Today was the best day of my life… my adoption day! Before I joined rescue, my future didn’t look so bright. Someone had apparently tossed me from a car and I was just a baby. Not only did I hurt my legs, I also had spina bifida.
I was not really sure if anyone would love me. But, look at me today… I have a family. And my family loves me! My foster home is now my forever home.
My foster mom Paige is now my mom and my foster dad Timmy is my dad. It’s a fairytale come true for me, Valentine Rose, thanks to rescue and my family that fell in love with me, too.
From Valentine Rose’s furever momma: She is such a sweet baby girl that has been through so much and she fit in perfectly in our home. We felt like she deserved to be part of a family and now she is my little shadow. She might have had a rough start, but she will now live the life of a princess. ❤️
We had an emergency pickup today at a local shelter. Valentine Rose was found on the street, the possible victim of being run over. She has some apparent damage to her hind legs and a broken rib. We are not yet sure if the leg damage and partial paralysis is temporary or permanent, or if it were perhaps already a problem due to spina bifida or some other condition.
She is very sweet and refuses to complain. We think she is around 3 months old and weighs 15 pounds. She will go sit in Dr. Larsen’s lap tomorrow and get a complete exam. We will also consult an orthopedic surgeon and other specialists as necessary. We can already tell you she LOVES canned chicken!
This little girl is so special to us and may require surgery and possibly a long rehab time. So remember her in your prayers and consider making a donation for her ongoing care.
1/15/20 Update: Valentine Rose is just the sweetest gal this side of heaven! This morning, we saw quite a change. Not only did she stand up and walk, she walked all the way into the next room while her foster pops was fixing breakfast. He panicked when he turned around and she had vanished!
She did well on her trip to the vet clinic, where she was met with lots of hugs and kisses. She had some X-rays, tests and a complete exam. Her white cell count is extremely high and some other blood values are off significantly. She has a surgery scar on her abdomen from about three weeks ago and we don’t know why. Because we think she is only about 10 weeks old, that would have made her really young for a spay. Plus, the scar is pretty long for a puppy spay.
While she has more feeling in her hind legs today than yesterday, it is far from perfect. Doc did a needle prick around her anus and she had no response. While she has no anal tone, she does poop fairly normal. She has a tiny bit more response today when you squeeze the webbing between her toes.
Her right hind leg is extremely swollen. X-rays showed no broken bones, other than the one floating rib we already knew about. However, most of her leg joints are hyperextended. Her spine looks normal.
Dr. Larsen thinks she was hit by something, or maybe even kicked. We will never know for sure what happened. She hopes the paralysis and weakness is temporary and was caused by spinal shock and the nerve roots being pulled when she was injured.
She has enough muscle tone in her legs that make us think she was walking somewhat normal before the accident. However, she did have some pee staining that would indicate she was spending a lot of time in a crate.
When all the testing and exam were finished, she was rewarded with a nice homemade meal of chicken and rice prepared by one of the staff members. Then she got a nice warm bath.
So for right now, she will stay at the clinic and have daily laser treatments on her lower back and hind legs. She had her first treatment today and behaved like a princess. They will continue to observe her and also send all her films and reports to our orthopedic specialist for a consult. They will continue to manipulate her legs to restore mobility. If she doesn’t improve, then there will be the need for a neurological consult.
We appreciate everyone’s prayers and donations for her treatment. We will keep everyone updated regularly on her condition.
1/16/20 Update: Valentine Rose is our youngest member of rescue at this time. She is around 10 weeks old and the sweetest baby girl! You know how everyone is around a baby… yes, goofy! Well, that’s all of us. We talk baby talk to her. Fight over who’s going to hold her. Wrap her up in blankets and carry her around. Like I said, we’ve gone goofy!
Because she’s only been with us a short time, tests, X-rays and consulting are all still in process. Daily physical therapy is being performed for mobility and laser treatment for muscle repair. She is very comfortable, safe, warm and eating well.
She got to do her photo shoot today, but we were very careful with her. We treated her like a China doll. We made her sit for all her pictures, to not put weight on her leg. She got so many treats; she probably took a long nap when she got back to her bed. She was just an angel! She is our angel!
We thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, comments, shares and donations toward Valentine Rose’s healing and care. We will update you on new information on her condition when we know.
From one lonely, hurt girl, to a girl with thousands of people watching over her now! Thank you again, everyone!
2/2/20 Update: Valentine is in her foster home learning about life with SB. She is adjusting well to a new routine and new clothes. She is sporting the cutest diapers and suspenders! Her legs are getting stronger daily and she is running everywhere.
