Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

Chaos came into rescue on April 28, 2007. His owners were moving and couldn't bring him with them. We were told that he was attacked by their female Dane over food and his legs went right out from underneath him on the linoleum floor, spread eagle like Bambi. He has apparently never been the same since.

Chaos hobbles in order to get around. He is not physically capable of laying down right now due to his hips. He will put
his front two legs on the couch and then kind of throws the rest of himself onto the couch.

We are hopeful that we will be able to get Chaos transported to Colorado tomorrow so that we can have his hips x-rays and have him examined by an orthopedic specialist immediately to see what we can do to help him! It is terribly sad to see him struggle to get around and you can see the puppy inside his soulful eyes just dying to come out.

May 2, 2007

Chaos made a trip to VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital yesterday to visit Dr. Stubbs. They had to sedate him to do x-rays because he is such an active boy, despite his physical limitations. The x-rays were extremely impressive. The balls are not even remotely in the sockets and Chaos is suffering from severe hip displaysia, bone spurs, and arthritis in both hips. This is something genetic that set in at a young age and has been progressive and was not a result of any sort of trauma. The bottom line is that he is in a lot of pain and is going to need two total hip replacements!

Dr. Stubbs is a very talented orthopedic surgeon and he has been performing hip surgeries for a very long time. The procedure that he has recommended is a "Kyon" hip replacement which is the work horse hip and he has been doing at least one of these procedures per week since 2002. Normally, Danes are not good candidates for this particular hip, due to their enormous size, but Chaos is perfect because he is smaller and only weighs 104 lbs. As you can see on the x-rays, he fits right into the sizing chart for the Kyon implant.

Chaos seems to favor his right hip a little more, so we are going to start with that one. It is a 10 week recovery. The first 3-4 weeks are very strict as far as extremely limited activity and no running, jumping, playing, and lots of time confined to only a small area or a crate. Weeks 4-8 are leash walking and slightly increased activity. Weeks 8-10 are pretty much spent getting them back to normal activity.

He will need 6 months after the first surgery before they will consider the second hip replacement. We are hopeful that he will have a new family willing to help out with this procedure before then because it is extremely expensive, but we will make sure that this sweet boy gets whatever care he needs!

Chaos is a sweet teenager who is incredibly loving and is settling into his foster home very well! Unfortunately, not only did his previous owners neglect to get him the medical attention he needed, but they also spent very little time on training. He is pretty clueless right now, but his foster family will be working on manners. Thus far his favorite place to sleep has been a couch with other dogs around. They are progressing him to the bedroom floor and/or open crate in preparation for his down time following his surgery. He gets along remarkably well despite his disability and likes to play with other dogs and toys! He deserves a chance at a life with no pain and we are thrilled that there is something we can do to help him!

If you are in a position where you can help financially with the cost of his medical care, please donate online through our website or send a check made out to "RMGDRI" to: PO Box 460773, Aurora, CO 80046. We greatly appreciate your support!

June 12, 2007

We were forced to postpone Chaos' surgery because we needed some time to raise enough money to cover the costs. His foster family has been working on basic manners and helping him to gain weight and strength in preparation for the big day. He is coming along nicely. He is a very sweet teenager who is very eager to please.

He gets around remarkably well and is a true furniture hog. Due to his hips he never sits, simply goes from standing to lying down, which he only does on the couches and bed. He sleeps through the night and is relatively trustworthy with free roam during the day with people home. He occasionally lets out a small urine spot, but is pretty good about showing he needs to go out. He will still easily go into the crate when needed but howls to be let out.

He engages the other senior dogs in his foster home in play behavior, which usually gets him growled at, but he has a lot of spunk. He plays a lot with toys and has a hard time distinguishing his Kongs from Crocs and flip flops, but will "drop" on command. He also sometimes drags around clothes instead of his Tugs. He's a drooler who likes to leave slime trails.

He also likes to make goofy noises in your face as well as give kisses. He has an exceptionally beautiful face, nice strong front legs with feet that turn out, and a coat so black it almost looks purple in the sunlight. Chaos is very endearing and active little man and we hope to have the funding for his hip surgery very soon!

If you'd like to make a donation now to help us with his medical costs, please Donate now!

July 23, 2007

Chaos underwent surgery today at Alameda East. Dr. Stubbs just called to say that "it went very well" and he was "thrilled with the results"! He is waking up now and recovering nicely. He still has a long road ahead of him and will require lots of TLC and rehabilitation during his recovery, but he is one step closer to being able to be a normal puppy again.

July 24, 2007

Chaos continues to do well in ICU and is recovering nicely from his surgery. There is not much swelling and the incision site looks really good. Dr. Stubbs said that the stem fit beautifully and the cup was perfectly positioned. Chaos is trying to get up on his own already!

He would like his foster family to continue towel walking him for the first couple of weeks to prevent slipping after he sends him home. They will also need to minimize stairs and restrict activity for the first 3-4 weeks which are the most critical. The complication rate drops to zero after that initial recovery period, so it will be very important for him to take it very easy. When he is left alone, he will need to be confined to a bedroom or a crate. Dr. Stubbs did say it would be okay for him to rest on the couch or a dog bed, whichever is easier for him to get up and down on.

He will be sent home on Cephalexin to prevent infection and Tramadol for pain. The biggest sign to watch for is any abrupt change in use of his leg. He will have to come back to Alameda for suture removal in 8 days and then at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months for follow-up x-rays.

His foster mom went to visit him yesterday and he was very confused and pretty loopy! We are all anxious to get him home where he can be in a familiar place and more comfortable.

July 25, 2007

This morning Chaos had a slight fever and his blood pressure was a bit elevated as well, so they decided to keep him at the hospital until tonight so they could monitor him for a little while longer. They were fairly confident that it was just a pain response because the incision looked really good and there were no signs of infection, but wanted to play it on the safe side. By this afternoon the fever was gone and he was happily wagging his tail and doing great! He was officially released from the hospital this evening and is happily headed by to his foster home for the remainder of his recovery.

July 31, 2007

Chaos has had a rough recovery so far, but he is hanging in there! He had a low grade fever when he got home from the hospital and the following day. However, he has been eating well and drinking lots of water. He definitely wants to be a part of the action, so he will howl when confined to the crate in the other room. His foster parents have been letting him out in a small enclosed space when they can be with him and have even taken some time off from work to be with him.

Chaos was struggling with getting on and off the couch, so they found someone on Craigslist willing to donate a mattress and he is now happy as a clam with his new bed on the floor as you can see in the photos!

His hip is working well and he is doing some weight bearing, but not a lot. He is able to squat beautifully when he pees, which is a step in the right direction. His foster mom is doing ice packs and light lymphatic drainage massage around the surgical site approximately every 4-5 hours. His mobility is limited according to the doctors instructions.

We called Dr. Stubbs today to give him an update and he is a little concerned that he isn't putting more weight down on that leg than he is, so he has asked us to leave him for observation all day at the hospital on Thursday. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he is still on track!

August 2, 2007

Chaos spent the day with Dr. Stubbs at Alameda today. He did a full exam and said that the incision looks great and his hip is still right on track. They took an x-ray to rule out a stress fracture and it was clean. Some dogs just put more weight on them than others at this stage and it is just an individual variance.

Dr. Stubbs was, however, quite concerned that he continues to run a fever. They ran a urinalysis and checked his lungs for aspiration pneumonia and there were no signs of either. He can't really explain why his temperature is elevated right now and wants us to watch him a few more days and report back on Monday if it hasn't gone down to normal.

August 10, 2007

I am happy to report that Chaos is starting to come around! His fever seems to be down for good and his attitude picks up with every day.

He was feeling restless yesterday so his foster mom decided to start in on a little more serious therapy time. He went for a very short very controlled walk down the driveway and half way up the block. He did great and wanted more! With coaxing, he is bringing that foot down and putting some weight on it, which is a step in the right direction. He is also working with a pysioball for a few minutes to get some propriceptive input into the muscles and to start decreasing compensation. He was happy and tired when he retreated back to his crate after a hard day's work!

He has regressed a little bit with house training, so they are working on getting back into a routine.

He continues to get his once a day short massage to improve muscle tone and boost blood flow. His incision looks perfect, and he'll be going back to Dr. Stubbs at the one month mark for a report card.

Many thanks to Lisa and Dan for taking such great care of him!

August 21, 2007

Last night, Chaos went for his first trip to the indoor pool. They started in a two foot 'wading pool' and he had to be completely lifted in. Once in the water, he was not too happy, but they did manage to get a little bit of walking around done. Mainly, his foster mom worked on his weight bearing and stretching and getting him used to the water.

Next time, the plan is to try the deeper pool so that he can be free floating and can paddle his back legs a little and get some better exercise. Unfortunately, it is a steep flight of stairs up to the pools and the ramps into the pool are not very stable, so the experience is a bit scary for him. Nevertheless, they will try again and the owner promised to be on hand to help Lisa carry him when he needs it next time! Chaos is very much a puppy and raring to go, but they are taking it slow so as not to compromise his recovery and he is making daily progress.

October 7, 2007

Chaos went to his forever home with Aimee, Mike, and their son in Colorado Springs. He has a Husky mix sister, a Golden mix brother, and 3 cats who were all rescued as well, so he is in wonderful hands. They read his story and fell in love at first sight! His new family is committed to continuing his rehabilitation and will make sure he gets only the best of care as he continues to build up his strength and recover from his hip replacement surgery. He has a big yard and a dog door to let himself out whenever he wants to run and play! We are so happy that this sweet boy has found the perfect match at last and will live out the life of luxury he deserves.

I want to extend a HUGE thank you to Lisa and Dan for all of their help fostering and working with Chaos daily to prepare him for this big day! Their tireless efforts and devotion to his recovery and care were truly amazing and we are incredibly grateful for their efforts.

January 16, 2008

Update from Chaos' New Family:

I wanted to say that Chaos is doing great. We still can't get that stubborn boy use the doggie dog, but we have a schedule and it works(most of the time). We can't wait for Spring so we can start on small walks with him again. He is just a baby and really does not like to have his feet get cold, but neither do I so I really can't blame him. He has become our "OZman" don't know how or why that stuck. I can't wait to figure out the digital camera so I can send some pictures. He recovered nicely from all his sickness that he had early on and now is healthy and as big as a horse. He has gained some weight he was down to 95lbs when he was sick and has made it up to 115 and is now maintaining. Our vet is very happy with his weight and we have made good friends out the state of the art brand new emergency clinic so we know that he is always taken great care of when he is not well. He uses his back legs much more now and does not even hop anymore. When is is tired or just waking us he has some stiffness but that is about all.

Thank you so much for bringing us together with our boy and we hope to adopt through you again real soon.

Aimee