Trooper’s Arthrotomy Surgery

Trooper is the goofiest and most loving 4-year-old Royal Air German Shepherd I’ve ever had. He is also my best friend. Here is the big guys life story….he was born on February 8th, 2014 out on a farm in Grinnel, IA and has been with me ever since he was 8 weeks old. His very first home was out in New Berlin, IL. We had 3 acres of open land where he loved to run and play with his sister, another German Shepherd, Sadie. We have been through a lot of ups and downs in our short time together and he is what has gotten me through the some of the toughest times in my life with the toughest being in December of 2014. I had lost my fiancé at the time to the horrible battle of PTSD. A battle I would never wish upon anyone. It almost like Trooper knew exactly what I was going through, he always laid his head on me showing me his love and affection and never left my side making sure that I knew I wasn’t alone. I honestly couldn’t have made it through without him. We then moved to Pawnee, IL in December 2014 to get back on our feet and went on the search for a new home to purchase in Springfield, IL, somewhere that was closer to work for me. I found my very next house and closed on it in April of 2017. It is perfect for him, it has a 6ft privacy fence and an entire basement to roam around in to keep cool when I’m not home along with a huge front window he can check out to see what kind of other dogs and animals are walking by. At just 4 years of age, Trooper currently weighs 129lbs. He has always been a very healthy boy growing up with all the normal vet visits for his vaccinations and the occasional upset tummy visit. In his last 4-5 veterinary visits within the last year or so, he has been seen for limping/favoring his back-right leg which the vet recommended we give him muscle relaxers and pain meds as we thought it was just a pulled muscle from stepping in a hole in the back yard. He has since quit favoring that leg and now most recent has been his left front leg, not really being able to bear much weight, if at all. I took him in to have X-rays done and come to find out, his left front leg has what is called Ununited Anconeal Process (UAP), or Elbow Dysplasia. It occurs when a small bony projection called the anconeal process fails to unite and fuse with the ulna, the smaller of the bones making up the foreleg. The anconeal process is critical for the proper formation of the elbow joint. It provides stability to the joint, especially when the leg is extended. Generally, The anconeal process and ulna fuse by 24 weeks of age. After this age, the lameness will develop if the anconeal process remains separated, which is what Troopers current condition is. For some reason, it just has taken 4 years for him to show signs of the lameness. His poor elbow is swollen and very painful for him. He is on daily pain and anti-inflammatory medications along with getting pentosan injections for his arthritis to help bear the weight he puts on his leg. Trooper is scheduled to have his arthrotomy surgery on July 24th, 2018 with Dr. Holbrook at the Capital Illini Vet Clinic here in Springfield, IL. The surgery will make his walking a lot more bearable as they will be taking a part of his joint out that is rubbing against the other that hasn’t fused together. I hate seeing Trooper not being his normal playful self, he just lays around whining ☹ Post-surgery, he will be getting laser therapy as well as aquatic therapy along with this pain medication and monthly injections, lifelong. As a single woman, with only 1 income, it has been hard for me to keep up with his vet bills along with my own. I have had numerous people reach out to me to offer their help with Troopers situation so I figured a GoFundMe account would be the best way I could let those who want to, help. We need your continued prayers for a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery for him. As always, we love visitors so if you want to meet the big guy, just let me know!