Koda's Needs a New Hip
Please help a puppy in need...
 Monique
Rafique King has been involved in agility for over 10 years, mainly for fun
though her previous dogs had not been fit enough to compete. Her most successful
dog to date has been her rescue Poodle Oreo who had a late introduction to the
sport due to behavioural issues, but they are enjoying working their our way up
through the grades - currently at G5.
I thought how fun it would be to get a
brand new puppy and start with all the basics from scratch! My own little sport
project! The canvas was blank - we could do anything!
I did all my homework, found a lovely
home breeder with fully health tested dogs and welcomed Koda home, a little nine
week old Toy Poodle X in May 2022!
The first week
was a dream
Koda was a wonderful puppy. He had already learnt his name, how to sit, was
going out to explore the world in my arms. It was like he had always been here.
Unfortunately on the 24th May, 11 days
after bringing him home, he fell out of my van crate. We rushed him straight to
the vet for emergency X-rays.
The X-rays were a little inconclusive.
There was a slight suspicion of a fracture on his hip. However, due to his
growth plates being so open it was very hard to tell.
 The
X-rays were sent to Fitzpatricks' specialists who also could not give a
definitive answer.
We were advised complete crate rest for a
few weeks which we followed religiously.
Koda started to feel better and weight
bearing again.
Our vet was happy with his progress and
we continued with a lot of rest, controlled exercise, hydrotherapy, myotherapy,
osteopath sessions and more. I was throwing everything I could at getting him
better.
As he grew, Koda's lameness became
intermittent. Although he was happy most of the time, it was obvious he wasn't
completely comfortable on the leg and it was stopping him from being a normal
crazy puppy!
At six months old, after we had exhausted
all the rehabilitation methods, I went back to Fitzpatricks Referrals for CT
scans and X-rays.
They discovered that Koda's hip was
completed deformed, unstable and irreparable. The X-ray result was shocking.
They were not sure how he was running around as he was, and how he was not
showing any pain.
I was completely devastated as it seemed
all our hopes and dreams of a active life were crushed. Such a simple accident
had caused such horrific damage.
The surgeons did give us a light at the
end of the tunnel. Koda would need a full hip replacement to be able to live a
completely normal and active life with a potentially competitive career.
 The
downside to this was the price tag
We are looking at a minimum of £10,000 - double this if done at
Fitzpatrick's.
Our insurance is capped at £6,500 a year.
We are through nearly half of this already.
I want nothing more then to see my puppy
live up to his full potential as we all do. Agility is way in the
future, if at all. At the moment, all I want is to see him be able to keep up
with the other dogs, run and play completely mobile and pain free.
I have started a
crowd fund to see if anyone is willing to help us reach the end goal. You
may have seen us at shows and heard his story. He is such a happy little guy,
even with his injury. He deserves to have a normal life.
The funds raised will go into his
surgery0 and the extensive rehabilitation he will need. I will keep everyone
updated on his progress, vet visits etc.
We have some time to gather funds as he
will not be able to have surgery until early 2023 when he is around 11 months
old.
If you would like to know more, go to
Koda's
GoFundMe page and have a read through..
We will be forever grateful.
First published 5th October 2022
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