Harper

Adoption Fee: $375 Age: 4 years Weight: 7.5 lbs. Fostered in Baton Rouge, LA Email: [email protected] 4/22/24 - Happy Monday everyone! Harper here. I wanted everyone to know that I am getting stronger and walking fine now at my foster home. The only time it’s difficult for me is after I take a nap or when I first wake up in the morning. Takes a minute to get my bearings, but other than those times, I’m running around the backyard now and even chasing birds and squirrels. I did have an appointment today, though. It was at a vets office that has a treadmill that’s underwater. We’re gonna try some sessions with water therapy to build my muscles in a couple weeks. Can’t hurt. And I might make some new friends. Anyway, my new pictures are coming soon and stay tuned for my water therapy updates. Have a great week! 4/4/24 - Harper saw the specialist and the news was not great. She has a healed previous pelvic trauma, severe with right SI luxation with marked displacement and a left Ilium fracture with severe craniolateral displacement and callused. She also has Grade 4/4 bilateral MPL. The surgeon advised that surgical correction would likely not improve Harper, but may indeed cause worsening of the rear limb function due to possible nerve damage during surgical separation of the healed structures. A doggy wheelchair was discussed, but at this time we aren’t certain of the advantage of a cart. Harper walks on all four limbs in the grass and on carpet or rugs. She will also walk on slick areas, i.e., tile, wood, etc. at times. We have ordered her some socks with grips on the sole to aid in slipping and have discussed water/physical therapy with the surgeon and he thinks it is worth trying. So we are currently getting that together. Aside from all this news, Harper gets around fine, eats great, uses the bathroom fine and is 100% a glass is ½ full type gal. She is so happy and loves being in laps and giving kisses. Anytime you reach down to pet her, she automatically rolls over for a belly rub. Belly rubs are mandatory in her life! We cannot get over what a lovebug this little girl is. She has been dealt some blows, but she certainly isn’t letting that keep her down…. Pun intended. Lol Due to her medical situation, a home without any children will be best. She seems to be getting along with the other dogs in her foster home, but is wanting so much individual attention, she would probably be awesome as an only baby, We are so glad that we were asked to take Harper in and even though she is not a surgical candidate, she is going to make someone(s) a perfect addition to their home. Stay tuned because we will soon be getting some professional photos of Harper taken and then everyone can see just how cute she is now. 3/3/24 - A local shelter called hoping we could take Harper. She was turned into the shelter with an unstable gait (when in the grass) and when inside on tile or wood, sometime walks, but mostly sits and scoots around. Of course we made room because this baby obviously needed our help. We knew she was going to need vetting above and beyond the normal things. The vet's office fit her in, mainly to just get a referral to an orthopedist. Seems she has Grade 4 luxating patellas and something major going on with her pelvis. Thankfully the specialist had a cancellation and Harper now has an appointment Wednesday, March 13th. We will be counting down the hours until we go so we can see exactly what is wrong and what can be done to fix Harper and make her whole. Despite the obvious neglect that she has been through, Harper has the absolute sweetest personality. She loves all people, belly rubs, attention, and kisses. It's just amazing to see her cheerful disposition. We can all learn a thing or two from dogs. We will update after her appointment to let everyone know what the next steps are. Keep Harper in your prayers.