On Saturday December 1st, I waited in the cold for the transport to arrive in Atlanta from a horrible puppy mill. The puppies arriving included the newest addition to the Labrador Friends family, a 10 week old chocolate lab. I picked her up and she was very cold and scared. The plan was for her to stay at my house a few days and then go into a new home that was already waiting for her. As soon as I arrived home I knew something was very wrong. She was skin and bones, she could barely walk, she had diarrhea and every time I tried to feed her she regurgitated all her food. For two days she slept with her head on my chest. My dogs were not thrilled about this little interloper invading their special place next to me but they played along. She would get tired very easily but she was still smiling, playing, and snuggling. Her bad legs did not stop her from running, playing, and following me everywhere. Here are two pictures from the first 3 days.(click on the picture to see Lisa up close)

On Monday I drove her to our vet. She was diagnosed with Giardia, Pneumonia, Megaesophagus, and some major orthopedic problems that prevent her from walking properly. How can a 10 week old puppy have all these serious problems at once?! Unfortunately, all this is probably due to bad breeding, lack of exercise, bad food, malnutrition due to the Megaesophagus, and a very small and dark cage. The vet called us immediately saying that the regurgitation from the Megaesophagus had caused her to have Aspiration Pneumonia which was pretty severe by now. He told us that if we did not do anything she would die within a few days. The treatment for Megaesophagus is not easy nor has a clear diagnosis and the Pneumonia was pretty bad already. Did we have any choice? All we had to do was look into those green eyes to know that there was only one possible recourse, no matter the cost. The plan was clear. Put her on strong antibiotics for the Pneumonia and as soon as she was strong enough, start by trying to fix the Megaesophagus. If she made it through this first operation, then we would worry about her legs. Three days later the vet opened her up and performed the operation. He clearly told us the chances were very high she would not make it so that day we were all very worried.
As it turns out she survived her first challenge with flying colors. The vet is very pleased with the result and her recovery as it went faster than expected. She is no longer regurgitating and she is almost over her Pneumonia. She is finally putting some meat on those little bones and has grown bigger. She is eating on her own (mushy food, but she is eating on her own!) and she is not regurgitating, probably for the first time in her life. They are feeding her on elevated bowls, simply placed on top of a box, but nothing more than that. She is almost over the bad Pneumonia and you can tell!

She is a wiggly happy puppy, much more active than when she was at my house those first 3 days. As you can see she could not stay still long enough for me to take a picture. Only when she is on your lap she melts and stays still (well, chewing my sweater of course). She absolutely loves people and she was ready to say hi and wag her little tail at 200 miles an hour to anyone who would walk by. I brought her a dog stocking full of toys so she can have her own presents on Christmas morning and one of the vets there also brought her a toy. When I left, she was back in her crate going crazy over that little green squeaky toy you see in the picture. Everyone at the vet office loves her. She has the greatest personality and I hope the pictures can give you an idea of how much fun she is. She is so happy despite everything that she communicates love for life: everyone who meets her leaves with a smile.
Now Lisa is getting ready for her next challenge. You can see her orthopedic issues (together with her new, now so fashionable, haircut!) in the picture: This is how she walks (hoops is a better description). Soon we will operate on her knees and back legs. Usually you don't operate on puppies so small for orthopedic problems but her problems are so severe that if we do not operate she may never learn to walk straight and her muscles will not develop properly. It is not clear if one operation will be enough but this will hopefully help for a while. We will know more after this second operation. Lisa was an unlucky puppy but on her side she has her happiness and her willingness to live. She made it through the first operation. Now she has another one in front of her and then therapy. We don't know how she will be at the end of all this, hopefully better, but she may never be perfect. However, I am sure she will compensate any physical deficiency with lots of love, affection, and happiness. She is truly one of the most affectionate and loving puppies I have ever met who brings a smile to anyone she meets. I know it is not going to be easy to find a permanent home for her but I am confident we will eventually find a special person who will open her heart to this wonderful, special puppy! If you would like to contribute towards Lisa's surgery and therapy you can go here (please let us know your donation is for Lisa by emailing me at labfriendinfo@gmail.com ). In addition, feel free to email me if you would like to be included in our "Lisa updates" email group or come back to this webpage for updates.

DECEMBER 28th UPDATE
Lisa had her second surgery today. The vet spayed her, took out the umbilicus hernia, and he operated on her leg! Yes, only one leg for now. After observing her for a few days, he decided that the problem was more pronounced on one leg. Given that we will most likely have to operate again, he opted to do only one leg for now. She is doing well already. She has a soft cast and she has already started walking. We will really know more in about two weeks when we expect her to put full weight on the leg. She has many stitches and she needs to stay on limited activity so he wants her to stay there for at least 2 weeks. To me it looks like she is already walking a little more straight up, see the picture. As you can see we have updated her fashionable haircut and we added a few piercings to keep her up with the trend, LOL. Between the two surgery, the spay and the hernia she is one big scar. But incredibly, nothing, absolutely nothing, lowers her spirit.


JANUARY 8th UPDATE
Lisa is doing better and better. She is walking better and putting more and more weight on the operated leg every day. Now that she is better she is showing us that she is a very active little puppy. She likes to fetch a tennis ball and run around. She likes other dogs and more than everything she likes to run in between your legs. Her biggest problem is that she is so lovable that she is getting spoiled! Lisa should be ready to go in a foster home ready to handle her special needs next week.

JANUARY 11th UPDATE
After 6 weeks at the vet and two surgeries Lisa is finally in a foster home. She is very happy and she is learning to live in a home. This is Lisa's report from her first 24 hours in her foster home: