George came to Pet Tales from Kent County Animal Shelter after being found by the landlord of an empty apartment building. Despite being in rough shape, the poor pup was abandoned and left alone when his previous owners moved away.
His rescuers found this almost inconceivable as George is not only incredibly adorable, but he’s super sweet and was clearly in a lot of pain.
Sweet little George has been a resident at Pet Tales since the week before Thanksgiving. Though we doubt he would still be there if it weren’t for the fact that he had a few hoops to jump through before he can frolic off into the sunset with the forever family of his dreams.
First, he had to lose some weight, as George was incredibly obese when he arrived. In fact, it was all of this extra weight that had contributed to his need for surgery. Once he successfully slimmed down via diet change, it was safe for him to have the pricey yet extremely worthwhile surgery.
You see, George’s condition was quite severe. He had a torn ACL and a luxating patella in his right knee. (Medical needs that had been completely neglected by his previous owners.)
That means his kneecap would essentially “pop out of place” or stay in an inappropriate position. This was causing him pain and forcing him to walk on only three legs. He still managed to get around, but he typically had to walk with one leg at a time and looked a little bow-legged when he moved.
Chihuahuas are among the most common breeds diagnosed with luxating patellas, but this pint-sized pup had a particularly severe case.
The surgery totaled just under $3,200, but little George was worth it. The rescue raised a portion of the proceeds through multiple Facebook fundraising posts and a Facebook birthday fundraiser.
While Pet Tales has paid the bill at George’s surgeon’s office, they are still $2,000 short in raising enough money to cover the entire cost, and he will likely need surgery on his other leg in the future.
George goes back to the orthopedic surgeon on April 4th to have his staples removed and to see how his leg is healing. If the vet gives him the “all clear,” he can officially be listed for adoption!
To donate to this dapper dog’s medical funds, you can use the donation button on their website, or if you prefer Venmo, you can donate to them there via @PetTalesRescue (it will come up under Kathy Brown, and the last four numbers are 1591).
Featured Image: Facebook
Toledo, United States.
