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Hi all,

 

I normally wouldnt do this so please forgive me but Carolina Border Collie Rescue needs your help. One of our foster dogs, Willow, experienced a freaky accident. As she was running along in the wood with the rest of her pack, she impaled herself on a tree branch. She underwent surgery at a specialty hospital. (Due to the severity of the infection in her lung they knew something had to be there and the regular vet wasn't capable of performing the surgery.) If you go to CBCR and scroll down about ½ way, you can read her story.

 

So far, Willow is improving but now we are facing a huge vet bill. We wont know exactly how much the total bill(s) will be (E-vet + reg. vet + specialty vet) until Willow is released from the hospital but were guestimating right now between $2000-$3000. Please, if you can, make a donation to help CBCR pay Willows vet bills. No amount is too small. Remember, we are a 501©3 and any amount you donate is tax deductable. Thank you in advance. Because of you, CBCR is able to help dogs like Willow instead of having to put her down due to lack of money.

 

This is Willow after the e-vet sewed her up but before she started going downhill before her major surgery.

Willownotfeelinggoodsm.jpg

 

Here are the pieces of wood they found in her. The largest one was found in her right lung. The 2 smaller ones were in her abdomen. Two different vets took x-rays and the wood didn't show up on any of them. Can you believe that?? The specialty vet found them while doing Willow's exploratory surgery.

Willowssticks.jpg

 

Again, thank you in advance.

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Poor Willow! I hope lots of us can kick in a little bit each.

 

That kind of accident does happen more than you might think, and it's a big deal to treat. It happened to my daughter's dog Tundra, who ended up with stitches and a drain. And her stick impalement was minor!

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That kind of accident does happen more than you might think, and it's a big deal to treat. It happened to my daughter's dog Tundra, who ended up with stitches and a drain. And her stick impalement was minor!

 

Yeah, something similar happened to a dog of a friend of mine. He and his friend were quail hunting with their dogs. His friend's dog ran into a stick. His dog wasn't so lucky. The stick must have hit the heart or a major artery. The dog died within minutes. Ever since he told me that story, I've always been freaked out by dogs bounding through thick vegetation. I hope Willow has an uneventful and speedy recovery. Poor thing.

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Thank you, everyone. After spending 5 nights at the hospital Willow's foster mom emailed us saying she was going to go pick her up today! I've asked her to email us a picture of Willow once she's settled in. She's so beside herself it might take a couple of days to get it but when we do, I'll post it here and keep you guys updated.

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Thank you, sixx.

 

Short Willow update: She's home resting nicely in her favorite crate. She ate a can of Mighty Dog and a cup of kibble. She's wearing a little boy t-shirt instead of an e-collar. And, of course, she's happy to be home.

 

Question: Last summer I had surgery on my leg. The doctor wasn't very pleased when it didn't heal as quickly as he thought it should. I wondered if I was getting enough protein so I started drinking a protein drink daily. My leg started healing up quickly. Would it be a good idea to increase Willow's protein or is it too soon?

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Don't underestimate the value of protein for healing. My mare, Molly, got a bad leg wound in August. She was taken off the pasture with the cows (and our cows eat very well) and put at the neighbors' farm with their very plump horses. The wound showed little improvement for over a month, and then I noticed that Molly was also losing weight.

 

We started to supplement her feed with a grain mix that included some extra protein as well as energy, and not only did she gain weight quickly (she's now on better pasture, also, a good source of protein for her), but we began to see rapid strides in healing.

 

Coincidence? Partly, possibly, just hitting that stage where it was ready to heal. But without plenty of protein, I doubt we'd be seeing the healing we are seeing now. Even the vet said, just the other day, that the recent healing was progressing much faster than she'd expected - while for the first month or so, she was disappointed in the lack of progress.

 

Very best wishes!

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Thank you, sixx.

 

Short Willow update: She's home resting nicely in her favorite crate. She ate a can of Mighty Dog and a cup of kibble. She's wearing a little boy t-shirt instead of an e-collar. And, of course, she's happy to be home.

 

Question: Last summer I had surgery on my leg. The doctor wasn't very pleased when it didn't heal as quickly as he thought it should. I wondered if I was getting enough protein so I started drinking a protein drink daily. My leg started healing up quickly. Would it be a good idea to increase Willow's protein or is it too soon?

 

You should always go with what your vet says, of course but my combined doctors' recommendations for healing after cancer surgery/chemotherapy within eight weeks after a total knee replacement included plenty of protein and vitamins C and D. Our bodies use up a tremendous amount of energy in healing wounds so the sooner the better would be my thought. (ETA - food sources are best for the vitamins)

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Hi all,

 

Willow's foster mom reports, "Thank you all, so much, for all your good wishes. Willow is home and is happy and alert. She shows every indication that she will survive her misfortune. Hopefully, the rest of her life will be charmed."

 

Here's a picture of Willow she took this evening. There's such a difference in her eyes. The girl is definitely a trooper!

Willowcomeshomeaftersurgery.jpg

 

Many thanks to everybody for the donations, well wishes, passing the word and all your support. For those of you who are going to be at Rural Hill stop by our booth. (For the past 2 yrs we've been by the smokehouse.) Maybe we'll have a piece of merchandise you might like to buy. And, of course, we'll have a donation jar for Willow so if you have any spare change..... :)

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That is wonderful news! :D

 

Let Willow's foster mom know that she can snug up that shirt by using a hair band or rubber band to create a "ponytail" of excess material over her back. That will snug it up under her belly & keep her from snagging it on something.

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Will do! Thanks, Cindy!

 

ETA: I stated in my OP we were guestimating Willow's vet bills. I just found out what they are.

 

From Willow's foster mom: "DH and I will donate $610. That will cover the first emergency vet visit. The $750 of donated money will cover Willow's Crossroad Vet bill.

We have conquered the smaller bits, now all we have is the big surgery bill (about $2,035)."

 

Many, many thanks to all who donated! Hope to see you guys at Rural Hill! And if/when you have the time, please keep crossposting.

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"Only about $700" says it all! I think that Tundra's episode might have cost a little bit more. This type of accident is one of those things that can just happen out of the blue with active dogs. I mean, somehow they should only run on freshly mown lawns?? Willow's foster mom should not feel like it's her fault at all. It is a reminder of the fact that owning dogs can be expensive, as rescues will remind those who say they think a $200 adoption fee is too much. It's not too much, it's just a foretaste!

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Oh my, Mary. That looks like it hurts just looking at it. When I first heard about Willow's accident, that's where I though she would have been injuried; in the front chest area. I have a feeling while the dogs were running, 1 or 2 of them must have pushed her into the branch since it entered into her side.

 

Jan, you are so right. Because we try to make sure all dogs that get adopted are healthy they are utd on their vaccines, spayed/neutered and if they have other medical conditions (HW, infections, illness), it's taken care of too. Very seldom do we break even. That's why we set up booths at different dog events; to sale merchandise to raise money. (Speaking of which, we're low on a selection of merchandise. If there are any "crafty" people out there, feel free to contact me. Our best sellers are usually items that sale for under $10. We're game for ideas too.) And every once in a while, if we make a "profit" from one dog, it goes towards the next dog. With that said, I believe most people understand. I've been the application coordinator for CBCR for a year now. Only once has anyone tried to negotiate our adoption fee. On the other hand, we've had about 3-4 people request an unaltered female because they wanted to breed her. :blink:

 

And before I forget again, this is an email I received from Willow's foster mom.

 

Hi Brenda,

 

Thank you for sending updates to the Border Collie Board! I am really touched by their compassion and generosity.

 

Dolly

 

She was feeling guilty about Willow's accident but reading the posts on this thread where others have shared their story has made her feel better.

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