Written by Sue Impey
Professional photography by Kym Clayton Photography
Out of the blue, I received a photo from a friend – a photo that screamed for help! It was of a tiny apricot poodle puppy’s leg, or rather the bone that remained of his leg. My heart told me to go immediately and get him. My vet said no – it will break your heart.
I made arrangements to collect him at 22 days of age, because during the first 21 days of a whelp’s life they need the mother’s milk (if available) or feeding/stomach issues will occur.
This breeder was only too glad to let me take him away, as she claimed the mother was no longer interested in him, and his litter siblings were pushing him off the teats. She said she’d been feeding him raw lean steak mince from the time his leg “went black and fell off” – i.e.10 days old! All were bad breeding practices, as any breeder worth their salt would’ve taken the pup to the vet, had the broken leg reset, and treated the pup or immediately PTS the pup. But she didn’t, giving me three different excuses as to why his leg “had rotted, died and fallen off”.
On collecting him from very poor breeding conditions, I drove the one-and-a-half hours straight to my vet. They were horrified and asked me to PTS him. But Robbie (his name) and I are stubborn blondes, and he has a tremendous drive and determination to survive. The vet said the leg had been broken and left. The gangrene and rotting of his leg, along with the continuous pain, had ensured that he couldn’t move around to get food from his mother, so he was extremely dehydrated and malnourished.
I started feeding him Royal Canin Mother & Puppy mousse (kindly donated by a friend to start, and then Royal Canin gave me a donation that I’m still feeding him a month later – thank you, Royal Canin). I fed him a teaspoon of mousse with a teaspoon of boiled, lukewarm water every hour for the next 36 hours. I only weighed him then and he was 400 grams, so I knew he’d weighed much less than that at three weeks – a third of what he should have – on collection. He was also extremely constipated, only going to the toilet for the first time after 36 small feeds.
I’ve watched with delight as Robbie has grown literally in front of my eyes. He had an issue with his ear – birth mucus had blocked the ear canal and the quick growth had formed into an abscess. Up to this time, we thought Robbie might be blind and deaf, as he lacked responses for both (this would have ensured death, as life for a blind, deaf and handicapped dog would not be a happy one). But once the abscess cleared after a course of antibiotics, Robbie’s sight and hearing developed, and within the week he had them both in full!
He’d been shutting down when I collected him, and his development had literally stopped; he was at least two weeks behind on the development stages. But now, seeing and hearing at last, he was growing and developing so quickly that every day was a new growth stage!
His teeth, which should have been cutting through at four weeks, suddenly arrived at six weeks. Seven weeks in, he was interested in toys and playing, and at eight weeks old, on the day, he learnt to run! This gave him confidence and we heard his first bark!
Because he’s really only known kindness and love from me, he’s the easiest puppy I’ve ever raised. He has normal puppy fears, i.e. the dreaded noisy machine, the vacuum cleaner, but Robbie is the sweetest, most charming, normal little puppy who has, unfortunately, only three legs.
A friend opened a Facebook page for Robbie – The Three-Legged Poodle that’s open to the public, so you can watch his growth daily.
And another friend opened a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign.
I’m trying to raise funds to purchase him a “grow-as-you-grow” prosthetic that will help him develop normally. As his left foreleg is missing, the muscle development on the left side of his spine won’t develop at the rate of the double used, right side, which can lead to spinal issues. His remaining right leg will be forced centrally to enable him to balance but will ensure uneven and abnormal wear and tear on all joints, from his foot, pastern, and elbow, right up into his shoulder blade. His rear legs will have to help support his weight, so they’ll move more forward, and this will add more stresses to his spine. I can’t believe that this is his “lot” in life, and as I can’t get a local prosthetic (his stump is too short for them to consider), I’m looking to import one that will “grow as he grows” from the States. It’s very expensive, around US$3500 plus freight and duties, so any help will be wonderful!
