Saving Rat Terriers Since 1999

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Can You Help Cody Brody Ratbone?

Cody Brody is a12 pound, bluetri-colored RatTerrier, estimatedto be 2 years old. Little Cody was takento an animal shelterin east-central Florida after being tossed from a moving car. When Cody Brodyhit the ground hef ractured the radiusand the ulna in bothof his front legs.His right leg had a"compound fracture", which means the broken ends of thebones came throughthe skin.

The shelter took little Cody to a vet for treatment, and then started looking for a rescue to take him and get him on the road to recovery. A local rescue offered but backed out, so Ratbone Rescues was contacted - and we picked him up the next day; this was 9 days after the local vet had cast his legs.

Little Cody was very fearful in the shelter. He was also in a lot of pain, so he showed his teeth and growled at everyone. He also tried to bite if anyone made a move to touch him. We were sure that Cody was just in pain, and that once he was out of the shelter he could learn to trust again. This was proved after his arrival at his temporary foster home, where he slowly showed his care-givers that he was open to their attempts to "connect" with him.

After 3 days in his temporary foster home Cody made the drive north to Daytona to meet his permanent fostermom - and his orthopedic surgeons. But the enclosed cars soon made it clear that there was something very wrong with Cody - something really stinky! Instead of waiting for his appointment the next day, Cody's fostermom took him straight to the vet's office, where we found that the fiberglass cast had not been padded - and had cut into his right leg and foot. These wounds and the open wound under the cast on his right leg had become septic (infected) - which was what caused him to smell so bad. Cody was not especially happy to see the staff at our vet's office, but that would soon change.

X-rays revealed that Cody's legs had never been set, and the bones were overlapped by 1/2 inch on the right leg and 1 inch on the left. Once our vets removed the painful casts and got his wounds cleaned - and gave him medications for infection and pain - Cody was a new dog! He is friendly, trusting, and sweet.

Cody's surgeons - Dr. Robert Goring and Dr. Steve Neihaus, of Affiliated Veterinary Specialists (Orange Park, FL) - have a plan for our boy. First, they will give him time for his open wounds to begin to heal. Next, they will operate on Cody's legs, removing a small section of each bone to allow proper alignment; stainless steel plates and pins will be used to hold the bones in place while they heal. Before surgery and during the healing process Cody will be given antibiotics and medications to manage his pain.

Cody's surgery is scheduled for December 8, 2009. After surgery he will spend several days in the hospital, so a close eye can be kept on his progress. Then Cody will return to his foster home for 8 to 12 weeks of recovery and rehabilitation. At 4 and 8 weeks post-surgery Cody will probably need x-rays, to make sure his bones are mending as they should.

To watch Cody's progress please use this link.WARNING: graphic photos of open wounds - not for the squeamish!

The estimated cost of Cody Brody's surgical and medical care is $4,000 - if there are no unexpected complications. Our wonderful "Dr. G" gives us a 50% discount, so we need to raise at least $2,000 to pay for Cody's care. Please help us to reach our goal.

We accept Paypal or you may also send a check or money order to: Ratbone Rescues P.O. Box 3237 Jacksonville, FL 33775-3237

All donations made to Ratbone Rescues are tax deductible

No comments: