November/December 2006
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Give holiday cheer with a donation to the Sterling Animal Shelter.
Our furkids love the food and toys. They also enjoy the heated floors and clean accomodations, especially those warm blankets.
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Dear Santa Paws, Though we were all really good dogs and cats (and guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and birds) this year, we still, through no fault of our own, are spending the holidays at the Sterling Animal Shelter. See we are homeless but are NOT unloved—the staff loves us very much—and haven’t yet been lucky enough to find our forever homes. The staff promises that we will eventually find our way in to a new and loving family, but there are so many more homeless animals that will fill our kennels after we are gone. But for the time being, we are here waiting patiently. Santa, since we have been good furkids—well,
most of the time—we are hoping you might consider bringing us some
special treats for the holidays. Here is our list that we are begging,
mooching, meowing and drooling for:
Thank you Santa Paws! Please
visit all the other homeless animals and bring them special treats.
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Hip dysplasia is a condition in which abnormal formation of the hip joint results in unstable hip joint. As the affected dog ages, the hips gradually become arthritic and may degenerate to cause total crippling and painful of the rear limbs.
Hip dislocation is
extremely painful. The dislocation occurs when the ball of the hip joint
comes out of its socket.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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Mooch is Mooching for Chocolate...Can You Help?
What is a FHO procedure? Femoral head ostectomy is removal or excision of the ball portion of the hip joint. After removal, the bone is smoothed so there is no bone to bone contact occurring between the pelvis and the remaining portion of the femur. Removal of the portion of the femur that articulates with the hip joint then causes formation of a false fibrous joint. What are the indications for FHO surgery? Femoral head and neck excision or ostectomy is a salvage procedure used in the treatment and management of hip dysplasia, trauma, or other diseases of the hip. Hip dysplasia means malformation of the hip joints. It is the most common orthopedic disease in dogs, and a similar problem occurs in cats but much less often. The malformed hip will eventually develop some degree of arthritis and in some patients, pain. With trauma, patients can have fractures of the femoral head and often FHO surgery is indicated. There are other diseases of the hip, such as Perthes’ Disease, where the blood supply to the femoral head is abnormal and causes aseptic necrosis of the femoral head. In instances like these, FHO surgery is indicated to remove the diseased portion of the bone. Maya’s (formerly known as Chocolate) new adoptive parents share their story: “Maya had her FHO surgery on October 24, 2006, with the help of so many wonderful people. When she came home that night, we were told she most likely won’t walk or eat. To our surprise, she finished off an entire bowl of food and walked a couple of feet at a time to slowly get around the house. It was difficult keeping her separated from her big brother Merlot (also a pointer mix), but they are back to playing and running around just a few weeks after her surgery. Maya is growing every day and thrilled to be living in her new home with her big brother Merlot, and her other sister and brother (both cats) Boo Boo and Gracie. Maya is fresh as fresh can be, and if we can just teach her to be nice with other dogs when we are walking at the park, all will be right in the world! We love her to pieces and could not be more grateful for the amazing hearts at the Sterling Animal Shelter as well as the many people who offered donations so that she can continue to grow up uninhibited. Thank you all so very much!” Mooch
What is TPO? Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO) is a procedure most commonly used in young dogs that have hip dysplasia. Dogs affected with hip dysplasia have looser than normal hips and a result of this is that many go on to develop pain and inflammation of the joint, i.e. arthritis. The hip joint is like a ball and socket. When a dog is affected with hip dysplasia, the ball (femoral head) drifts out of the socket (acetabulum). This results in less than normal covering of the femoral head. Triple Pelvic Osteotomy is a surgical technique that involves three cuts of the bone (triple osteotomy) around the joint that allows the surgeon to tilt the socket (acetabulum) over the ball (femoral head). The goal is to give a better fit to the joint to allow for better long-term function of the affected limb and to decrease the amount of arthritis that may develop. Each hip is estimated at over $2,000 for a total of $4,000. However, our generous donors from ($1 - $1,500) and through a discount at a shelter friendly vet hospital… have greatly reduced this financial burden on the shelter. Thank you to everyone who donated!!! The surgeon decided it would be best to start with the hip that has the most damage, and once it is healed, operate on the other hip. Mooch’s surgery went well and he is confined to crate rest at the home of one of our employees, where he is in a quiet environment. He is allowed only to walk for bathroom breaks, so his foster mom spends time sitting, talking to him, telling him he’ll be strong when all of this is over. He absolutely hates his “cone,” but will try to remove staples from his three incisions without it. Depending on how he heals, his next surgery will be anywhere from 3 to 7 weeks from now. Mooch is still in need of a loving home. He is crate trained, loves other dogs, and may know some commands shortly. Thank you
to all who donated to help Mooch and Chocolate!!!. |
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’Twas the Night Before Christmas at the Shelter author unknown ’Twas the night before Christmas and all through
the town, They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew, If only they’d trained us, if only we knew They dropped us off here and they kissed us
good-bye The kind workers come through with a meal and a
pat, We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our
heads If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at
your inn, The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
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Want to help the Shelter? Have you considered our Recurring Giving system. This convenient system allows you to automatically make a donation to the Sterling Shelter every month via credit card or checking account. This is an extremely powerful fundraising method that can allow the Shelter to save thousands of additional animals every year with a donation as small as $2.00 per month from you. Thank you for your support! | |||
Since our last newsletter, Chocolate (pointer mix puppy) has been adopted to a wonderful and loving family and renamed "Maya." Chocolate had what is known as a femoral head ostectomy (FHO) procedure. The cost of her surgery and follow-up/care was over $1,000.
Mooch had his first, of at least two Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO) surgeries on November 13, 2006.