, but it was the easiest part compared to healing her heart. Gracie will have all the time she needs to recover physically and mentally. This little girl may not know it yet, but she will love being at Noah's Arks Rescue. We know how to heal broken bones and broken Souls.
One surgery can break the bank, and two surgeries will weaken your knees. Please, DONATE whatever you can to pay Gracie's medical bills and her continued wound care.
On a good note, adorable Peter was adopted into an amazing Family with another dog in Aiken, SC. We could not have asked for a better home for this precious pup.
