Hunter needs an additional surgery

Mar 17, 2010

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Hunter.  Thanks to you, we raised enough to cover the surgery on this left leg.  Unfortunately, he is also going to need surgery on his right leg after all.

Surgery is set for March 29th and will cost another $500.  Surgery on this left leg cost $600 (less than what had been estimated) and we've already raised $500 for him, so we only need to raise another $600.

Here's what his foster mom has to say about him:

Hunter is a sweet, rambunctious "teenager" whose greatest love in life are toys that squeak and squeal.

In the morning after a good night's sleep he's all wound up to go out and chase his squeaky toy.  He's so happy as he starts to run after toy the first time.  His joyful enthusiasm makes it possible him to ignore the pain in his broken right hind leg long enough fetch his toy 1 time.  On the second try he stops and has to lay down.  He just has to quit.  He can't take anymore, even though, at his age of one year, he should be able to run all day. About 2 months ago both of his back legs were broken when he was hit by a car.  He has a big metal plate in his left hind leg from the first Austin Pets Alive surgery.  The right hind leg is still broken, but the brake is a place in his leg where he can still use it a little.  It's at the top of his leg where it goes into the hip joint.  When he walks his right leg caves in at the joint and almost hits his other leg.  The x-rays show that the ball at the top of the leg, which normally would go into the hip socket, is broken off and is laying on its side against the top of his femur.  Bone on bone!  Anyone who has joint pain knows how much that hurts!

This dog has been through so much and still he just loves sitting next to his foster mom and putting his head on her feet.  Because he is mostly an Australian Cattle Dog (heeler), he should be able to work all day.  Poor little Hunter can't even run for more than a minute.  The vet says that after he is healed from his next operation he should be able to go, go, go.

Hunter's working hard to overcome some of the other abuse he's been through during his short life.  He's shy of some people and of dogs bigger than he is.  Because he can't walk very far at one time, he goes out for short trips to a store nearly every day just to see other people in different environments.  Because of this, he's now much more trusting and can actually enjoy himself.  Once he's had his second operation he will be able to take long,  pain-free walks.  He will be able to run and jump and play to his heart's content, and bring joy to the people in his life.

See Hunter at the dog park:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eHLkymYKCc