Update 7/24 - Lady is off all of her pain meds! The first time in almost a year. This is amazing. Her leg has healed beautifully. We are still raising money for her other leg and then she'll be done. Lady is beautiful and one of the sweetest dogs on the planet. One more surgery to go Ladybird.

If you can donate, it's tax-deductible. Thank you to everyone that has helped so far

Lady is a beautiful and soulful 9mnth old Great Dane.  Lady was surrendered to rescue because her owner was no longer able to care for her medical needs. As you can see from her pictures, Lady has HOD, Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy. There are a variety of causes, some unknown. One major cause is being fed the wrong food. Food that is too high in protein and or calcium can cause this.

Getting a Great Dane puppy is a tremendous amount of responsibility and it is important that you do your research. They are a giant breed and grown quickly. It's important that the appropriate high quality food be fed and tht growth is not pushed in these dogs.  Right now, we will manage her pain, put her on a high quality holistic diet, and give her time. Because she is so young, we are hopeful that we can turn her around. 

Update 05/26 - One Down and One to Go: Lady traveled to CT on Monday for surgery on her right rear leg.  The lateral patellar luxation was performed by Dr. Matthew Palmisano of VCA Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center.  This surgery is an attempt to straighten out her leg, place her kneecap and her leg bones where they should be.  We also hope that her muscles and ligaments will be stimulated enough to actually support her new bone structure.  Lady will be in a cast for two weeks and is under strict exercise restriction for 6 weeks.  Right now she is on pain meds and antibiotics.  She is very uncomfortable, as witnessed by the whining even in her sleep and her inability to find the “right” position in which to lie down. Because of the sad puppy dog eyes that look at you with the question of "why?"…please do not tell her that we have to do her other back leg.

Update 12/28 - Lady getting one of her many acupuncture treatments with Dr. Ruth Dalto. (click on her name to see these latest pics).

Lady is making very slow but definite progress. She will be evaluated when her growing has stopped substantially but we are quite sure she will need surgery on her right leg. She is happy and is playing like a normal puppy. She is one of the sweetest dogs we have ever had the pleasure of having in rescue.  We do have her on anti inflammatory medication on a daily basis and medication to help prevent any neurological damage.  We have opted to do her surgery in rescue rather than place her with that contingency.  Hopefully, she will be ready for her forever home this summer.

Update 11/11 - Lady was evaluated by an orthopedic specialist. As of now, it looks like she will need 3 surgeries on her left leg. Due to her age, we have to wait another 6 months to evaluate that further because she is still growing. After all that she has been through, she is still one of the sweetest dogs we have ever met.  We've been able to decrease her pain medication and she is doing wonderfully. The estimate for her surgery is somewhere in the $5,000 range. We need your help to raise the money to pay for it. Remember, all donations are tax deductible.

Update 10/8 - Lady continues to be on Metacam and pain medication on a daily basis. We are now starting acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine to help with the inflammation increase her mobility.

Update 9/15 - Laser therapy bio-stimulates the living tissue without causing any damage, it relieves pain, strengthens the immune system and allows for increased calcium uptake.  During the first week of treatments with Gayle Hickok, Lady showed a marked improvement in her mobility and a decrease in her pain levels.  As the treatments have progressed Lady continues to improve; she actually wants to play with her canine brothers and sisters and you can now tell that there is a puppy underneath all that pain itching to get out.  Lady still needs some pain medication and bandages for support when she is raring to go, but in the last month we have seen her grow from a curled up mass of pain into a Great Dane pup wanting to be a Great Dane pup.

Update 8/31 - Lady started physical therapy this week. She had massage and stretching for an hour and a half and fell asleep during her first session. She will continue with therapy and will start laser treatments on her legs with the therapist. This is a holistic approach to help her body heal itself and repair the damaged tissue. After the first treatment, she already showed improvement in walking and was using the leg she was having trouble with. Her muscles and tendons were all knotted up from being is so much discomfort for so long. She is an amazing puppy with a personality of pure sugar!

Update 8/26 - Lady has had her x-rays reviewed by a specialist. She has a severe case of HOD and recovery time will be 4-6 months at best and there is no guarantee that she will not have permanent bone deformity. Lady will be seeing the holistic vet to see if things like acupuncture, acupressure, or chiropractic care would benefit her. Her little muscles haven't had much use over the last six months so she will be seeing a physical therapist as well. Right now, we are managing her discomfort and she seems quite happy and content. She is super sweet, loving, and has all of the traits of a typical Great Dane puppy.

Update 8/13 - Lady had her physical and believe it or not, got a really good bill of health, with the exception of her legs. We should have the results of her x-rays early next week. We will know then more detail about what shape her legs are in. Right now, her pain is well managed and she is enjoying being a puppy.