At Paws, our shelter dogs and cats typically come from the local Pierre/Fort Pierre area. On occasion, we get a call for help from outside the local area. On Thursday December 29th, we received such a call from a fellow dog rescuer.

Three dogs needed our help and had nowhere to go. The oldest of the three dogs was of unknown breed, around 9 months old and had been abandoned by his owners on one of the coldest nights of the year. The other two were black labrador puppies, one male and one female, around 6 months old. The male puppy had been hit by a car and had an injured leg. While lying by the cold, icy roadside, his sister laid next to him and cried, alerting a local resident to the situation.

Diagnosis

After driving out of town to pick up the dogs, volunteers headed straight to All Creatures Animal Hospital in Pierre. Staff stayed open long past closing time to help. After some much-needed pain medication, X-Rays were taken. It was discovered that the poor pup, now named Lister, had a fractured tibia. Dr Trexler-Myren stabilized the leg with a splint and determined that surgery would provide the best outcome in the long term. Lister was then left to get some much-needed rest. The oldest dog, now named Kryten, was taken the shelter. The female puppy, now named Kristine, was taken home by a volunteer for some comfort and cuddles.

Lister at the hospital

Fractured tibia required surgery

Fractured tibia

Surgery and Outcome

Lister’s surgery began just after 10am on Saturday (New Year’s Eve!). Lacey Boxley of Hopeless to Homes Animal Rescue stepped in to assist. She worked alongside Dr Trexler-Myren for 7 years and assisted on many orthopedic surgeries. The two bone fragments were straightened and held together with a pin. Cerclage wires were wrapped around the fracture to provide further support. An external skeletal fixator was put in place to stabilize the leg. The surgery lasted a few hours and everything went according to plan. Dr Trexler-Myren did a wonderful job!

Preparing for surgery

Fractured tibia required surgery

After Surgery

Lister will rest and recover for the next 5 weeks. After that time, the external fixator will be removed and his movement will need to be restricted to allow the bone to heal properly. In order to receive the best care, Lister will need to remain at the hospital for the next 6-8 weeks.

We Need your Help

As many of you know, surgical procedures and care of this kind come at a substantial expense. The final bill for Lister’s treatment and recovery will be around $2000. This is where we need your help. Paws is funded by donations from the local community, and this is one of the occasions we need them the most. Please consider donating as little or as much as you can – every little bit helps. You can donate online, in person during open hours, or by mail. Check out our donations page for more details.

We are incredibly grateful to Dr Trexler-Myren, Lacey Boxley, our volunteers, and the unsung dog and cat rescuers out there who sacrifice their time and money to help animals.

Lister will be available following his recovery. Kristine is available for adoption now, along with Kryten. Look out for details and images on our Available Pets page soon!

Updates

January 4th from the vet:
Lister is doing well. Putting more weight on healing leg. Went outside for bried walk this morning. Seems increasingly happy and social.

We have raised $700 of the $2000 estimated cost of his surgery and care. Thank you so much for those who have donated so far! We still need help to raise the rest – please consider a donation of any size.

January 3rd:
Kristine is in foster care and has an adoption pending!
We have received $600 in donations so far. Please help us to raise the estimated $2000!

January 1st from the vet:
Baby Lister still doing nicely. Alert and eating this morning, toe touching on leg, flexing and extending well, minimal swelling or discharge. Seems comfortable. Tail wagging works well!