Age: 4 months
Size: 9.5 lbs
Estimated breed: Pit bull terrier/Whippet mix
“URGENT: Rescue needed by 4pm on 6/16.” As soon as we saw this headline in our email inbox, paired with Ophelia’s little face, we knew what we had to do. We drove straight to Baltimore to save this little lady’s life and boy, are we glad we did. Surrendered to the shelter paralyzed, Ophelia weighed a meager 5 lbs. She was emaciated, her spine and ribs protruding from her little body. She had no use of her hind legs, and in her weakened state, she’s wasn’t able to scoot around at all on her own and struggled to balance in the sitting position. Despite all of this, she remained the sweetest puppy who just wanted to sit on a lap and quietly observe what’s going on around her.
Ophelia saw our primary care vet, who referred us to a neurologist specialist in Maryland. After having a CT scan done, Ophelia was diagnosed with a suspected osteochondroma, a non-cancerous bone tumor on her spine. This bony growth on her T6 vertebrae is compressing her spinal cord, causing her hind leg paralysis. The good news - with surgery to remove the growth and intensive physical therapy to rebuild her leg muscles, we’re hopeful Ophelia can regain some mobility! Surgery is also imperative to ensure the osteochondroma does not continue to grow and cause her condition to worsen, i.e. making her incontinent or more immobile. While we fundraise for the surgery (estimated to cost $11,000) and allow Ophelia time to regain weight and strength, she’ll get started with physical therapy to help increase her chances of walking again once the surgery is complete!
It’s incredibly easy to fall in love with Ophelia. This girl is a fighter who refused to lay down and die despite the despicable conditions she was surrendered to the shelter in. She’s full of spunk and has no problem letting foster mom know when it’s mealtime! She’s able to walk with the support of a sling around her waist, and will even try to run to keep up with her doggie foster brothers and sisters. She has control over her bladder and bowels and will let you know she she needs to go outside to go potty, making her essentially potty trained. She sleeps through the night in a playpen and spends the day alternating between napping on the couch and hanging out in the yard.
Ophelia will not be ready to join a forever family until after we address her surgical needs, but we can accept applications now for invested adopters with a soft spot for special needs dogs and who can commit to Ophelia’s follow-up care. To adopt Ophelia, please apply on our website! https://www.nirvanaanimalrescue.org/adoption-application
Please note we cannot guarantee the age/breed of any of our dogs. All of our dogs are working on their crate and house training.
PA Kennel License #18366
July 30, 2024, 10:27 am
