If you cracked open my chest, there on my heart, you would find the face of this little dog.
Piper came to us from the animal shelter as a cruelty case. She had been starved and neglected to the point they thought she had dwarfism. Really what she had was bone deficiencies, from ongoing neglect, causing her legs to bow outward making her look like an old cowboy who'd been riding horses for 50 years.
For some time I have noticed Piper limping on and off, therefore she has been through a gamut of acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, joint supplements, and pain medication, however she is never really 100% and none of those things change the structure of her legs, which appears to be the root of the problem. Many months ago, I joked with The Nurse stating I was saving for Piper's ACL repair. Little did I know, it wouldn't be a joke because she would tear both ACL's at the same time.
This little dog has the tenacity of a tiger and a heart bigger than her melon-style head, and she has etched a solid place in our lives, all of our lives. Human and canine.... Piper was wrestling with her doggie-brother about a week ago, ran to jump on the couch, and missed the landing.
After x-rays and additional medication it has become clear that Piper needs surgery to repair the damage that life and humans have done to her legs. Tomorrow The Nurse and I will drive Piper to a respected orthopedic surgeon to have surgery on her legs. I don't know exactly what method of surgery he will choose, however given her breed and x-ray images, my guess is she will have the more complex of the 3 options. After the surgery, she will be on complete crate rest for 3 months, and we will have to strictly leash walk her. Unfortunately, because they can only do one leg at a time, she will have to have a second surgery a short time after healing from the first one.
If you wouldn't mind sending Piper some thoughts and prayers for her adventure tomorrow, we would greatly appreciate it. She's kind of a big deal....
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