DS in Rescue being rehabilitated

[murray116]

I work with a local rescue foundation. We are currently taking care of a 8 month old Dutch Shepherd that was hit by a car (~July 2013) and left to die in a ditch. The vet said she laid in the ditch for 3 weeks. She was so close to death from being crippled due to the accident. Her name is now "Phoenix" and she is undergoing physical therapy before surgeries to repair her left hip/leg. This is what brought me to this forum. She will spend the next few months in our home and I am very interested in learning about the breed to better help her recovery. Here is a link to the youtube video. Not asking for money, we have a generous community that donated the full amount for medical care. Just wanted to show you all what Phoenix looks like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQtz6Ff_0PI

[Stacy_R]

Bless you for taking her in while she recovers. What a sweet soul, she is... good luck, sweet Phoenix!!

[johninny]

oh, she is soooooooo sweet, beautiful, and still trying so hard to please. a great , great dog! also - in looks and personality, an absolute dead-ringer for my TeXan who is now 7 months old [?], having been found as a stray in TX at 2 to 3 months old. thank you for helping her. hope she can have a full recovery after what she has been through. will you keep us informed of her progress, please? and i guess from what you said that she is your first DS experience. if so, you are in for quite a treat and maybe the love of your life as i look at that video!

[murray116]

Thank you for the kind comments. She is a foster with our family. Our hope is to get her through surgeries and rehab, then find a forever loving home. I do find Phoenix to be a loving and loyal puppy. She has such a strong will to live. It's amazing the horrible pain and suffering didn't break her spirit. She weighed 24 pounds (should have been 35-40 pounds). Even when she was first picked up she was trying to wag her tail at the front line rescuers. What a testament to the breed!

I am trying to find her something to keep her occupied in a confined space. Her mind wants to do more than her body can right now. It must be so frustrating, but we can only let her out with our dogs for short periods of time. There was so much muscle wasting, she needs to build it back up slowly before surgery. I bought her a dog "puzzle" game and have given her plenty of chew toys. Can anybody think of anything else that she could do in a confined space as she heals? Her energy level is high and her physical limitations are high too. She still has a long road ahead...poor baby.

[Stacy_R]

Here is a video from Donna Hill that will help you help her use her brain while she is recovering. Brain activity can be just as draining as physical activity. Be sure to look in the video description for links that teach how to train certain behaviors.

Crate Rest Activities for Dogs after Back, Hip, Leg Injuries,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfL99xcE ... e=youtu.be

[murray116]

Thanks again. John ~ your dogs are beautiful. I watched the youtube videos. I pray that Phoenix will be able to run and play like that one day.

Also, thanks Stacey for the video link. I will certainly start working with her in crate.

Here are some pics from her last weekend:

[johninny]

getting her some elk antlers - the big chunky ones [ not the pointed ends ] with a center to extract, especially - would keep her busy, help her teeth, and also, if she gets a really good one, might cause her to torque her body a lot as she attacks it, so it would help to develop muscle tone slowly without romping around putting pressure on bones and joints. www.elkusa.com offers choices and good prices; discussion of antlers can be found in ''feeding'' or ''whatever''; i am a brand new convert to them as a result of these discussions [ marrow bones did the same things i described - like torqueing, teeth cleaning, general stimulation but can be tricky in various ways].
really does look like my TexXander who has not made it onto the youtube channel yet [ i am NINE months behind in loading videos!! ], but i think i have posted a few photos of him [ one is first photo posted to ''pick me, pick me !'' contest; that is on-going family after Tracedog]. glad you looked at the video channels; that will give me incentive to up-date them. i have so re-miss, especially considering that i think the best ones have yet to be posted.
when do yo think PHOENIX will have her surgery? it is so painful to see her like that. i did not comment before because i simply could not bear to think of her torment; do hope it ends soon. these dogs are the most stoic i have ever known - they give little or no complaint or sign of life-altering damage and the associated pain.

[murray116]

I'll order her some antlers. That's a great idea for her "entertainment".

She is in canine physical therapy twice a week until the first week of Oct. Fortunately for Phoenix, she is young enough where her bones are not fused yet. Through therapy, the doctors are hoping to manipulate her left leg and hip into a better position. We hope by doing this she will require less surgeries to correct the weak area. They have her on an underwater treadmill which is interesting. She is worn out on therapy days. Bless her heart...I just hope this works and she is able to live a normal dog life.

Let me know when you update the videos. I would love to watch them!

[murray116]

Phoenix continues to improve everyday. I brought her an antler and dog cow hoof treats for her entertainment. She loves them both. She is being reevaluated by the Orthopedic Dr.on a couple weeks. I hope we can find her forever home very soon. Thanks everybody for your help and well wishes!