The Story

Last month Cisco came to Animal Emergency Services of Rochester with two broken front legs. Cisco had been surrendered to Rochester Animal Services by the previous owners claiming that he'd fallen down the stairs. It was a story that raised many eyebrows at the clinic. Being an emergency service, we very rarely see animals that fall down the stairs and sustain that type of injury. But whether or not Cisco's injuries were a result of accident or abuse, the little dog's condition was something Animal Control just didn't have the means to address. But Cisco was a sweet, loving dog, hardly showing any pain despite his horribly mangled legs, wagging his tail and giving kisses to everyone he met. The people at animal control dubbed him too sweet a dog to give up on just yet. So he was sent to Animal Emergency Service where I work for some emergency care. That night his legs were put in temporary splints and he won the hearts of everyone he met. I knew right then and there that we were meant to be together, and I planned on following Cisco's progress and offering every resource I could to make sure he wouldn't get put down because of his injuries. I planned on adopting him and doing everything I could to try to save him.

The following morning Cisco was transferred to a local shelter at Lollypop Farm. There, the staff saw in that scruffy little dog all the love and sweetness that melted the hearts of everyone he met. And though they had very little means to treat his injuries, the veterinarians and staff at Lollypop vowed to do everything within their means to save him. I began working with Lollypop Farm shortly after, providing foster care for Cisco, now renamed Emerson, both through the shelter and through the generous care of my coworkers at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester and Animal Emergency Services. Because of the financial restrictions of both myself and the shelter, there was nothing more we could do for Emerson beyond cage rest and tending to the temporary splints that had been put on him the night he arrived at Emergency. It was far from the ideal for the type of fractures he'd sustained, but because of the costly price of surgery, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, repeat x-rays showed that the fractures were actually worsening over time. And to add to it, last week during a routine bandage change, the veterinarian found a large, seeping and painful pressure sore from the bandages. He told me that this is a common consequence of long term bandaging, and could soon lead to infection. He also told me that the bones in the legs showed little signs of healing upon palpation. We shaved and cleaned the wound and he prescribed him antibiotics and we have since been doing bandage changes on the affected leg every other day for open wound management.

After speaking to several veterinarians and specialists both at VSR/AES and Lollypop Farm, the conclusion was drawn that Emerson needs surgery as soon as possible, and if it cannot be done within the next two weeks, he would need to be euthanized. Lollypop did offer to make an attempt at surgically repairing the fractures themselves, but the doctor there openly admitted that no one in the practice has the expertise to repair such severe fractures effectively. If they attempted it, it would only be one last "hail Mary pass" before euthanasia, and the prognosis would be very poor.

I have since talked to a handful of surgeons, and have been working with one of the surgical attendings at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester to get Emerson the most effective and least expensive surgery possible.

In the meantime, Emerson is spending his days home with me in my apartment in Rochester, NY along with my two cats, Willow and Eloise. He comes to work with me every day where he's made quite a fan club out of the staff. His favorite thing in the world is lying out in the yard, eating grass like a little goat and just watching the world go by. He also loves playing with his favorite toy, a sock monkey named Bimbo.

Please help me raise money for Emerson's life-saving surgery! Every penny counts. And don't forget to spread the word! Thank you!