VIDALIA, GA.....We were contacted by another rescue in Vidalia, GA, about a two-year-old Australian Cattle Dog that needed help. Ozzie had wandered up to a home four weeks ago in terrible shape in Jeff Davis County, Georgia. After being there for a few weeks, the Home Owner called a rescue in the area to help Ozzie.
When I say this sweet dog does not have a leg to stand on, I am not exaggerating. Ozzie was either run over, or someone did this to him. If he had been run over or hit by a car, I would expect to see more internal injuries which he does not have. All of his injuries are on his limbs and feet. Something horrific happened to him around six weeks ago based on the calcification that has formed with his broken bones.
The worst injuries are all on his left side. His front limb is broken and displaced at an angle where it could never be repaired. His left rear leg has an old injury at the knee that has been infected for quite a while. His carpal area on his right back leg is damaged along with various other injuries on each leg. The pain Ozzie had to have experienced had to have been unimaginable.
This beautiful dog has learned to get himself up and walk very gingerly on the two legs that were injured the least on his right side. How he is moving at all, has amazed everyone that meets him. He should not even be alive, but he is and is doing it with a smile on his face. When he arrived at CVRC in Charleston, SC, the Surgeons that took over his care were shocked when they did his x-rays. They had no idea he was as mangled as he was based on how he moved.
What do you work on first when basically Ozzie only has one front leg that is manageable. Every Surgeon had a different opinion, and none were right or wrong. After listening to everyone, I decided the best outcome for Ozzie would be to surgically clean out the infected joint on his left rear leg since it had calcified. It caused Ozzie a lot of pain, and that was something I felt we could alleviate.
Once that leg heals, we would then address the front leg, which is a non-functioning leg. I do not want to put Ozzie through surgery to repair a bone that I don't believe will ever fuse. I would instead remove the leg once he is stable. He does not use the leg in any capacity, and it is a limp, atrophied appendage.
Ozzie is a broken dog that does not have a broken Spirit. He has got to be the most resilient pup to be functioning the way he is. Everything about Ozzie is pure LOVE. He loves other animals, and everyone he meets is his Friend. He will give you kisses 24/7 if you let him. Most Cattle Dogs I have been around are a little aloof and stand their ground. Ozzie is all about Family and loving everyone.
We have a long way to go with dear Ozzie to get him better. He has several more surgeries in the next couple of weeks. He is never going to be perfect because his injuries are too old to repair them all. The ones we can fix, we will. None of this matters to this sweet dog. He is just glad to have people that love and adore him. He is going to make one of the best Family Dogs anyone could ever ask for.
We have six new dogs that are each critical and in the hospital. Please, Donate when we beg for help. We do not have two seconds to call our own since everything we do is for the pups. We are in constant motion giving every dog we take on the same love and care. Worrying about paying their bills is taking a toll that you cannot imagine. Donate whatever you can so we can keep saving Abused Dogs.
