Diamond – Tampa, FL
ESRA Special Needs Springer
ESRA #2008-0862AL
Age: 18 months
Gender: Female
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 50 lbs
Variety: Field-bred
Hi everyone! I am "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", but you can call me Diamond.
I am loving all the attention I have gotten, but I must tell you things have changed a lot in my life in the past few weeks! First my family took me to the vet's for boarding and never came back for me! Did they forget me? No, they told the vet's office I could not come back since they had gotten a new human baby. So I had to stay at the vets office for a long time until finally someone remembered about ESRA and contacted the nice lady to come and bail me out.
I was so happy to be free, but when I finally got to run and play it hurt my leg really bad to do it, so sometimes I would just hold it up when I ran. My foster mom got me some pills to take (she is nice and hides them in cheese!) and that helps for a little while until I run too much. Is there too much running for a Springer?
The nice doctor told my foster mom I would need to have surgery to be able to have full use of my leg and to not get arthritis in the joint when I get older. I don't want anything that might keep me from my jobs of treeing squirrels and chasing lizards!
Everyone was very worried about how to get my surgery done and I started to believe I would have to hurt and limp forever. Then a plan came through! Foster mom says ESRA supporters will help us get the surgery I need through their generous donations.She says that lots of people love Springers and come forward to help when one is in need. I am a little scared about all that has happened, but foster mom says, "Hang in there, things are going to be just fine". I hope you will all be there for me as I take this journey through surgery and rehabilitation. I promise to keep you all updated on how I am doing. Please keep me in your thoughts.
Love, Diamond
Diamond came into rescue with tons of spirit, happy smiles, and and a joy for life that most of us can only dream about. She loves everyone she meets and she has a curiosity about everything she sees, hears, and smells. She enjoys playtime with other dogs or with her stuffed toys, going for walks, a ride in the car or just hanging out with her people. The only thing she is not interested in is the resident kitty.
Unfortunately Diamond also came into rescue with a pretty noticeable limp on her right rear leg. At times she would not even put weight on that leg. The vet prescribed rest and medication but the limp continued and it became obvious that Diamond was in pain. Further testing revealed that she has a tear in her cranial cruciate ligament. This is similar to a torn anterior cruciate ligament that humans get.
An orthopedic surgeon was consulted and his advice was for her to have the ligament surgically repaired. Without the surgery she will continue to have pain and limited use of the knee, and will eventually develop arthritis in the joint. The surgery is expensive and the recuperation will be a challenge for a vivacious girl like Diamond, but we have promised to do everything in our power to give her full mobility and a wonderful pain free life.
Please help us to keep our promise to Diamond by donating to help cover the cost of her surgery.
Update 02 OCT 08: Diamond has continued to be a true love in her foster home. She gets along fine with other canines and felines alike. She is such a well behaved little girl. She is making a big trip to Tampa, FL this weekend to get her upcoming surgery thanks to the kind donations that are coming in already. This is a very long trip and lots of volunteers have made the commitment to get her there, no matter what. It has been reported by her foster mom that she really wants to run so badly that when she does, you can hardly see the limp. When she walks, you can tell how bad it is. How nice it will be for Diamond to be able to run pain free one day. Stay tuned for Diamond's updates on her recovery.
Update 11 NOV 08: Diamond had complicated surgery Tuesday to repair the torn ligament in her left rear knee. Since dogs don't have a knee bone like humans, the surgery essentially added a metal hinge in the joint, complete with screws into her bones to hold it in place.
This surgical option was chosen over another, slightly less expensive one, which would have essentially have wired the joint back together. Since Diamond is a young and very energetic girl who constantly wants to run and play with her foster brothers and sisters and is quite persistent in getting her foster dad to play fetch with her, the wiring option was likely to fail at some point, requiring additional surgery in the future.
Diamond came home Wednesday afternoon after her surgeon reported that the procedure went remarkably well. She does not have a cast or bandage and all the sutures are internal. Diamond is on house arrest for the first 2 weeks, then she can go for short walks for the 3rd and 4th weeks, gradually increasing the activity and letting her pull against the leash as time progresses. She goes back in 8 weeks for a recheck but overall, she's doing great and is ready to move on to her Forever Home!
Contact: Susan Zuker smitch5@tampabay.rr.com
CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR DIAMOND
| DIAMOND’S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE: | |
|---|---|
 Cathryne Slaughter |
In memory of Bailey Preston. |
| Judie Lemsky |
|
| Betty Green |
In memory of Mae. |
| Cary Branthwaite |
In memory of Muffin, our rescue joy! |
| Monica and Ray Smith |
Hope you can soon run like the wind! Bailey, Chance, and Benji Smith |
| Randi C Hartsfield |
My Springer, Gracie Mae, hopes that soon you can run and jump and play like all awesome Springers do! |
| Karen Bruskin |
In memory of Sunny and Sammy |
| Bob Knell |
In memory of Samantha, Joshua, Rose, Brady, and Abigail |
| Rick and Susan Zuker |
In memory of Chance |
| Kathlene Lima Powell |
A gift to honor Kathleen McClure in memory of Sadie |
| Wayne and Ann Boytim |
A gift in honor of Eric Christensen |
| Amanda Whitecross |
In memory of my baby sister Scarlett |
|
|
|
|