Update on Pepi

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We wanted to post an update on Pepi as we noticed we'd been a bit neglectful in getting some of these blogs updated...

As you can see from this photo we took last week of Pepi modeling one of our new Chi-Weaters (a fundraising project for TLC), he is evenly putting down weight now on all four legs... You would never know he's gone through that surgery in January for other than sitting down a bit lopsided, you can't tell it ever occurred!

He readily goes up and down doggie steps, makes jumps 2' and more onto the futon in the backyard, etc.  Pepi has fully recovered now and is waiting for his own furever home!

Surgery was successful... Way to go!

Pepi had his FHO surgery done on the 7th of January and it was HIGHLY successful ("textbook" as it was referred to)... Prior to surgery, the majority of the time he held it up slightly when he walked... Six days after surgery, I am watching him putting weight on the leg already, stretching out and last night he went up a set of doggie steps!

Pepi was sweet before the surgery even in all that pain, but he is even sweeter now if that is possible!

On Monday, the pain patch was removed and we are slowly weaning him off of the oral pain killers... Without the surgery he would have been on these the rest of his life, and that leads to consistent stomach upsets, the shakes, etc...

Pepi is ready with all the other TLC adoption criteria (licensing, rabies, microchip, IDTag, etc.)... Only the surgery was holding him back from us putting him up for adoption - we wanted to make sure we did the absolute best we could to insure he had a healthy and long, happy life... 

Pepi will be at adoptions on Saturday if you'd like to stop by and say hello... 

Pepi is one VERY lucky dog... SO many people have stepped up and helped this little dog along the way, plus he kept his leg and it all works well now... WAY TO GO FOR ALL THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS GREAT ENDEAVOR~~!!!

Angels do live among us...

Lifeline 4 Paws have taken on Pepi's surgery financially... And it couldn't have come at a better time!... Donations to nonprofit charities have virtually dried up as the economy sagged, and his surgery promises to be expensive... At least for a small of a rescue as we are...

We went ahead today and got Pepi neutered so that he could recover from that while we get ready to do the FHO in a week or so... Normally males just bounce back the same day after being neutered, but maybe because he already has so much pain in his hip joint, the neuter has shown to be painful for him and we've been doing extra cuddling this afternoon and tonight with him... Poor guy!

If he is this sweet now, just imagine how sweet once he will be after all this pain is gone!

Introducing Pepi

Sometimes a dog's sweet disposition can save their life in our shelter system - such is the case with Pepi... He arrived at one of our local shelters on September 30th... But because of his underweight size and a limp as he held up one of his hind rear legs, he could find no takers who wanted to adopt him...

So sweet, Pepi was pulled off of the kill list three times by a shelter staff member until we were contacted...

A bit of a shabby coat and being underweight is easily corrected by a good and nutritional diet combined with time and TLC... But it will take a lot more to correct what has happened to Pepi than just TLC...

He has either been kicked severely or had a collision with an automobile... His pelvis bone has been fractured in three places and allowed to heal... Being out of kilter, his back leg bone cannot sit correctly in the joint and this causes him pain and discomfort - therefore the limp...

This is his shelter photo...

You can almost see the pain in his eyes as he leans to help support his hind quarters...

Well, we decided it was not Pepi's day to die so we took him into the TLC rescue... He's been to see two different vets now and neither one agrees with the original recommendation to amputate that hind leg... Both recommend a FHO which will take a much longer rehabilitation time than an amputation but once done, the bone-to-bone pain will be gone... At 2-3 years old, Pepi is just too young to lose a leg, but both vets are very confident the quality of his life will be radically improved if he gets this surgery.

I was once again reminded of just how sweet and endearing a gentle dog can be... Yesterday Pepi sat in my lap as we drove to the second consultation, just enjoying the view as the scenery passed by...  These are the times I wonder exactly what is wrong with the human race to allow such terrible things to happen to such gentle and loving creatures... He loves riding in the car and I couldn't help but wonder why he is now in the shape that he is...

Whether he was not on a leash and allowed to accidentally run into the traffic or (God forbid), some heartless person kicked him hard enough to break that pelvis bone, I can't understand either act... When you call his name, Pepi rolls over and presents his belly for a rub... How could any sweet dog like this end up with such a traumatic injury? ::shaking my head here::

Regardless, Pepi is not ready for adoption until he has the surgery, goes through rehabilitation and get healthy again... If he is this sweet when he is in this much pain, I just can't imagine how much sweeter he will become once he can walk and not be in so much discomfort!