Bubba's Guardian Angels
A Special Message From Bubba
2/21/2010
Bubba and Daphne have become best friends in the last week...they are now sleeping together and Daphne has even
gotten Bubba to play a bit like he used to, albeit a bit clumsy and lopsided. It helps him to gain mobility
and flexibility that walking and climbing exercises alone can‘t accomplish.
Movie of Bubba playing!
2/17/2010
Bubba has been recovering well since the surgery, slowly growing back hair and developing muscle tone.
He had his first full bath this morning upstairs. He hadn‘t been up to the second floor since
arriving at his new foster home; but today he climbed the stairs like a champ and even went back up on his own a
second time unassisted. Bubba has now recovered well enough to be ready for adoption!
2/13/2010
Bubba has been doing better this week, slowing putting weight on his repaired hip as well as getting
FASTER and now bolts around the yard in excitement. He has also been playing with the other puppies in the house,
which is a sure sign that he is getting back to his personality before the accident. He still has
occasional slips out the door, but we will continue to work with him and make any potential adopters
aware of this potential hazard.
2/6/2010
Bubba is not putting much weight on his back leg yet. He would much rather hop around on
3 legs, which is faster for him. His foster mom is trying to determine what “normal” is going
to be from
now on...but otherwise he‘s doing fine, eating good and training well off lead now, unless
something spooks him really bad. He is able to go outdoors on his own and return into the house unassisted.
2/2/2010
Bubba‘s surgery went really well, but he‘s happy to be back at his foster home.
Above are a couple of photos showing the results of the hip surgery. Now that his hip is working
again, he will need to start using his rear left leg to help rebuild lost muscle tone.
Hopefully that won‘t take any longer than it will for his coat to grow back in. The poor
guy feels like a sadly groomed poodle right now...LOL.
2/1/2010
Finally...the day has come!! Bubba was dropped off this morning for his surgery.
He is staying at the vet‘s tonight and we will post
updates on his condition tomorrow.
1/30/2010
Plans spoiled again...this time Mother Nature decided to dump up to a foot of snow,
which has postponed all weekend surgeries until next week. Surgery has been rescheduled for
Monday February 1, 2010. Please keep your fingers crossed that the roads are cleared enough by then.
1/27/2010
The big day is almost here...Bubba‘s hip repair surgery will be completed on Saturday, January 30, 2010.
We are really looking forward to getting him back to as normal as possible. He may have some scarring
on the deepest of his leg injuries, but our post surgery goal is to get him as comfortable and as well
healed as possible.
1/21/2010
Since Bubba‘s surgery has been delayed a week, we decided to start with some more
advanced obedience training off-leash this week to pass the time. Bubba is learning to
ask permission to go outside and will mostly wait until given permission to go outside now.
He still occasionally tries to sneak out the door; but with continued training, we will be certain
to correct that behavior, for his own future safety. Even after surgery, Bubba will
benefit from continued training exercises to maintain correct behaviors.
Shar-pei usually enjoy such interactive challenges.
1/20/2010
Bad news, unfortunately, Bubba‘s going to have to wait another week to get his hip fixed.
The clinic has an urgent amputatation that needs to get done ASAP and has to reorganize their
surgery schedule for this weekend now...it will now be on the 30th.
1/19/2010
With such nice weather, Bubba‘s been more anxious to be outdoors as much as we will allow.
Unfortunately, until his hip is fixed, he has to be limited to leash walking in most cases; so his hopeful
expectations are falling a bit short until surgery is complete. He‘s looking forward to freedom again!
1/18/2010
Bubba enjoyed seeing all his old foster family today,
although he‘s been getting more comfortable around his new foster pack more each day.
We even found him up on the “doggie” futon this afternoon, although we‘re not quite
sure how he managed that feat on 3 legs...LOL.
1/16/2010
Bubba saw the vet this morning and had the last of his staples removed on his deepest incisions.
He‘s doing as well as can be expected. His foster mom has to work with him on
using his left leg as much as possible to prevent muscle deterioration before and after surgery.
He wants to keep picking it up so he can move faster now that he‘s feeling better. His FHO
surgery has been scheduled for next Saturday, January 23. So far, we have raised over half of
our goal of $2,500 for Bubba‘s veterinary bills and thank all of his sponsors for their support!
Please keep him in your thoughts or prayers.
1/15/2010
We had a really nice weather day today, so Bubba got to wander free in the back yard for the first time
since his accident. Here are a couple of photos showing him enjoying the sunshine!!
1/14/2010
Bubba has some foster company now to help him pass the time while he convalesces.
He enjoys having some “friends” and will do well in a home with another pet. Hopefully
we“ll find out Saturday what is going to happen with surgery.
1/12/2010
Another quiet day at home...Bubba "hopped" over to see his foster mom on 3 legs instead of his usual
slow stroll, so his right leg must finally be feeling a bit better. He‘s also moving
faster when walking outside as well. His wound is still quite raw and not fully scabbed over yet,
but it‘s slowly improving every day.
1/11/2010
Bubba is certainly one happy boy...he got to go on a car ride to see his favorite vet and
they say he‘s doing well enough that they did not need to do any further debridement today.
He still had to make the rounds and greet everybody. Even injured, he is really strong when he
gets excited, especially when he sees other dogs to play with, which has been a challenge since
he‘s not physically fit enough just yet to engage. He goes back on Saturday again to
recheck his right leg wound to see if it s satisfactorily healed enough to schedule hip surgery.
1/9/2010
Bubba has been doing very well but unfortunately his right leg wound was very deep and
has had to be left open due to lack of healthy skin remaining; so it‘s healing very slowly.
He goes back for an update visit at his favorite Virginia Beach SPCA vet clinic on Monday
to see where we‘re at on scheduling his hip surgery.
Any donations are much appreciated and are more important now than ever!! We thank Bubba‘s sponsors
who have so far contributed $1118 of his $2500 total estimated medical expenses.
1/8/2010
After an early morning visit from tiny darlings, Bubba spent his afternoon resting quietly.
1/7/2010
Bubba‘s finally home from the SPCA vet. His debridement went well, but they
were unable to reclose the wound on his right leg. It looks quite “tenderized” at the
moment but will hopefully fill back in as he continues to heal. Otherwise he‘s doing
well...he‘s definitely back to himself temperament wise, which is a mixed blessing because
he doesn‘t understand why he can‘t run around to thoroughly sniff the back yard. He is
still being leash walked with the assistance of the sling to get back up the stairs, but he is
otherwise maintaining his own weight fairly well. Above are a few updated photos
(minus the rear right angle to avoid the worst of the injuries). Due to the graphic nature of
his leg wounds, we have only been posting pictures where the wounds are concealed.
1/6/2010
Bubba is doing as well as can be expected. He's at the vets today for some necessary
wound maintenance; otherwise, he‘s back to his normal self personality wise. The challenge is
holding him back so that he doesn‘t hurt himself now. He can‘t climb stairs until his hip is fixed, but that
doesn‘t stop him from trying. He was even caught trying to get up on the doggie futon yesterday...typical Shar-pei
determination, won‘t let anything get them down for long!!
1/5/2010
Bubba‘s still eating really well and getting more active and aware of his surroundings.
His right leg staples are coming loose from the decrease in swelling. He is scheduled for another debridement
tomorrow, so they will also fix the incision closure tomorrow.
1/4/2010
Bubba‘s appetite has finally won. He‘s back on dry food mixed with a bland diet.
This is a good sign his insides are feeling better. He ate three dry meals so far with no apparent stomach upset.
His wounds are draining regularly now, relieving some of the massive swelling on his right leg.
Pain is under good control - he is much more
comfortable and not nearly as restless today.
1/3/2010
The picture of Bubba above with all of his wounds hidden was taken on 1/3. He wanted to say hello and thank everyone for
the get well wishes :-)
1/2/2010
Bubba went to the vet on 1/2 for examination and cleaning of his wounds. He will definitely need surgery for
his hip, but we need to wait for his wounds to heal because the vet is worried about preventing secondary infection.
He is on antibiotics and intensive home and vet treatments until the wounds are better healed. He will be going
back to the vet next week for further debriding of his wounds, so we will know more then. The poor thing looks
terrible, but he gave kisses all the way to the vet. He may be badly hurt, but he‘s definitely still a “Romeo” and
seems more concerned about getting all his “loves” than anything else right now!!!
12/31/2009
Bubba has been at the emergency veterinarian since yesterday. They were able to get his hip back in place, but it is still
unstable and he has swelling in his rear and abdomen.
He will be
staying at the emergency clinic tonight. He may also need surgery, which we will know more about tomorrow.
The good news is that he is drinking and doing much better than he was
this morning.
12/30/2009
Bubba
escaped from his foster home on 12/29.
He has been found, but sadly, he had been hit by a car and was seriously injured.
Back to Home Page