Cooper the Tripawd Terrier
Yeah . . . it’s been awhile. The last year or so has been beyond crazy, and I don’t think I’ve written a single word. Most of this period has been filled to the brim with not-so-fun things, but such is life.
The most important event - which took nearly a year to resolve - was an injury involving my dog, Cooper. He went flying though the air to catch a ball, a normal part of his daily life, twisted wrong, and landed on one leg. I heard a loud SNAP . . . followed by much screaming from my pup. Weirdly, his howls of pain set off all the coyotes within a quarter mile; you’ve never heard such a ruckus.
This happened, as such things usually do, on a Sunday night. My vet (who’s an hour away) was out of touch. The local vet (who I’m not crazy about, but called since it was an emergency) just had a recorded message. I called an emergency clinic in Kansas City, who told me to drive up (1.5 hours). I arrived, and they turned me away, saying they were full, and could not/would not help.
In the meantime, the local vet reached me and told me if I could get Cooper home, and keep him quiet, he could see him in the morning. That was pretty much the only option, so I took it.
Local vet did x-rays (badly broken tibia) and advised surgery. Never having dealt with a broken leg in a dog before (60 years of dog owning . . . not one broken bone) I asked if they had the facilities to do it, or if an orthopedic specialist would do anything different from their procedure. The answer to the latter question was “the only difference will be the cost.” I gave them the go ahead
Biggest mistake of my life.
That surgery was performed incorrectly, and ended up having to be re-done by an orthopedic surgeon in Kansas City (massive cost). The bone then showed delayed union (it wasn’t joining) so Coop was in a splint and crate all winter. Finally, in early summer, bone growth was evident. Too late . . . it turned out. The plate in his leg was not designed to hold his weight for many, many months. Before the bone could fully join, the plate snapped, refracturing his leg all over again.
Now, the only options were another surgery, and many months of recovery with no guarantee the bone would heal, or an amputation (rear leg). I opted for that. The poor dog had already spent almost the entire year in a crate! That’s not good for a high-energy critter like Coop, and I wouldn’t put him through any more.
So . . . now . . . he’s maybe six-weeks post-op and doing great. Running and playing as if he has four legs. I’ve made the house into a dog version of ADA compliance, with steps and raised platforms and orthopedic dog beds. Cooper is back to being Cooper, and I thought things might mellow out
Wrong . . .
Some idiot dumped two young pups by my house. You can read the fully story at the link I’m providing below. I see lots of strays out here, but normally you only see them once. These two hung around for a month, somehow surviving my horde of coyotes, but becoming increasingly emaciated. I felt a moral obligation, if they were trying so hard to live, to give them a hand.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to save some semi-wild dogs. It’s just a trifle more involved than one might expect . . . and massively more expensive.
So . . . that’s why you see the link before. I’m normally against such things, and I abhor asking for help, but when my costs hit nearly $5000 (and rising) I decided to see if any dog lovers out there wanted to kick in a few bucks to defray the ever-rising expenses.
Please note . . . I don’t expect ANY of you to contribute to this. That would be a tacky ask. What I am asking, is if you want to (and don’t feel bad if you don’t want to) that you help me promote the fund raiser. I have ZERO presence on social media, and am not hitting up friends or family on this. If youre of a mind, just stick it on your Facebook page/Instagram/etc. Or not . . . I’d appreciate the help, but totally understand if you don’t want to get involved with this.
Again . . . tacky on my part to even ask. I don’t have a problem with well-meaning strangers contributing, but I really am not looking for friends, family, or subscribers to contribute
Yeah yeah . . . I disappear for a year, and then show up asking you to help me raise cash.
I’d be offended too.
