Mila

Australian Shepherd,   5   years old

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Diagnosis: Full Pancarpal Arthrodesis (torn ligament)

Treatment: Surgery

 

Mila, my energetic, empathetic “velcro-pup”, and I recently moved from Washington to California to work with a new group of autistic children. While playing in the park, Mila took too big of a leap and tore the ligament in her left leg in 2 places. We had only been in California for two months when the injury occurred, and we had never been to vet in California, we had no friends close by, and had only just begun working.

 

Luckily, we were referred to a surgeon in Tustin. Dr. C stated that her injury was in one of the most “unforgiving” of places on a dog and the recovery time would be very long, but without surgery it would not heal on its own. Because of our recent life changes, the injury could not have come at a worse time, but thankfully the staff at the hospital let us know of a grant we could apply for to help. That’s when we reached out to Lexi’s Legacy and told them our story; a young pup with a long life to live, with so much more joy and comfort to bring to a new town, and how we couldn’t let pain and a bum leg stop us now, even at a steep price. What kind of role models would we be if we could not overcome this obstacle?

 

After 11 weeks in a cast, we’re proof that you may be down on your luck sometimes, the cards you’re dealt might be tougher to play than others, but you can make it out the other side because true kindness in the world is really out there.

 

Ellen M. - 2020