By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:00 am
Injured dog needs surgery to survive
Macey's fuzzy white and brown face lights up when she sees people she likes. The 1-year-old Jack Russell mix is always ready to leap up and wrap her long white paws around an outstretched arm, or put her nose close to a new friend's face.
But although she tries, Macey can't lick her new friends like other dogs can. In fact, she can only open the side of her mouth about a quarter of an inch, just barely enough for her tongue to kind of peek through. Her food must be moistened and placed on the floor so she can smoosh her face against it and suck it up, and she has to submerge her snout to drink water.
Macey has had a very hard first year of life.
About three months ago, Macey's owners brought her in to Ark Animal Hospital because they couldn't take care of her. They claimed she had a medical condition that made it difficult for her to eat, and they wanted to get rid of her.
Because she was so young, the veterinary staff took Macey in, and after X-raying her, discovered that she didn't have a genetic condition. In fact, her jaw had been fractured while she was a puppy, and had healed wrong, preventing her from being able to open her mouth.
Her condition was so severe that the staff at Ark contacted Susan Faria, director of Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon, a Philomath woman with years of experience helping dogs in need. Faria placed Macey with foster mom Winnie Richardson of Philomath, and then took her into the Oregon State University small animal hospital to see if anything could be done. An orthopedic surgeon said her jaw can be fixed, but because her injury is preventing her from eating easily, it must be done soon.
"Macey needs to have it fixed," Faria said. "It's the only option."
Faria can't definitively say what happened to Macey while she was living with her previous owners. But Macy's behavior itself offers hints. Aside from her traumatic injury, Macey is terrified of men. She won't go out in the dark without another person or dog. The word "bad" prompts a strong reaction:
"When I say 'bad' she quivers and shakes and goes and hides," Richardson said. They've now substituted a gentler "No," which works much better.
Faria and Richardson are drawing their own conclusions about Macey's past, but they're more concerned about her future. Her surgery will cost between $1,500 and $2,000.
But Senior Dog Rescue already has spent most of its budget helping dogs.
"In a normal year we'd be able to (afford) that, but this is not a normal year," Faria said. So far this year, they've taken in more than 100 dogs, which is 25 more than average, and currently have around 25 dogs in foster homes. Many of the dogs have needed medical assistance and expensive medications. Funds are low, and if they pay for Macey's surgery, they won't have money left to help any other dogs in need.
But Faria can't bear to see the happy, energetic 1-year-old put down for lack of money, so she's asking for donations.
"We feel like we have to do this for her," Faria said. "She doesn't have any other option."
The surgery, scheduled for Dec. 5 at OSU, will restore full function to her jaw. She'll be fed through a tube for three weeks but then should be on her way to recovery. A possible small indentation in her face may be the only remnant of her defect, and she should be able to eat and yawn and give friendly licks like a normal dog.
Richardson will keep Macey through the surgery and recovery, but Faria will be looking for a permanent new home for Macey after the dog has recovered and finished obedience training and socialization. Faria hopes to work through some of Macey's fears before she settles in with a new family. She believes Macey will be a great companion.
"It's just amazing to me how much she loves people," she said, despite her past trauma.
"She's a ball of energy, she loves to run," Richardson said. "She's helping my dog lose weight."
To learn more about Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon, see www.petfinder.com/shelters/OR85.html or call 929-4100.
How to help
Those interested in helping to pay for Macey's surgery can make a tax deductible donation to any Citizen's Bank under the name Eddie's Fund (named for a deformed dog that Senior Dog Rescue saved), or send a check to Senior Dog Rescue, P.O. Box 1051, Philomath, OR., 97370. Donations also can be made directly to the OSU Veterinary Hospital for Macey's surgery.