UPDATE: Ginger had her elbow surgery on August 24 and is recovering, vet said total recovery could take up to 3 to 4 months. After her elbow surgery she still didn’t seem to feel good and her blood work was showing something off. With lots of testing it was discovered she may have a liver shunt. It could not be seen on regular imaging so the only thing to do was go in surgically, find and repair the shunt. It’s a good thing the surgery happened so fast because once they had Ginger open they found she had a perforated intestine. This surgery took 4 hours to repair and a week and a half at the vet to recover.
We still did not know if she had a liver shunt or not so Ginger had to undergo a CT scan with dye to see what they could find. Ginger was born with an unusual anatomy so that is making other surgeries that she may have needed more complicated and higher risk. At this point the vet believes she does have a liver shunt but it is hiding behind her liver in a place that could be dangerous to her life to repair.
Ginger is such a sweet girl that has been through way too much in her life so far, the girl is only a year old! We do not believe any further surgeries will help her and may even cause more damage, but her condition can be managed with prescription food. The vet said her liver disease has the potential to shorten her life but that is not a definite. Who knows, she may surprise us all and live a full lifespan.
Ginger needs a family to love her and let her be a dog. Her favorite thing to do is sit in your lap and snuggle. At only 45 pounds she makes for a nice size lap dobie.
Ginger’s adoption donation fee has been sponsored. We are just looking for the best possible loving home for our sweet Ginger.
This petite red beauty is Ginger. She has had a tough go of things in her life so far but hoping things can change for the better soon.
Ginger was born on October 8, 2016. She is a happy, silly puppy that loves to play with her people and other dogs. Does fine around cats and is fascinated with kittens. Ginger is also crate trained and walks well on a leash.
Her former family did not realize but Ginger has been in pain all her life because she has Ununited Anconeal Process, which is a fancy way to say her elbows hurt! The elbow growth plates did not grow together like they should have. This will require a surgery to relieve her pain. Ginger will never be a dog that can go on long runs but she will be able to play and take walks.
Ginger also has struvite crystals in her urine, which can also be painful when left untreated. Prescription food will take care of this but she has to be on this food the rest of her life.
Despite all these things Ginger is a joy to be around and the perfect size little girl to snuggle with.
Surgery will be scheduled after we visit the specialist on July 31st. From what we understand this will be a costly surgery so if you would like to contribute to her care please consider donating to BDR and let us know it is for Ginger.
The food she is required to be on is also costly for a rescue, so any donations will help with this as well.
We will post updates on Ginger so check back on her bio or our Facebook page.