Jenny
Adoption Status: Accepting Adoption Interest
Gender: Female
Breed: Boxer & Pitbull Terrier Mix
Age: est DOB: 08/2023
Weight: 27 lbs
Dog Friendly: Yes- needs another dog in the home
Cat Friendly: Unknown
Kid Friendly: Yes
House Trained: Doing great!
History: We received a plea to help 3 puppies from a local situation where they were at risk of being thrown out to the streets. A local samaritan stepped forward and welcomed them in until they made their way to Coco’s Heart shortly after. The pups are gorgeous and oh so sweet. They are timid and unsure at first but warm up quickly. A patient and confident family will be important for their success long-term. They each hoping to find their forever home soon!
Jenny’s left front leg is shorter than the right leg. This was likely caused by a prior injury to the 2 bones (radius and ulna) in that front leg. At this point, this disparity in the limb length is not causing any problem. The foster/adopter will need to continue to monitor for any lameness overtime. While in rescue, we will continue to monitor with routine xrays while her legs continue to grow to watch for any developing issues. She can be adopted anytime- her adopter will need to be comfortable taking over this care and following up with their veterinary clinic as needed and directed.
Jenny came to us with a slight bend to her left front leg, and it was a few centimeters shorter than the other front leg. Her foster parent was careful to observe her and noticed that she did seem to be uncomfortable/sore in her elbow after a day of activity. We re-assessed her leg and found that she had been suffering from a condition called “premature physeal closure of the distal ulna” (physeal=growth plate).
Just like in growing children, puppies bones continue to grow in length and width as they mature. There is a small area on the end of each bone (the growth plate, or “physis”) that lays down new bone, contributing to the overall length.
In the special case of the front leg in dogs, there are 2 bones (the radius and the ulna) that both need to grow in sync with each other.If they do not for any reason, the elbow will suffer from the mis-alignment of the bones in that joint.
Premature physeal closure of the distal ulna is one of the more common orthopedic injuries that are seen in dogs. The ulna’s growth plate nearest the paw becomes damaged and stops growing, but the radius continues to grow. Since the bones are both confined on each end by the joint (elbow and wrist), the radius bone is forced to grow into a curve rather than a straight line. This results in a shortened leg, but also pulls the elbow joint out of alignment and leads to early onset elbow arthritis and pain.
The treatment is to remove a portion of the ulna so that the radius can continue to grow without being forced to bend as it does so. The earlier this is done, the better the outcome.
In Jenny’s case, we did not fully understand the full scope of her issue until she was about 5 months old. The surgeon who performed her surgery believes she has a good chance for the elbow joint to be spared, but that it may be too late to expect the leg to straighten out fully or to ever grow to be the same length as the other side.
Jenny will need to be monitored by repeating X rays of her leg every 4-6 weeks to make sure the removed section of ulna does not spontaneously regenerate and re-trap the radius. Her elbow should also be X rayed to monitor the way that joint is maturing. Ultimately, it is possible that she may need another procedure to again remove a portion of the ulna if it does re-generate. In time, that elbow still may be at higher risk for arthritis since it may not remain in perfect alignment.
Only time will tell for sure if the surgery we performed on Jenny will be successful or not.
She will need a family who understands this and is committed to following the recommendations of her veterinarians to assure she remains happy and healthy!
A note from the foster: Jenny (we call her Ruby because of her beautiful red color) came to us from an owner surrender. Over the week that we have had her so far, Ruby has made leaps from where she began and her personality has started to come out. She will still run to her crate if she is feeling unsure about something, but her confidence is growing day by day, and she now will follow us throughout the house and yard. She is comfortable in her crate, keeping it dry and staying quiet throughout the night. We are working on learning to walk on a leash as well as potty training, and with regular breaks she has been doing well (she does best if you go out with her). Above all, Ruby is incredibly sweet! She loves our kids (9 and 3), snuggling with you on the couch or in your lap, and she also likes to snuggle with our resident dog. Ruby would do well in a home with another dog as she loves to play and having another dog to learn from is helping her build her confidence. You will notice she has one front leg that is crooked but it doesn’t seem to bother her or slow her down while she’s playing (X-rays were completed at intake and no active injury was found). Ruby has so much potential and will bring lots of love to her forever family.
Adoption Fee: $500 + tax
Adoption Status: Is this dog available? Submitting an application is the best first step to learning if a dog is still available. There is a chance this dog could have a pending adoption when your application is submitted, however our team will offer approved applicants to be put on a waiting list for that dog. Additionally, we can make recommendations on other dogs that may be a match. Pending adoptions do not mean the adoption is finalized. Why did we implement this change? We implemented this update because, unfortunately, dogs were pending for applicants for several weeks and then the applicant would change their mind. This happens more often with puppies, as applications are submitted impulsivly more often for them. Our process is great because it takes a little time, so impulsive decisions fade. However it was unfortunate for the dogs, and the foster homes, as then the process needed to be re-started. By securing a wait-list we are able to move forward more quickly if a pending adoption falls through. This is a new process for us, so your feedback along the way is helpful! Thank you for supporting rescue and adoption!