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Carter came to ESRA as a VERY badly beat-up guy. Here's the initial report from our volunteer in Houston, TX, that took him in:

February 17, 2004: I took in an emergency rescue from my local animal control yesterday. They were closed, but asked me to meet them at the shelter to get this boy to a vet. I'm calling him Carter.

Carter is approximately 6 years old, heartworm negative, fecal negative (possible coccidia), intact, docked tail, l/w
purebred ESS. He was picked up as an injured stray by Animal Control late on Saturday. Presented with gash to his forehead and bleeding from nose, as the obvious injuries. Shelter personnel thought he might have a broken jaw, as he would drink but not eat. By Monday, he had "trouble breathing", so they let me take him to a vet. He won't be officially ours until close of business on Thursday. If he should be reclaimed by that time, he will be returned to his owners (if they want him and want to reimburse us his expenses so far.) It's very doubtful that anyone is looking for him. He has been at my vet for 36 hours.

Here's what we know so far: Very sweet, tolerant of all treatments without any complaints. He has been manipulated, x-rayed, they move him around, all without sedation. Vet tech/clinic manager says "super temperament". Gash in stop, above and between eyes, with corresponding fracture of bone beneath. Two fractures of cheekbone/eye socket. Raging infection in sinus cavity in front of head. Heart murmur, lungs both inflated but raspy. Non-weight bearing on left hind leg. Possible ACL damage. Two fractures of pelvis. Significant hip dysplasia.

Current treatment: Two antibiotics, Torbugesic for pain, crate rest.

Possible treatments: Antibiotics may not be enough to clear infection in his head. Vet thinks we might have to open the gash, drain and flush. Skull fracture may need repair (Heaven only knows how they'd do that!) Eye socket fractures will probably heal without intervention. Possible that FHO (removing end of Femur where it seats in the pelvic/hip joint) will relieve pressure on pelvis and reduce pain from hip dysplasia. (Alternative would be plating
the pelvis. Don't even want to ask the price for that!) Possible that heart murmur is from anemia, due to blood
loss. Possible congestive heart from other cause. He is heartworm negative.

My plan: Continue antibiotics and see how he responds. Given a week or two, we should know if we're going to succeed. During this time, try to further assess his temperament. See if heart murmur and lungs clear. Keep him as comfortable as possible. After that, we'll have to make a difficult decision. It's very hard to tell right now whether he will be pain-free, even if we treat all his injuries. He could have remaining heart and hip problems. I really feel for this dog, but I can't justify putting lots of money (even if we have it) into this case IF we would be depriving care to other Springers who would have longer-term benefits from our efforts. There's also the problem of finding a foster home for him.

Update, February 23, 2004: He's doing well, and I think we're going to be able to rehab him successfully. Carter is eating enthusiastically, gets around well on three legs and is feeling much better. He even took off after the clinic cat yesterday! We believe the antibiotics have done wonders for the infections. Now we are evaluating the surgery options to repair his leg/hip. I think he'll be a wonderful foster dog for a quiet home. He seems housetrained, and will need crate rest but not much else except lots of love.

Update, February 26, 2004: I went to the vet to visit Carter this morning, and he was so happy - all wags and wiggles! It felt great to see him really feeling well. He continues on his antibiotics, along with lots of good food. The gash on his head has healed and soon will hardly be noticeable. We really need to find a foster home where he can recuperate. He is very fixated on the clinic cat, so a home without cats is required. I think a home with
another dog would be excellent - he gets along well with dogs - and maybe that would motivate him to exercise his leg a bit more. That's one very interesting thing we found out from the specialist - he needs to build up his
muscles in the leg - not crate rest as we thought. The orthopedic vet said it's time to start working the leg, and hopefully, he won't need surgery. I think Carter is housetrained - he has been so clean in his kennel - always waiting for his outings. He seldom barks. I think he's going to be a great companion for some lucky person. Hope to get some new photos soon.

Update, March 4, 2004: Carter is doing amazingly well! He is still at the vet clinic, and we are still looking for a foster home for him. He is walking on all four legs, and making improvements daily. Yesterday he was neutered and came through the surgery just fine. He is such a deserving dog, and I'm sure he's going to make a full recovery thanks to ESRA. Stay tuned for updated photos!

Update, March 6, 2004: Great news! Carter is on his way to a wonderful foster home with Jen and Bill in Albuquerque, NM. ESRA members Jason and Stephanie were planning to drive from Houston to Denver this weekend, so they very generously offered to give Carter a ride.

Stephanie is the volunteer who drove Carter from the shelter to the vet, when he had to be carried with a blanket because he couldn't walk. Stephanie was amazed at his progress. She said he didn't even look like the same dog! He was happy and wagging and running around, so different from the last time she saw him. He will still need to be on expensive antibiotics for the head wound, but we are seeing so much improvement in his leg that we are hoping he may not need surgery.

Stay tuned for updates from Jen and Bill, as Carter gets to know their two Springer girls and discovers snow!

Update, March 7, 2004: Carter arrived in Albuquerque yesterday and is doing great. He is getting along well with our 2 Springer girls. It's been very easy so far. I've attached a couple photos and will send more.

Update, March 11, 2004: It is obvious that Carter was once quite an athlete, and maybe he will be again. On our recent hikes he has been intent on sniffing out whatever he could find, burrowing his nose into rodent holes, under rocks and cliffs, into thick brush. He waded in the creek for a long time and he even took a short swim. He also found a lingering snow bank to roll around in, again and again and again, often sliding down and off it!

His upper body is very strong, and he is slowly regaining strength in his lower body. He uses all four legs when he walks but he runs on three. He does not act like he is in pain. He simply acts as though his bottom half doesn’t work like it should.

Carter really knows his name, which seems amazing since he’s had it for less than 4 weeks. He does great on a leash and spins in circles when he realizes that we are going for a walk. He knows sit and come, and is learning down, wait and stay. We have never seen him jump up on people (perhaps that’s because of his hip problems?), but he does bark at them when they approach. And it’s a surprisingly loud and deep bark. He rides very peacefully in the car’s back seat dog bed. And he sleeps under the table when we eat. As for his mealtimes, he is a voracious eater. Carter is a gentle boy, but he likes to live life with gusto! Here's what he likes to do best. Ahh, the thrill of the hunt! Need a gopher exhumed? Carter's your dog!

Update, March 19, 2004: Carter continues to improve. He is using his 4th leg more all the time. He is still on his expensive antibiotics since there may be a lingering infection in his sinus cavity. His next visit to the vet will be on March 25. Thanks to all of you for your support of Carter, both financial and emotional. The outpouring of affection has been terrific!

He is a wonderful and deserving boy. He’s very gentle and definitely “with-it”. Here are two stories worth sharing:

Carter proved his hunter instincts while out for his morning exercise. There in the middle of our little-used street lay a recently-killed rabbit. Carter, promptly went to the rabbit, picked it up with a soft mouth, returned to Bill at the other end of the 10’ leash, sat and dropped it at his feet. ‘Atta Boy, Carter!

On Sunday we held a party for over 50 people. We brought Carter and his 2 foster sisters out of the bedroom on leash to visit for a bit towards the end. Carter was calm and friendly towards both adults and children. He enjoyed the attention and was not the least bit hyper. Everyone loved him. Several wanted to take him home but really aren’t prospective adopters because they already have their canine capacity filled. He was not unnerved by the crowd like Emma and Ellie tend to be. From a personality perspective, it was obvious that he would be great with children. Whether he can physically handle a household with children would depend upon their age and aggressiveness.

We’re off to Colorado for a week. He’s looking forward to seeing Stephanie and Jason again. We expect him to continue to be a well-behaved passenger. He’s very quiet, that is unless he’s on guard or he spots another dog or some interesting goings on. Then plug your ears!!

Update, March 28, 2004: Carter enjoyed seeing Stephanie and Jason again at the Chatfield Reservoir dog park in Denver. It’s huge, over 50 acres. Carter was active, walking and running along the trails and through the grass and brush, and wading in the park’s ponds and stream. He enjoyed occasional play encounters with other dogs, especially big males. He slept long and hard after the 2-hour visit ended.

Carter visited the vet yesterday. His sinus infection is gone, but we may keep him on antibiotics for a while longer, just to be super sure. He is using his leg more all the time and we all agreed that he does not appear to be in pain. That means surgery is not necessary, although we can’t rule out the possibility that it will be necessary in the future. Carter has gained some weight, and he’s now at a healthy 45 pounds. Carter's attitude will help him to not gain much more. He is no longer eating like each meal is his last, and a little kibble often remains uneaten. Perhaps he’s learned to trust that more food will appear later?

Update, April 7, 2004: Carter is ready to find his forever home! He passed his Vet exam late last week. We decided to put him through another set of x-rays. He was very accommodating, just laid there wide-eyed while the pictures were taken. His leg continues to heal and there are no signs of sinus or bone infection in his head. Nonetheless we have opted to keep him on antibiotics a little longer. He is using his back left leg more all the time. Yesterday there were times that I couldn’t tell that anything was wrong with him as he went scampering through the woods.

Carter is such a sweetheart. He’s gentle and loving and never gets in the way. He’s very content just hanging out quietly, but, of course, he relishes the trips through the woods. He spent Sunday afternoon with friends and their young female yellow lab. We saw him play with a vigor and enthusiasm that we’ve not seen at home. I think Carter would be happy in a household with one other dog. On the other hand, he only occasionally joins in the play of our two Springer girls; maybe he sees himself as the 3rd wheel?

Update, April 11, 2004: No news, just a picture taken of Carter this morning! It's just amazing that he has recovered so well, and so quickly!

Thanks again for all you do for Carter and the other ESRA dogs,

Contact: Marie Devaney texess@earthlink.net or Jennifer Cole: ess-nm@earthlink.net

Click Here To Sponsor Carter

CARTER'S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE:
Bob Knell	In honor of ESRA for taking care of the Springers!
Katrin E. Owen
Lee Allbritton
John Dudley	In memory of C.C.
Jason and Stephanie Jett	Our prayers are for you, little guy.
Bruno & Cynthia Veggian	In memory of all our Morningstar Springers, past & present.
Dianne Shanley	A speedy recovery to Carter, and hopes for happy new Forever Home, from Murphy Brown, Angel Milo and Angel Nigel.
Kathie Lima Powell	Such a sweet baby boy! With loving thoughts and prayers for a complete recovery!
Kristen Hogan	Hang in there Carter!
Fabene' Joan Welch
Karla Oppermann
Jennifer Cole and Bill Maguire	Emma, Ellie, and Boy wish the best to all the Special Needs Springers.
Lesley Blyth	In memory of Pen Dawg, my first Springer friend.
Jamie & Ed Balazs	Get well soon! From Mickey and Zack.
Tad & Debra LeBlanc	Get better Carter!
Kim Swalla	In memory of Nutmeg, my Nuttie Buddy, we miss you! Thinking of you, Carter, and your continued recovery! xoxo
Chuck and Linda Bratland	In memory of Freckles. We think of you often.
Tony Fasano
Cyndi Zacko	In memory of Bubba
Karin S. Kramer	In honor of Dylan, who has endured his share of pain and operations too, and is still a loving, playful Springer!
Jamie & Ed Balazs	For Mickey & Zack, our Springer Angels