LAURENS, SC.....Sweet does not begin to describe this beautiful dog we have named Reese (after Reese's Pieces). We rescued dear Reese after we were contacted about a dog that had been bought for $100. that was injured. A Good-Samaritan bought him, so he did not end up in worse hands than he already was. The only thing that mattered to us was that he needed medical care for an injured leg that he was barely using.
We had this beautiful 2-year-old Aussie Mix brought to CVRC in Charleston, SC, where he was seen. Based on his appearance, this sweet pup once had an owner that cared about him. He was heartworm negative, had an abundance of parasites but other than his leg, he was in great shape. Reese was very scared when he first arrived. I am not sure of his history but was fearful of people.
The ER Staff quickly turned on the Love to show him that he was safe. Something very traumatic had happened to his front leg, but x-rays did not show the cause. The ER Team saw Reese, in addition to Surgery and Neurology. Our sweet boy had muscle and nerve atrophy in his front leg but no identifiable reason for it. It was finally determined that we needed to rule out many things such as cancer, spinal and neck injuries, and the only way to do that was to do an MRI.
I went round and round with the Vets involved because doing an MRI was very expensive if he wasn't in pain. The other issue was should the leg be amputated. Reese used the leg but not as a normal leg. I finally decided I needed to keep investigating. I would not forgive myself if I missed something that could have been fixed, which is what I was hoping.
After all the tests we did, the only test that gave us an answer was the MRI. Reese had either been hit by a car, or someone had hit him with a blunt force object. His scapula was broken in several places, causing him considerable pain. Given he was no longer in pain, the injury was months old. We could do nothing or amputate the leg. I chose to leave the leg alone since he used it for balance. The atrophy in the leg and shoulder area was from lack of use when he quit using his leg while recovering.
We will never know what happened to this beautiful dog. We do know Reese does not have cancer or an underlying condition that required surgery. We ruled out a lot and are glad we went forward with the MRI. We know what is causing his lameness and are prepared to amputate if his leg gets worse.
Reese is a happy, loving pup that wants to run and play to his heart's content. Life is good for this beautiful dog. We now have to pay for all the tests it took to figure out what was wrong with Reese. Please, Donate toward his medical to help more dogs like Reese get the best medical care possible.
