Here is a FaceBook post from Marti's
ONE STARFISH REHOMING CONNECTIONS page:
Marti Houge writes:
Yesterday, I pulled a little Pomeranian off of a rescue transport
heading to northern Wisconsin. He was a puppy mill dog
who had chewed off part of his penis a few days earlier;
the breeder had shopped around for a quote to have surgical repair done.
She chose the cheapest quote, of course, and the vet botched the job - big time!
So, the breeder decided to release him to rescue "as is";
halfway through the transport, little Panda started bleeding profusely.
Gangrene was already setting in; the penis had turned black,
and he wasn't able to urinate. (Her vet had told her not to worry . . .
that the penis would eventually just fall off!)
I rushed him in to the University of Wisconsin Vet School in Madison,
where he was taken in on an emergency basis.
This morning they called to say he needed major surgery and -
with luck and lots of prayers - he will survive without long-term complications.
However, the bill is going to be between $3500 and $4500
(and just this past week we committed several thousand dollars
for those little shelter Chihuahuas in Texas who are battling parvo.)
Here is what we think happened:
Little Panda's penis was originally injured somehow
(perhaps another dog bit him, or he got it caught
in the wires of the cage he was in, or . . . ?)
The injury caused a blood clot that caused the tissue to start dying;
because it was painful, Panda took the matter into his own "paws"
and chewed off part of his injured penis.
That is when the breeder called around to get the cheapest quote for surgery,
and she took him to a "vet" (I use the term loosely)
who - for $300 - totally botched the job.
He should have amputated the penis;
then he should have made a new opening
through which the urine could pass -
essentially making his anatomy like that of a female.
Unfortunately, since the penis wasn't amputated,
the tissue continued to die and become necrotic.
The new opening the vet created became infected,
so the tissue started to pull away, bleed, and die.
Two days later, the breeder released Panda to rescue;
it was during the transport (for which I was driving a leg)
that the situation became an emergency.
Panda wasn't originally coming to my rescue,
but since I'm the one who took the liberty of rushing him
to the Vet School and commit to the cost of "re-surgery",
he has now become a ONE STARFISH REHOMING CONNECTIONS dog.
On 4 August, Marti writes:
He is such a sweet, trusting, guy; and even though he is in terrible pain,
he hasn't once tried to nip or bite us.
While it would be easier to just put him down,
we can't bear the thought of his having come this close
to escaping the horrors of a puppy mill,
only to die because of an uncaring breeder and an incompetent vet.
We have committed to helping Panda,
even though we aren't sure at this point where the money will come from.
We hope that animal lovers out there will come to our assistance,
so that Panda can survive and live the long, happy life he deserves.
We would appreciate any donation you can afford to send,
and we are asking that you PLEASE take the time to share, crosspost,
spread the word, and contact any animal lovers you know
(on Facebook or on any other list/group/page) to help this little guy,
as we are desperately low on funds. Thank you so much!
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