Owen's Story

On Thursday, Halloween evening RLRR was getting ready to leave for the Furry Tail Ball event in Minneapolis. Linda, David and Karen were busy at the shelter doing the chores when Polly pulled up with a dog and a tiny kitten to surrender to the shelter before she left.

It was just getting dark, and as we unloaded the little dog. Polly said the people who surrendered him said he was just beat up by a dog. Owen had blood coming from the mouth area, and his jaw looked rather deformed. It was soon apparent when his jaw would lock that it was clearly more than a dog attack. Owen had taken blunt force in the mouth and had a broken jaw.

Karen and Kevin left the next morning, after a conversation with Dr. Vicki regarding Owen and his fate. David and Linda took care of Owen for the next 2 days, and then gave him a ride to Dr. Vicki and ACT V on Sunday November 3rd. 

UDPATE FROM ACT V:

Owen is a 5 month old Shep/Rott mix. He came from Red Lake with a broken jaw. His break is right behind his lower canine teeth on both sides. This presents some challenges because the adult teeth are not all the way in. They have also been compromised by the fracture and he may lose them later. He’s so young and his jaw bone so soft, it can’t be wired either. We consulted other veterinarians who are specialists in dentistry and jaw fractures. They suggested we get creative and use a large long lasting suture to pull the jaw back in place and sew it back together. OWEN'S SURGERY Dr. Lehnert at South Hyland Pet Hospital did just that. We are hoping for a good result for Owen. If we can get him to not chew for several weeks and not get a bone infection, he should do quite well. Positive thoughts for the big guy tonight. He is resting comfortably with Dr. Schulz. UPDATE FROM FOSTER CARE: Baby Owen transitioned to foster care and now lives with a cat, a Bulldog and a really nice Dad. Poor pup, he is not allowed to chew on ANYTHING since his jaw is wired shut. (Not shut top to bottom obviously - just the lower portion). But as you can see, he's feeling pretty perky! Lucky Owen also has a fenced in yard.