Hollie 7

---

Update 11/26/08:

Hollie is nearing the finish line with her recovery and should be available for adoption right after the New Year. She has been dealing with an open sore on the side of her foot that was the size of a quarter; however, that has started to heal up over the past two weeks.

Last week Hollie had her third set of x-rays. They showed the leg is healing up very nicely. The doctor was very happy to see all the new bone growth over the metal plate in her leg. She now uses her leg around 90% of the time and rarely holds it up any more when she walks or runs in the backyard. She will always walk with a bit of a limp but that does not slow her down at all. This is the fastest little girl you could imagine and she chases squirrels like there is no tomorrow. She will stare at the trees for what seems like hours and, when the squirrels come down, she is more than happy to give them a run for their money.

Hollie loves to play with the resident dogs and is fixated on the older female golden. Hollie will bark and poke at her until the golden has to tell her enough is enough. She will also rough house with the resident Springer and these episodes can get pretty rowdy.

As you can imagine, Hollie is loving the freedom after being confined for 3 months during the healing process. She’s quite a sight to watch making up for lost time…

Update 10/09/08:

Hollie had her second set of x-rays and got terrific news. Her leg has healed up to the point that she no longer has to wear a cast. Her vet expects that she should begin to fully use the leg in about a week. Due to her energy level, the vet recommended that for the next month she stay in her x-pen when unsupervised and that she continue to be leash walked. He also recommends one final set of x-rays in 30 days to make sure everything is perfect when she joins her adopting family.

You can see how happy she is to have her cast off. The leg is still a bit itchy so her foster dad has cleaned it and put some lotion on to help soothe the skin. Updated pictures will be posted soon. Don’t be surprised when you see this girl is ready to climb trees :))!!

Update 10/02/08:

Hollie’s foster dad woke up at 4 AM one morning to the sound of her ripping off the remainder of her cast. He rewrapped it as best he could and took her to the vet that morning to be wrapped again. It turned out that she had the beginnings of a bad skin infection, stemming from excess moisture inside the cast and some swelling in her paw. It appeared that she must have restricted some blood flow to her paw when she was chewing off her cast, so the decision was made to not put anything back on her leg for the next 48 hours. 

To protect the leg during this time, Hollie had to be in a crate 24/7 with an e-collar on so she did not lick it. She was not allowed to interact with the other dogs and the vet suggested she be carried outside and leash walked only as needed. Antibiotics for the next two weeks were prescribed to guard against infection.

At her re-check this week, Hollie is doing much better. Most of the sores have disappeared and you can see the change in how she feels. She has just been such a trooper over the past 7 weeks. Within another two weeks, her new cast will be removed and a final set of x-rays taken. If all goes well, she will have a few weeks of home rehabilitation and then be available for adoption. 

Hollie’s almost in the home stretch. Think good thoughts for Hollie and her foster family and smile as you ponder this gal running to her heart’s content very soon…

Update 09/11/08:

All the news on Hollie’s recovery from foot surgery is just what everyone wants to hear. She had her first set of x-rays taken this week and everything seems to be healing nicely. The paw pad wound is now around the size of a dime and should be completely healed when her cast comes off in four weeks. The doctor allowed Hollie to briefly walk on her own. He was very impressed that she was putting a lot of weight on her leg. He stated that it usually takes around a week for a dog to start putting weight on the leg after the cast comes off. Because of the paw pad, she still has to have her cast changed on a weekly basis.

Hollie still has to be in a crate when unsupervised and leash walked but she is allowed additional freedom when she is inside the house. She has a TON of energy so she will continue on her tranquilizing medication for the next four weeks. Right now she likely thinks her name is “No Hollie” or “Slow down Hollie.” More good news to come…

Update 08/26/08:

It has been two weeks since Hollie’s surgery and everything seems to be going just fine. She visited the vet on August 22nd for her second bandage change and everything seems to be healing nicely. Her paw pad is slowly mending and the open wound is shrinking. She will have her first set of x-rays in two weeks and then a second set four weeks after that. 

Keeping her quiet is a quite a challenge…She loves to nose the x-pen to try and escape. She is on a tranquilizer 3 times a day and it barely slows her down. Hollie is attached to her foster dad whenever she is out of the crate. Otherwise, she instantly tries playing with the other dogs. One morning Hollie and her foster dad spent about 20 minutes in the backyard staring at a squirrel in a tree – she refused to move until it was completely out of sight. What a gal and what a blessing that she found her way to MAESSR!

Update 08/13/08:

Hollie is home and doing well so far with recovery from surgery to repair an earlier injury to a leg and paw. When the veterinarian got into the actual procedure, it was determined that the correction would require a total fusion.

Hollie is resting in the crate which will be her home for the next eight weeks. Her toes are pretty swollen right now and will have to be carefully watched over the next few days, along with how hot or cold they feel. She has already tried to “club” a resident dog with her big yellow cast, so it should be fun trying to keep her from trying to play when she is outside her crate.

Please keep Hollie and her foster family in your thoughts and prayers for an uncomplicated and complete recovery…

Original:

Hollie was relinquished by her family because their nine-month-old son had become very allergic to her. The family was heartbroken to give her up.

Hollie came into rescue with a pronounced limp and an injured paw pad. When she was six months old, she was injured when she jumped out of a moving car. After a few days in foster care, it became apparent that Hollie needed to see an orthopedic surgeon to look at her injured, right front leg. The specialist determined that the problem is with the ligaments in her wrist. He felt that when she landed, she stretched them out and that is why she walks with her paw dropped down or hyper-extended. The bad wrist is a full 15 degrees further extended than her good paw. The orthopedic surgeon also believes that is why she is doing the damage to the paw pad causing an open wound. Hollie is scheduled to have surgery around the beginning of August and will have a recovery period of around eight weeks before she can be considered for adoption.

Hollie is initially shy when meeting new people; with some strangers, she will urinate submissively, but not with all new folks. She warms up very quickly and is soon your best friend. She is a true wiggle butt and her tail is in constant motion. She loves to snuggle up to people and after a quick belly rub at bedtime, she gets down on her doggie bed for the night.

Hollie’s house manners are satisfactory although she will try to countersurf a little. She responds to a firm “No!” She is almost completely housetrained, but occasionally will have an accident. She is getting better the longer she is in foster care. Hollie does jump up on people but is very gentle. A very quick eater, Hollie will try to eat the other dogs’ food if given the chance. She does take her treats nicely and mostly waits her turn, though. She does well when her foster family is at work, but is rarely left alone more than five hours at a time. When they leave, she has scratched at the door but seems to settle down after a few minutes. 

Hollie currently lives with four other dogs and LOVES to play all day long. Her bad leg rarely slows her down unless she has been playing for hours. Then, you can see her start to favor her leg. Hollie does like to play roughly and will grab the other dogs’ back legs as an invitation to play. The two older resident dogs do not appreciate this all the time and will let her know when to stop. Hollie loves to bark during her play sessions. Her foster family’s adopted female Springer is actually Hollie’s sister – they both share the same father!

Hollie is glad to go on a car ride and she does very well in the car. She does best if the windows are cracked and that air flow in getting to her. She knows the commands sit, come, and sometimes “no.” When she is really into licking the open wound on her paw, even no won’t stop her, though.

Once Hollie is fully recovered, MAESSR will be looking for a nice, active family with a canine play friend or some children ten or older to keep this beautiful girl busy and happy.

Donations to help cover the costs of her initial vet visits and her surgery would be greatly appreciated.