(Updated Aug 20, 2007; Top to bottom = Old to New)
SUN, MAY 13Subject: PROMISE TO HELP ME?I just received this message from Chela today and was "struck" by the (potential) life left in this dog, and the ability for "US" to give it back to him IF we pull together. This IS the time. No time to wait! Time is running out for this handsome guy.
I can make a promise to pull this dog from the shelter and get him straight to a vet for the best care possible IF I can be reassured I'd have some help with medical bills. I'm not exactly sure what the bills would be like YET, but if this email (and the photos speak to you - sorry, I know they are sad), please reply and let me know if you would like to help.
Once I get him to the vet, I will let you know the approx estimate but I won't be able to get him out uless I know that I can get some help FIRST. Even though I work for a big Animal Welfare organization, I do rescue work on my own, independently. Meaning, I have to pay "work" back.
Hopefully, we can pull together and save this gorgeous boy. I promise to keep you updated, as he heals and eventually finds the home he deserves. After all, I live for happy endings.
Jennifer
MON, MAY 14
Subject: [UPDATE] Black Lab hit by car is doing VERY well!!THANKS TO ALL!! GREAT news !!!
A special THANK YOU to Chela for getting the word out and essentially saving this dogs life!!
Thank you to Jane Garcia for transporting him from South LA Shelter to Brent Air 1st thing this morning!!
My sincere appreciation to all of you who spread this message far and wide. We are receiving a tremendous amount of support, and for that, I am forever grateful.
I just got off the phone with the vets at Brent Air Animal Hospital
and I have the following (GREAT) news to report:
The young (1-2 y.o) black lab that was hit by a car and abandoned by his previous owner (we are calling "HARLEY") is:
Responding VERY well!!
Broke his fever!
Wagging his tail
On fluids, morphine (pain killer)
Very stable, comfortable
Vet/Techs are sling walking him outside, relieve himself (to practice)
Pelvic fracture to be addressed tomorrow (We need to find out if it is
hip/joint, etc); He needed to be stabilized first
Wounds to be addressed tomorrow as well; face wound is the only one that seem infected
More news coming I promise. We couldn't have done this without you!!!!
THANK YOU... THANK YOU FOR SPREADING THE WORD and SUPPORTING US.
His previous owner didn't believe in (but we did)!
We have raised a good amount of funds which we have asked people to send to the Best Friends office.
Beyond Grateful,
Jennifer & Billy
TUES, MAY 15
Subject: [2nd DAY UPDATE] BLACK LAB "HARLEY" SAFE & SOUND, HOPEFULAnimal-loing family/friends,
I don't have a huge update that's much different from yesterday but I do want to share these photos (supplied by Jane Garcia, who transported him from South LA Shelter).
Look at those eyes! This guy wasn't ready to go! I can already visualize him swimming in the waves, and hiking up Runyon Canyon with a happy grin on his face!
I will not lie. He is in some discomfort but is receiving amazing vet
care, and is warm, loved, and going to make it through this just fine.
It's just going to take some time.
The vet wanted to hydrate him, fill him with antibiotics and anti-inflamatories, rest... we will know more about the severity of his fracture(s) tomorrow.
We have received a wonderful outpour of support from the community that allows us to get him the best vet care possible.
THANKS TO YOU!!! YOU BELIEVED IN HIM!!!!
More tomorrow.
Thank you for pulling together to give this guy a second chance.
You saved him!!
Jen
WED, MAY 16
[3rd day UPDATE] "Harley", handome black lab that was hit by carAnimal-loving family/friends~
Here is today's update on Harley (below) from my fellow rescuer, Billy Criswell. I know it sounds rough, but he is being well cared for, and is on the road to a happy, healthy recovery. He just needed to be
stabilized, first, and now for the biggy stuff...
He will definitely have to have surgery ASAP and it may be a bit
complex (which may mean, pricey).
I'll have an estimate of the surgical procedure cost soon, and where
we are with donations.
Thank you for all of your generosity, support and encouragement.
I am looking very forward to sending you a happy ending.
Jen
-----
his surgery is for a very "complicated pelvic fracture", and will
require plating to allow him to walk comfortably again...at this time
he's on a urinary catheter, as
one of his hip bones is pressing against his bladder, as well as his
colon...so the surgery will need to be done in the next 24-36
hours...at this point it's not
life-threatening (yet), but he is suffering a lot of discomfort and
some pain, which he is being medicated for...
probably either dr. olds at brentwood pet clinic (he's amazing) or an
orthopedic surgeon as yet to be selected at asec...
i've called asec and left a message outlining with all that needs to
be done, our history with them, and what will our discount be??...
we will be speaking with dr. olds the very first thing tomorrow morning...
FRIDAY, MAY 18
[Harley Update] Black Lab Hit with broken pelvis goes into surgery todayMORNIN'
SORRY THERE WASN'T AN UPDATE YESTERDAY.
IT DIDN'T MEAN THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING GOING ON, BELIEVE ME.
HARLEY WILL HAVE TO GO INTO SURGERY IMMEDIATELY, TODAY. AS SOON AS WE HEAR BACK FROM DR. OLDS (ANY MINUTE), WE WILL DECIDE BETWEEN TWO OF THE TOP SURGEONS IN LA, (DR. GILL AND DR. OLDS).
HERE IS BILLY'S UPDATE AS OF LATE YESTERDAY...
We sent the X-rays to Dr. Gill at ASEC and here's a summary of what he said:
It's a bi-lateral fracture on both sides of the pelvis, which requires
plating on both hips, a very complicated procedure for which ASEC
charges $3,000 per hip, with a 20%-30% rescue discount. So we're
looking at about $4,200-$5,000 total. The prognosis is good
post-surgery, but without the surgery he will need to be euthanized.
Obviously, we're going to do the operation and just have to work that
much harder to raise more money. I don't think we even have a 1/3 that much in donations this time. But we can do it, it just may take a
while.
Dr. Olds is a wonderful orthopedic surgeon, and he's done amazing work for several dogs I've brought to him over the years.
Regarding anyone visiting Harley, he's still on a urinary catheter,
and major pain meds, so he can't be moved. All he can do is lay there until he goes to surgery.
----
WE WILL HAVE MORE NEWS THIS AFTERNOON, AND AT THAT TIME HARLEY WILL BE IN SURGERY. PLEASE BE THINK OF HIM TODAY, AND SEND POSITIVE, HEALING ENERGY HIS WAY.
HE WANTS SO BADLY TO STAND UP ON HIS OWN AND NOT FEEL PAIN AGAIN.
Many, many thanks for believing in Harley,
Jen
FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY 18
[Harley Update] FridayHello ~
I was mistaken earlier. Harley is not in surgery as of yet, (we
thought he would be by now) but will be first thing Tuesday AM!
We are opting to go with Dr. Olds at Brentwood Pet Hospital, sincehe's done so many surgeries for us in the past, and always with remarkable success. He cannot do the surgery until Tuesday, however, and both our vet, and Dr. Olds agrees that this will be fine for Harley. Even ASEC can't do the surgery until Monday, as it is an all day event.
Don't worry, at this time Harley is on painkillers which are helping
him deal with his discomfort immensely, and he is getting daily
cleanings of his wounds from the accident. He is getting alot of
support (don't stop sending positive energy his way)!
All we can do now is count down the days. In the meantime, all of us
are visiting him as much as possible, and he is the favorite at Brent
Air, the vet clinic where he has been recovering all for the past
several days. All of the vets, and techs think he's the sweetest baby,
and he just looks everyone in the eyes and thanks them for paying
attention to him, and helping him, even though all of this must suck
horribly (pardon my Latin).
Here are Harley's latest photos. There's something about this little
guy!!! It's in his eyes!!!
Thanks again for your support. We are at the halfway point in donations, and are beyond grateful for the response we have received. It's unbelievable how much everyone believes in this handsome dog, and it's easy to see why.
Thank you Thank you Thank you (I can't thank everyone enough)!
Jennifer
(and Billy, who has helped me tremendously since I have been out of
town through all of this. Jessica too!)
TUES MAY 22
[Harley Update: He just got out of his 1st surgery today!]Hello There!
Just got off the phone with Dr. Olds at Brentwood, the awesome surgeon who is performing the pelvic operation on Harley, the handsome black lab that was hit by a car (and left at South LA shelter to die several weeks back).
They worked on his right-side today and Dr. Olds said it was a VERY
difficult surgery but it went VERY, VERY well, and he is extremely
happy with the results.
Harley will rest tomorrow, then on Thursday, they will work on his
left side. They said it was just too much time "under" doing it all
today so they will cont. Thurs.
Basically, what they did today (in layman's terms) is:
- Plated his right side
- Reduced the fracture
- Maintained it's normal alignment (lined bone up again)
FRIDAY, he can go HOME, so we'll need someone who has can FOSTER this
sweetie while he gets better.
I asked the Doc how long the recovery time would be, and he said that
Harley could get up and walk around any day after the surgery.
How exciting is that?
We are ULTRA positive about Harley's healing, and the future that lie
ahead for him!
We are also ULTRA thankful to all of you for helping us raise the
funds to make this surgery happen (Extra secial thanks again to Chela for networking her butt off and Billy for handling things with Harley while I was out of town).
Money-wise, we are over half way there, and appreciate the continous flow of donations coming in... every little bit helps, please know!! It's a mucho expensive surgery... the response has been amazing.
Here's a few photos I took of Harley late yesterday afternoon, before he went into surgery [It was the 1st time I met him, since I've been out of town, and he is even more handsome in person. Oh and what a love!] I can't wait to send some of him standing up! It's been weeks since he's been able to do so, on his own, so this will be like "baby's first steps!"
As always, many, many thanks!
Jen
TUES MAY 22
[Harley Update] Surgery Officially Complete! A Sucess!Happy Friday,
I had the pleasure of spending some time with Harley late this
afternoon, and speaking with Dr. Olds, and he's doing VERY well
post-surgery.
As I mentioned before, Dr. Olds performed surgery on the right side on Tuesday, let him rest Wednesday, then worked on the left side yesterday. Harley's "parts" are back to normal alignment, and now we just have to be patient while he builds up his strength.
Soon enough, he will be able to stand up again, and I can attest to
the fact that he wants nothing more. This is a dog that will have a
great appreciation for life once his back legs start working again. He
has the most soulful gaze, that shoots straight right through your
heart (you might of noticed). He is extremely affectionate but yearns
to have his strength back.
I assured him that the worst is behind him now, and that it only gets
better from here on out. I also made sure that he knew that there was
(already) an enormous amount of love out there just for him, and I
think he feels it, and that's what makes him so anxious to get well
right away!
He is very excited about his new life, and I promised him that he
would get nothing but the best.
If you'd like see more photos of this visit, click on links below
*the last link shows his stiches, should you be sensisitive to that,
altho I think it's very clean.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f398/Jenzik/harley4-1.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f398/Jenzik/harley6-1.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f398/Jenzik/harley7.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f398/Jenzik/harley5-1.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f398/Jenzik/harley3-1.jpg JUNE 4
Subject: HARLEY CAN WALK!I know all of you are waiting to hear this news! Sorry I've been caught up with super adoption stuff, and am behind on my updates.
This will be brief but more coming, along with NEW pics!Harley can stand up on his own and has even played a little ball (slowly) with a Lab friend over the weekend. He obviously limps a bit and it will take some time before he walks normally but this is great progress!
Dr. Olds has been working with him since last Friday when his surgery was complete and was able to get him to stand up last weekend and his he's made alot o progress in the past week.
As of Friday, Harley is now with his wonderful foster-mom, Natasha, who has been visiting Harley from the beginning and has a very special bond with this guy (and vice versa).
I wanted to see if any of you knew anything about the booties you can buy handicapped dogs or if you have any experience with this brand, etc. I thought these looked the best and Dr. Olds recommended some booties to help with traction, and I thought the boots would be best because he tends to walk on his tip toes. Suggestions appreciated!
Again, thanks for all of your support and encouragement while we watch Harley's recovery!
Be well,
Jen
JUNE 18
Subject: [Harley Update] "I'm still standin', better than I ever did, lookin like a true survivor..."... feelin' like a little kid!!" -Elton John/Harley
If Harley could sing, this is what he would say!!!!! (Hmm... maybe one revision "better than I ever HAVE IN QUITE SOME TIME!")
Okay, so I'm a total dork but I can't shake these songs coming to my head lately when I think of all these amazing animals and their fight for life...
So, I've owed you a Harley update for quite some time now...
I wanted to wait to see what Dr. Old's said at his re-check, and until I got some good photos. Well I do have the update, however the photos aren't so great (since I didn't have my good camera so they are from my phone) BUT I promise to get my "real camera" out to Harley real soon.
Boy, was Harley happy to see Dr. Old's (and vice versa) on Friday! And the doc said that he is doing REMARKABLY well, and I can assure you that he is healing in a VERY warm, peaceful, loving home since his surgery, with his foster-mom, Natasha, 2 foster brothers, plus a few special fury friends that come over for day visits. He is rarely alone.
Since the nerves regenerate only one millimeter a day, it's going to be a looooooooong recovery but no one is pushing Harley, and his foster mom is full of nothing but nurture, love and patience for this sweetheart to take all the time he needs to get better. After all, he's young, and has a full life ahead of him.
He is still knuckling over a bit on his rear legs and he has not yet put any weight on one side, but he is hobbling around just fine and is a VERY happy, grateful boy, full of life. Not the same dog I visited at the vet's office pre/post surgery, now that he can walk and is on the road to recovery.
His Walkaboots are really helping him not to get any abrasions, and are curbing his knuckling. A special THANK YOU to Cathy, the owner of Walkaboots, who kindly donated a couple pairs to Harley after reading about him on the Best Friends network, where I have been keeping a running journal of the UPDATE EMAILS I've sent out.
Here are his most recent photos. Again, thanks to all of you for your hopeful energy and generous contributions. We've *almost* made our goal. Pretty incredible.
More coming,
Jennifer xo
PS: Speaking of...
how about a (OLD) litle Elton John to brighten your day?
Check out this (shall we say "colorful") video? What were YOU doing when this song/video came out??
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6lK-0wfHutk&mode=related&search=
======================
AUG 2007
Subject: [Harley Update] "HARLEY'S REHABILITATION!...
"He's getting better every day!" NOTES FR HIS HARLEY'S "MOM"In the pictures, Harley was getting acupuncture yesterday. One leg shows the needles and there are pix of Dr.Waldman doing the acupuncture. Also good pics of him standing up so you can see rear paws are knuckled over. He has gained 4 pounds. He also got hydrotherapy and will get it again tomorrow. He has a little infection of rear paws from chewing at abrasion. Doing exercises to try get some feeling back in the paws as they are constricted. Dr. Olds may put splint on paws to make stay right. He's away next week, so we'll decide following week.
today I was shown more exercises to do for him and we are adding one more day to his therapy program. I have enlisted the help of a friend to help with the exercises as he is getting a lot more energy and doesn't really understand why we are doing this, so it takes two people. He will continue to get acupuncture and therapy, and we will continute with the hydrotherapy after we see more improvement in the rear paws and he can use the underwater treadmill with his paws right side up.
HARLEY'S ADOPTED FAMILY COULD STILL USE SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HELP WITH HIS REHAB. THERE'S A LONG (EXPENSIVE) ROAD AHEAD BUT HE'S RESPONDING WONDERFULLY!DONATIONS CAN BE SENT TO:
Dr. Jessica Waldman
CARE
3200 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 998-2273
(310)998-2274 fax
jwaldman@calanimalrehab.com
Please include reference it "HARLEY." Please specify if you'd like to get charity tax write off. Thanks!
