From Tragedy to Triumph: The Tale of TJ by Erin Selby and JJ Jacobson

On Monday August 5^th, TJ the German Shepherd Dog was rushed through the front door of our lobby to receive urgent care for a ghastly leg injury. The origins of TJ’s injury and what his life was like before that day are shrouded in mystery, but from the moment a Good Samaritan found him on a front porch in Livermore, TJ’s story took a dramatic turn for the better.  

Early that Monday morning, Laura Long spotted a German Shepherd dog on a neighborhood porch and suspected he was injured. She and her daughter Candice approached TJ and discovered the horrible condition of his leg. Candice called the Livermore Police Animal Control, who arrived on the scene around 9:30am.  The Livermore Police Animal Control officer described the dog’s leg as “horrific and probably the worst untreated injury I have ever seen. The suffering that the dog must have endured is unthinkable.”  

Livermore Animal Control took TJ (TJ’s collar was inscribed with the name Roky but he has since been renamed Tre-joe, or “TJ”) to Adobe Animal Hospital in Livermore, where they provided pain management.  Animal Control called Cindy Churchill at Tri-Valley Animal Rescue (TVAR) who then contacted JJ Jacobson of Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue to see if they could take TJ on. 

Images of TJ and his collar from the Livermore Police Department

“I knew I'd have to help Tre-joe,” said JJ. “I started putting feelers out for donations and decided to snatch TJ up and take him to Dr. Larry Gilman at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center.” TVAR donated money for the amputation surgery; their generous donation allowed Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue to make an easy decision to help TJ get the help he deserved.

That afternoon TJ was transferred to Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center. His arrival was greeted by shock, horror and concern by the entire staff.  Dr. Gilman examined the sweet but nervous dog. 

Based on the type of injuries sustained and the condition of the wound it is likely that TJ was hit by a car 5 to 7 days before he was found by Laura. He had suffered a severe degloving, leaving exposed bones and severe tissue damage; he also had multiple fractures on the same leg. A degloving often occurs when a pet is hit by a car.  The injury is so deep and severe that the recuperation time is often 9 months, or amputation is necessary.  Someone, presumably the owners, had bandaged his leg but did not provide any medical treatment.  On the day he was found, the bandaging was tattered and dripping with blood.  One could easily see the bloody raw tissue as well as black tissue; the black tissue was skin that had already died.  Various bones from his foot and leg were completely exposed. In addition to his leg wound, TJ's tongue and trachea were damaged. His tongue was raw, bloody, and blistered and seemed to be in line with possible poison ingestion. 

Dr. Gilman determined that TJ’s leg would need to be amputated and he was scheduled for surgery the following day. Dr. Gilman, Dr. Trevor Miller, and Dr. Stefanie Wong performed the surgery, which  went smoothly, and was without complications. TJ ended up staying a total of three nights before going home with JJ. Since then he has been recuperating and rehabilitating.  According to JJ, “He is up and around, and he will be ready for his new home within weeks.”

While most animals who lose a limb adapt very well to having three legs, there is a small concern regarding TJ’s remaining front leg.  His pastern (the part of a dog’s foot that corresponds to the area between the wrist and the fingers on a human hand) is not well formed, most likely due to poor nutrition.  The severe angle of the pastern compromises the strength of his remaining leg, which will need to be in great condition for the rest of TJ's life.

Laura continues to care deeply about TJ’s future and has visited him since that fateful Monday morning. In response to the concerns regarding TJ’s weakened remaining front leg, Laura is planning a fund raiser so a front-end cart for TJ may be purchased.  The cart, a front end wheel chair, would be used for walks and excursions.  He would not need it when he is hopping around the house.  The cart is expected to be approximately $3000, but that is a generic ball-park figure. For more information about the fund raiser and donating money towards a cart please visit
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-tre-joe-walk-without-pain/82697.

TJ visited Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center on August 22^nd for a recheck and to get his stitches removed. Dr. Gilman was thrilled with his surgery site, TJ's temperament, and how well he is doing. He is a very popular with all of the staff and receives lots of love and attention wherever he goes.   

 

TJ goes for his recheck

Currently TJ is being fostered by JJ but he will soon be in need of a forever home. He has one more month of recuperation and getting stronger, at which time he will be available for adoption.  TJ's new owners will need to have German Shepherd experience, have a lifestyle that will allow for easy mobility, and take great care of this very special boy.  TJ likes to play with toys, enjoys chew toys and can easily jump up to explore counters.  He is a very happy guy with a gentle disposition.

Please visit Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue’s webpage at www.bayareagsr.org to learn more about this wonderful organization. As a rescue group, every dollar counts so donations are greatly appreciated. If you are interested in learning more about TJ and feel that your family and home has the proper qualifications for caring for this special boy please visit www.bayareagsr.org/available-dogs/27-tre-joe. You can learn more about TVAR and their Cinderella Fund that helps animals with special needs like TJ at www.tvar.org. The Livermore Police Department is looking for any information about TJ’s former owners. He was found in the Springtown area of Livermore at the corner of Red Fir Way and Monterey Drive. Animal Control is urging anyone with information regarding the owner of the dog to contact them at (925) 371-4848.

Lives Saved: Sammy by Erin Selby

Name: Sammy Sugimura 
Age: 7 1/2 years 

Breed: Pug

Diagnosis: Intestinal Obstruction

Memorial Day weekend is usually a time of relaxation, good food, and fun, family outings. But the Sugimura family was having a very different kind of holiday experience. Sammy, their beloved 7-year old Pug, had not eaten for two days. In addition to the lack of appetite he was vomiting bile.  Extremely worried, Sammy’s family took him to a veterinary clinic they had used in the past. After numerous tests they were unable to find anything conclusive. The Sugimuras took Sammy home fully hydrated, hoping he would get better. Instead, Sammy continued to get worse and began vomiting bile several times a day. After doing some research online, Sammy’s dad Jeff decided to call Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care. “Renee took my call and her genuine concern for Sammy shone through on the phone.  He had started breathing heavily, like a canine version of Darth Vader, and he was getting cold . . .” said Jeff.  Renee had Jeff bring Sammy down immediately for Urgent Care.

Upon presentation Sammy was very weak and had difficulty getting up.  When Dr. Larry Gilman examined him he found Sammy to be very cold with a painful abdomen. Even his breath was cold! It was determined that Sammy was in shock and probably had an intestinal obstruction. Dr. Gilman and his team of technicians immediately sprang into action by using special medical equipment to help heat Sammy up as well as placing him on an IV in order to administer large doses of fluids to combat the shock. Dr. Gilman’s next step was to talk to the Sugimuras about developing a plan of action. Additional diagnostics needed to be performed including blood work in our in-house laboratory, digital x-rays, and possibly an ultrasound. While these tests were being performed Sammy was started on critical care support consisting of fluids, hetastarch, antibiotics, and pain medication in order to combat his severe state of shock and dehydration. Just as Dr. Gilman suspected, his x-rays showed an intestinal blockage in his small intestines which was confirmed with an ultrasound. To complicate matters, Sammy’s blood work revealed that he was in acute kidney failure due to his shock and the length and severity of his illness. 

Dr. Gilman knew that once Sammy’s shock was managed surgery would be necessary in order to remove the blockage and that some of his intestines would have to be removed. Because of Sammy’s critical condition, his chances of surviving surgery were about 50/50. Dr. Gilman delivered the sober news to the anxious Sugimuras. According to Jeff, “I was very impressed with Dr. Gilman, who told us that he would require surgery and that there was a good chance we could lose Sammy due to his already compromised condition.  You never want to hear news like this, but we appreciated his candor and how straight-forward he was.  You can't sugar coat things like this and many try and do this in the same situation.  For my wife and me, it wasn't a difficult decision aside from a costly one.  Sammy is our ‘first child’ and we weren't going to just give up on him.  So we authorized Dr. Gilman to perform the surgery and hoped for the best.”

The next few hours were spent treating Sammy’s shock, dehydration, pain, and kidney failure. As soon as his temperature was back up and his pain was under control it was time to go into surgery. Jeff and his wife came in to see Sammy prior to surgery. This was a very emotional time for them since they knew Sammy might not make it. Dr. Gilman had prepared them and let them know that even if he made it through the surgery, there was a still a risk that Sammy might succumb to his injuries during recovery.  Jeff shared, “We took our 4 1/2 year old son, CJ over to see Sammy before they put him under.  We wanted to say our goodbye's just in case it was the last time we saw him.  Unfortunately, our son didn't really ‘get it’ and was more interested in the other dogs at the hospital and why some of them had cones on their heads.”

The surgery was performed and a 24-inch section of Sammy’s intestine had to be removed since the foreign body had caused severe compromise of the intestinal tissue and its blood supply. Sammy was closely observed throughout the surgery using our specialized equipment for monitoring vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, and respiratory rate. The foreign body that was causing the obstruction was removed and revealed to be a mass of human hair. It turns out that Sammy had a bad habit of licking the carpet and over time had accumulated a mass of hair in his intestines. This was difficult news for Jeff’s wife, as she had the long hair in the family. To make matters worse, she had to leave town the day after surgery on a business trip for two weeks. Needless to say it was devastating for her to have to leave Sammy’s side not knowing if he was going to survive or not.

Sammy’s surgery was a success but the next 48 hours were critical to his recovery. He needed to stay at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center in order to receive post-operative critical care so we could monitor his kidneys and the healing of his intestines. 24-hour care from highly trained veterinary technicians was absolutely essential during this sensitive window of time.  Sammy was in Patient Care for three days. He was making a very good recovery – his vitals looked good, he was responsive to treatment, and was getting happier every day. The only problem was he wouldn’t eat. Dr. Gilman discussed the situation with Jeff and they agreed to see how Sammy would do at home on medication and a bland diet. Since all of his vitals looked positive and proper nutrition is important for the intestines to heal, home treatment was the next logical step in Sammy’s recovery. Their decision was the right one. Once he was back in the familiar comfort of his own home, Sammy began to regain his appetite. 

Dr. Gilman was in contact with Jeff daily for the next few days in order to make sure Sammy was still on the right track. When the tough little pug returned two weeks later for his suture removal he was completely back to normal and had made a full recovery! Sammy is back to his favorite activity of running around outside chasing the birds and squirrels, his appetite is as healthy as ever, and loves playing with his best human friends – the Sugimura’s two children CJ and Jace!

Jeff had the following to say after Sammy’s harrowing ordeal, “If you looked at him today, you'd never know he went through all that he did.  And that's exactly how I like it.  We're so fortunate to be able to have more time with him and that he was such a great fighter.  It also was another reminder about how you can't take each day with others for granted (or take others for granted) because you'll never know when you might face losing those that you love.  I have to say that everyone that I came into contact with was courteous, polite and you could tell that they really cared about the animals as though they were family (Sammy HAD become family after all he went through as most of the staff recognized him by the time we left!).  The professionalism and kindness exhibited throughout the clinic is stellar. . . Dr. Gilman was a breath of fresh air as a doctor.  He is a straight shooter, gets right to the point and doesn't sugar coat anything (which I really appreciate).  Throughout the process, Renee would sit down with me and go over the bill and specific charges so that we always knew where we stood.  Was it cheap? No.  But what kind of quality care is?  They were very straight-forward with the financial side of it and I very much appreciated it.  Dr. Gilman saved our Sammy's life and I am truly thankful for everything that he and the rest of the staff did for our dog.  Our kids are thrilled to have Sammy back at home safe (OK, our 2 year old has no idea what happened and what Sammy had been through, but they're still best friends). As far as I am concerned, Dr. Gilman is Sammy's new vet and the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center has gained a new client in our family.”

The staff and doctors at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care work together as a team in order to provide the best possible care for your pet and for you! Life does not slow down for emergencies but we are here to help you and your pet when you need it the most.