I have never ever had to ask for help financially but I’ve found myself in a situation where I need to ask for your support, let me tell you about Marlo…………

In August 2016 I was accepted by the Dogs Trust to adopt an 8-week old puppy who was mixed breed of Yorkshire Terrier and a Shitzu.

I named him Marlo and I absolutely feel in love with this little boy.

In January 2017 I noticed that Marlo had started with an odd limp in his front right leg but was reassured everything was okay by our vets.

After a few months with no improvement in his limp I was advised to put him on controlled walks for 8 weeks until his growth plate had stopped growing.

In May 2017 when he was 10 months old, Marlo was referred to an Orthopaedic Specialist for a CT scan to see what the problem was.

The specialist confirmed that Marlo’s radius and ulna had grown at different rates and was causing a partial dislocation of the elbow joint and bowing of the radius.

My Pet Insurance agreed to allow Marlo to have an ulna osteotomy operation on the same day, this operation would allow the bone to lengthen.

Over the next 6-8 weeks Marlo was on strict cage rest and I slept on the couch next to him during this period so I could look after him and ensure that he wasn’t on his own when he was in discomfort.

From the May to November Marlo didn’t make any improvement, further x-rays revealed that the ulna bone had not healed so a bone graft was suggested.

Marlo once again went in for the operation with strict cage confinement and rest for a few weeks.

By the January 2018 I was very concerned that after everything done to date Marlo had not improved and we visited the specialist yet again in Cumbria where we discussed further surgery to stop the foot rotating out as the bowing was still present and the elbow joint was still unstable.

Marlo underwent his third surgery which saw him have a 5-pin external fixator.

As if my brave pup had not been through enough already at such a young age he suffered from an infection of the top pin. The frame was finally removed 8 weeks later and after strict post-operative care I was devastated to see that Marlo was now unable to bear any weight on his leg and was barely able to put it down.

I am now at stage where I have claimed against my pet insurance to its limit, I managed to pay for the last surgery by myself but after further discussions with the specialist I have been given the following options:

1) Attempt revision of fixation to try to realign the upper section of the ulna and achieve bone healing using a bone plate, screws and a bone graft. This would not be straightforward and could carry the risk of complications such as implant failure, persistence of pain etc but would be the best chance of improving elbow joint function.

2) Accept the degree of lameness as he is and allow him to get on with his life with pain medicine which he has been on every day since he was 10 months old.

3) Amputate the limb- he should cope following amputation but clearly this is an irreversible step. I just know I don’t have a great deal of time as the bones are deteriorating.

If I am honest I have no idea what to do for the best, Marlo has been through so much surgery already with no success.

I am sure many of you have watched the fantastic and pioneering work that Noel Fitzpatrick aka ‘Supervet’ has accomplished over the years.

Before I commit to one of the above options I would like to arrange for Marlo to receive a second opinion from the Supervet.

Sadly, Marlo is no longer covered for further treatment under our insurance policy.

I am no longer able to fund this myself so I am asking for any donations to help get the second opinion we so greatly need to enable me to make the best decision for Marlo’s future.

Thank you for taking the time to read Marlo's story, we appreciate any support you can offer us and I will ensure that I keep you all up to date with his progress.

Love,

Marlo and worried mum

xx