Gabrielle's Saga

My last blog post was sad. This one is a bit sad but has a happy ending (so far)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Meet Gabby! Gabrielle joined our family in February this year. She is a bit of a special-needs pet in that she was born without both her ears (I know----you can't tell in the photos right?). We were able to adopt her from the breeder who obviously couldn't market a one-eared puppy, although she was such an adorable little furball as a baby.

Anyway, Gabrielle grew from 6 weeks old to about six or seven months old when she began to limp occasionally and finally just started carrying one of her back legs. So, seeing she was experiencing pain, I finally broke down and took her to the vet. Dr. Bob Mills and Dr. Kathy Mills at North Arkansas Vet Clinic are the most awesome caregivers for pets in our area. I can't tell you how much I have come to appreciate their expertise and genuine compassion for animals over the past few years. So, at the vet, we learn that Gabby has some kind of bone disorder and we needed a surgery in order to salvage her potential to ever use her leg. The thought of a one-eared dog hadn't bothered me a bit up to this point. However, a one-eared, three-legged dog was a concern...not because of how it would look but because it was painful for Gabrielle. I wanted her to be able to run and play and do what dogs do with all four legs.Long story short, Dr. Bob performed a miracle on my little Gabrielle. He inserted some pins to replace the deteriorated bone which allows the dog over time to use the leg again. Then a couple of weeks later, he had to go back in and do another corrective surgery. Let me assure you, I would without a single hesitation recommend North Arkansas Vet Clinic to anyone. Gabby will too even though in this picture she looks really sad....you can see where her surgery was. But several weeks later (like now) she is running and playing and enjoying her life with great quality. Although she still has some healing to do, she can now use all four legs, part of the time, and I think eventually will be fully recovered.

BTW, notice Gabby's new 'do'...Mom (that's me) got out the grooming tools and chopped away. We like the puppy cut style because it's easier to get the puppy dog soap out of our fur. You know, in today's time, we're all about conveniences and style...and being frugal. Gab looks a lot like Girlie Girl with her shorter haircut, which means she's beautiful.

And, right now as I am blogging, Gab is on the rug by my feet. My free dog isn't free anymore but she's worth a million to me. She somehow instinctively knows everything we did was to help her and she loves us for doing it. I'll post an update after Christmas....hope with me for a very happy ending to this saga.