To make a long story short, Trinity has a bright future if we manage to raise $500 for her hip surgery. Please click the DONATE BUTTON below:
or alternatively click this LINK
Here is the long story:
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Trinity's mom Honey, a Yellow Labrador, came into my life on Christmas 2007. I was asked by the Humane Society to bottle-raise 6 of her new born puppies. She was to be euthanized, because she was in bad shape. I agreed to raise the puppies, but insisted on taking the mom home with me as well. We named her Honey, because she had the sweetest personality. She was an excellent mom to her puppies and when 5 orphaned newborn Border Collie puppies were found in a plastic sack on the middle of a road, she gladly adopted them as her own and raised them as well. Honey displayed such intelligence that I felt blessed of having her in my life. |
But I also knew that this dog had a higher purpose than just being my pet and when a family entered the picture that dealt with a severe physical disability, I happily handed Honey over to them. She has been the sunshine of their lives, a match made in Heaven.
Honey's puppies were all adopted out to other homes once they were weaned. One of the puppies went to to a family member of the shelter's manager and named her Trinity. Trinity spent most of her time at the shelter and became the mascot.
One morning Trinity turned up missing. Everybody was worried sick about her. We concluded that she was stolen, because other dogs have miraculously disappeared from the shelter in the previous days. We printed flyers and asked the newspapers to run an article; even Crimestoppers offered a $1000 reward for her safe return. After a week we finally received the phone call everybody was waiting for. Trinity turned up at the shelter one town over. She appeared to be ok, but was limping on her right hind leg, which got worse and worse. |
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It was decided that I foster Trinity for a while to teach her some basic obedience. After she experienced some structure and leadership, her full potential came to light. She is exactly like her mother Honey! Sweet and smart!
So on a hunch, I contacted Honey's owners and as fate has it, they were interested in adopting a 2nd dog and are willing to give Trinity a chance, see if she fits in at all.
I was thrilled to learn that Trinity does have such a bright future with a great family, so I increased the training and started showing her simple tricks that will be useful for a person in a wheelchair for example.
 Trinity as a newborn puppy |
A few days ago, on February 10th 2009, it all came tumbling down. Trinity cried out in pain, walked on 3 legs, couldn't sit, lay down, or walk normally without showing clear signs of pain. She was rushed to the vet next day and an x-ray was taken. The news was terrible. Trinity appeared to have sustained a serious hip injury at a very young age which was left untreated and caused extensive damage. The Vet who examined her offered us 2 options: have her on pain medication for the rest of her life or FHO surgery (more information below). |
We weighed both options. Pain medication is expensive, about $50 a month. Surgery plus the costs of the already taken x-ray, exam and medication will run up to $500. We decided to aim for the surgery.
If you want to help Trinity, please click on one of the Donate buttons on this page.
About the Surgery |
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Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) is a surgical procedure that removes the femoral head and neck from the femur. FHO surgery is performed to alleviate pain. It is a salvage procedure, reserved for condition where pain can not be alleviated in any other way. It is common in veterinary surgery. Other names are Excision Arthroplasty of the femoral head and neck, Girdlestone's Operation and Femoral Head and Neck Ostectomy. |
Small breeds of dog, cats and small horses, donkeys and ponies have all had the procedure performed successfully. Hip dysplasia, an extremely painful congenital condition found in many dog breeds and some cats, is an example of such a condition where this procedure may be used. It is also performed in cases of trauma where the head of the femur is badly broken or severed, or in response to other diseases of the hip bone, such As Legg-Calve-Perthes' disease. It is sometimes the procedure of last resort when other methods have failed and or sepsis of the joint has occurred, but it can be indicated when the hip joint is severely affected or if arthritis In the joint is serious enough. It can also be indicated in small animals with pelvic fractures, particularly fractures of the acetabulum (socket of the pelvis). ProcedureThe procedure exposes the head section of the femur bone (the ball of the ball and socket joint), and then the head is removed using a small saw or a bone hammer and chisel. Rarely both sides are done in one operation, most times one side is done and allowed to heal before the other side is done. Unlike most other hip surgeries, the head of the femur is not replaced, but is allowed to heal and develop its own fibrous scar tissue so that the joint is no longer bone−to-bone, a pseudoarthrosis (also called a "false joint"). The neck of the femur is usually removed at the same time as the head. This prevents the post operative complication of bone rubbing on bone and continued pain. This has led to the procedure often also called "Femoral head and neck ostectomy". Animals who have had FHO surgery are required to maintain a lower weight throughout their lives to compensate for the loss of skeletal integrity, and generally have less mobility than normal. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femoral_head_ostectomy |
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