Lady Hope was found on Sunday, January 20, 2008 in a median in Alabama off I-65. She appeared to be hit by a vehicle, and unable to walk. She ate part of a cookie and then drug herself by her front legs to the truck. She was picked up and put in the back of the truck and brought to our home.
Hope's name was chosen simply because we were hoping she would recover to live a full and happy life. The definition of Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.
We gave Hope our other lab's crate, some warm blankets and a heater in the garage. Hope had severe injuries although not immediately life threatening. She would crawl using her front legs and wimper in pain to get into the crate. She seemed to really like the crate. Hope loves her ears and face rubbed, and would drink water but not eat.
She is a black lab approximately 70 lbs with shiny black hair with a little white around her chin and on her tummy. We suspect she was abused by her previous owner or had been on her own for some time. She is a very good natured dog that has been more than thankful for the help people are giving her even though she is in LOTS of pain. Hope has a very loving temperment and loves ALL people. Even so, we plan to take her to basic training and socialize her. Hope was taken to Madison Vet on January 21st and went into surgery on the afternoon of January 22nd and is recovering. She is being treated like a queen and is getting spoiled!!!
The last update on Hope was posted Tuesday, 26-Feb-2008 11:50:35 EST
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Update 2/26/08:
{Lisa} Hope went for her checkup today. She had an infection on one of her legs where she had been biting. Dr. Gorman prescribed antibiotics for her and another 1/2 pain pill. She returns in 2 weeks to have the pin removed from her leg. Hopes personality is really showing. Daisy used to get to lay by the back door, but Hope now tells her that's her territory. Hope is very attached to human attention. She begs for it and is always right under foot, but will go lay down in the kitchen on the tile to rest... the only problem is Daisy has lost her favorite napping spot. So each of the girls is getting their own backyard time and own in the house time, and Hope is still sleeping in the garage in her crate. They do play together and Hope is getting to be a big girl... it's time to stop babying her so much with the food and put her on a schedule. She still will not venture onto the hardwoods by herself.
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Update 2/16/08:
{Lisa} Hope has made tremendous progress. She is standing much more on her own. She wags her tail so hard you think she will knock the house down. She doesn't like walking on hardwoods as they are too slippery. She lays at the edge of the tile instead. We do use a towel to support her as a sling some to let her come onto the hardwoods and lay down as she really likes to be close by. Daisy paces the floor around her (which is a bad habit), so Hope is growling at her every time she passes. Daisy won't settle with Hope in the house. Praising her as Daisy approaches when she hasn't growled yet seems to work well. If you tell her no growl in a stern voice she wags her tail, so that isn't working. The girls stay on opposite sides of the yard for the most part. However, they did stay outside together all of this morning and got along fine. Hope is learning to eat dry food, and Daisy is jealous of the wet food she gets so they are fed separately for now. Hope does need obedience school for manners with other animals. She acts very protective/on guard with any other dog around. |
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Update 2/16/08:
{Lisa} Hope has been outside most of the morning with Daisy. Hope is very protective and is growling at Daisy if she comes up to the back door. We are scolding this behavior and praising her when her when she is nice to Daisy. It is worse when Hope thinks we are not watching. Hope got her first bath this morning and smells soooo much better. She felt good enough to shake off afterwards and lounge outside. We did not put soap anywhere near the incisions because we didn't want it to burn, but let some of the soapy water run over just a little. We want to thank Michelle and Daniel for letting us borrow their crate for Hope. She has much more room to move around and can look around more.
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Update 2/15/08:
{Johnny} We brought Hope home today. She and Daisy are getting to know each other. Hope's a little growly at times. I put Hope in the back yard for a few hours and now she is in her crate in the garage. Daisy is a little unsure of the whole situation. Hope's walking around much better, but still needs a lot of rest. We want her to get some physical activity so when it is pretty out we will put her in the backyard to be with Daisy and sometimes by herself when they are not supervised. The plan ahead for Hope's treatments is as follows: 1 week go back for checkup, 1 month surgical removal of the pin in her hip, and spade, and then 6 months heartworm treatment (we are currently giving Hope Heartguard to keep them from getting worse). She needs a bath!!!
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Update 2/11/08:
{Johnny} Hope walked out of her cage today unaided, across the slick floor, and outside with me. She has the strength to get around ouside just fine but tires easily. She has come such a long way. She looks so proud of herself when she is walking about. Can't wait to get her home. I am going to talk to the vet tomorrow about scheduling her spade and heartworm treatment. All is looking good. Thanks for all the support.
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Update 2/08/08:
Grandma Cheryl donated $500 to Hope's care today. Thank you Mom for the donation. Hope can't say thank you enough for the outpouring of donations she has received. It's because of that that she is being given wonderful care. Hope is continuing to show improvement today and should get to come home late next week. She is still walking out side for her breaks. She will undergo her heartworm treatment soon and she will be spade. She has those bumps in the road yet to go. To all who are following Hope's care, we hope that you are enjoying watching her improve as much as we are. Thank you for the prayers and support.
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Update 2/06/08:
[Johnny] My parents came through with a $200 donation to Hope today. Very thoughtful of them. Hope is walking so much better today. The techs say she can walk outside and potty without assistance. Left hip was a little swollen but I am told that is the pin head in the leg and once the pin is removed that will not be an issue. She will get up and walk to the end of the crate for you to pet her. No aggression today at all with the large dog in the kennel next to her. So happy to see her getting along with other dogs better. Can't say enough how wonderful the hospital staff has been at Madison Vet. Oh, talked to a very interesting lady name Robin today. She wanted to hear all about Hope's story.
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Update 2/02/08:
[Johnny] Went by at lunch and patted her head. Hope cried a lot when I left. She is definitely ready to come home. Doc says he will let me know when that is okay. $270 worth of donations have come in lately. I think the Times article had a lot to do with that. See the new total below. So, plan ahead is, get her standing well, have her spayed, clean her up and bring her to our home to interact with Daisy.
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Update 2/04/08: [Johnny] Hope's newspaper article was published in today's Huntsville Times. It tells her story well and gave Madison Veterinary Hospital some visibility. Took some pictures today... And talked to one of the techs today that said Hope was putting even more weight on her back leg that has the pin in it.
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Update 2/02/08:
[Johnny] Spent about an hour with Hope today. She Gets up and walks to the edge of the crate to see me. She has started shaking with excitement when I first get there but settles after about 5 minutes. Her stitched up area looks like it is healing well. She had a brightness in her eyes that I had not seen yet, a sure sign that she is feeling better. Oh, and to show that she is feeling more doglike she shredded her blanket last night. I was happy to hear of that playful behavior. Dr. Goreman says he will tell me when I can bring her home. We are probably going to have her spayed before she leave the vet's.
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Update 1/31/08:
[Johnny] Hope had an interview with Yvonne Betowt from the Huntsville Times newspaper. Ms. Betowt was a lovely lady very interested in Hope's story. Hope was very whiney when I first got there today but settled down after a few minutes. I did hear Dr. Gorman say that he wants to keep Hope a few weeks. Goreman feels that Hope will makea full recovery but we really ahve to baby that one leg right now. But, Hope is happy, warm, and well-fed so staying at the vet may be the best thing for her at this stage of her recovery. Lisa and I are so grateful for the outpouring of support we have gotten for Hope. The vet techs tell me that Hope gets a few phone calls and visitors a day (besides me of course). Hope had a siberian husky as a neighbor today in the hospital and I think her growling is getting better. A quick verbal correction seems to stop it. So, keep Hope in your thoughts and prayers.
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Update 1/30/08:
[Johnny] Went by and spent some time with Hope this morning. She whined and whimpered while I was there. You could tell that she was craving attention. The Huntsville Times is sending a reporter by Madison Vet tomorrow morning to do an interview with Hope and I. So, we're looking forward to that. Hope is on bed rest to get that broken leg to mend. She's a happy camper but you can tell she is tired of being still.
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Update 1/29/08:
[Johnny] Noticed Hope putting no weight on her left back leg. And she had taken 3 or 4 of her stiches out. It was obviously hurting her despite the pain meds. Anyway, I took her back to the vet. An X-ray later told us that the wire that holds the bone fragments to the new pin had shifted and the top half of the bone was pushed closer to the bottom half. Not going to do surgery right now. Doc seems to feel that the two halves are stable despite the little shift. The big pin holding the femur together did need to be adjusted as it was poking Hope and aggrivating her so they did that. Doc is going to keep her a few days, lots of rest, some anitbiotics (because of the new stitches and where Hope had taken a few out). This is just a little set-back. Let's hope this is the only one we have. |
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Update 1/28/08:
[Johnny] Brought Hope home today. Docs recommend lots of bed rest. She can walk on her own for short spurts but it tires her out. We brought a sling home with us to help her when she is walking. I have her set up with a nice large crate in the garage. While I was setting it up she relaxed in the grass in the front yard. Appointment to take the stitches out of her legs is this Friday. Have not introduced her to Daisy, our yellow labrador. I felt that Hope was too tired for that just yet.
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Update 1/26/08: Today Lady Hope is doing much better. She has been standing on her own for us and wanting to have her face and ears rubbed as well as her chin, nose, back and chest. She walked with her own weight on her legs outside today with just the sling to catch her from falling, but not supporting her. Her tail has been wagging the entire time. Her stitches look great. We brushed her hair and took her a couple treats but she wouldn't eat them. Hope is getting some visitors from some younger children today.
The vet says they receive about 3-4 calls a day for donations and questions about how Hope is doing. We scanned the estimate of her surgeries not including her other care and will post that in the estimated cost section of this page. We made some movies and pictures of her and I will post them shortly.
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Update 1/25/08: Today Lady Hope is doing much better. She has been standing on her own, took a few steps and is doing very well. She is in much better spirits today. Her tail is wagging and she ate a can of wet food and then her meds. She's finicky about eating the dry food. In the pictures below, you can see the incision that was made to correct her dislocated right hip. You will also notice in that picture that she is standing without the sling. You can also see a picture with her wonderful nurses/technicians holding the sling to keep the weight off her back legs. It looks like she can possibly come home on Monday which is a little longer than we expected but she is getting excellent care. One more character trait we learned today... Hope barks and grumbles about other medium to large size dogs. We think it may be her trying to protect us. Lady Hope has received donations from Alabama, Texas, Seattle, and California for her care.
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Update 1/24/08:
Today Lady Hope was not as perky. She moves around a little with the help of a sling to keep weight off her back legs to use the restroom. She is trying to move her back legs some which is a very encouraging sign. She had a good 45 minute visit today where she just wanted her head in my lap and her head rubbed. It still looks like she can come home in about 2 days. The vet said tomorrow she may be able to put a little weight on her back legs. |
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Update 1/23/08:
Today is a good day for Lady Hope. She needs to stay still for the most part for now. She was able to stand using a sling to keep weight off her legs. She had several visitors and wagged her tail for all. When you pat her head, and then stop, she takes her left front paw and taps your hand so you will pat her again and will crawl using her front legs to put her head in your lap. She was also able to stand, sit up, use the restroom, recognize her rescuers, and eat about a cup of food. She should be able to come home in approximately 3 days and can walk with a sling. She can have a bath in 7 days. Her estimated recovery is 6-8 weeks.
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Update 1/22/08:
Hope's liver enzymes look excellent. Everyone at the vet was waiting to hear the decision on surgery this morning. She went into surgery this afternoon. Dr. Patrick Gorman, Auburn University graduate, performed the surgery and says it went very well. She has about a 9" incision on her back right leg and her back legs and back have been shaved. She also has an incision on her back left hip. She is sleeping and resting well after surgery. The vet advises no visitors today.
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Update 1/21/08:
Lady Hope was taken to Madison Vet today. She has had lots of bloodwork, xrays and consultations today. Hope is estimated to be 4 years old. She seems fearful and defensive with other dogs but the vet says this is normal for a dog that cannot defend themselves.
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Update 1/20/08:
Hope was rescued! |
Please do not feel obligated to donate. If you would like to donate please call Madison Vet at 256-837-9171 and ask to donate to the Sidney 's Fund for "Lady Hope" Abrams and they can take a credit card over the phone or you certainly go in person to make your donation if you wish. The donations will go directly to Hope's treatment including having her spayed and give her the routine shots. We like this alternative to having her put to sleep knowing that she can have a good life with other labs to play with.
Hope is a very lucky girl. We cannot thank those enough for reaching out to her and donating through the Sidney's Fund at Madison Vet. Thanks goes out to Madison Vet Doctor's and Staff for their support. Below we have listed many of the people that have made donations.
Rick & Jean Mulcahy
Dave, Cindy & Angelica Bogue
Ed & Kay Dean
Tommy & Cheryl Dobson
Paul & Beth Ferguson
Ray & Nell Dobson
Steve West (Zac & Zoe)
Crystal Davis
Katherine Spencer
Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Abrams, Jr.
Anonymous donations have been made as well
Please e-mail us to let us know if you donated so that we can thank you!
