We need to raise $1,500 to provide Melvin with his Orthopedic Surgery…
Melvin is one of our Hound mix pups rescued from Virginia this past week…. His story is quite sad but we're hopeful that WE (along with the help of our amazing supporters, donors, previous adopters and loving pet owners) can help change that around...
Just a couple of weeks ago – in mid October - a few of our staff were fortunate enough to visit our sister shelter - the Southside SPCA in Meherrin VA for their Open House... and as we walked through the shelter we saw little Melvin curled up in his kennel all by his lonesome...He looked so sad and lonely… we were heartbroken…
He was a sibling to the puppies that had come the week prior and they’d all been adopted to wonderful families
We asked the Southside SPCA director why Melvin didn't come too and she told us that she didn’t want to burden US with his medical care… they were prepared to let Melvin live the rest of his life at the shelter…
They also told us that Melvin and his siblings were found at the Town Dump!!! Not surprising though because sadly a lot of the puppies and dogs we’ve accepted from Virginia ARE found abandoned at town dumps…
Melvin and his siblings were all scavenging for food and shelter at the dump - and the staff at the Southside SPCA believed he was hit by a car and their vet felt he probably had a fractured pelvis that was healing as is!! Melvin walks a bit crooked and has a slight limp – he’s never showed it but after learning more about his medical problem… he’s got to be in a lot pain and discomfort - but he is cute beyond words and despite whatever he suffered he’s never shown anything but love and gratitude to have a warm bed and full belly…which has completely melted our hearts!!
WE ALL FELL IN LOVE with Melvin and would have NO PART in letting him live out his life in the shelter - Even though IT IS a nice shelter with amazing volunteers and staff. It’s not too often that our shelter can take pets that need such extensive medical care…
But - We wanted better for Melvin and knew/know he's got a better future with a potential family here in our area...and the staff and volunteers at the Southside SPCA were in TEARS when we told them…
"Send MELVIN to US!"
Today - Monday, November 02, 2009, little Melvin went to his orthopedic consult for x-rays with the most amazing and compassion vet - Dr .Melissa Dudley at the Northboro VCA .
After reviewing Melvin’s x-rays they indicate that he has/had a broken ankle which doesn’t need any current care as its pretty much healed on its own… but Melvin DOES NEED an Femoral Head Osteotomy – also known as an FHO surgery and is performed to alleviate pain. It is a salvage procedure, reserved for condition where pain cannot be alleviated in any other way.
Rebecca - Vet Tech - Northboro VCA and MelvinWe are very thankful to Dr. Dudley and the Northboro VCA as they are offering us a 50% discount for Melvin’s surgery! Otherwise we’d be looking at almost $3,000 for his care… (Previous and current to his surgery)
Even BETTER news is that one of Dr. Dudley’s amazing surgical techs, Rebecca, offered to FOSTER Melvin for TWO WEEKS and provide all his physical therapy – as he needs to IMMEDIATELY start using his leg/hip after his surgery…
We think Rebecca is a very special angel for both US and MELVIN as we were worried about him getting the best post-op surgical care and physical therapy…which is/was more than we could provide at the shelter.
Rebecca will be able to bring Melvin to work at the Northboro VCA every single day and all the staff was fussing over him and promising they’d take great care of him and he’d get to see Dr. Dudley daily and have excellent post-operative care.
So to make a long story short we are reaching out to all our kind supporters hoping you will HELP US get Melvin his new hip…and most importantly to alleviate the pain he’s in.
We’ve already scheduled Melvin for surgery this week because we didn’t want to see him in any pain or discomfort – we are very hopeful that we’ll be able to raise the much needed money to cover his surgery…
If you’d like to help us get Melvin his new hip please click here and in the notes section please indicate the donation is for Melvin’s New Hip. 100% of the money raised will go towards Melvin’s medical care!
We’ll also be posting updates on Melvin’s care over the next few weeks… if you’re interested in finding out more about Melvin or are interested in adopting Melvin please email us at staff@sterlingshelter.org
Once Melvin has his surgery and physical therapy we hope to find him a perfect home that wants to share their home, love, life and family with him… He will need a couple more weeks of physical therapy – which essentially means daily walks and stretches – SUPER easy!
Melvin is such an amazing, sweet, loving soul who deserves so much better in life than whatever he’s suffered thus far….
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our little hound dog Melvin… we hope you will help us help him… and get him that new hip – so he can run and play and be the puppy he deserves to be
From all the staff at our shelter and the Southside SPCA and most of all from Melvin… big slurps, woofs and warm, wet puppy noses to you all….
You can also click on this link to reach the donation link directly:
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1001102&uniqueID=633797029890484302
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