Dane is a very sweet 1 1/2 yr old doberboy. He came to DAR&E in April 2009 along with his brother from a shelter in Maryland where he had been left by his owner. While in foster care we noticed Dane would limp on his left leg at times. We had x-rays done and at first the vet thought that crate rest and leash walking would allow him to heal but it soon became apparent more was needed to be done. We took Dane to a Veterinary Orthopedic Sports specialist in Maryland to be evaluated.
The conclusion was that Dane needed a surgical procedure called a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO). Although the surgery is very expensive DAR&E knew we had to find the funds to get it done right away for Dane’s sake. The surgery was done on August 31st. Dane was kept overnight and came home the next day. You could tell that poor Dane was in pain the first few days after surgery but he had pain medication to help him through it. Of course he had to wear an Elizabethan collar to prevent him from pulling out the 13 staples in his knee. That
 wasn’t much fun for Dane especially since he had to be crated as well to keep him still so the knee could start to heal. The incision healed in about 2 weeks and the staples removed so he doesn’t have to wear the Elizabethan collar anymore but he still has to be crated and leashed walked. It is estimated that it will take 3 months for Dane’s knee to heal.
It is heartbreaking that poor Dane has had to go through a painful surgery and be confined and leashed walked for so many months. The good news is that once his knee heals he will be able to run and play like other dogs!
 UPDATE: October 2009 After months of recuperation, while Dane endured the pain from surgery, the Elizabethan collar (to protect his incision), and lots of crate time, he is feeling much better now. Although he doesn't have to wear the collar anymore, he still has to be crated and leash walked. It will take another four weeks for Dane's knee to completely heal, but his follow-up exam revealed substantial bone growth at the surgical site. Dane is well on his way to a full recovery. He can't wait to run and play and just be a dog.
UPDATE: November 2009 Great news!!! Dane went for his 3 month post-surgery check up and his knee has healed completely! It has been a long time coming but Dane is finally free from constant crating and leash walks. Dane can be a dog again!!
We still want to take things a bit slow as you would with a person who has been inactive for so long. He is allowed to run off lead but we don't want him doing a bunch of spinning and jumping so he isn't having playtime with other dogs yet. This is to give the muscles in his left leg a chance to catch up with his uninjuried leg's muscles. Due to the exercises we were doing during rehab his left leg isn't too far behind his right but we don't want to risk him injuring his other knee by putting too much stress on it right away. By the new year, Dane will be ready to look for his furever home! The cost of Dane's surgery and after care exceeded $3,000.
UPDATE: December 2009 Dane is doing great and is now looking for his furever home!
UPDATE: January 2010 Dane has found his furever home and is going great!
Max came to DAR&E in July 2008 as a 3 year old from a shelter in Virginia. He was adopted out only to be returned a few months later. Max has been in foster care ever since because his fear issues became worse. Something in his past obviously scared him badly and he never really got over it. When he first came to live with his foster family, he would not allow them to touch his legs and feet, but after a year of careful nurturing he is learning that he no longer has to be afraid. He has gradually gotten to where he trusts his foster mom to hold his feet and legs and even to be covered by a blanket, which would have been impossible when he first came to DAR&E. Max is a very affectionate guy. He gives lots of kisses and loves to be petted. He will stand by for attention, as long as you can give it. UPDATE: Max has found his furever home for Christmas 2009!
Romeo was found as a stray and severely emaciated when he was brought into DARE in March 2009. He was estimated to be about 4 years old. The shelter called DAR&E saying they had a very, very sweet dobe that needed our help. He was so sweet that he gave them a hug when he saw them. They hoped all he needed was some good food and a loving home to make him better, but no such luck. He tested positive for heartworms which are so prevalent in the Tidewater, VA area. Romeo needed help ASAP if he was to survive. In his weakened condition, Romeo crashed while at the shelter. He was rushed to the vet where they were able to prop him up and stabilize him with steroids. Romeo is a fighter! Meanwhile, our volunteers were working feverishly on a plan to move him from the Tidewater area up to Buckeystown, MD for treatment. During Romeo’s long ride, everyone agreed that he was indeed a very special dobe to be so very sick but remain so good natured and loving. All he wanted them to do was to pet him.
The vets agreed that even beyond being very, very skinny, Romeo did not seem well and quickly arranged for chest x-rays and blood work. The results were as we feared; Romeo had advanced stage heartworm disease. He had one of the
most severe cases of heartworms to ever come through DAR&E. Their recommendation was that he needed to begin treatment immediately or be humanely euthanized to end his suffering. Everyone was concerned whether he could even survive the heartworm treatment in his current condition. The vets commented on what a sweet dog he was and that he did have a chance of surviving the treatment. The first week would be very telling on how he would respond. So DAR&E decided to give him a chance. Romeo is a fighter! He did well with the first treatment and it was estimated his recovery would take 6-8 months. After a couple of weeks he was moved into a foster home where he continued to recover and had his second heartworm treatment. Everything seemed to be going well.
Then poor Romeo had a setback. His breathing became severely distressed and he began coughing up blood and blood clots. His foster parents being in West Virginia rushed Romeo the long distance back to Buckeystown, MD in record time. The vets immediately attended to him giving him fluids and running tests. They believe he threw a blood clot and his lungs are in bad shape. He was put on antibiotics and monitored. But Romeo is a fighter! After several days at the vet, it looked like he was going to be OK and hopefully, he would continue to improve.
Unbelievably, our dear sweet Romeo developed another problem, sarcoptic mange. The poor dog just couldn't seem to catch a break. He stayed at the vet another two weeks while he received treatment, then he was off to his new foster home!
For months, Romeo was pampered and nursed back to health. After being in DAR&E for 6 months, Romeo found a wonderful furever home with one of DAR&E's volunteers. It was a match made it heaven!
Willie was just one year old and had not had a happy start in his young life. In May 2009, DAR&E was contacted by a shelter and told that they had a very skinny red male Doberman who had a broken leg; could we take him? Like everyone else, our foster homes were full and we were maxed out at the veterinary kennel we use for boarding, but this little guy needed our help. The very next day, we sent volunteer there to pick him up. It was noticed that Willie had on a puppy choke chain which was too tight around his neck that had to be cut off. With that done and thanks to the clunky large temporary cast, Willie was able to get around OK and out to the car without a problem. The cast did seem uncomfortable when he had trouble finding a way to lie down comfortably in the car. No one knows how Willie got hurt, but x-rays show his right tibia and fibula are fractured and needed to be repaired by an orthopedic surgeon. The estimated cost was between $2,200-2,600. The vets were very optimistic that Willie would heal just fine and live a long and happy life.
Willie's leg was repaired and a brace was screwed into his leg. The vet created a contraption to keep him from getting to the surgery site. Willie stayed at the vets for several weeks. With all he had been though, Willie just loved life. He was just a happy happy dog! It was hard to walk him calmly, all he wanted to do was bounce around looking at this, looking at that and coming back looking for some attention. Each time he went to the vets, the news was good. Finally the screws came out, the brace came off and a foster home came open. In just 2 1/2 months, Willie went from having a badly broken leg to finding his furever home!
West Virginia Dogs In September 2007, ten dogs were seized by authorities from a backyard breeder in West Virginia for neglect and cruelty. The wife, having grown tired of all the dogs moved into an apartment; the husband, divided his time between the two homes. This left the dogs alone and unattended for long periods of time. The conditions for the dogs were harsh. Some were crated, some were chained and others roamed free in the backyard. The dogs lived outdoors in feces and filth without adequate food and water. None of them had ever been socialized. After the neighbor's continuous complaints about the dogs fighting and several dogs being picked up more than once for having escaped the yard, authorities finally removed them. The dogs were so fearful of people, they had to be captured. None of them had any training, not even to be walked on a leash. Most of the dogs had skin issues of some kind and some were very thin with rib and hip bones protruding. Based upon their condition and circumstances, the authorities would only release the dogs to a rescue group for rehabilitation. One of the dogs was a pregnant female which was conditionally released to another rescue for immediate care. The others spent almost six months in a shelter while the case made its way through the court system. Several of DAR&E's volunteers made routine trips to the shelter over that time to get the dogs out of their kennels to evaluate them, give them a bit of exercise, toys and treats along with some much needed human contact. Upon the courts terminating ownership, DAR&E was there on the day of the verdict, ready with vans and crates to bring the nine remaining dogs to DAR&E in February 2008. All of the dogs needed rehabilitation to be eligible for adoption.
Most of the Dobes, after spending some time in foster care, were friendly and outgoing, in spite of the life they had lived up to that time. Even though they were kept outside, surprisingly they quickly became house trained and learned what it was like to live in a home with a warm bed, regular meals and lots of love and TLC. Over the next year or two, they were all able to find their respective furever homes but two. For some reason, two of the younger Dobes were much shyer and are taking much longer to come around. Visit our Dogs in Need page and read about Tally and Shane.
 |
