Southern Counties German Shepherd Rescue
Sam the Bionic dog
Sam’s story starts out like many other strays. He was picked up on the streets, taken to a council dog pound and given seven days to live. As he neared the seventh day, and potential euthanasia, we came to his aid, giving him a secure place until they could find him a permanent home. Sam is about 5 years old, and it was obvious that Sam’s gait was a little strange. A visit to the vets the next day confirmed he had multiple orthopedic problems, marked arthritis in both elbows and also in his left hip joint as a result of previous damage to his pelvis. We took Sam to specialist orthopedic vet, Andy Moores at Anderson Moores in Winchester. After joint fluid was taken to rule out any inflammatory joint disease, a CT scan was carried out. The scan showed severe osteoarthritic change, a wearing away of the joint cartilage on both elbows, causing painful bone on bone contact. Andy Moores advised that the best option for Sam would be total elbow replacement. The operation is a relatively recent surgical development for dogs and greatly reduces, or even eliminates the pain associated with elbow osteoarthritis. Any surgery has risks, but a successful elbow replacement can provide a new lease of life for a dog otherwise facing chronic joint pain or even euthanasia. Sam may also need a hip replacement, but that will be assessed once his front legs are sorted out. At around £5,500 per elbow, the specialist surgical expertise and equipment does not come cheap. The implants themselves are expensive, and the surgery involves three surgeons for most of the day. As Sam will need both elbows replacing, the operations will have to be staged to allow full recovery before his second elbow is replaced. We are a relatively new rescue run solely by volunteers, who raise funds and give their valuable time. Our belief is that once we have taken a dog in, we are committed to providing all the necessary care and treatment a dog needs, only considering euthanasia on medical grounds once every other opportunity has been exhausted. Everyone who meets Sam comments on what a beautiful dog he is, with a calm, tolerant nature, always happy to see you and play ball. Sam is amazing - despite all the pain he must have been in when he first came to the rescue, he still wanted to play ball. He did it by throwing the ball to you, so you could throw it back for him. Sam’s medical costs are likely to add up to the same amount we spent during the whole of the last year on vet’s bills. BioMedtrix, the US Company who make the prosthetics, have kindly supplied them at a reduced cost, so that will help, but we remain fully committed to Sam and we are busy raising the funds to give him his much needed bionic joints. Following a call from Andy Moores saying “we have the technology, we can rebuild him”, Sam had his first elbow replacement on 7th October. After several hours of surgery and much fingernail biting here at the rescue, Andy called to say the surgery had gone well. Life has been much better for Sam since he started receiving pain relief, but Sam’s journey to an easier life and a permanent loving home as ‘The Bionic $6m dog’, is just beginning. You can donate to help Sam by using the donate button at the top of this page, or sending checks to us at the address at the bottom of this page. | |
;) | Sam update 8th October 2011 The day after the operation, Sam was recovering in hospital. The length of the operation meant that Sam was really sleepy, and didn't want anything to eat. Video of how elbow replacements are done>> Watch a video of Sam's operation>> (Warning - contains graphic images!) |
;) | Sam update 16th October 2011 Sam came home on Tuesday 11th October with a patch for pain relief. He was very stiff and not able to put any weight on his new joint. Five days later, Sam is getting used to his new leg joint, and feeling very pleased with himself! Tomorrow he is going back to the vets for a checkup, to have his stitches out, and start physio. Good luck Sam. Watch a video of Sam's progress>> |
| Sam update 12th November 2011 Sam has been on a several short walks a day with some gentle stretching. He is going from strength to strength and now wants to play with his ball again. He has to go back to the vets at the end of November for a check up to make sure the joint is knitting together properly. Fingers crossed Sam! Watch a video of Sam's latest progress>> |
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