Funds for Rascal

New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue has recently acquired a little 5 year old Jack Russell x Chihuahua that needs a lot of assistance and has had a fairly rough life so far.

BACKGROUND:

Our "Rascal" has a serious and painful disability. He has deformed front legs (one of which is severely bowed), an undershot jaw and his back and other limbs are suffering as they are trying to compensate for his front leg deformity. We are looking at what options we may have to assist him...

Rascal was originally surrendered by an elderly couple to a North Island Rescue where he remained for around a year. Recently that rescue owner reached out to us and Rascal came down to us in Christchurch for veterinary treatment. Rascal's blood tests came back fine, which is encouraging.

INJURIES:

Rascal received x-rays from our vet today (27/03/19) and from those x-rays we can tell that Rascal's bad leg is indeed severely bowed as a result of a genetic defect. On the plus side the bone isn't broken and the joints are not diseased. The other front leg is also bowed (although not as drastically) hence why our poor little friend has so much difficulty moving. His bones are short and bowed in the front. In terms of Rascal's back end we were also concerned as he seems to be very tender there. X-rays confirm he may have one sore hip but the knees appear OK and again the joints inside are not diseased. So, in short, the good news is - we only have one problem to remedy (that bad front leg). The bad news is that it's quite a huge and expensive issue to fix!

We would like to extend our gratitude to our wonderful vet, Dr. Tracey Tonkin and clinic owner, Dr. Meredith Barth of Tram Road Animal Care Services. Tracey completely donates her time and skills to the Trust which saves our pocket extensively! Both vets are incredibly caring, skilled and supportive. We are so lucky to have their assistance!

SO WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Rascal will be on permanent pain relief, in foster care with NZCR while we try to come up with a treatment plan for him long term. Currently, he doesn't really use the front leg as it cannot bear his full weight and he only props himself up with it. However, the issue is we cannot just remove it as the other leg is not in the best condition, he is long in the body which would place more strain on his remaining limbs and back and his back would likely give out after too long. We are considering whether removal and a wheelchair device may be an option, or whether there are any surgical options to fix that leg.

We do not want to euthanize Rascal due to his leg issues, but it is clear something needs to be done and he cannot live life any longer in chronic pain. Whatever we can do will probably require a fair bit of financial resources and we would be so grateful for the assistance and support!

Each donation is gratefully received. Anything you can spare would be so very appreciated. Please help us to help Rascal and give him a shot at a whole new life, pain free, mobile and with people who will love and care for him forever.