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Age: 1 year
Size: large
Activity level: medium/high
Good With Dogs?: yes
Good With Cats?: yes |
Foster Parents
were Aishling & Guthrie F., now Danny T.
His Buddy is
Interested in adopting Marshall?
Please
check out our requirements for adoption page first,
then call our Adoption hotline at
(978) 443-2202 |
Marshall's Buddy
says: |
A Bright Future For Marshall
Thanks to
GSRNE’s Loving Support
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Marshall came into GSRNE when he was 7 months old
Marshall was turned in to GSRNE by his owner,
a college student, when he was seven months old. She had rescued him
when he was only 6 weeks old, from a laundry basket that had been left
by a curb not far from where she lived. As he grew, it became harder
for her to make the time to give him enough attention and exercise; so
she called our Hotline, looking for help.
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Marshall loved to run and play with his foster brother
Fortunately, we had an experienced foster home available; and after
Marshall passed his evaluation with high marks, we transferred him
into their care. He handled the adjustment well and was soon
romping in their fenced yard and going for long walks with his new foster brother, a young male
Golden Retriever.
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Marshall tired easily and became uncomfortable after running &
playing
The foster
parents began to notice that Marshall seemed to tire easily, or would
become uncomfortable, and go lie down. They also noticed a “click” in
his right hip when he was walking. We made an appointment to have his
hips x-rayed and were devastated to learn that this friendly young pup
had severe bilateral hip dysplasia. We then took him to Tufts for a
consultation and learned what our options were for helping him to lead
a more normal, pain free life. After much discussion and talking with
two orthopedic surgeons, we decided to have a hip replacement for
Marshall. We were told that replacing one hip usually alleviates the
clinical symptoms so that it shouldn’t be necessary to do the other
hip.
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Fortunately, Danny is home and could help Marshall
through his recovery.
Although, after
the surgery, he would need someone home with him most of the time to
make sure he didn’t try to break out of his crate or move around too
much. Since his foster parents both worked full time, this meant
finding another foster home for Marshall. We postponed the surgery
until we were able to place him with his new foster dad, Danny, and
canine foster brother, Rocky. We then gave him some time to adjust to
his new surroundings. We were so fortunate that Danny was willing to
go through this difficult time with Marshall!
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Marshall's surgery scar. OUCH!
The surgery took place at Tufts on August 27, 2008. The surgeon called
afterwards to report that everything had gone well. They had gotten a
good, tight fit into the socket and did not have to use cement, which
is what they were hoping would happen. Three days later, I met
Danny at Tufts to get Marshall. We were both amazed at the way
Marshall walked out to greet us, supported by a black trash bag which
the vet tech was using as a sling. The instructions were that
Marshall was to have minimal opportunity to move around and needed to
be supported by a sling when he walked outside several times a day.
Danny had borrowed a friend’s minivan so Marshall wouldn’t have to be
lifted into his pickup truck, and I had brought a ramp for him to walk
up and into the van. Once he was in the van, I followed them
home in order to help get Marshall safely out of the van and into a
crate in the house. Since I was following Danny, I was able to
see that Marshall stood up for the first part of the ride and only lay
down once we were on the highway.
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Before long,
Marshall was feeling much better!
It’s now been 3 weeks and 4 days since the surgery, and Marshall seems
to feel like he’s all better
and should be able to play with Rocky
again. His staples were removed after 10 days, and he had no
problems with swelling or redness. He’s not showing any signs of
pain, and it’s getting harder to keep him from moving around too much.
Fortunately, Danny has two indoor/outdoor runs which can be blocked in
the middle. Marshall spends the mornings in the outside portion,
which gives him about 5’ to move around in yet keeps him from being
able to run. In the afternoons, he’s in the inside portion; and
at night, he’s in an extra-large crate in the family room. Eight
weeks out from the surgery, Marshall will have that hip x-rayed to
make sure the healing is complete and only then will he be allowed to
start taking short walks and gradually building up his strength in
that leg. Eight weeks, though it seems like forever, is a short
time to trade off for a lifetime of normal running, playing, hiking
and other normal activities, free from the pain.
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Marshall is looking for a family to call
his own.
This is
the first time that GSRNE has been able to pay for a hip replacement!
Without the support of everyone who comes to our Auctions and Walk ‘n’
Wag fundraisers, participates in our Trim-a-Tree/Light the Menorah and
other online events, raffles, etc., we could not have done this for
Marshall. We hope you will all have a chance to meet Marshall at a
future Rescue Dog Parade. and hope you join us on October 4th
as we celebrate and honor the dogs that GSRNE has rescued and adopted
over the years!
Marshall is now looking for his
forever home. If you think it might be you, give us a call!
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