Leo – Seattle, WA
ESRA Special Needs Springer
ESRA #2009-0118MT
Age: 7 months
Gender: Male
Color: Black/White
Leo is a large, confident, and happy young Springer with a little problem — a congenital birth defect that is causing his front legs to grow incorrectly. Without the help of ESRA, he is likely to end up severely crippled and in a lot of pain before the time he is full-grown.
Leo's ESRA story starts at the
Missoula, MT shelter, where he was turned in by an owner at twelve weeks old. He was adopted but then returned to the shelter
when his new owners realized his problem. Thankfully, ESRA stepped up to rescue him.
Once he came into rescue, ESRA took Leo to a specialist. The specialist said Leo has a condition where the radius bones continue to grow rapidly while the ulna bones slow or stop growing completely. The result is that his front legs are twisted and turned out like Basset hound legs. Depending on how much more and how quickly the bones continue to grow, Leo could become quite crippled very soon.
The good news is that there is a fairly straightforward — albeit expensive — surgical procedure that will resolve Leo's problem. It involves removing a section of the ulna on each leg, which allows the radius to resume growing normally. This eases the bowing tendency of the radius, and since the ulna is not a weight-bearing bone and Leo is so young, the ulna bones will re-grow quickly. Depending on Leo's continued growth and when they have to do the surgery, he may require the procedure again on both legs.
Leo is going in soon for another set of x-rays. His legs have gotten worse in the two weeks he's been in rescue so it looks like he will need the ulna surgery. We are consulting with different specialists to get the most discounted price.
Leo's legs look like short
Basset legs, and are awfully cute, but are causing him some problems already. His foster mom says that his front paws turn
under and he is starting to “wipe out” more all the time. It's normal for puppies to do face plants, but Leo's
are not normal. He's such a happy and spunky puppy, it's sad to see him affected by this birth defect.
Leo is a fantastic foster puppy and is remarkably well-behaved for his age. He adores Sonny, his foster brother (adopted from Utah through ESRA) and the two are inseparable — check out the napping buddies in the photo. We will write soon after his next vet appointment and keep you updated on his upcoming surgery.
Contact: Steph Taylor steph_tally_fi@hotmail.com
CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR LEO
| LEO’S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE: | |
|---|---|
 Sue Drummond |
In memory of Bogey. For Leo's surgery fund. He truly has an exceptional Mom who will help him thru this. |
| Jennifer Haines |
|
| Wendy Brown |
In memory of Tyson Boo |
| Ken and Kelli Welsh |
In memory of Nana |
| Stephanie Taylor and Jamie Stewart |
Im memory of Miss Tally HoHo |
| Ellen Brown |
From my dear Stan the Man, a Springer who wants you to know the joy of running! Love to you Leo! |
| Cary Branthwaite |
In memory of all rescue dogs who need help from their human friends |
| Jenny Bradshaw |
In memory of Izzy |
| Ray and Monica Smith |
Hope you can soon run like the wind. Bailey, Chance and Benji Smith |
| Sara Gilk |
In honor of all great dogs who need great homes |
| Carol Peterson |
In memory of Mingus |
| Cathryne Slaughter |
In memory of Duchess, Belle, BlackJack and Barney |
| Meg Butler |
I grew up with a Springer and just loved her. Wishing Leo all the best with his surgery. |
| Marv Furman |
In memory of Trike |
| Bob Knell |
In memory of Samantha, Joshua, Rose, and Brady |
| Andrew Springer |
A gift in honor of Sherri Harris. Happy Birthday, Mom! |
| Andrew and Suzanne Knight |
|
|
|
|
|