Dropped off by a good samaritan who found him eating trash behind Sam’s Club, Willie was nothing more than skin and bones. At first we assumed this was due to the fact that he was a starving stray. But, we soon realized it was more than that. Willie was having a hard time keeping his meals down.
After a couple of vet visits that included medication, blood work and x-rays, Willie was diagnosed with a possible vascular ring anomaly. Common in German Shepherds, a vascular ring is a type of congenital defect where blood vessels are in the wrong place and can cause pressure on the esophagus. It was recommended that Willie see an internal medicine specialist right away to see if he was a candidate for surgery to repair it.
We contacted our friends at Four Season Vet Specialists in Loveland and Willie was scheduled for a consult and CT of his thorax. Willie had his visit in Loveland on May 9th where he was the cutest patient for his CT. As suspected, results show that he does in fact have a vascular ring anomaly. Willie’s doctors are confident that the condition can be repaired with surgery and Willie will recover fully and go on to live a normal, full life. He will undergo surgery on Friday May 12th.
Despite his condition, Willie is a spunky and wild puppy with a flair for the dramatic. He loves to play with his foster siblings, learn new things, and is hopelessly devoted to his foster mom. And rightly so; she has tirelessly advocated for him, fed him his tiny meals every few hours which have helped him gain three pounds, and has chased him around the house while he causes puppy havoc. To add insult to injury, this crazy boy recently broke three toes as he attempted to climb a baby gate. He will be in a cast for three weeks and is expected to heal up just fine!
Like Willie’s doctors, we are confident this surgery will be successful. But, as with most things it comes with a hefty price tag. By the time it is all said and done, Willie’s expenses will total nearly $10,000. While we do have a small cushion in our special needs fund, it is not enough to cover Willie’s surgery and be able to help the next large medical case that is likely to come through our doors unexpectedly. Your help will give Willie a long, healthy life and ensure that BDAR will be able to provide the same level of care to the next forgotten soul that needs our help.
Willie’s surgery went well. He is now home with his foster mom and recovering. He continues to play and bark despite being drugged up in recovery. He will have his chest bandage on for a few more days and we are still waiting on those broken toes to heal.
Willie got adopted and is happy and thriving in his furever home.
