I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and is ready to take on 2022. It seems like everywhere we look, Covid Cases surround us. We have 32 dogs in our care and four people looking after them; we cannot afford for anyone to get sick. We take every precaution imaginable, but eventually, it will be at our door.
We have lots of new cases, but the one I am posting for today is dear Mac from Gwinnett County. Mac is a 5-year-old chihuahua hit by a car and left for dead. Animal Control picked him up and brought him to Gwinnett Animal Welfare. I saw the post and did not give this sweet pup another thought. He was small, cute, needed surgery, and his owner would definitely come looking for him.
A week goes by, and I get a personal note from the shelter saying no one has stepped up for Mac. I was surprised that an owner was not looking for this little guy and even more astonished that the rescue community did not step up. Mac was getting a little nippy because he had not had surgery for his breaks. An injured animal with several breaks will not be kept alive if no one wants him.
I suddenly realized how long Mac had been there and knew he would be put down. I responded immediately, asked for more x-rays, and told them I would take Mac. I had him taken to CVRC in Charleston, where they had their own set of problems. Surgeons and Vet. Techs were out sick with Covid, so they were understaffed. At every turn, there was a complication due to Covid.
On the day Mac was brought in, they had enough staff to take care of him. I cannot tell how excited I was. Mac had suffered way too long with his injuries and needed to be fixed. Mac had new x-rays done and confirmed his injuries were old. Lord knows how long this sweet pup had been on his own before someone picked him up.
Mac has a fracture of the ileum, ischium, and pubis on the left with cranial acetabular fracture and left-sided SI luxation. Basically, he is a mess, broken in the most painful body area. I now understand why he does not want anyone to pick him up. Mac had to be stabilized for three days before Dr. Sura could do his surgery.
I had a long conversation with Dr. Sura to determine if Mac's injuries were too chronic to repair. She explained in great detail there was a genuine possibility she would not be able to align the bones. She would not know until she got in and began to break down scar tissue and muscle. She also explained he could have nerve damage and could only break down so far.
Mac had his surgery which was much longer than anticipated because Dr. Sura had to break down so much scar tissue. Scar tissue is the main reason why I jump up and down when I say I will take an animal; they need to be transported as soon as possible to get the best possible surgical outcome. Mac had more scar tissue than they had anticipated. The good news is Dr. Sura was able to align the bones, and she does not expect nerve damage.
Adorable Mac has a fabulous personality and loves everyone now that he is on the mend. He is so glad to have his pain under control finally. He has a limp right now but will be good as new in a couple of weeks. Now the hard part is paying for his surgery and ER care. Please, DONATE whatever you can to help more pups like Mac get the surgical care they need to survive and thrive. If we had not stepped up for Mac, he would be nothing but a statistic. Accidents happen all the time. Animals do not deserve to die because of them. Thanks for caring about dear Mac.
