Hello Tripawds!

Welcome to Luanne’s blog.

Luanne (who we call Lulu when not doing business) is an Australian Cattle Dog, or Blue Heeler as she can also be known by. As of today she’s around six months, based on the day I decided to give her as her birthday and the timeframe of her age that the veterinarian declared. She’s had one heck of a ride to end up where she did today, and I’ve made this blog solely so I can recount her experience and look back on it years from now to see this pup’s growth through life.

This is the summary of Lulu’s story:

I wasn’t sure what to expect when this puppy walked into the clinic with a defeated look in her eyes and a broken leg. She was surrendered shortly after she got her diagnosis due to finance issues, and I felt for her and the uncertainty of her future. It was planned that she should go to a shelter, if one could take her, and that was something I didn’t want to see happen. I have three other dogs at home, but if I could care for her through her surgery and recovery, a few months wouldn’t hurt to bring a fourth dog home, right? That’s what I thought, anyway.

I wasn’t sure if I would or could keep her, but I wanted her to at the very least have a secure and suitable home where she could rest and recover until she was healed. So I offered to take her in, and the clinic was grateful.

Fast forward to a month later when she went in for her x-ray to see how the leg was healing. It did, but it did it badly. The cast was removed and I was instructed to see how capable she was when it came to using the leg. To put it simply, she used it no differently than when the cast was on. It was a clutch when she walked too fast and got wobbly, but it wasn’t a functioning leg. During her week of at home physical therapy, she was in clear pain. One night as she went out to toilet, she walked a few steps after having been set down and just cried. She didn’t want to move. And if the cone wasn’t around her head, she would’ve tried to soothe the pain by licking.

With her leg usage not improving during that week, we went to the vet again to be told that we could keep the leg despite the severe muscular atrophy and pain she was in… or get it amputated. I’ve never had experience with a dog with a broken leg, and surely one that has an amputated one scared me more than ever. I told the vet to speak plainly to me, because I had extreme doubts on putting this puppy, no more than five months according to the vet, through this extreme solution for her damaged leg. I was given the professional opinion that it was in her best interest as keeping the leg would keep her in pain longer than the entirety of the amputation, and would cause far more complications in the future with the angle it healed at.

This was the scariest thing for me to hear. What I had thought was just a small pup with a broken leg that would heal in no time ended up becoming so much more than that. But having no experience on any end of this pup’s care, I took the recommendation and her leg was amputated that same day.

Lulu today:

I battle with my decision to amputate, but at the very least, and possibly the most important, Luanne is by far a happier puppy. She’s in pain, yes, as all dogs are when they go through a major surgery. But she’s a puppy ready to heal and get going with life, and as I promised her when she walked into the clinic, I’ll be here with her to see her recovery through.