Meet Hazel...
On December 22, ARF was lucky enough to meet Hazel. Hazel was found with her front left leg deformed, the result of a birth defect. This sweet girl was found walking on the top of her paw, pad side up. With Hazel’s leg basically twisted from the elbow down, walking, running, and playing would seem quite difficult, but considering the rambunctious and active nature of this little ball of energy, she still managed to do all the activities of a ‘normal’ puppy! Still, it was obvious that immediate medical attention was needed.
Hazel underwent surgery to salvage her paw, and on Christmas Day she was picked up from the vet and brought to her foster home, despite objections from the staff, who had quickly fallen in love with her. The next few days were spent sporting a full leg cast, pink, of course, and fighting off a bladder infection. You know what they say, when it rains it pours! But don’t feel too sorry for Hazel, she sure did not feel sorry for herself. She managed to run and play outside, learning to hold her paw up while running on her other three paws. Hazel grew to love her foster sister, and the older permanent furry family member definitely grew to love her back. The two became great friends, even sleeping side-by-side on the same pillow.
A few short days later, Hazel was back at the vet to have her splint (cast) removed. After it was determined that Hazel’s leg was healing nicely, her splint was replaced by a large cone around her head to prevent her from chewing her stitches. And, as if the cone was not enough of a drag, Hazel was also put on kennel rest, meaning she was only allowed to leave her crate to go to the bathroom or to relax on the couch next to her foster mom.
Finally, after weeks of lying low, Hazel was finally free of her stitches and her cone. She quickly began using her leg, and every day put more and more weight on it. Hazel wasn’t even bothered when anyone would touch or move her foot, even though it was still quite limp and floppy. Hazel’s foster mom watched Hazel play and move, making sure she did not hurt herself, but now that Hazel was free to roam, she was pretty calm and relaxed. Although, when she did decide to act hyper, Hazel was put on her leash and calmed. Throughout this entire ordeal, Hazel’s sleep schedule never seemed to be too affected, sleeping so long that her foster mom had to wake her up to go pee!
Hazel continued to improve all the time, becoming stronger and stronger every day. Regarding aspects of every ‘normal’ puppy’s life, Hazel has very few accidents in the house and is learning to ‘sit’, ‘come’, and ‘laydown’. The next task to master… the leash! Soon, Hazel will be going in for an x-ray of her leg and as long as everything goes according to plan, she will soon be going to live with her permanent mom! Hazel is an outgoing, smart, and friendly little girl who has overcome a lot in her short life. We wish Hazel, and her new family, all the best for a long, happy, and active life!
You can help. ARF does everything it can to help a dog or cat once rescued. Hazel has become very familiar with the vet, and this means that her vet bills will be costly. She has received a lot of medical care, and potential further problems could require more. This cost will not be incurred by Hazel’s new adoptive family, but will be paid for by ARF. And, because ARF is a registered charity, run almost entirely by volunteers and reliant on donations, this may not be easy. You can help Hazel, and other dogs and cats like her, by donating here. ‘Thank you’ from ARF, and more importantly, a big ‘THANK YOU’ from Hazel.
Stay up-to-date with Hazel's progress by following her blog.