Archie, the stray.

Update 09OCT!

We have good news and bad news to share;

Good news first, Archie did great through the weekend, eating and drinking (a lot). Pain management has been going well and despite everything against him, he’s comfortable and has really started to come out of his shell. He’s discovered it’s very easy to convince us to give him attention and scratches and uses this to his advantage.

Bad news next; the surgeon discovered a hairline fracture in Archie’s pelvis that was previously unnoticed by the local vet. What this means going forward is that until it’s healed, the Amputation and FHA will be postponed roughly 3 weeks. This way we can ensure he can support his weight adequately with only one back leg and won’t accidentally further his pelvic fracture, causing more pain and even more life threatening injuries.

But for the time being, he’s in great spirits. Archie has even figured a way to stand up by himself, albeit a little wobbly! We’ll keep posting updates here as the time goes on but thank you everyone for your support so far!

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Original post:

Howdy y’all,

This is Archie! (we don’t know his birth-given name, so we have preliminarily named him that). He is a stray who was hit by a vehicle just off of Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. The city shelter is full, and local animal control had no other immediate solution than euthanization as they do not provide medical attention. I believe this sweet old soul still has a chance and took financial and protective responsibility of him there in the street. I immediately took him to the local vet to get an exam worked up and quickly learned that his most serious injuries range from a dislocated hip, and broken femur, to early onset heart worm disease.

Orthopedic surgery was going to cost upwards of $4000 alone. An amputation on the other hand runs approximately $800 and is seeming to be the most cost-effective solution to keep this sweet boy alive. Add in resetting his dislocated hip, and starting heart worm treatment, plus all other vaccines, and the total cost is just a hair over $2000. This is the absolute cheapest I can get life-extending care to the poor guy.

Unfortunately he has no collar or chip and there are no missing dogs that match his description. His family isn’t looking for him, leading us to believe he was a ‘military dump dog.’ This inhumane practice happens when a military member moves or conducts a PCS and leaves their dog behind. Likely he was also dumped because of his heart worm diagnosis as well. Estimated at just ~4 years old, this sweet boy has plenty of love left in him to give to another family. We are actively searching for a home once his procedures are complete and he has recovered.

Any help would be a blessing. Thank you for your support!

These photos were taken today 05OCT2023, after picking him up from the vet. He is able to be picked up and can lay comfortably for the time being, thanks to his pain meds he has been prescribed. He will undergo amputation surgery for his rear left leg on 09OCT2023, and I’ll keep y’all updated on his transition to becoming a tripod!