Scout, formerly known as Donald, was one of the Redbone Coonhound Pups we had in foster care in the fall of 2009. We got three of the five pups from the litter. All of them had generalized demodectic mange, infected skin, and a host of other problems. Despite being given a 50/50 chance of survival, four pups survived and were adopted. They were the most labor intensive, difficult foster litter we have ever had.
We heard earlier in the week that Scout’s family was going to be passing by this afternoon so we jumped at the chance to arrange a visit. You can see in the picture at the top of this post that Scout has grown to be a very handsome dog. We’re told he’s extremely friendly and loves kids and other dogs. It was obvious that his family loves him very much.
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We were especially interested in seeing how his feet were doing. The picture below, on the left, shows Scout’s front feet the day he came to us. He had an extreme case of hyperextended carpals. Given his adult size this is not something he could live with. It would have been very painful and seriously interfered with the function of his front legs.
Scout and his sister Daisy suffered from this problem. They both had to wear special fiberglass splints to hold their joints in the correct position while they “grew into” their feet. Two orthopedic surgeons, two orthopedic vet techs, and the OrthoVet company were involved in the treatment of his legs and feet.
We were very pleased to see Scout’s feet (picture below, right) are now in the proper position and his toes are pointing down.
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We rarely get to see our foster alumni after they’re adopted. This was a very special treat for us, and we thank Scout’s owner, Rebecca, for bringing him over to see us.
