Holly
4 year old sable and white female
Holly Today!
Holly After her Surgery
Holly Before her Surgery
Hi guys! Holly here. We visited Dr. Jones last Friday. Holly is using her leg, and doing pretty well. He would like her to continue to use it more before considering doing the other hip. She is 4 1/2 weeks post-op at this time. He okayed her for swimming as therapy. Holly needs your help.
And still another Bio Update for Holly! May 6, 2006
Well, I survived winter in the great north woods and thought I would celebrate by letting you know how I’m doing. All that slippery white stuff is gone (thank heaven), so I don’t have to worry about slipping and hurting my hips. In fact, my hips feel great! The vet says there is no need to schedule another surgery right now, so I am ready to find my forever home.
I just turned four years old last month, but now that my hips are better, I feel like a puppy. My foster mom says it’s time for me to do a little growing up, but I don’t want to. It’s too much fun barking at cars and bikes and joggers and playing with all my toys. My neighbor lady comes over to talk to me sometimes and she always says “You know me by now. You don’t need to keep barking at me.” Of course, I answer her by barking some more. What fun!
I get along well with the other collies here (there are five of them right now) and we love to play together. Most of them are older than I am, so they usually poop out before I do, and then I play with the toys by myself and pull the stuffing out of them. Foster mom gets annoyed when I do that. What fun!
In the evenings I love to curl up on the couch with foster mom and put my head and my paw in her lap. I am very gentle then and I give her my cutest look so she will give me lots of pets and ear scratches. The other collies get a little jealous if I stay there all evening, so I have to let them take a turn too. I can’t wait to have my own forever family so I don’t have to share the attention with so many other collies. What fun!
The only thing I don’t like here at my foster home is that my foster mom has to go to work. I HATE that. Foster mom calls it “separation anxiety” and she says if I had my very own family, they could help me get over it. I don’t care what you call it, it feels bad. It’s almost as bad as when thunderstorms come and I get scared. I need some extra cuddling then.
Well, what do you think? Don’t I sound like just the collie you’ve been looking for? I know I need a little training, but I am real smart and I would love to learn. The people at MWCR can tell you all about my hips and what I might need in the future, but I think you should just come and meet me. I’ll give you my cutest look (it always works on foster mom) and I know you’ll want to take me home.
Yet another Bio Update for Holly!
Holly is playing (supervised) with the other doggies and kitties. She likes toys and is carrying them around. Still leash walks with no play yard time.
Holly has an "odd" gait. It is hard to tell if it is the healing from the surgery or the dysplasia in the other hip...probably a combination of both! Of course Holly has ALWAYS had an odd gait, and going potty, she looks so pained, poor thing. I am using the Deramaxx every 3rd day, instead of every other day. In discussion with Becky and Dr. Jones, the use of this medication is short term. Once we get her through the second surgery, we should be able to cut that down to as needed. She will always need to be on (joint) supplements, and she has the potential for arthritis-type issues as she ages. BUT freeing her of this dysplasia pain is definitely worth it and Holly is deserving of it.
Bio Update for Holly!
Holly has moved to South Dakota in anticipation of her upcoming hip surgery. She will have one hip repaired on May 26th and is facing her surgery with both optimism and apprehension. Her vet is hopeful that this will be a relatively simple surgery, since Holly has had no injury to the hip, but even so, it is a painful procedure that will require six weeks of rehabilitation. We are all hoping that once Holly recovers from this initial surgery, there will be no need to operate on her other hip. Only time will tell.
Holly continues to be a sweet and loving girl in spite of all that she has been through. Her foster mom says that she does suffer from some separation anxiety, but once her medical issues have been resolved, that situation may improve.
All paws crossed for a successful surgery for Holly and for a wonderful, pain-free future!
Intake Bio…
When Holly first arrived at her MWCR foster home, her foster mom noticed that she was limping. After a trip to the vet for x-rays, it was discovered that she had moderate to severe hip dysplasia and would need surgery. The vet recommends doing only one hip at a time, and each surgery will be followed by six weeks of rehabilitation and medication. This procedure is very costly (especially if it turns out that Holly will need surgery on both hips), but it is necessary to save this sweet, loving girl from a lifetime of pain.
Holly is a gentle, affectionate collie who loves car rides and enjoys being groomed and petted. She will sit quietly for hours while her foster mom brushes her or rubs the top of her nose. When she is particularly happy, she makes little groaning noises and will carry on a conversation that way. Holly likes to play tug and fetch, but her painful hips slow her down, and when she encounters steps she often needs to be carried up or down.
Like all collies, Holly just wants to love and be loved in her forever home. Before that can happen, however, she has a long, painful and expensive medical treatment to endure. Please help us restore Holly to a pain free life and a loving, forever home. Any amount, no matter how small, will bring Holly closer to that goal.
Holly is being fostered in Duluth, MN.
So far $650 has been spent on Holly’s medical treatments. Additional surgery will cost approximately $600 to make Holly healthy and ready for her forever home.
