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Family and friends, we’d like to introduce you to Nico, a 12-week old Great Pyrenees puppy. We unexpectedly rescued Nico Saturday night (April 8, 2017) from an unbelievably terrible situation. Nico was found injured, refusing to walk, covered in his own stool and urine, with a severely infected ear that was covered in purulent discharge and mold, an extensive skin infection covering his belly, and short black-tinged whiskers that looked as though they had been burned. Not only did he have several physical indications of neglect and abuse, he was unsurprisingly fearful of everyone. While most puppies you meet are eager to be pet, Nico was quite the opposite. Witnessing the neglectful situation that Nico was in left us in disbelief and heartbreak. We knew that Nico needed to be immediately removed from that situation and that was when we decided to adopt him in hopes of giving him a better chance at life.
In a matter of a few hours Nico was taken home, bathed, fed, and given a warm and safe place to sleep. The difference in his demeanor was astonishing, although he still refused to leave the safety of his bed, even having to be carried in and out of the house for potty breaks. We treated his ear infection with medication we had on hand from our German Shepherd Milo’s prior infection. We worked on easing Nico into a comfortable state and of course showered him with love and affection!
The next day, Sunday (April 9, 2017), we immediately took Nico to the pet vaccination clinic for his first round of puppy shots and purchased various puppy supplies, including food, puppy pads, bed, etc. As we continued to care for Nico, we became increasingly concerned about his limp and his refusal to walk along.
On Monday (April 10, 2017), we brought Nico to the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care. We were incredibly nervous to find out how badly he was hurt, and our gut instinct unfortunately was not wrong. At this visit we discovered that Nico had a fever due to both the ear infection and skin infection that resulted from the prolonged contact of stool and urine. His doctor shared our concern about his hind leg and he was immediately taken in for x-rays. Sitting in the waiting area, our hearts filled with great worry. The doctor returned with a hip/leg display and she then began to explain that Nico’s femur had broken down the center in various places. Nico had been left untreated for weeks and because of this the bones healed incorrectly overlapping one another and fusing together. Unfortunately, the news got worse: the doctor explained to us that the best course of action for treatment is amputation of his hind right leg. The doctor explained that although the initial prognosis seems dire, Nico is still very young and capable of adapting to live a long, pain-free, and happy life on three legs.
In the few days Nico has been in our home he has made such great progress: he’s now walking in and out for potty breaks, walking up to us for petting and cuddles, and socializing fantastically with his new best friend Milo. He is still in a lot of pain and walks with an uncomfortable limp, even with his new pain medication he prefers to remain in his comfy bed, but we have no doubts that with the procedure he will be able to continue to make these great strides and live a normal life. The doctor explained that Nico needs his leg amputation surgery within the next 2 weeks and the cost could be as high as $3,300. Unfortunately, this is an unexpected expense for our household, and so we are asking for your kind and generous support. We’ve done all that we can to this point and are asking for your additional help in continuing to provide all the aid Nico needs. 100% of the donations will go to Nico’s surgery, any medication he may need, along with anything else that will help him in his transition.
Nico’s state left us in complete disappointment and disbelief that anyone could treat a young puppy without the love, care, and affection that he needs. Nico may have arrived unexpectedly into our lives, but we plan to provide him with a home full of patience, love, and support as he transitions to life on three legs.
Thank you for reading Nico’s story,
Steven & Ana and Brenda & Cesar
In a matter of a few hours Nico was taken home, bathed, fed, and given a warm and safe place to sleep. The difference in his demeanor was astonishing, although he still refused to leave the safety of his bed, even having to be carried in and out of the house for potty breaks. We treated his ear infection with medication we had on hand from our German Shepherd Milo’s prior infection. We worked on easing Nico into a comfortable state and of course showered him with love and affection!
The next day, Sunday (April 9, 2017), we immediately took Nico to the pet vaccination clinic for his first round of puppy shots and purchased various puppy supplies, including food, puppy pads, bed, etc. As we continued to care for Nico, we became increasingly concerned about his limp and his refusal to walk along.
On Monday (April 10, 2017), we brought Nico to the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care. We were incredibly nervous to find out how badly he was hurt, and our gut instinct unfortunately was not wrong. At this visit we discovered that Nico had a fever due to both the ear infection and skin infection that resulted from the prolonged contact of stool and urine. His doctor shared our concern about his hind leg and he was immediately taken in for x-rays. Sitting in the waiting area, our hearts filled with great worry. The doctor returned with a hip/leg display and she then began to explain that Nico’s femur had broken down the center in various places. Nico had been left untreated for weeks and because of this the bones healed incorrectly overlapping one another and fusing together. Unfortunately, the news got worse: the doctor explained to us that the best course of action for treatment is amputation of his hind right leg. The doctor explained that although the initial prognosis seems dire, Nico is still very young and capable of adapting to live a long, pain-free, and happy life on three legs.
In the few days Nico has been in our home he has made such great progress: he’s now walking in and out for potty breaks, walking up to us for petting and cuddles, and socializing fantastically with his new best friend Milo. He is still in a lot of pain and walks with an uncomfortable limp, even with his new pain medication he prefers to remain in his comfy bed, but we have no doubts that with the procedure he will be able to continue to make these great strides and live a normal life. The doctor explained that Nico needs his leg amputation surgery within the next 2 weeks and the cost could be as high as $3,300. Unfortunately, this is an unexpected expense for our household, and so we are asking for your kind and generous support. We’ve done all that we can to this point and are asking for your additional help in continuing to provide all the aid Nico needs. 100% of the donations will go to Nico’s surgery, any medication he may need, along with anything else that will help him in his transition.
Nico’s state left us in complete disappointment and disbelief that anyone could treat a young puppy without the love, care, and affection that he needs. Nico may have arrived unexpectedly into our lives, but we plan to provide him with a home full of patience, love, and support as he transitions to life on three legs.
Thank you for reading Nico’s story,
Steven & Ana and Brenda & Cesar