Goldendoodle Pup's Medical Journey
Donation protected
Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids has taken on the case of a young pup that will tug at your heart strings!
In human or veterinary medicine, when you think you have seen it all, you quickly realize you haven't. As an animal, medical 501c3 since 2008, Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids accepted an emergency admission on Thursday 3/23/17 that would test us and the surgical specialist taking his case.
Frankie is a 10-month-old Golden Doodle puppy who was injured when he jumped off a counter top while being towel dried after a bath one month ago, He landed hard on the floor, suffering a fractured leg. His family had the leg splinted, but they could not have possibly known the internal damage that had also occurred. In one months’ time, it became clear that something was very wrong with this puppy. He was taken to Eastern Iowa Veterinary Specialty Center, bloated and completely unable to urinate. This was a true emergency and what the vets found was life-threatening, very costly and ultimately, only part of the story. Frankie had fracture the penile bone during the fall which caused gradual displacement of his urethra. Frankie's bladder was drained with a syringe until they could pass a catheter. It was at this point that the family who was facing thousands of dollars in veterinary costs, decided not to euthanize Frankie but to surrender him so he could receive the care he desperately needed. A true act of selflessness and love. ❤️
Frankie was transferred Thursday evening by Critter Crusaders to Des Moines IVRC for specialized surgery that would save his life.
Frankie was taken into surgery Friday morning 3/24/17 with board certified surgeon Dr..Chad Spah. Dr. Spah was forced into doing a complete penile amputation once he saw the entirety of Frankie's injuries. This puppy had a tear in his urethra. Something that could not possibly have been known at the time of injury. Over the last few weeks, when Frankie pottied, a portion of the caustic urine seeped in and around the tissues of the penis and prepuce causing this sensitive area to inflame and die. When Dr. Spah got in there, all the tissue was necrosed and had to be removed. The damage was irreversible.
He had to create a new opening for urine to be excreted. It is called a urostomy and in this highly technical surgery, Dr. Spah rerouted the urethra through the scrotal area and fashioned a little washboard system so the urine would flow in the correct direction on expulsion from the body. Think of it as a drainage channel for a downspout! The complicating factors for this are that Frankie will have an increased chance of chronic urinary tract infections. Frankie also had his leg fracture splinted for better healing.
Many people came together for the love of a little puppy. We thank IDOGS Rescue and Frankie's former owners for teaming with Critter Crusaders to give this young dog his best chance at life! We ask for your support as we continue to bring specialized care to Frankie as he heals, knowing that complications are always on the fringe of any highly technical surgery.
We are Team Frankie!
Critter Crusaders depends totally on donations to help our homeless animal friends with their medical needs. No donation is too small! 100% of the donations we receive go directely to help the animals and we are forever grateful to all of our supporters! If donations superpass our goal, additional funds will be used to help other homeless animals in need.
We are a 501 (c) 3 and all donations are tax deductible. For those of you who prefer not to donate online, you can designate your donation for Frankie and mail it to:
Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids
PO Box 10111
Cedar Raids, IA 52410-0111
http://www.crittercrusaderscr.org/
In human or veterinary medicine, when you think you have seen it all, you quickly realize you haven't. As an animal, medical 501c3 since 2008, Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids accepted an emergency admission on Thursday 3/23/17 that would test us and the surgical specialist taking his case.
Frankie is a 10-month-old Golden Doodle puppy who was injured when he jumped off a counter top while being towel dried after a bath one month ago, He landed hard on the floor, suffering a fractured leg. His family had the leg splinted, but they could not have possibly known the internal damage that had also occurred. In one months’ time, it became clear that something was very wrong with this puppy. He was taken to Eastern Iowa Veterinary Specialty Center, bloated and completely unable to urinate. This was a true emergency and what the vets found was life-threatening, very costly and ultimately, only part of the story. Frankie had fracture the penile bone during the fall which caused gradual displacement of his urethra. Frankie's bladder was drained with a syringe until they could pass a catheter. It was at this point that the family who was facing thousands of dollars in veterinary costs, decided not to euthanize Frankie but to surrender him so he could receive the care he desperately needed. A true act of selflessness and love. ❤️
Frankie was transferred Thursday evening by Critter Crusaders to Des Moines IVRC for specialized surgery that would save his life.
Frankie was taken into surgery Friday morning 3/24/17 with board certified surgeon Dr..Chad Spah. Dr. Spah was forced into doing a complete penile amputation once he saw the entirety of Frankie's injuries. This puppy had a tear in his urethra. Something that could not possibly have been known at the time of injury. Over the last few weeks, when Frankie pottied, a portion of the caustic urine seeped in and around the tissues of the penis and prepuce causing this sensitive area to inflame and die. When Dr. Spah got in there, all the tissue was necrosed and had to be removed. The damage was irreversible.
He had to create a new opening for urine to be excreted. It is called a urostomy and in this highly technical surgery, Dr. Spah rerouted the urethra through the scrotal area and fashioned a little washboard system so the urine would flow in the correct direction on expulsion from the body. Think of it as a drainage channel for a downspout! The complicating factors for this are that Frankie will have an increased chance of chronic urinary tract infections. Frankie also had his leg fracture splinted for better healing.
Many people came together for the love of a little puppy. We thank IDOGS Rescue and Frankie's former owners for teaming with Critter Crusaders to give this young dog his best chance at life! We ask for your support as we continue to bring specialized care to Frankie as he heals, knowing that complications are always on the fringe of any highly technical surgery.
We are Team Frankie!
Critter Crusaders depends totally on donations to help our homeless animal friends with their medical needs. No donation is too small! 100% of the donations we receive go directely to help the animals and we are forever grateful to all of our supporters! If donations superpass our goal, additional funds will be used to help other homeless animals in need.
We are a 501 (c) 3 and all donations are tax deductible. For those of you who prefer not to donate online, you can designate your donation for Frankie and mail it to:
Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids
PO Box 10111
Cedar Raids, IA 52410-0111
http://www.crittercrusaderscr.org/
Organizer and beneficiary
DeAnn Gerdeman Brannaman
Organizer
Cedar Rapids, IA
Susan Elliott-Bryan
Beneficiary
