I need some advice

[ladyknite]

Some of you know my bad experience with pit bulls. It would be irrelevant here, except for one thing. The dog I'm speaking about is a pit puppy.

A couple of nights ago, some kids brought a puppy to my house. they said it was hurt and needed help. i carried this whimpering, whining ball of fur and ears into the bathroom to discover a horribly broken hind leg with the bone compounded and a huge chunk of meat, muscle and flesh gone from the other. The pup had bite and scratch marks from head to toe and was slipping into shock pretty bad.

The vets are pretty money grubbing around here and an after hours call gets you nothing but life sustaining care until morning. Basically, an IV, which i can do at home. So i did.

Puppy came out of the shock and drank sugar water for me thru the night. In the morning we went to the vet. It'll take an orthopedic surgeon and $2,000.00 to repair the leg with a plate. The muscle and flesh will heal, but needs stitches. The wash i put on the first night helped with bacteria and the antibiotics stopped the infection.
The vet thinks i should have the leg amputated. It will heal quicker, with the least possibility of infection or reaction to the plate. It will also cross out the possibility of arthritis where the break is as the pup ages.

I do understand that many dogs with amputated limbs get on just fine. But this dog is at risk anyways because of his breed.

The deal is..........I have a decision to make for a dog that isn't mine, nor is he claimed by anyone. But he's a puppy. And I suppose I'm a sucker for a cute face.

I paid for the pup to have shots because i'm certain he hasn't had any. I'm just not quite sure what the right thing to do here is. This is not my dog. He's sweet, i feel sorry for him, but i don't want to raise him. Can you find good homes for dogs with special needs like this? Will this make him "gun shy"?

I have until 8 am tomorrow to make a decision. Fast replies appreciated.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Hi Sweets,
I would go with amputation.
As he grows and ages He will never notice the leg gone.
He was probably a bait dog.
If you have trouble rehomeing him. I will take him.

 

[ladyknite]

what is a bait dog? sorry if i sound ignorant. i'm not into cruel intentions. and that sounds a little sick to me.

Thanks hon. I intend on keeping him with me until he's healed enough to handle going potty by himself, then he'll move on. I might call ya. lol

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Bait dog is an animal used to train fighting dogs. They use puppys and other dogs to teach fighters how to attack.

 

[Jiffy]

How great of you to take in that poor dog. To be honest, I think a lot of times, a dog with a missing leg or some other injury that it could live with, but that makes it unique, is more apt to be adopted. There are dogs you see on tv that were it just any other dog that needed a home, it would probably not have any luck, but if that dog had some sort of injury or trauma, or rough beginning, people seem to line up to take the dog.

And Tom, if you decide to take him, we could do a rescue train up to you (unless you are going to be in the area for a show or something)

 

[beardielover17]

Tough call Gina. I agree with Tom on the bait dog thing (those sick bastards if that really is the case). I say go with the amputation. I have personally seen many dogs with 3 legs get on just fine. Kinda like how our 2 and 3 legged beardies get on well. There is always someone out there to adopt animals like this. I can refer you to a place for rescue pits especially if you would like and if Tom doesn't take the baby.

 

[Boogiesmom]

I agree with everyone else. You are awesome that you are helping.

 

[ladyknite]

well i met with the vet and made a decision. The amputation will take place at 8:30 am tomorrow morning.
The vet said that the pup stood less chance of infection this way, and even if the surgery was elected, that doesn't mean it would work. the pup may not adapt to the plate that is required. If he doesn't, he would either die a painful death or require the amputation to save his life.

It's comforting to know that you guys believe he will find a good home, whether that be around here, or even further north. The right one will find him i guess.

Bait dog is an animal used to train fighting dogs. They use puppys and other dogs to teach fighters how to attack.

OH MY $%&!!#@ and a few more symbols. Thats so sick.
As soon as i'm able, I'll take some pics of this little guy. I should have taken them the other night, but he was just too pitiful

 

[beardielover17]

Even though there are a bunch of sick people who want pits, there are a ton more who will gladly take in a special needs pit. Almost every pit owner I know or talk to rescued special needs pits and said they would never hesitate to get another one. I have no doubts the lil one will find a home. I can't wait to see pics of him.

 

[staylor]

I am late finding this. I am glad this dog came to you and your are wonderful for helping it. As a dog lover Thank you for helping this poor baby. I too am thinking he was used as a bait dog :'( Please keep us posted on this puppy. I think he will make a wonderful pet and if I did not have 3 already I would take him in a heart beat.

 

[Vesta]

Ditto on what the others have said.

Thankful for people like you who will go the extra mile for these poor critters. We had a dog we named Zach who had the wander lust. No matter how hard we tried he kept slipping out of the house. If we chained him in the yard he untied and then unhooked his other leash and was off.(yes, we began to tie him with two ropes. One chain and the other an airplane lead). He just wanted to run the neighborhood. To make matters worse he began to steal things from other peoples yards and bring them home to us. Cantelopes, shoes, newspapers, toys. Anything he could fit in his mouth.(the cantaloupe must have been tricky. But there were telltale teeth marks.) To make a long story short a man came and got me one day to tell me they had Zach in their yard. He had been hit by a train. There were tracks a distance from our house. The train must have been moving slow and he figured he could make it by going underneath. He did not make it and it severed his hind quarter. The heat cauterized the blood vessels and there was no blood. There he stood, his blond coat now brown with that one leg gone and the upper part of his Golden retriever tail missing as well. He saw me, looked sad and laid down(they said they had been unable to get him to lay down before) that act and the look in his eyes saved his life. It took every penny and some unpaid bills for them to clean him up. But he lived to be 14 years old. He never missed that leg. In fact he was known to stand on the point of his dog house so he could see the neighborhood better. He actually hurt his remaining hind leg and I looked out to see him standing on his to front legs,holding his body up with out the leg. We took him to the vet and they said instinct told him to lift that leg so he did. Once the leg felt better he put it down again. You are doing the right thing saving his life. He will not miss that leg once it heals. The first time I saw Zach after the amputation I wondered if we had done the right thing. It was shaved and he had Frankenstein stitches. He looked awful. But once that healed up and after some time we forgot that there was anything different about him. Thank you Gina for all that you have done and all that you will be doing as he heals!! :-*

 

[Craiger]

It's not often we see Gina on this side of the advice table.

Wow....didn't know that about bait dogs. So sick!!!!

Gina, I think the amputation was definitely the right thing to do. Honestly, I do think he'll get along just fine as also mentioned by the others. Being a puppy, it's likely he'll quickly forget and won't know any better. He's going to have a MUCH better life, now. Love is something he'll feel for the rest of his life. I'm sure of that.

Thanks for taking him in....if only temporarily. If it weren't for people like you, many animals would die a painful death. So for that, I thank you!!

 

[Harley D]

Bless your heart for giving this dog another chance in life !!!

I worked in the dog rescue (Boxer and German Shepherd) for about 5 years and have seen all to well on bait dogs...they are all breeds...puppies and full grown stolen from there owners only to be put to death...I believe in karma and one day these people..if you can call them that will get there own in life...and for everyone I will have a huge smile !!!

Please let me know if you need anything or any donations for that matter...as we have allot of pit freindly folks up here in Canada who are always willing to help out.


Take Care
Laurie

 

[ladyknite]

Thanks guys for all the support.

Craig, you're right. It's not often I'm on this end of the advice wheel. I'm a person where my decisions are made up of black and white choices. This is a totally gray area for me, and one I'm not certain that I'm the right person for the job.

Don't get me wrong, I don't condone abuse or torture of any animal. When i think about this dog, I think Pit, and my past experience wants to weigh in on my decisions. But when i look at him, i see puppy and the rest doesn't matter. I could easily walk away and not look back, but there's the innocence in this that stops me.

My hope is that this pup can grow up and live in a home where he's loved, respected and understood and that he not grow up to do to another dog what was done to him. If that happens, then this will be worth it to me.

The vet gave me an awesome cut on care. I paid for the shots, the vet covers 1/2 the cost of the amputation, the hospital stay, antibiotics and fluids and all necessary essentials. ya gotta love tax write offs.

I believe in karma

yeah baby. Karma is a B#$%H when it bites you in the butt.

 

[Jiffy]

Please let us know how this puppy does with the surgery. Bless you for doing this!

 

[beardielover17]

Great that the vet is helpin out Gina. I have no doubts that this dog will fall into a wonderful and loving home. Karma is definitely a #$%^ I love watching people get bit in the butt after doing something wrong lol

 

[ladyknite]

I'm still shocked to learn that PEOPLE actually promote that kind of activity. I mean.....c'mon......I'm no saint, but i didn't know they used other dogs. People are depraved. Why do we allow this? I mean as a country?

Oh......we do think we located the dog that attacked the pup. Its a stray pit in the area. animal control picked it up yesterday evening because it cornered some lady inside her fenced yard. It had blood all over it.
They tell me i can have the dog tested to see if DNA matches the pup. That would answer my question, but i'm not so sure that answer is a logical one to get. They're going to put the offending dog down regardless.

I called to check on the pup. It's still under. they won't call me until he wakes and has taken some water.
They asked for a name. Ugh.

Zephr I suppose?

 

[beardielover17]

I'm still shocked to learn that PEOPLE actually promote that kind of activity. I mean.....c'mon......I'm no saint, but i didn't know they used other dogs. People are depraved. Why do we allow this? I mean as a country?

It will always be beyond my comprehension how people can be so cruel to animals especially to the degree of baiting and fighting. What gain do you get out of it? If you wanna see 2 living things fight to the death turn on National Geographic or throw a bunch of death row inmates in a ring and watch that.

 

[staylor]

All of this breaks my heart. The pup, the stray, your wallet. The poor stray that was not care for properly now has to loose it life because people are so cruel. He was unlucky and ended up with a bad home that turned into no home, an inocent life that peoples actions have ended early. The poor pup who had to suffer b/c of cruel humans that did not keep it safe from another dog. As for your wallet, $2000 is a lot of money and especially for a dog that is not your own. Thank you again for helping him, you are suck a WONDERFUL person.

 

[Pogie]

Oh wow, Im happy and sad and angry all rolled into one here.

Thanxs for helping this little guy, there are 2 things in life on my HATE list where I lose it completely and would do something really unforgivable they are:
1. Animal abuse
2. Child abuse

Those are the 2 things (sorry for the word) in life I consider being helpless / dependent and who can not defend themselves.

Hope the surgery goes well. Keep us posted.

Kuddos to you Gina, youre a saint