Cutie's Fund donations made Friday surgery on dog’s hurt leg possible

Laura Simmons of the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office holds Cindy Lou Who, a 3-month old terrier before her surgery for a fractured leg. She will need 6-to-8 weeks to heal.

THE BLADE/ZACK CONKLE
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Laura Simmons of the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office holds Cindy Lou Who, a 3-month old terrier before her surgery for a fractured leg. She will need 6-to-8 weeks to heal.

Cindy Lou Who, the first dog to be treated at the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office courtesy of donations to Cutie’s Fund, came through surgery Friday with flying colors.

“She’s a spunky little dog,” said Dr. Gary Thompson, the veterinarian who performed her orthopedic surgery at West Suburban Animal Hospital, 3265 King Rd., Sylvania Township.

The 3-month-old terrier mix puppy with a severely fractured leg was found Tuesday morning in a pile of garbage on Yates Street near Mulberry Street, said Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle.

Dog warden personnel were pursuing another dog that was running at large when they came across the puppy, Ms. Lyle said.

The surgery included the insertion of a bone plate in her broken leg, Dr. Thompson said. The procedure and aftercare would normally cost about $1,600, but Dr. Thompson is giving the pound a 40 percent discount.

Thanks to Cutie’s Fund, a donation fund established by the pound to aid dogs that need emergency care, Dr. Thompson was able to give Cindy Lou the necessary help.

“It’s nice to be able to help her so quickly,” Dr. Thompson said. “Normally, a puppy in her condition would have to sit at the pound and wait to be transferred to the Humane Society and we wouldn’t see her for a week or more.”

The longer before surgery, the more chance there is for scarring to begin and for the surgery to be less effective, he said. There was already some scar tissue forming at the break which would indicate that Cindy Lou had been suffering with the injury for at least several days, he said.

Veterinary technicians will help Cindy Lou Who this weekend with range of motion and weight bearing exercises, Dr. Thompson said.

On Monday, the puppy will be transferred by the pound to You Lucky Dog in Oregon, one of the pound's rescue partners, Ms. Lyle said.

The puppy will need 6-8 weeks before the bone is healed completely, Dr. Thompson said. She will get her stitches out in two weeks and then will need X-rays at four weeks and eight weeks post-surgery to make sure the bone is healing properly.

Those interested in adopting Cindy Lou Who can fill out an application on the You Lucky Dog’s Web site at youluckydogrescue.com or can call the rescue group at 419-691-1375 or email info@youluckydogrescue.com.

The Lucas County dog warden has raised more than $17,000 in donations since kicking off fund-raising efforts Nov. 28 for Cutie’s Fund, an effort to help dogs that come into the pound with high-cost medical needs.

It will help dogs like its namesake, a Chihuahua that was brought in during the middle of the night with a puppy lodged in the birth canal. The emergency-care bill for Cutie was more than $1,400.

The first $5,000 in public donations was being matched by Block Communications Inc., parent company of The Blade. The fund was seeded with a $5,000 donation from John Robinson Block, publisher and editor in chief of The Blade, and Allan Block, chairman of BCI.

By contributing to Cutie’s Fund, animal lovers can make a tax-deductible gift to help with emergency and life-saving care and for the hospitalization of sick, hurt, or mistreated dogs assisted by the dog warden’s office.

Donations can be made in person or mailed to the Lucas County dog warden, 410 S. Erie St., Toledo, OH 43604, or online at tinyurl.com/CutiesFund. Checks should be made payable to the Lucas County dog warden with “for Cutie’s Fund” specified on the memo line.

Blade animal welfare reporter Tanya Irwin adopted Cutie from the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office via the department’s regular adoption process.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com or 419-724-6066.