Hi,
Recently we adopted a new member of the family.
He's a happy 5 month old Kelpie x Jack Russell named Lenny.
Fully aware he had a sore leg after the previous owners told us he had hurt it the night before, after a week he was still limping and was obviously in pain, so we decided to get it X-rayed.

The vet said it was no problem, bring him back next week and we will screw the bone back together. After cutting the leg open, he was shocked to see this dog has still been able to walk.

The leg had been broken shortly after birth and the bone had healed in the wrong direction.

The options were to put Lenny down or amputate his front right leg,
and as far as I was concerned there was no option.
It truly broke my heart to see him in so much pain, because of someone else's neglect.

The next day after the operation, he was running around jumping on the bed and trying to play with our other baby, Scotty.

It's been two days now and you wouldn't even know his leg had just been amputated; he's back to his mischievous, happy self.

Times like these really put life into perspective, and I wouldn't trade my little Lenny for anything.

Lyssa and Lenny
Saturday April 14, 2007

This is Bexley Heath, he is a 1 1/2 year old Bichon x Poodle.
He lost his front right leg in the first week after we received him at 8 weeks of age.

We found out that the breeder we had received him from had not given any of the pups the correct food and had weaned them too early in hopes of a quick buck, leading Bexley to have brittle bones.

My brother's dog (who had been hit by a truck before we got him
and was in a cast for his first 3 months of life)
knocked Bexley onto the pavement and his leg shattered.

We had a new vet who said it was probably just a sprain and to come back in a week; a week later, our regular vet was in and was horrified that the new girl hadn't set the fracture, so the decision had to be made.

Of course, we were told to keep him rested and confined for a week after surgery... yeah, right; the little guy was up and running that night, and managed to escape the baby gates we had placed in the living room.

Now he has a fearless attitude, loves traveling, meeting people and finds sprinting (as I would assume most 3 legged dogs would) much easier then a leisurely walk - unfortunately, for those of us who aim to catch him.

Peni Tamblyn
Thursday April 19, 2007