BOOMER'S STORY

This is the story of a poor little Shih Tzu pup who had the worst possible start in life but has never let it beat him!

The cold-hearted money-driven breeder left the poor little runt of the litter with the gammy leg to his own devices and probably hoped that nature would just remove the little problem for him, but the little pup, who had to fight his healthy siblings tooth and nail for every single drop of his mother's milk, would not give up. His bad leg meant that he just could not compete with his siblings and so he grew weaker and weaker, as he managed to suckle less and less, until eventually, he was rescued just in the nick of time, terribly malnourished and so very close to death.

But his rescuer managed to pull him back from the brink, nursing him with intensive care and eventually he gained strength and was soon strong enough to be delivered to a rescue centre where his bad hind leg was immediately examined by a vet, but the news was very bad and the leg was removed soon after. Boomer, it was found, also had retained testicles and his other hip was found to be 'slightly loose.' He was just twelve weeks old.

This poor boy came to his 'forever home' at six months old bursting with an uncontrollable lust for life, regardless of the harsh start he'd had and the devastating disability, but just a year later, things took a turn for the worse, much worse. Our boy was, after a rushed visit to the vets, referred to a specialist who would go on to perform life-saving surgery on both his front legs to correct serious growth problems (Antebrachial Growth Deformity Correction) which had developed over time and caused the legs to begin failing to support him. To a three-legged dog, his remaining legs are extremely important and whilst he could conceivably survive with the help of wheels were he to lose the use of his remaining hind leg, but without those front legs working at full strength, those wheels would not be of much use to him.

Boomer lives with us and four other rescue Shih Tzu dogs, and he lives a full and happy life, we are not wealthy people, far from it, but our dogs are our lives and we try to afford them the best lives we possibly can and they are never happier than when we are all away camping.

Boomer has no pet insurance due to his pre-existing conditions but because he is a rescue dog we were able to raise funds to help us out with his extremely expensive but essential double procedure.

Now, just two years on from his ordeal, long-recovery period and intensive hydrotherapy, complete with metal plates and screws in both front legs, poor young Boomer is showing signs of worsening hip dysplasia.

As you can imagine we are devastated, but hopeful that we can contain and stabilise the situation and avert further serious surgery with hydrotherapy as prescribed by his vets. If regular sessions can strengthen and tighten things up, it may save him from the last chance saloon.

After a few months he will be further assessed and with a little much-overdue luck, the hydrotherapy will do the trick and save his life, because if this fails, his options would seem to be running out fast.

Boomer isn't by any stretch of the imagination a canine version of Tiny Tim! He is boisterous, loves going for walks and bundling with his 'sister,' he is a real character who absolutely refuses to let these setbacks get him down, this dog is a real fighter, a true battler who deserves better, who deserves a break, he's not exactly a fan of swimming or of water, but if this is what it takes to give him a fighting chance at life, then he better get his trunks on!

We will fund this for the rest of his life if we have to, he is our boy and we love him with all our hearts, but a little help from the generous public would go a long long way, so please find it in your heart to help us to help our boy.

Thank you!

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