I picked Harlan up from the vet last night and brought him back to his sanctuary. We had to prepare a place for him so that he could be isolated while he’s trying to recover. They said our other dog (Saul) should be kept separate from him as much as possible so that he doesn’t try to get Harlan rowdy or mess with his stitches.
Something I wasn’t expecting was that our Jack Russel Terrier Saul would be on his best behavior ever. Normally, if the dogs are ever separated, the one who stayed home will attack the dog who left and mess with him for a couple of hours. Once we arrived home and I carried Harlan inside, Saul knew that he needed to take care of his buddy. He immediately came up to lay right next to Harlan. No sniffing…no jumping…just popped a squat right away. He’s been leading Harlan around the house very slowly to the food and water or to find new spots to lay down in. What a great buddy dog.
I’m trying to get Harlan up and moving to see if he can regain the use the leg. Here’s a video of him:
We’ve got some time before his leg would need to be amputated if it comes to that. For now, I’ll keep giving him his several medications and we’ll see what progress he makes. He’s already doing quite a bit better.
Oh my!! He breaks my heart…good luck and puppy prayers are being said…
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Poor Harlan! Hoping for a swift recovery. I had a dog once, we spent over $3000 fixing her bum knees. And she didn’t even run after cars, just bad luck.
Our dogs become our family members, and they deserve every chance we can give them. I’m glad you’re giving Harlan that chance.
And Saul? He deserves a treat.
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Stacy says:
June 27th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
@Sara Plays House, Same here, Mastiff with bad knees by 2 years old . . . I was told putting him down was an option but just couldn’t. He lived quite pain free until 8 years old, which is average for a Mastiff. Family for sure. Best of wishes for Harlan!
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Poor man, thinking good thoughts for your best mate. Has the vet made any suggestion of a splint for the paw/leg so that he is at least able to walk on it a bit more normally? It will also help prevent too much wear on the topside of the paw, I have seen it used before on dogs with similar issues of nerve damage.
Best wishes and well done Saul for looking after his buddy.
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Still keeping both Harlan and your family in my prayers. Just to give you some encouragement, I had a dog who lost her front leg in an accident. She recovered fully and lived a very happy and long life. They just don’t seem to miss a limb the same way we humans would. So Harlan will be fine whichever way it goes.
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[...] This Is Reverb » Update on Harlan… thisisreverb.com/2010/06/update-on-harlan.html – view page – cached I picked Harlan up from the vet last night and brought him back to his sanctuary. We had to prepare a place for him so that he could be isolated while he’s trying to recover. They said our other dog (Saul) should be kept separate from him as much as possible so that he doesn’t try to get Harlan rowdy or mess with his stitches. Tweets about this link Topsy.Data.Twitter.User['ttc_queen'] = {“photo”:”http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/542776333/Image44_normal.png”,”url”:”http://twitter.com/ttc_queen”,”nick”:”ttc_queen”}; ttc_queen: “Prayers for a full recovery for Harlan <3 @DetzelPretzel: This Is Reverb » Update on Harlan… http://bit.ly/dDvhYC ” 5 minutes ago retweet Topsy.Data.Twitter.User['detzelpretzel'] = {“photo”:”http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/758046995/ThatBeMeWeb_normal.jpg”,”url”:”http://twitter.com/detzelpretzel”,”nick”:”detzelpretzel”}; detzelpretzelInfluential: “This Is Reverb » Update on Harlan… http://bit.ly/dDvhYC ” 11 minutes ago retweet Filter tweets [...]
Saul is so cool! And you are the best family Harlan could ask for! Healing Prayers continuing!
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Aww, that just brings tears to my eyes.
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Keeping Harlan in my prayers!!
@dvanatta
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That video made me sad. It looks like a very painful way to walk. I hope the medicine is dulling the pain.
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it’s good to have friends like that!!
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Poor puppyface! Sending healing prayers and thoughts your way!
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My heart is broken for Harlan. I’ve had numerous pets with issues to deal with. Just see them make the first move and be able to function on their own is a great reward of blessing that God is taking care of them. I’m glad to see Harlan moving and put some weight on his leg.
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Oh Harlan! My heart goes out to him when I watch him walk. He’s in my prayers. You’re a good owner, Ryan, and I’m praying for a speedy recovery for Harlan.
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That is so sweet of Saul!!!
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I’ll keep Harlan in my prayers.
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Aww, that is heartbreaking, but bless you for trying to save his life. I’d suggest you cut the toes off a baby sock and put it over his lower leg, without it he’ll callous with his new walk, the sock might protect his leg a little bit. Good luck with his recovery.
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I had a couple of accident-prone dogs. The alpha was quiet but strong. The beta was dumb and obnoxious and constantly challenged the alpha, who would only tolerate so much of that nonsense before cleaning the beta’s clock. It was always to the tune of about $400 to fix that mess, too, and each time the vet was sure beta wasn’t going to survive, or would succumb to great infection, or would lose some part of her body. But we kept the wounds clean and I did what I’d do for any sick human: I laid hands on her and prayed for her. And God healed that dog completely every time. Since you are a man of faith, why not call upon God to do what the vet thinks isn’t likely to happen naturally? Nothing is impossible with God!
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There is a vet in Lebanon who does acupuncture on dogs she is very knowledgeable and has had extensive chinese training. If you email me back I will give you her number, I had a crippled Rottweiler who she helped immensely. we did not amputate his leg.
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praying for you and your puppy! they both sound so amazing!
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Oh poor baby boy, that just tears at my heart strings. Sending puppy prayers for hos so his leg gets better and stronger
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I think daily swimming would help Harlan’s nerves to regrow in his leg.
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God love him. That is just sad, but you can tell he’s a happy boy. Must be his good parents! Good luck.
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Aw…Sending prayers your way for your guy.
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Ryan – I don’t usually comment, but I felt I needed to as a dog lover. I feel awful for Harlan and I couldn’t watch more than 10 seconds of this video without tearing up. I truly hope the vets are able to save his leg, but even if he became a “tripod,” know that dogs are amazingly resilient. I really hope and pray that whatever happens, that he’s once again happy and healthy.
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Ohhh…your poor little buddy… I know what you’re going through. I’ve gone through my doggy woes this year too… You can’t not try to make them better, just as you would your own child.
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Awww, the poor guy. I’m saying a prayer for a fast recovery! What a sweet dog.
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Poor Harlan, I’m glad your taking such good care of him. He looks like a sweet sweet boy.
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Praying for Harlan’s recovery! What a trauma to endure.
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I’m so glad Harlan is home. I am sure he is glad to be home too. With the love of his family (including Saul!) I am sure his spirits are lifting.
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Oh..poor guy. breaks my heart..I couldn’t bear it if my dog was injured like that. Sending healing thoughts his way
..and a pat on the head for his good little buddy.
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Had puppy issues myself, she broke the joint in her leg and the local vet told me all they could do was amputate. I ended up finding a great vet that fixed her (of course for a high price) but she now has 4 working legs and is a very happy girl. It is definitely stressful, so I know exactly what you are going through.
It is always hard when it is your best buddy, but at least he’s showing progress, lots of love and encouragement can go a long way in making your buddy feel better.
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My prayers and thoughts are with you and your pup! I hope he is well on his way to a speedy recovery! hugs to you all
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:*( I hope he gets better soon!!
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Awww….bless your hearts and Harlan’s too! Wishing a speedy and good recovery! I too just did a post on our rescue animals…not too good at the link thing but you can see it at glutenfreedelightfullydelicious.com Ina
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that tail wag says it all.
Please whisper in his ear that there are lots and lots of people pulling for him. And give him a kiss from us. And a treat.
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So sweet of Saul!
My heart aches for Harlan…it is so hard for me to see injured animals.
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I hope Harlan is doing better. Poor guy.
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I had to put my lovely dog Trio to sleep last year but until that moment she lived a big, enthusiastic, people loving, treat seeking life on 3 legs. I pray it does not happen but if it dogs are amazing in their resilience and adaptability.
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What a sweet doggy buddy. I’m glad Saul is taking care of Harlan. I think dogs just know… I hope that Harlan gets 100% better quickly. I’m sure it’s hard to watch him hurting.
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If that doesn’t make me want to jump through the screen and love him and pet him and hug him and squeeze him, I don’t know what does.
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While we didn’t have the trauma of our dog injured in an accident, our dog had to have a femoral head ostectomy (they remove the tip of the femur that sits in the hip joint, so essentially the muscles have to now act as a joint). He had horrible arthritis, and his bone was a square peg in a round hole, none too comfortable. When we picked him up after the surgery I cried because he looked so horrible (the shaved body, the non-working leg). But, a year and ahalf later, he has more muscle on the side of the surgery than he does on the good side, and you’d never know he had a problem. Even if it comes to an amputation, I know that because you love Harlan, he will be just fine. Look for a youtube video of Faith the dog, she was born without both front legs. And because she had owners who cared for and loved her, she thrived. Saying a prayer for Harlan!
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That instantly made me gasp and begin to sob. Pretty bad since I am an EMT and see infinitely worse carnage that that, I just like dogs better than most people. I truly hope he is well soon. *kisses on his muzzle*
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Hi,
So sorry to hear about the accident. I am sending good Healing thoughts for his recovery. Angels are with him. Also I have fostered several dogs with 3 legs or our rescue group had to amputate the leg. 3 legged dogs do great. They don’t view themselves as handicapped. It is us humans that think that way. So treat him as the loving dog that he is and let the guilt go. The angels will take care of the rest.
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I just bought a puppy about a month and a half ago and grew up with dogs so seeing yours hurt like this is hard. Especially still wagging his tail. Animals really are innocent and humans should try learning from them. They know all about ultimate forgiveness. Prayers are with Harlan.
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Send me a physical address where I can send you a personal check for harlan, please; it will not be much but I am sure it will help. Thank you
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