Olli (BLK / WHITE CHIHUAHUA PUPPY)
ANDERSON, SC.....It appears kicking puppies has become commonplace with tiny pups. Adorable Olli is a three-month-old Chihuahua that was picked up as a stray with a massive inguinal hernia and fractured rear leg. A hernia was half the size of this adorable puppy. When we got the call for help and saw the pictures, I was not sure if this was a tumor or a hernia. Olli was too young to have a tumor this large, so my hope was this was a hernia.
We had sweet Olli taken to Carolina Veterinary Specialist in Charlotte, NC to see Dr. Dan Mertens. We had already sent Dr. Mertens Olli's pics, and he assumed this was something that Ollie developed naturally. Puppies often get hernias when they are young for various reason, but it usually means there is a weak spot in the inguinal area and the intestines and other organs slip through. Those type of hernias are relatively easy to fix laparoscopically.
When Dr. Merten went in to fix Olli's hernia, it became apparent blunt force trauma caused this hernia to develop. The injury was old and excessive scar tissue had formed around the organs which made it much harder to get the organs back where they needed to be. Dr. Mertens did a fabulous job of this but was not happy when he saw what had happened to this adorable puppy.
Next Dr. Merten's had to do Olli's Femur Fracture repair. Both hernia and femur fracture were old injuries that happened when Olli was probably around two-months-old. The femur had lots of scar tissue and had healed displaced. Surgery was done on the right distal femur and stifle.
It was a lot of surgery for this tiny pup, but he did well for both. The only complication he had after surgery was he still had a parasite burden. An abdominal ultrasound was performed to make sure there were no concerning loops of bowel. The ultrasound showed abdominal free fluid (presumably from parasite burden) but no other problems.
Ollie has had a rough couple of days since his surgery and is still recovering. He has had lots of swelling from the hernia repair that is slowly resolving. His femur repair is also swollen, but that is to be expected. The good news is this adorable 7 lb. Chihuahua puppy that was ABANDONED in this condition is finally getting the Medical Care he has needed for a month.
Puppies are a bundle of energy from the minute they are born. From sun-up to sun-down they want to run, play, chew, nuzzle and give kisses. That is what we love about them. They are a delight to watch and play with. If you can't handle the high energy level of a puppy then don't get one and God-Forbid, don't KICK one.
We have seen more broken jaws, legs and hernias in puppies than we have ever seen. Just imagine the ones that have died that we never heard about. Shelters are full of young dogs that need homes. Think before you bring home any animal for your kids. If you can't supply them proper exercise and basic care, you are asking for trouble. Puppies are curious and get into everything they should not. Don't take your ANGER out of them.
Olli is one of the lucky pups that survived this abuse. Please, Donate toward his two surgeries, so we help more puppies like Olli get the Emergency Medical Care they desperately need to survive.
