Update on our Special Cairn Boy

Written by CP VP of Intakes

The good news is that he's still alive and resting comfortably with ample pain killers ... This in itself is a positive sign and I know that all of your prayers and positive thoughts and energy have helped him to this point. Unfortunately, we need to keep up the effort and not let down as he is most definitely not out of the woods yet ...

Today I had the opportunity to consult with the surgeon who will be doing the surgery on this little boy. I really like this vet who was very patient with me answering all of my questions and giving me honest answers of what he thought was best for this dog. He took quite a bit of time out of his busy day to speak with me several times during the course of today and I feel very confident in his abilities and in his diagnosis and prognosis for this Cairn. The surgeon believes, from the type and extent of injuries, that he was struck by the front wheel of the car in his front shoulder (where the leg meets the pelvis), fracturing the pelvis on the left side of his body in four places. From the impact, he was spun around and the car's rear wheel then ran over his right rear leg and shattered it.

They ran a blood panel on him today to check all functions and levels in preparation for surgery and that's where we have hit another snag. His ALT levels, those that measure liver function, were off the chart high. The surgeon is hopeful that this test level is the result of the trauma to his body and bruising to his liver coupled with the antibiotics and pain killers they have him on trying to stabilize him and keep him alive. However, this level has to start dropping before surgery will even be considered. He won't be retested until Saturday and will just be kept comfortable and monitored.

Col. Potter will not be able to officially bring this boy into our program until Saturday when the legal stray hold is up on him. No one has come looking for him yet and even if someone does, it is very doubtful that they would be willing or able to afford the surgery that is contemplated for him and would have to make the decision to surrender him to rescue. We are proceeding with every intention of him becoming a CP kid as of this Saturday, but we can't make anything official or do anything more for him until that time.

Right now the thing he needs most is your continued prayers and all the positive thoughts and energy you can muster for him to stay strong, get the ALT results to drop by Saturday and most importantly, keep fighting to stay alive!

Following is a photo of him that the local rescue group took. This photo of him was taken shortly after he was picked up from the accident scene by the rescue group on the way to the vet. My thanks to Maureen for helping me with some time management by sharing this photo for me . Also, my thanks to the many people who have personally contacted me wanting to donate to his care. As soon as he is officially a CP kid, we will get a Guardian Angel Program set-up for him and I will provide full details on how you can help donate to his medical expenses.

Let's hope he can show his true Cairn colors and attitude and continue to fight for his life ... with your help ...