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On October 20, 2018, my husband and I made the decision to save a life and adopt a young golden named Talko, who we now call Brewin, from the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. We chose that name because my husband is an avid home brewer. Homebrewing brings my husband much joy as we knew Brewin would too! His golden coat resembles that of a crisp golden ale, as well as a big head and frothy smile to boot. : )
Brewin was relinquished to the rescue on very odd terms from what his foster family shared with us. Whoever relinquished him did not give any information, did not sign paperwork, wanted to meet in a remote location late at night, and covered their license plate from the rescue team. Upon admittance, the rescue noticed that he appeared to have had a broken leg that had fused back together without proper casting and alignment. Although it did not seem to be bothersome to him at the time, the rescue opted to have him see an orthopedic surgeon in the LA area who determined it would not be a life threatening impairment. With that said, the decision was made to not move forward with any surgery.
Fast forward to today, we have had Brewin for just over 3 months, and he is an absolute love. He is absolutely obsessed with his fur-sister Kona...and tennis balls. Kona has definitely shown him the ropes of being a dog and what life is like beyond the puppy-mill. His joyful spirit makes every day brighter and we have no regrets bringing this bundle of fur into our lives!
Despite the initial decision to not operate on his leg, we knew there was a possibility that the situation could deteriorate. As we feared, his leg became more bothersome with each passing day and we decided it was time to take a visit to the orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion. Our primary veterinarian recommended us to Veterinary Specialty Hospital San Diego, and we set an appointment with Dr. Sean Aiken. During our initial consultation, Dr. Aiken informed us that the fracture was in fact causing trauma to Brewin's elbow joint and that would be our critical area of focus. We hoped for the best while Brewin went under for his CT scans, but unfortunately the news wasn't exactly what we had wished for. The previously sustained injury ultimately impacted his growth plates, causing his ulna to grow approximately 2cm longer than his radius. The elbow joint has already seen significant trauma as indicated by swelling, fractured bits of bone, and early onset arthritis. Fortunately, there is hope for Brewin and his leg.
Following Dr. Aiken's analysis of the CT scans, the best course of action will be for Brewin to undergo a corrective osteotomy surgery. A corrective osteotomy surgery is used to help lengthen the limb. The procedure will remove a segment of the ulna bone to align it with the radius below the elbow joint. Stabilization using metal implants is also needed in addition to bone removal. Sometimes this surgery is also paired with the reconstruction of the elbow, which Brewin will undergo. Given the very complicated nature of this surgery, it also carries with it an unfortunately high price tag. To make matters worse, with each passing day the situation gets more challenging, hence it is extremely important that Brewin receive this surgery as soon as possible. Brewin's surgeon remains positive and feels strongly that we can save his leg and restore his quality of life without having to go the route of amputation.
We would greatly appreciate ANY and ALL donations towards saving Brewin's leg, even a $1 can go a long way. My husband and I recently married in September, and as you can imagine after the cost of a wedding, funds are extremely tight. Any funds donated that exceed the expense of Brewin's surgery and subsequent rehabilitation will be donated back to his rescue, Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue.
Follow along to keep up with Brewin's story on his Instagram.
On behalf of myself, my husband, Kona, and Brewin, we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for reading our story and helping us along the way.
Brewin was relinquished to the rescue on very odd terms from what his foster family shared with us. Whoever relinquished him did not give any information, did not sign paperwork, wanted to meet in a remote location late at night, and covered their license plate from the rescue team. Upon admittance, the rescue noticed that he appeared to have had a broken leg that had fused back together without proper casting and alignment. Although it did not seem to be bothersome to him at the time, the rescue opted to have him see an orthopedic surgeon in the LA area who determined it would not be a life threatening impairment. With that said, the decision was made to not move forward with any surgery.
Fast forward to today, we have had Brewin for just over 3 months, and he is an absolute love. He is absolutely obsessed with his fur-sister Kona...and tennis balls. Kona has definitely shown him the ropes of being a dog and what life is like beyond the puppy-mill. His joyful spirit makes every day brighter and we have no regrets bringing this bundle of fur into our lives!
Despite the initial decision to not operate on his leg, we knew there was a possibility that the situation could deteriorate. As we feared, his leg became more bothersome with each passing day and we decided it was time to take a visit to the orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion. Our primary veterinarian recommended us to Veterinary Specialty Hospital San Diego, and we set an appointment with Dr. Sean Aiken. During our initial consultation, Dr. Aiken informed us that the fracture was in fact causing trauma to Brewin's elbow joint and that would be our critical area of focus. We hoped for the best while Brewin went under for his CT scans, but unfortunately the news wasn't exactly what we had wished for. The previously sustained injury ultimately impacted his growth plates, causing his ulna to grow approximately 2cm longer than his radius. The elbow joint has already seen significant trauma as indicated by swelling, fractured bits of bone, and early onset arthritis. Fortunately, there is hope for Brewin and his leg.
Following Dr. Aiken's analysis of the CT scans, the best course of action will be for Brewin to undergo a corrective osteotomy surgery. A corrective osteotomy surgery is used to help lengthen the limb. The procedure will remove a segment of the ulna bone to align it with the radius below the elbow joint. Stabilization using metal implants is also needed in addition to bone removal. Sometimes this surgery is also paired with the reconstruction of the elbow, which Brewin will undergo. Given the very complicated nature of this surgery, it also carries with it an unfortunately high price tag. To make matters worse, with each passing day the situation gets more challenging, hence it is extremely important that Brewin receive this surgery as soon as possible. Brewin's surgeon remains positive and feels strongly that we can save his leg and restore his quality of life without having to go the route of amputation.
We would greatly appreciate ANY and ALL donations towards saving Brewin's leg, even a $1 can go a long way. My husband and I recently married in September, and as you can imagine after the cost of a wedding, funds are extremely tight. Any funds donated that exceed the expense of Brewin's surgery and subsequent rehabilitation will be donated back to his rescue, Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue.
Follow along to keep up with Brewin's story on his Instagram.
On behalf of myself, my husband, Kona, and Brewin, we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for reading our story and helping us along the way.
